Can You Jump In Boxing? – Rules You Should Pocket

There are a lot of rules in the boxing world that you have to remember.

A wrong, though negligible, act can also be considered illegal. Can you jump in boxing? It is a common question in the boxing world, even for professional boxers who have been in the boxing world for a long time. 

There will be many cases where both feet of a boxer may be out of the floor when they throw a punch. So, when you can jump and throw a punch in boxing? Keep on reading as we discuss this further.

Let go!

Can You Jump In Boxing?

You may have seen a lot of boxing matches, but have you ever seen a boxer jumping during a fight? Just barely ever? 

So why would it be? A boxer may use jumping to confuse his rivals or direct their eyes on his legs and then catch them off balance. He can also use his strength to maximize the power of his blows, ignited by the hop. Then why doesn’t everyone  use those tricks? 

In fact, in most fighting sports, some unwritten rules are believed to be understood by most fighters. Although not illegal, having a leaping motion through the air will incur both the referees’ wrath and the viewing audiences.

Based on boxing rules, jumping is not so useful in a regular boxing match. Technically, jumping in boxing is legal, and there is no law claiming you can not jump until your opponent is struck. Depending on the various countries, of course, the laws will vary. Universal boxing laws do not apply, and each State has its own rules for this case.

What Are The Rules About Jumping In Boxing

Boxing laws can be different between countries and jurisdictions. And though a lot of specific sets of rules have standardized boxing worldwide, they are still not known in certain nations. Some states have a law that does not necessarily allow jumping.

There are still no known examples of any disqualifiers in boxing or fouls due to using any leaping techniques. The rules in boxing dictate what can and can not be achieved in the sport, although, accidental innovations can be used by outsiders to the sport.

There may also be a day where the national governments of world boxing will have to explicitly change the collection of rules to approve or block such modern boxing trends. If the sport transitions with the times and changes the main rules to suit the supporters or promoters, only time can tell.

Also read: Elbow blocks in boxing.

When Can You Jump And Throw A Punch In Boxing?

In fact, it is absolutely legal in most situations, and some boxers actually take advantage of that. There are some distinct examples of boxing jumping punches that had a lot of success over the years. These involve gazelle jab, gazelle punch, and superman punch, which is lesser-used. Let’s delve into the ways of applying the jump below:

The Gazelle Punch

The gazelle, or called kangaroo punch, should not be mistaken for the smash punch claimed by Donovan Razor Ruddock, the current heavyweight champion. However, the power produced by the fighter that is pushed off the ring floor is used by this punch.

And the force produced by the jumping action has always culminated in a knockout blow, typically paired with a hook or an uppercut punch. One of the key reasons for this case is that the competitor sees the fighter falling his standard and suspects a body shot as a consequence.

When they lower their hands to preserve the body, the exposed head is usually placed by the lunging hook or uppercut. Twisting motion will result in added effect or a knockout from the extra force from jumping.

How To Make A Gazelle Punch Correctly?

• Duck your body slightly
• Place all your gravity on the feet, 
• Load an uppercut/hook 
• Jump to the other boxer when the hook is released. 

It’s crucial to know that the boxers do not need to move too high but should move forward to cover more distance. The approach is somewhat similar to ducking and weaving followed by the lead hook, but you only leap with the punch in this situation.

When You Can Throw This Punch

Such skill may be very helpful against fighters (boxers who are likely to fight you from the far distance, usually big fighters). You can quickly catch him/her off balance thanks to the explosiveness and the hurried pace at which you can close the gap between you and your enemy.

When You Should Avoid Using This Technique

Counter punchers- if you’re competing against a professional counterpuncher, jumping into him unprotected might not be a smart move. Your enemy can grab you before you throw your gazelle punch with a straight right or left. 

When all hits are thrown at a time, the straight blows will often fall before the hooks or the uppercuts, owing to the shorter traveling distance.

If you’re a boxer facing an infighter (somebody who loves fighting at a near distance), you might like to stay away from this one rather than jump towards him. You need to keep this distance and then throw straight punches in case your approach is fighting from a gap

Of course, what you really need to remember about the infighters: They hold their defenses up ALL the time. The ability to catch them with a gazelle punch off guard isn’t perfect. They would only block your punch in most situations and then use the chance to launch a close-distance battle. 

Gazelle Jab

While the punch of the gazelle was leaping into a hook punch in motion, instead of giving a hook, with the gazelle jab, boxers would use a linear straight punch. The initial process is the same as the above punch, yet a straight jab ends with the final punch.

How To Use The Gazelle Jab?

• In the same way with gazelle punch, Start bending your knees by lowering your height. 
• Put your gravity on the front toes of both feet 
• Bring the jabbing arm close to the body to prepare for throwing.    
• Push off as you lunge out toward your rival from your toes. 
• Connect your jabbing with your rival when you complete the technique

The added bonus of heading over the gazelle hook is the boxer does not have to restart if the move is completed. While the punch will also leave the boxer out of place as they over-extend after the thrown punch’s twist. With this technique, the fighter’s upper torse will be square with the rival, not be eccentric.

When Can You Use It?

This jab is another hand style of attack which is used easily to close the gap once again. The punch was much more likely to land as used by an effective, fast puncher.

As the jab gave the enemy little time to respond to the strike, it was seen as a reference to a subsequent barrage of punches. It is also because of how the boxer lands after tossing the punch. Different from the gazelle punch, the jab could leave the warrior vulnerable. The gazelle jab gave the fighter the chance to turn away quickly and launch another strike.

When Not To Use This Punch

A lot of this jab’s winning qualities derive from the surprise element., using this skill too much when at a distance can allow the rival to have time to prepare, which will lead to a successful counter-attack.

Due to this reason, the strike can be used wisely and blended in with multiple combos to make the opponent confused. Once every fighter uses the same punch combos repeatedly, he falls into a routine. It’s not going to be long until their surprise factor disappears, and they are easily countered.

Superman Punch

Whereas gazelle punch is a jumping hook or uppercut, the superman one is a straight jumping punch (cross or jab). 

People call it superman punch because It’s like jumping forward when a punch is thrown (this looks like a Superman when he flies). Either (or both) of the feet normally leave the ground when doing so for around a second.

Therefore, you can make the punch stronger and strike your enemy from a distance from which he does not anticipate it. Moreover, when you jumped for it, the blow might fly even quicker, so the other boxer would have a tougher time avoiding it. 

In boxing, this punch is seldom used, but in sports like Muay Thai or Kickboxing, it is a popular trick.

How To Use Superman Punch Correctly?

• Lower slowly your body
• Push back your lead leg Behind and put your weight on it  
• Jump forward when lifting your back foot off the ground and then throw a straight punch by the arm of the same side 

When Should You Use This Technique?

A short boxer may use this superman punch, which fights against a bigger rival and tries to hit him from a longer distance. Superman punch is easier to see than the gazelle one.

The reason behind this is: Covering wide distances and using the unexpected factor. And thus, it can be used where there is a large gap that can not be easily filled by any conventional boxing action between you and your rival.

Which Case You Should Not Use It?

Space and distance are necessary to perform the Superman punch. When battling on the inside, it is not a punch that can often be used as there is literally not enough space to get it off. 

The punch demands that you have the needed distance to step off to have two feet off the floor for just a moment. And, thus, if something goes wrong, attempting and landing can be quite a risky punch.

Conclusion

Can you jump in boxing? After reading the article, we are certain that you have had the answer. In boxing, jumping is completely legal, but that does not mean it’s helpful in all situations. So, you must be smart to use it in suitable cases.

We hope that the information we have provided above can be useful for you. Good luck!