"It's Not The Size Of The Dog In The Fight, It's The Size Of The Fight In The Dog."-Mark Twain
Introduction:
When it comes to Boxing (or any other Martial Arts discipline), one’s body type, athletic performance and individual personality play a pivotal role in determining the most comfortable fighting style.
In the same vein that a driver does not pick a car, the car picks the driver (Quote the late Bernie Mac), any novice boxer in training and honing their skills will naturally gravitate towards a fighting style that they feel most at home with.
Today’s Fighting Style of the Week is the tenacious Boxing-Style known as the Rushdown or Swarmer. If the Slugger Boxer is the titanic Tank-Class, and the Out-Boxer is the tactical Assassin-Class, then the Swarmer is the all-out Berserker-Class; the rushing attack dog of the boxing sports (if not the martial arts world in general). What the swarmer can lack in size and brute strength, they make up for in sheer, primal aggression and a ruthless flurry of combos, all while remaining light on their feet.
Considering I’m 5’8.5” and fluctuating a mere 141-145 Ibs, I find this boxing style to be one of the more convenient and pragmatic styles for us smaller underdogs!
Famous Practitioners of the Swarmer Style
As finely demonstrated in the YouTube video above (Video Credit: The Modern Martial Artist), one of the most famous of all Swarmer-Style Boxers is none other than the undisputed Heavyweight Champion and Baddest Man On The Planet himself, Mike Tyson!
Other Famous Swarmer-Style Boxers Include the likes of:
Rocky Marciano
Julio Cesar Chavez
Henry Armstrong
Ricky Hatton
Manny Pacquiao (Dad)
Jack Dempsey
Carmen Basilio
Tommy Burns
Joe Frazier
And the Least Famous of them all... Moi
The Advantages Of Being A Swarmer-Boxer:-
Swarmer boxers focus on closing the gap between themselves and their opponents -getting in close and dishing out a constant barrage of jabs, punches or combinations that aim to keep their opponent on the defensive, thus preventing them from throwing attacks of their own. With nimble head-movement, a fluid sleight of hand and an avian-like agility on one's feet, a Swarmer Boxer can be a fiercesome warrior in the ring no matter the fighter's size or physical prowess.
The Swarmer/Pressure style is also an effective countermeasure against the more tactical Out-Boxer, as their fighting style places more emphasis on putting distance between themselves and the opponent, while swarmers on the other hand aim for the contrary-focusing on closing the gap between themselves and their opposition with a flurry of combos.
The Disadvantages Of Being A Swarmer-Boxer:-
Sadly, one of the major drawbacks this form of combat suffers is the immense toll it takes on a fighter’s stamina. Considering the accumulated exertion placed on head-movement, keeping the hands up (especially for Orthodox-stanced users), throwing fast combos and ample footwork, any inexperienced and hasty fighter can find themselves quickly tuckered out and vulnerable. Therefore, great emphasis must be placed on proper cardiovascular endurance training and stamina
Furthermore, while this particular fighting style is a highly effective countermeasure against the more technical Out-Boxer, it is more often than not ineffective against the Juggernauts that are the Slugger boxers. What slugger’s lack in finesse and agility, they make up for in sheer Brute Strength. The slugger’s main strength belies in their ability to tank most jabs/strikes that their opponent throws, as well as the ability knock-out any fighter unlucky enough to find themselves in the path of their swings.
I particularly like to allegorize this dynamic with a Swarmer Boxer and a Slugger Boxer as a fight between a Hawk and a Grizzly Bear respectively. The Hawk may have the agility and speed advantage, and is deadly in it’s own right. But, no matter how many hits the Hawk may land, the Bear need not do anything else but shrug off the attacks with little notice due to it’s vastly superior bulk and sheer brute strength. One misstep or momentary lowering of the guard and it’ll take just one effortless swipe to have the Hawk out like a light.
The Verdict
As I always say about any Combat Sport or Martial Arts Practice, I believe that everybody regardless of physical capabilities or background has the unadulterated capacity to be a formidable and capable fighter through sheer will, hard work and heart alone.
That being said, I believe that in spite of the cons that this particular style may face in a ring, they are nothing but inconsequential setbacks that can easily be fixed through rigorous training for one's cardio and technique.
As a boxer myself who is slight of frame but strong of will, I believe this is the perfect form for any plucky fighter who refuses to sit idly and wishes to dish out some pain and pressure to the opposition.
So until then, here's to the renegades and underdogs who perfected this art through the test of time and consistently put their physical well-being on the line each time they entered the ring!
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