Every boxer will encounter an overly aggressive opponent sooner or later when they box. Depending on how well-trained you are, this type of boxing style can be the easiest or hardest style to fight against. Read on to learn how to counter a rusher.
Before we go into details, you have to carefully break down the other opponent’s style. Does the other fighter jabbing his way inside and setting up big punches? Or is he just throwing his right hand often and putting all his weight behind it?
There’s a clear difference between a smart pressure fighter and an amateur that’s just rushing in like an idiot. This is like comparing Miguel Cotto and Ricardo Mayorga. If he’s a sloppy puncher, you can counter him all night long. If he’s a stalker type fighter that’s putting smart pressure and walking you down, then you’ll have to utilize quick movement and numerous jabs to stick and move out of danger.
Counters to the swarmer
Pivot Jab, Right-Cross
When he runs in, circle out to your left (if your orthodox stance), and jab him. Think of yourself as a matador side-stepping the bull. You don’t have to think about jabbing too hard, let his force impale himself onto your jab. You should stay concerned with maintaining the space between yourself and him. Once you get comfortable with jabbing, go ahead and try a double jab and then a big right hand counter.
Jab, Straight Right Hand to the Body
If your opponent is lunging at you square and bringing his body real close, go ahead and jab up high to raise his guard and then quickly bend your knees to change levels and throw a hard right hand to his body. Aim for the solar plexus to knock the wind out of him or even lower to really bang him in the gut. From this point, you can quickly jab to his head as your pivot to the left out of harm’s way, or respond with a super fast flurry to his head and step away to your right.
Catch his Jab, Right Hand to the Body
If he’s lunging at you with the jab, go ahead and catch it instead of slipping it. This should make him feel as though you’ll be there. Right when you see him throw the right hand immediately lean forward out of harm’s way and throw the right hand to his body. Quickly swing your head back up and out of the way in case he throws a low left hook and jab him up high to cover your exit.
Block the right hand, Right Hand or Uppercut
Most beginners are taught this counter but I actually don’t like it as much since it encourages both fighters to trade punches. To do this counter, all you have to do is simply block his hard right punch while rolling away from it, and then immediately spinning a hard right cross or right uppercut back at him. You have to hit hard or have fast hands for this to work. Otherwise, your opponent will be unaffected and throw many more punches your way. This counter works wonders against the guys that lean their head forward all the time when they attack.
Conclusion
The basic theory behind fighting a swarmer is to look for his leaning head. Many of these guys hang their head forward so they can reach you with their punches and are extremely vulnerable to counter punches up high. As long as your can pivot out of the way of their punches, you can easily hit them back with counter-punches that they won’t see. As with anything, the jab is once again your best friend in this case as well as lateral or pivoting movements. Another goal when fighting a swarmer style boxer is to not stand in front of him. You want to keep moving outside of his punching path so that his bunches of punches don’t get lucky and hit you.
The mental preparation behind fighting these guys is that you have to be used to constantly moving and punching as you backpedal the entire fight. It’s important that you don’t break down or get tired mentally and physically with all the running and engage in their fight as you stand still and trade. The best thing to do is always to stay calm, keep your eyes open and always remind yourself that there is always a counter since these guys are always punching.
great article
this is the best and most useful article yet….i hate trading punches with a guy because that leaves the fight to chance rather then skill….and usually the most agro fighter will win
thanks jerry
I totally agree. Trading punches with a more aggressive guy can easily mean a loss for you.
idk
i have that kind of style any1 knws how to like make it like an ordinary boxer e mail me at [email protected]
swarmers really put me off rythm in the gym. some will even throw in a shoulder and physically throw you in the corner out of pure arrogance.
I am beginning to learn how to use this to my advantage. I cant wait to meet mr fat short fucked up nose man again in the near future. 😀
beating swarmer boxers
Thanks, camo!
manny – all you have to do is not charge forward so much and don’t let your hand hang too far forward into your punches.
Awesome!
I started to do this after watching fighters like Ali and Mayweather Jr (my best weapon being my observational skills) and it worked better against my swarmer adversary than moving forwards and backwards where he’d pin me and make me pay for the occasional jab that slipped through his guard. At the time where I began to use sidestepping more, I’d got too caught up in the moment and – being particularly chuffed with myself – fell back into the habit of moving forwards and backwards. He made me pay for it again.
But it’s good to read that the method I accidentally picked up from watching professional fights is actually endorsed by others. :]
This is true
I have boxed overly agressive fighters and lost because i feel overwelmed with punches. This article has cleared things up for me.
Thanks man
Then what are you doing on a boxing website?
Crazy to Boxx
How to handle the “swarmer”. Shoot the sob.
You folks getting your bell rung boxing for recreation are insane. Detached retina, progressive brain damage, blood clots, death? Boxing is the ticket for desperate inner city guys looking to flee their rat/roach/crime infested life. Alternatives? Jujitsu, wrestling, sambo involve spending endless hours rolling around with sweaty guys before one gets “good”. Kung Fu, Karate, etc. likewise require thousands of hours of study and practice..leaving Kravajoo Maga (which only seems to be effective if your opponent freezes after throwing one kick or punch, lol).
Any well rounded fighter will agree that cops, military and other guys that spend thousands of $$$’s for 2-3 week or weekend seminars, be it Krav Maga, Gracie Jujitsu or Bruce Lee Deadly Dudes will certainly have lighter wallets, but have acquired nothing that will help them in a real fight.
What has served me well in every real life fight? My verbal skill, my ability to run like a cheetah, my bat, and my 1911. I don’t want to ever, even when making an arrest.. have to box, kick or wrestle with a swarmer and perhaps his associates.
Apex redneckery.
Notice it’s the cop that’s suggesting shooting a person for some unknown offense. Sorry “buddy” we in the non-homicidal psycho community feel that the bullet is truly the last resort. (Also we don’t get the best legal representation possible for free, knowing you will be found innocent being the best possible legal representation.)
dude i think you just suck
crazy to box thats cuz you are what i like to call a pussy. you have no confidence in your ability to actually fight so thats why your putting it down.
avoiding those punches
haha just liek in any case you want to avoid as much damage as possiable so i just read this artical and realize i do this alot all i need to work on is the backpedal jab i generally backpedal pause strong right cross hasent failed to daze someone liek this yet
Thank You
I just read all your articles, and I’m impressed as it’s gave me some solutions to my errors, I’m an amateur boxer who’s training to become professional, I hope I get the chance to mention your incredible work here, cos’ it’s helped much.
Thank you Rado.
Shahin:-)
thanks for visiting
You’re welcome anytime, Shahin. Good luck with your career and do feel free to share some tips with us every now and then. Thanks again for reading and I’d definitely appreciate any help promoting the site.
It works!
I got pounded on by a swarmer while sparring some days back, I met another one yesterday and applied what I read here in this article and ‘HEY, IT WORKS!’ I managed to keep the guy in check and started boxing all around the guy – got me feeling like Muhammed Ali.
Thanks Rado this has been really helpful.
Try this
A great way to defend yourself from an aggressive opponent is how Miguel Cotto fights Margarito in the early rounds of this fight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2PBi7Euk7w Cotto doesn’t win but Margarito was wearing illegally loaded gloves.
@Mike, YES! One of the best examples of fighting an aggressive opponent! I actually planned on using that video for some of my upcoming articles.
how come on
Mike, Margarito won that fight on his heart beating Cotto, Cotto couldnt hurt Margarito, that’s what lost him the fight, Margarito’s chin and heart.
also, it’s not proven that he had those wraps in that fight. But it doesnt matter, he won on heart. Cotto lost out mentaly
a kind of pessimistic review
coach i would disagree with quite a bit here i mean its correct for anybody holding the head forward or coming forward. not even a swarmer you could do it with a slugger. but swarmers are of 4 types and this style will work for 1 type the least skilled type.
heres the truth. avg swarmers beat good boxers. only great boxer-punchers with KO power can sometimes good swarmers. sluggers (with KO power) beat good swarmers. good boxer-swarmers beat good sluggers. if youre a boxer, pray you have a slow moving swarmer. if youre a boxer puncher, pray your swarmer has a average chin. if youre a slugger, pray your swarmer will be the dumbass type who cant avoid shots and you can KO him. and if youre a swarmer, its a matter of will and chin or changing into a different style and finding weakenesses.
the first and most common swarmer (sadly for my kind) is the hang head forward little technique swarmer. this articles a good way to nail such guys, they depend too much on head hunting and do tend to jump into a punch. dont work the body, probably cant slip a combo, and will try to crowd by coming into punches without feinting or protecting themselves inside that well. diaz was a good example. but the happy story really ends here.
so mexican style swarmers and strong chinned fighters should be dealt with differently and other articles written. bob-weavers are very rare there isnt a single one since tyson who has been successful so not so important. and the granite chin margarito and marciano like fighters will not be deterred by this at all.
What do you think about, “punch (or counter punch) then clinch” to shut, the always coming forward aggressiveness of swarmers j ?
That’s the Muhammad Ali tactic! Floyd Mayweather does it a lot, too. It definitely works.
Hi im your article you say circle to your left if your a orthodox fighter. But wouldnt that mean circiling to his power hand his right hand. I am a little confused I was under the impression that if you fight a orthodox fighter you circle to his left away from his power hand and if your fihjting a south paw you circle to his right away from his power hand after a combo or if they are coming in on you. thank you for your help
There are general rules for everything, James. As long as you know why you’re doing it, it’s ok to do something different. I definitely meant circling to the left in the article. It makes sense for that tactical purpose, but yes, you’ll have to watch out for his power hand.
I went sparring yesterday against 2 girls from the same club, they were definitely swarmers, I’m a novice so I was totally overwhelmed with punches, constantly moving but not managing to get in any sort of a rhythm myself.. Definitely gonna try these out. Thanks! 🙂
There’s a guy I spar a lot in boxing, hes constantly bobbing and weaving and at the same time throwing flurries of combinations, im unable to him him, because he’s going all over the place, and im an inside fighter..
Also there’s one guy who’s just really tall and he got a longer reach, and I try stepping in and then throwing a combination, but he steps out, or pivots..
Please help! This is the last time I can prove to my coach that im ready for amateurs..
Fighting tall guys is scary, you’ll have to increase your footwork skills and defense to come into range without getting hit. It takes a lot of practice. If you can’t hit the head, aim for the chest and then the head.
hey
someone who throws and moves always seems faster than they are. you need to jab offcenter and see if they are actively avoiding them or are getting hit by half despite realising where the punch is going. if he’s a robotic swarmer find the pattern and then time him get the shot in first. if he’s a reactive swarmer see if your range+handspeed allows you to hit first or counter his shots and nullify his shots. if he’s reactive and too fast feint him and get him into a position you want and be waiting for him with a big punch. make him stop instantly reacting. if he’s robotic and taller get right on his shoulder him and hit him at point blank range he wont know how to avoid you. if he’s reactive push him away if he gets close or just tie him up. chances are a reactive swarmer will be better than you at avoiding your shot and countering.
for beating any swarmer the key is to keep throwing punches and not try to be just precise or just power based and to take their stamina away. swarmers are hit with the biggest punches because theyre moving forward something will hurt them. punch with timing, punch like a truck, punch in combos, or punch and clinch immediately, dont let them get movementum.
if you cant get their head, hit the chest, hit the body. when they are bending down, watch if they protect their chin-if not throw a short uppercut everytime they make the mistake of weaving in range. swarmers do cause the most accumulated damage, but they also take the most damage. it takes 2 good jabs to turn a swarmer’s combo ineffective by making them unable to aim.
poor swarmers are really affected by lateral movement, so that can be a great tactic. good swarmers easily adjust to lateral movement and do a lot of it themselves; they ARE affected more by really long range jabbers with great speed (ali) and iron chins who keep punching (foreman). ofcourse, pivoting to throw the left hook or with the right overhand works wonders. if one is fast enough and has the timing.
thanks!
I am really short and almost always sparred and boxed guys much taller and skinnier and I hated those lanky dudes, especially if they have longer than average (for their height) arms.
Learn how to move forward while moving your head, also learn how to move to the side AND diagonally WHILE moving your head. This is best done with a thin rope net like a star (for the side and diagonal movement) and a regular thin rope that’s straight for moving forward. You put the rope(s) at shoulder height.
Start slow, so you can step right and move JUST enough to slip under the rope without touching and so you do not lose balance. Once you get it, increase speed steadily, until you can do it at full speed without touching the rope or barely ever touching it.
I prefer going to the inside and staying in their chest with these lanky bastards, then nail away at their short ribs, liver and occasionally (especially after slipping a hook) popping up to nail them in the head. When you’re in close, YOU have ALL the leverage. At least that’s what I found…
And if you’re quicker you can dance circles around them, nailing them everytime they turn to face you again, especially if you mix it up so they don’t know what to expect when turning towards you.
Hi Johnny, I liked the article and love your website i’ve almost read all articles………. but i need your help a little. i started boxing like 10 months ago when i was 19 and am progressing quite fast, i really love the game though i have had no experience in any kind of fighting before.
i am 6ft tall and weigh 56 kg (really light) and am competing in amateurs . i had participated in the competitions last year (i only knew how to throw a right and left straight) but lost to an experienced and better fighter who went on to win silver in the state level.
I think im a technical fighter i fight from far and use my range …. i am also fairly fast and try to incorporate Ali’s footwork (float like a butterfly) into my movements hence i usually get hit very few times in a round but i have a very weak chin and cannot take punches to my face.
I’ve approached boxing with intelligence rather than aggression, i try to find patterns in my opponents and set up traps accordingly……….
Ok now the problem is that most of the guys in our competitions are swarmers (90% of them) and frankly i’m afraid of swarmers, these guys are not actually good boxers they are just strong ,fast and aggressive youths (also usually stupid and not much experience in boxing) who are picked by college coaches to play in the tournaments…. they are taught some combinations and just come into the rings swinging their arms wildly and even get in a few foul shots…. ofcourse there are also some good boxers but i do not have the chin to handle heavy, fast punches……….. i can handle a technical fighter or even a slugger but get really nervous around swarmers.
Please give me tips to knock out the swarmers really quick because here we have to fight atleast 4-5 bouts in a span of morning to afternoon to get a gold and i want a to win this real bad..
Sorry for the long post but i thought if you knew my situation you could help me better
PS: i live in India.
Try learning how to swarm and become a swarmer yourself and you will learn how to beat them. Even if you try to box, you have to be a fighter first.
Thanks , i dont know how you get the time to help out every guy who comes here with a question….
i’ve never seen it in any other place before………. You maybe right i need to become a fighter to become a better boxer, I’ll try to swarm in my sparring sessions…… Thanks a lot hope that you can help a rookie boxer like me in the future with other problems And yeah do you have any articles on the mental aspects of boxing such as how to increase reflexes or how to overcome nervousness or anxiety before a match, etc.
All those guides are in the mental training section. Scroll to the bottom of the site for the categories. Good luck, Akhil!
are swarmers and brawlers the same thing?
Swarming means coming forward with lots of punches.
Brawling means fighting with lesser skill, usually with less defense and poor punching technique.
It’s possible to be a high-skilled swarmer. If it anything, it takes a lot of skill to come forward without getting hit.
I just recently had my first fight against asort of swarming slugger. He’d constantly move forward until I threw a combination. And then duck the first punch to counter with about 3 haymakers. I was having alot of trouble and felt uncomfortable because I throw about 4 punches at a time, then back out, ( i say im a boxer-puncher), so after throwing my first 2 punches id get clobbered by 2 wide shots and stumble back. He dropped me after I threw a fast 1212 he interrupted with a left hook, then I got nervous and started trading hooks with him, this didnt last long, I got tkoD. I just need to know, how can I throw more than 1 punch at a swarmer without getting overpowered? its in my nature to throw punches in bunches but I cant when I throw 1 and get ratteled by an overhand. Btw im 15 started training a year ago., please help!
He’s basically out brawling you. This is something that comes with time. You can’t box if you don’t have the skills to brawl first. You have to learn how to trade punches (hopefully without actually trading punches) and land at least as many blows on your opponent as he does on you.
At the very least, you should be able to even up the amount of shots and power landed. Once you can do that, then you can think about boxing. Otherwise, you will always be running and it’s only a matter of time.
Thanks man, so things like blocking, and bending my knees(then returning) when someone comes at me would probably get me more used to trading punches, i figured. I started trying it sparring recently and i feel more comfortable with holding my ground, but then again im still having problems with punching at the same time my opponent is, i guess this will come with time?
Exactly.
Hey Johnny
Nice article but i have a question
I’m an amateur boxer and i have a problem with amateur rushing opponents, they come to me with jab cross jab cross very fast i can’t counter them all so i start running backwards. can you give me some tips about these kind of boxers ?
Start getting used to this style in training. Learn how to counter that incoming jab. Learn how to fight back as you run away.
Any advice on how to handle an aggressive beginner who swarms in with 100 per cent force on the punches despite being heavier (by 15-20 lbs) and taller (around 5 inches). Talking to the coach and talking to the guy to ease up, not sparring that guy – none of these are options in my gym. Handle the guy, sure, but how? Run like hell and keep running? Cant do that forever. Any advice is appreciated.
Amy- straight from this website
https://expertboxing.com/boxing-strategy/boxing-styles/beating-the-swarmers
My thoughts includes using angles. Sounds as though he’d be a straight line kinda of guy and perhaps falls into his punches. If you can let him fall past you or keep him turning (probably and usually towards his jab hand), the might prove helpful. Also, use his height as a disadvantage and fight at close range. You may be able to smother his aggression while doing work to his body, therefore killing his will for aggression.
My two cents.
I had my first fight ever today, the Golden Gloves All Comers. I already my opponent was gonna come out swinging. I asked all the fighters in my gym about their first fight. They all said the same thing, zero fight fighters go K R A Z Y!!!! well I jabbed her the whooooooooooole time. I almost lost it my fighting her crazy fight, but my coaches were screaming to calm down and fight my fight. I didn’t even have to jab hard, she was so exhausted she couldn’t even punch. the softest jabs had her going back. She hit my in the mouth, busted my lip right at the bell of the first round. Only good hit she got on me. I won by unanimous decision, 30, 30, 29 -_- that last just gave the last round a one point difference. But thats okay, I guess he might have known that girl.
Although, I never looked up how to fight a swarmer, I’ve learned the importance of adjusting and quick thinking. All i knew was when I jabbed her while she was throwing she never completed a punch and when she did she tapped my arms, but mostly air. When my back hit the ropes, because I can fight going forward, backward and side to side, I was like eff the proper way to get off, I do not want the judges to think she hurting me. I check hooked her, dodge her, all she did was come forward and use all her trying to push me on the ropes. I’m sorry, but why would I stand and trade punches with someone like that.
Yea, I have much better techinique but in the ring it so much different. I’m happy I won. I just know I gotta put in werk!!! OT werk!!!
my comment has so many grammatical errors my bad lol, im too hype right now
If you want to stop a swarmer you need a stiff jab, you need to make him think and occupy him with your jab. If your jab can’t stop him then you need to move sideways, most don’t know how to cut the ring off. Especially your first few fights, your combinations won’t be fast enough and even if you hit him once or twice, he’ll get on the inside and trade. You need to learn how to make someone think about your jab and how to set up your cross with your jab. When I started, as funny as it sounds, I chose to box south paw so that my jab was stronger, stiffer and faster.
!
I came across the site as I have been looking for techniques on handling fear, and what tactics to use when facing a stronger and much bigger puncher.
I have been sparring some of the lads in the gym and eventually I would really like to start competing in amateur contests.
My coach recommended to me that I fight in one his white collar events, against others that have only been boxing for 8 weeks, to see how I do and then fight for the club. I was hesitant at first as I don’t really agree with white collar bouts, but I agreed as I want to face my fears.
The problem is the lad who he has matched up against is a very big puncher, and looks and feels a lot stronger. When we spar I outbox him, but every time he catches me, boy do I know about it. I am not scared of being hurt, or even losing, just being knocked out in front of loads of people.
But thanks to this article I feel I have some very valuable advice here. Can’t wait to try them out in sparring.
Good luck to you, Danny. Pain is inevitable, fear doesn’t have to be. Keep fighting and learn to stay calm/intelligent even while under pressure, you’ll be alright!
Danny Jones I’m just about to start an 8 week training course leading up to a White Collar event so I haven’t yet seen who else is in the group. However I have been training for the last seven months but not with a view to competing (until now)
I’ve been to a couple of White Collar events, and a lot of those guys swarm with wild punches but no skill. Because they are throwing wild punches they are not making use the best use of their power. They also tend to lean forward, take their eyes off the opponent and move in straight lines.
At this stage I’m thinking lots of lateral movement and angles. If I can’t land many counters early on then OK, but if I make can make them miss they’ll lose a lot of energy and could gas out and start dropping any guard they may have.
I would strongly suggest that you have a look at “The BEGINNER’S Guide to Boxing” on this site, especially the parts on sparring/fight strategy and fighting styles.
I think Kat’s post (June 1, 2015) is absolutely right in that if your jab can’t stop them (and I know that at them moment I don’t have a great jab) then move sideways.