This training tips video is about the head. The correct movement of your head will transform what you are currently doing, whatever style you train.

It is for martial artists and self-defence students who spend all their time on hands and feet and very little thinking about where their own head is.

Why The Head Matters

Your head is heavy, and where it goes your body tends to follow. Move it well and you stay balanced, harder to hit and in a better position to strike. Move it badly and you lose balance, give the other person an easy target and weaken your own technique.

Boxers know this well. Head movement is one of the first things a good boxing coach looks at, and the same ideas carry straight over into self-defence and pressure point fighting.

What Good Head Movement Gives You

  • Defence. A head that moves off the line is much harder to hit than one that stays still.
  • Balance. Keeping the head over your base stops you leaning and overreaching.
  • Angles. Moving the head often takes the body to a better angle for your next strike.
  • Power. A well-placed head lets the strike come from the legs and hips rather than the arm alone.
  • Vision. A steady, well-positioned head helps you see what is coming.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake is the head staying fixed in the centre line, waiting to be hit. Another is leaning forward to reach a target, which pulls you off balance. A third is moving the head too much, so it becomes wild movement that wastes energy and leaves you out of position.

How To Practise

Start slowly in front of a mirror. Practise small movements off the centre line and back, keeping your head over your feet. Then add it to your strikes so the head moves as part of the technique, not as an extra. Work with a partner throwing slow, controlled strikes so you can practise moving off the line safely. Keep it light and controlled.

Take It Further

Head movement is a big part of good boxing, and the Learn To Box Online Course covers it in detail. To work on it with me in person, take a look at my Training Camps.