How to use the Stiff Arm
The Stiff Arm is something I have discussed before on this site when looking at several of the tactics used by Kronk Gym fighters, most noticeably Thomas Hearns. The Hitman was one of the best ever and used his height and reach to take full advantage of the stiff arm. Another fighter who was great at using the stiff arm was Larry Holmes.
Holmes was one of the very best we have ever seen at heavyweight, holding the third longest reign in heavyweight history and of course is likely most known for beating an out of retirement Muhammad Ali and then himself coming out of retirement to face a young and dangerous Iron Mike Tyson. I had Holmes as the no.5 heavyweight of all time so that’s how skilled I believe he was, possessing possibly the greatest jab in boxing history – no doubt honed through countless hours working alongside and sparring Muhammad Ali, Holmes was a masterful boxer and in this article I am going to look at several ways Holmes would use the stiff arm.
- To Measure Range
Holmes would use the stiff arm to measure range for his right hand, by extending his left hand he would draw his opponent in with the stiff arm, just holding it out long enough for his opponent to come close enough and when they did, Holmes would fire out a right cross behind the stiff arm. The stiff arm is an excellent way to measure range and can become very annoying for a forward fighting opponent as it gets in the way of their advancement.
2. Blocking Punches
Holmes would use the stiff arm to block punches coming back at him from the opponent. He did this in several ways, if Holmes missed with a jab he could turn the jab into the stiff arm and keep it extended, the jab is the most countered punch so by using the stiff arm Holmes would stop you counter punching as the stiff arm blocked the path of the punch. What Holmes could also do is briefly place the stiff arm on the opponents glove which again stopped them in their tracks.
3. Head Control
This was effective for several reasons. When placing the stiff arm on your opponents lead shoulder or the side of their chin you can effectively control where they are going. Not only does it prevent counter punching but it interrupts your opponents rhythm when they have a stiff arm shoved on the side of their face and what it also allows is for Holmes to steer himself away from trouble and out of harms way. So not only have you interrupted the opponents punches but you have forced them to reset and start all over again, not getting your punches off can be extremely frustrating for a boxer.
4. Obstructing Vision
Another important use of the stiff arm is obscuring your opponents line of sight. Holmes would place the stiff arm right in your face and prevent you from seeing what was happening. When doing this Holmes would try to blind your vision so you couldn’t see what was about to happen and it was usually followed by a power shot such as the right hand. In boxing it is not always the hardest punch which hurts you, it is the punch you don’t see coming because if you do not see a punch coming, your body cannot instinctively brace for the punch and believe me even a jab will stun you and hurt you if you do not see it coming.
So there’s four uses of the stiff arm by Larry Holmes, watch the video below to see him put it to use against Leon Spinks.
*Any images used to support this article are not my own and credit is due to the respective owners. Images are used for educational purposes only.
