Beginner

Slip Drill

Slipping is the core defensive move against straight punches: a small rotation and lateral lean that carries your head just off the line of attack while your feet stay set to counter. The obliques and spinal muscles drive the trunk tilt, and the legs bend and reload with each slip. Drilled in rounds it builds defensive rhythm and doubles as light rotational conditioning.

Equipment
Body Weight
Body part
Abs
Type
Cardio, Functional
Browse by movement
Rotation
Muscles worked
Target
Abdominal External Oblique
Secondary
Erector Spinae, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
Tertiary
Gluteus Medius

How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand in your stance with hands high and knees slightly bent.

  2. 2

    Bend at the knees and rotate the trunk to drop your head just outside your lead shoulder.

  3. 3

    Keep your eyes forward and your guard up as you slip.

  4. 4

    Return to center, then slip to the other side by rotating the opposite way.

  5. 5

    Move the head only a few inches, using the legs and trunk rather than bending the neck.

  6. 6

    Build a steady left-right rhythm for timed rounds.

Tips

  • Slip with the whole trunk and legs so you stay balanced and ready to counter.
  • Keep the movement small; a big lean takes you off balance and off target.
  • Do not drop your hands while slipping; the guard protects against the follow-up punch.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The slip travels backward instead of sideways, which takes you out of range of your own counter as surely as it takes you out of range of the punch.
  • Both slips end up going to the same side, because the lead side feels natural and the rhythm hides the imbalance; count them off in pairs.
  • Your head returns to exactly the same spot every time, so a drill about being hard to hit builds a metronome instead; vary the timing and the depth between reps.
  • Legs straighten out as the round wears on and each slip becomes a side bend from the waist, and a few hundred of those leave the low back sore.
  • Eyes close at the moment of the slip, a flinch worth training out by slipping slowly at first with the eyes fixed on a point in front of you.

Frequently asked

How long should a beginner drill slips?
Three rounds of two minutes is enough, and it belongs early in a session while you are fresh enough to move precisely. Spend the first round slow: slip, hold for a second, check that your guard has not dropped. Work the second and third at a normal rhythm. Two or three sessions a week is plenty. Stop the round if you start feeling dizzy, since the head is moving repeatedly and some people are sensitive to that.
How do I make the slip drill easier or harder?
To make it easier, slow it down, slip one side at a time with a pause in the middle, and shorten the rounds. To make it harder, hang a rope or a length of elastic at head height and slip beneath it so the movement has a real reference, add a counter punch coming out of each slip, or have a partner throw slow straight punches at you. A mirror helps at every level, because it shows whether your head actually left the line or only tipped.
What is the slip drill for, and who needs it?
It is defensive practice against straight punches, and it doubles as light rotational work for the trunk. Boxers and kickboxers need it early, since a fighter who can only block gets tired and gets hit, and fitness boxers get a mobility benefit from the same movement. It is not conditioning: the effort is too small to move your fitness, so do not count it as a workout. Anyone with a neck problem or a history of vertigo should check with a clinician, since the drill moves the head repeatedly.

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