The Andre Ward Boxing Style - My 3 Pillars

Go Here to Download Your Book - www.myboxingcoach.com - Andre Ward is one of the most effective fighters of the last 20 years. His list of achievements qualifies him as one of the very best of his generation. In this video we will examine my 3 top elements of the Andre Ward boxing style.
Andre Ward was an Olympic gold medallist in the Athens games. He took part in 120 amateur fight, losing only 5. He was a 3 weight world champion in the professional ring, winning all of his 32 fights, 16 by way of knockout. This guy is a top operator.
So, what are the 3 things that I think mark his boxing style out as being so effective?
His boxing stance. He is steady, controlled and calculating. He is flat-footed as a pro, quite different than his days as an amateur where he chose to be much more mobile on his feet.
Ward does not want to back away. At most he will do an occasional push out. He works at the edge of range or at long range and exerts a subtle pressure with his bodyweight central or on slightly on the front leg.
His defensive prowess comes from his subtle head movements. Slips, shifting off the centre line and always being in a position to fire back.
The second thing about the Andre Ward boxing style that stands out to me is his lead hand work. Ward is a naturally left-hand dominant person who boxes out of the right hand orthodox style. He uses massive numbers of ramrod jabs to the head and body.
Ward often actually uses his back hand (right hand) to set top his lead hand work. Most other boxers often go the other way. His back hand is accurate, very rarely missing, but it's really a platform for that lead hand work of power jabs and hooks.
Finally, Andre Ward is very comfortable at close range. He is happy with rough house boxing, grappling...he gives as good as he gets. He will use the lead arm to pin or fix the opponent and his short range hooks and uppercuts is solid. He bursts from a tight cover guard to deliver rapid hook and uppercut based combinations.
Andre Ward NEVER wants to come second in an exchange. Two or three shots, delivered with power and accuracy and he's gone.
Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Andre Ward boxing style.
Enjoy
Fran
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[@Beast12]

Ward was a very good boxer a little underrated for me

[@aarone8869]

great*

[@Beast12]

@@aarone8869 a year later response for that lol

[@aarone8869]

@@Beast12 just popped up on my recommendations lol

[@Beast12]

@@aarone8869 😂

[@adrian_veidt]

I loved how Dre teached me the importance of your lead hand. It's not just a measuring stick or for jab, you can control your opponent with it. This is was very visible in his fight against Froch and Dawson. Dre was a chameleon. I love how he picked to fight Sakio Bika just to hone his ability to fight on the inside and clinches. Also unlike Floyd, Dre used a defense I prefer myself. The philly crab. Dre is so good on parrying and redirecting punches. While doing the classic "catch and shoot" I also think Dre is one of the most defensively responsible fighter in modern era.

[@charlieprince8671]

Ward has always been one of my favorite fighters. I had the good fortune to spend about a year with someone who used to spar with him, the son of one of his training team, and I learned SO much about that "flat footed" style you spoke of and especially inside fighting from him.

[@CoelhoSports]

"Andre ward, 3-weight world champion" Well as a pro he cleaned out 168 then beat kovalev twice at 175 and couldn't get stevenson to unify for the last title so he retired. That's king of two divisions as a pro. He had a few 160 fights early on as a pro and of course won gold at 178 in the athens olympics but still only a two division champ, albeit consensus top dog in both. The breakdown of ward is perspicacious. Great job, FS!

[@attoeattoe2058]

Dope breakdown of a great fighter. Thanks coach 🙏

[@williamdavis7629]

Fran - Thank you for an excellent technical analysis. We all appreciate your time.

[@myboxingcoach]

Thank you William

[@inspectah2342]

Ward is the textbook. Boxers will study him for years to come. His legend will become greater as time goes on

[@Mma-basement-215]

Really love your content and knowledge thank you

[@alanroberts7829]

This is an *excellent* analysis Fran. Thanks for posting. I think Andre Ward's style is amazing. His lead hand is/was a brilliant defensive (and offensive) weapon. Crazy why more fighters don't pay attention to all this...

[@myboxingcoach]

Thanks Alan. You're right, hell of a blueprint to follow 👍

[@DocMcCoy109]

Thank you.

[@lsf9818]

SOG( so on greatness) !👍🏾 spot on coach!

[@toma_a]

My favorite fighter of modern era thank you for this gem

[@1971lydia]

Great analysis coach. I tell are amateurs the lead hand should be 80% used ,head and body. The jab is the can opener 👌

[@myboxingcoach]

Definitely Mal. Thanks for watching pal

[@bighaschman]

Nice

[@raygsbrelcik5578]

TIMING! Having a sort of, 'ZEN Conscieousness,' when you're fighting, is a most UNIQUE factor in Combat. Few even KNOW about it, much less---How to TRAIN to Achieve it.

[@raygsbrelcik5578]

Years ago, when I first started getting INTO the Martial Arts, I couldn't figure out just what side was my, "LEAD!" Come to find out, I'm ambi- dexstrous...I felt TOTALLY comfortable using either side. And I was Clever enough to know that, despite that little, 'Gift, I DID, in Fact, have a WEAKER side. Well, I simply TRAINED my 'weaker side more often, and in Specialised ways, until it TOO had the Equal power of the Opposite side. Nothing confuses an opponent MORE, than when you suddenly... 'SHIFT to the Opposite Lead! Not everyone can Do that.

[@danckos1]

you have broken down his technique flawlessly nice job

[@williambreen4290]

I personally like the flat-footed fighting approach myself! In my own opinion Staying on your toes and moving around wasting all that energy is a young man's game first of all second of all there's nothing wrong with standing your ground with Secure flat feet keeping secure balance developing a counter-punching style. People just got too carried away with that Muhammad Ali bulshit and they all thought that they could Skip and prance around like him! I think staying on the balls of your feet trying to move around like you're a fifteen-year-old that just played soccer for the first time in your life is not only a waste of energy for the fighter but it could potentially put you off balance more than you realize.

[@myboxingcoach]

Definitely has it's place William, especially with power generation and energy management

[@boxersal9570]

Andre ward stance and hand positioning is old school...really similar to joe louis

[@strikeback1080]

@Boxer Sal That's a really interesting comparison sir. I hadn't thought of that but it actually makes a lot of sense. And it's funny reading this now because I was actually thinking the other day that Errol Spence reminds me a little of Joe Louis. Obviously the stance is different but I've noticed similarities. Spence is always in position, never drops his hands, not showy defense (with slick moves like a Pernell Whitaker) but he protects himself well. And like I said we know the stance is different because Spence is a south paw but he maintains the integrity of his stance in much of the same way Louis did. I was a much bigger fan of Ward though so your comparison to Louis was very enlightening to hear.

[@boxersal9570]

@@strikeback1080 yes ward and Louis are very similar in their stance ...ward if u look at his defense often leans and bends to the right to avoid punches this increases the distance and make the oppent miss Louis had a similar stance and defense and would make the oppeny miss by inches..also when both fighters jab they take their head off center line...that slight lean in their stance looks almost like a crouch was common in many old school fighters and would make them harder to hit because their head was not on yne center line...Mayweather uses similar principles but has flashier defense ...their is a vid of ward and Shakur Stevenson slap boxing and u can see the stance I'm talking about from both fighters slight lean to the right rear hand used to catch and parry check it out

[@soul2soul4]

You just read my mind.... He's flat footed like Joe

[@strikeback1080]

@@boxersal9570 Okay cool sounds like some real quality content. Definitely something to check out. Thanks for the heads up.

[@mstahir10]

Hey coach could you do a video on Kell Brooks style? Thanks!

[@MaybackMusicGroup1]

Brilliant breakdown Million dollar question Calzaghe vs andre Ward

[@myboxingcoach]

On the spot. Toss up, could go either way...sitting on the fence 😀

[@MaybackMusicGroup1]

@@myboxingcoach I agree Very Close fight possibly a draw, very hard to distrupt Joe's rhyme, Joe beat Hopkins I would give slight edge to Calzaghe 46-0 vs 32-0 ward for the matter What a fight would be !

[@marklanahan7289]

You forgot his three game changers - The forearm smash, the elbow over-hand right, and the blind-side low blow?

[@glennr2358]

Lol

[@marcmaximal624]

+headbutts and wrestling

[@myboxingcoach]

😂 Yes...didn't really want to promote that stuff haha. Thanks Mark

[@granitesevan6243]

😂😂😂 we have Froch fan in the house

[@algeriemouloudia5376]

Salut coach très bon vidéo merci. Yassine d'Algérie A Laprochaine

[@andydunkerley8465]

I had once made An observation of Henry Cooper Being left handed Although I can't remember How are you able to confirm this ? He was also a Plasterer

[@myboxingcoach]

Generally, it'e the hand they write with Andy. Some people though complicate matters by writing with the right and throwing with their left. In that case I'd probably go with the throwing arm. Weird thing is that most of the time coaches get right-handers to box southpaw (if they get them to wsitch).

[@christopherpatrick6012]

Ward was my favorite, he was tha man just he was always injured. Or didn't fight a nuff plus beefing with goosan his promoter at tha time didn't help. But one of his best fights was when he beat tha shit out Chad Dawson made him quit in tha Right. Nuff respect to ward

[@Vision.Target.Shoot1]

Bro I thought ward had fundamentals of old skool fighters weight on back foot

[@ToTheNines87368]

Seriously beat up our national hero Mikkel Kessler

[@myboxingcoach]

Very tough opponent Kessler. Smart boxer and absolutely teak tough

[@livewireOrourke]

"He is flat footed." Jake Paul's coach said something about using Ward as an inspiration for Jake's fighting, and honestly now I understand why Jake does have more of a flat-footed stance even after boxing for 4 years.

[@Idolikethis]

jake paul....go home

[@granitesevan6243]

Did you just compare that blonde bellend to Andre Ward...? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Dear me 🤦🏼‍♂️