Bob and weave: how to dip in a U-shaped movement under a hook, which side to come up on, and why the knees do the work instead of your back.
Bob and weave (dipping and rolling) is a U-shaped movement of head and trunk under a hook, after which you come up again on the outside or inside. The world federation's manual describes it as "rotation": you bend the knees, move the upper body in the direction of the opponent's hook and then in the opposite direction while the punch passes over your head, then you stand up [1]. It protects against lead and rear hooks to the head [1].
How hard is it really? Clearly harder than the slip: you do not just move sideways, you move down and back up at the same time, under a punch. Hence intermediate. Realistically you need several weeks to months of partner training until it works at fight tempo (rule of thumb).
The good news comes from the measurements: in competition boxers, hooks reached a higher contact speed than jab and cross, but took clearly longer to land [3]. The hook is thus not a lightning bolt from nowhere but an arc with a run-up. That run-up is your window to dip.
And defence is gaining importance: comparing 29 Olympic bouts before and 50 World Championship bouts after the 2013 rule change, foot movement and deliberate defensive movements rose significantly in elite amateurs [4].
From the boxing stance: bend the knees down and slightly inward, eyes on the opponent, forearms and elbows protect the body. Your head does not go below the opponent's waistline [1]. Milestone: 10 ducks in a row, eyes forward, guard up.
Now the movement for the hook: bend the knees, move the upper body in the direction the hook comes from and, while the punch runs over your head, rotate in the opposite direction; then stand up [1]. The head draws a U. Milestone: five slow hooks per side pass over you without touching you.
You can come back up on the outside or inside of the hook. The first time, choose the side away from the opponent's punching arm. On the side behind the arm you are closer to the opponent's second hand (practice, not backed by our sources). Milestone: you come up ten times on the chosen side, the guard stands.
Your partner throws slow hooks. You practise at the partner's pace. The federation teaches defence first standing, then with a partner throwing the basic punches [1]. Milestone: 3 × 10 hooks per side, all miss you, you stand in stance afterwards.
The Swiss material asks you to couple ducking with a counter-punch as soon as possible – for example a straight to the body [2]. The moment of coming up is your counter window. Milestone: you counter on every third come-up with a clean straight.
Two hooks in a row, one from each side: dip left, come up right and dip again straight away. Here the trunk works as a pendulum, the knees remain the engine. Milestone: five hooks left-right in a row without the guard dropping.
The IBA manual lists typical defensive mistakes [1]:
Whoever dips is not automatically protected. The head comes into reach of knee, elbow and uppercut, and the hands are briefly not where they usually are. Therefore: practise without contact, slowly.
Boxing is a sport with head blows. A meta-analysis of 35 studies found a markedly higher concussion risk in boxing than in other combat sports [5]. In amateur sparring, peak head accelerations reached 191 g, but most impacts were below the threshold for mild head injury [6]. So: no panic, no downplaying. In training most injuries are strains and sprains, in competition mainly contusions and cuts [7]. The knees work when you dip; if you have knee problems, clarify them medically first.
In practice: sparring only under supervision, with a suitable partner, headgear and 16 oz gloves [1]. Warning signs after a hit such as nausea, vomiting, confusion, dizziness: stop immediately and get medical help [1].
This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training.
Hang a string at shoulder height in front of you, for example between two chairs, and dip under it in a U-shaped movement without touching it. Your head must learn the arc: not straight down, not away to the side, but a U. That is a practice tip without study evidence, but it shows you immediately whether you work from the knees or from the back. Brush the string and you dip too late or too shallow.
Ducking is the downward duck against straight punches and hooks: bend knees, eyes on the opponent. Bob and weave is the extended movement under the hook with coming up on the other side; the manual calls it "rotation" [1]. Both belong to basic training.
The rotation is listed as a defence against lead and rear hooks to the head [1]. Ducking additionally protects against straight punches [1]. It is not meant for uppercuts and body shots.
Just deep enough for the hook to pass over your head. As an upper limit the manual says the head must not go below the opponent's waistline [1]. The smaller the movement, the faster you are back in stance and the sooner you can counter.
The manual requires you to bend the knees [1]. That keeps the upper body compact, you return to stance faster and spare the back (rule of thumb). Dip from the back and your head tips forward and you lose sight and guard.
More than you think: in competition boxers, hooks took longer to land than jab and cross [3], and the researchers conclude defenders may have more time to evade than previously assumed [3]. Still, you first learn dipping against expected hooks in partner drills.
Ducking in Boxing: Letting Hooks Pass Without Losing Your Head