http://www.myboxingcoach.com - As a boxing trainer, I really do love the simple skills. Simple works. 90% of what the very best boxers do are the basics, they just do them very well. This latest in the series of 90 Second Boxing Tips videos looks at the lay back, an awesome defensive/counterpunching skill used regularly by such skills demons as Floyd Mayweather Jr, Muhammad Ali and Roberto Duran. Ali used the lay back especially after his 3 year exile what he danced just a little less! From a mechanical point of view, this is really simple and straightforward. There are 2 basic steps: 1. From the boxing stance, simply bend the back leg. 2. To complete the skill revert back to the start position. Told you, we are not exactly splitting atoms here. It's simple, clean and very effective when done right. Key Points: 1. What really matters is your range in relation to your target. This is a skill for long range. 2. I always think that this skill is most useful when it is deployed as the middle skill in a sequence of 3. So, thin 'Trigger - Layback - Shot'. The trigger (to 'trigger' your opponent) can be a punch or a feint. This approach let's you really leverage the skill for counterpunching. This for me is where Mayweather Jr, Ali and Duran are all expert at this skill. Common Faults. There are 2 common faults when using this skill. 1. Be aware of your lead hand dropping. This is a long range/edge of range skill so there is not much room for error. That lead hand dropping can lead to some big bombs coming your way AND landing! 2. Isolate your back, do not bend at the waist. If the opponent keeps on driving through with shots you can find yourself with nowhere to go...literally! Floyd Mayweather Jr, Muhammad Ali and Roberto Duran. Not bad company to keep that is it? This is one of the boxing tips that I think is really useful and in fact is one of the first 6 or 8 skills that I teach new boxers. Any questions or comments can be left below. Cheers Fran