A brawler is a fighter who generally lacks finesse and footwork in the ring, but makes up for it through sheer punching power. Often at times they place focus on training on their upper body instead of their entire body, to increase power and endurance. They also aim to intimidate their opponents because of their power, stature and ability to take a punch.
Southpaw Fighting Strategies for Boxing, Muay Thai & MMA
While boxing is normally considered superior to brawling, according to Takamura fighter-types can use anger as a boost. Likewise, Ippo only adopted the brawling stance when he became enraged. Although Sendō and Takamura can brawl naturally, it is only when they lost their temper that their full strength was brought out.
Understanding the Brawler's Mindset
The important thing is you must have what it takes to outfight brawlers when needed. You need the mind of a boxer, but the heart and aggression of a fighter. Remember, a brawler’s #1 goal is to hit the opponent.
The fighter’s primary goal is to attack. The “brawler” will seem more aggressive because he is trying to land punches. Boxing and brawling is really the same thing; they’re both fighting. The reality is that they’re relative terms. Pit 2 fighters of different skill levels together and one will look more like a boxer whereas the other a brawler.
Taking punches hurt so it’s tempting to skip the brawling skills and go straight to defense. As a boxer, your first requirement is still to hit your opponent. Deep inside, you have to be a fighter too.
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The boxer is a step beyond by trying to attack AND DEFEND. A brawler is wild because he’s trying to fulfill his primary goal - ATTACK. Where many wannabe boxers screw up is by focusing only on the technique and defensive part. But without the essence of a fighter (the “brawler’s” need to HIT), they lack the aggression needed to really win a fight.
Essential Brawling Techniques
So all these instructions are to help you hit in the best way possible.
- Eye Contact: LOOK AT HIM! BOMB HIM! Everything you do with intention takes eye contact. Stare him down! Focus on the target, look at your opponent! There are plenty of opportunities to hit your opponent. The head, body, chest, stomach, chin, behind the ear. You can aim anywhere. Start using your eyes aggressively and keep scanning for openings.
- Counter-Attack: Attack him RIGHT when he attacks you. I’m not talking about slipping and countering. I’m talking about countering right away. Brawling is where you prove who’s the better man. When you trade punches, it communicates: “My punch is better than yours. My right hand will hit harder than your right hand. Everything you do is offense or counter-offense. Hitting is the focus in brawling, not defense. Imagine that your opponent is vulnerable to the same punch he throws. If he throws a jab, you counter with a jab. If he throws a right, you throw a right. If he left hooks, you left hook. The easiest way to trade is to throw the same punch. Trade jabs, trade rights, trade hooks.
- Aggression: Never waste your energy on the first shot if you’re the aggressor. The better fighters are usually skilled at evading single shot counters. So you need at least one setup shot before you drop the bomb. Wait for him to throw one punch, then follow up with 3. Keep doing this to break his rhythm. It communicates aggression. It communicates that you want to fight. You want him to think that anything he throws at you will be returned with more. From a strategic standpoint this tactic works because many brawlers aren’t very good at moving in and out.
- Breathing: Fast breathing equals fast punches. Don’t worry about the punches, don’t worry about the power. Simply breathe fast to increase your handspeed during the exchanges. Quick explosive breathing will give you quick explosive punches. Exhale when you punch, exhale when you defend, exhale when you move. Using a quick exhalation with every movement makes you faster. The faster you breathe, the faster you move. If you can breathe faster than your opponent, you can move faster than your opponent. Don’t worry about trying to think fast or be fast.
- Forward Momentum: Imagine that you and your opponent are two cars and that you want to get the best possible crash. The best “crash” would be when both of you are coming forward at the same time. This strategy works well for many reasons. Most people are better at moving forward than they are moving backwards (especially the brawlers). If he’s already chasing you, you’ve got your work cut out for you. There’s nothing a brawler loves more than an opponent that comes forward. If he’s going away it’ll be a bit of a challenge. You’ll have to walk him down cautiously and be ready to attack when you feel him change directions and come forward. Remember the goal is to exchange when both of you are coming forward into each other. Have fun and enjoy the fireworks!
- Unleash Your Energy: Don’t try to sit there and think. Don’t try to be tricky. Try to fight. Walk forward and hit him hard. Challenge his pride! Make your opponent fight. The more he punches the better. The more he commits the better. If you’re going to be tired, be tired of punching not tired of defending. If you’re going to fall, fall into him. If you’re going to be emotional, be angry not afraid. Don’t spend energy to SAVE ENERGY. Use all your energy! Show everything you’ve got. Later on, we’ll talk about being clever but brawlers don’t need to be concerned with that.
Feats and Abilities
At 1st level, a brawler gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A brawler may attack with fists, elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a brawler may make unarmed strikes with her hands full. Usually, a brawler’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll.
A brawler also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than others, as shown on Table: Brawler. The unarmed damage values listed on that table are for Medium brawlers.
| Level | Unarmed Strike Damage (Medium Brawlers) |
|---|---|
| 1st | 1d4 |
| 2nd | 1d6 |
| 6th | 1d8 |
| 10th | 1d10 |
| 14th | 1d12 |
| 18th | 2d6 |
| 20th | 2d8 |
At 2nd level and every 3 levels thereafter, a brawler gains a bonus combat feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be ones that affect or improve her defenses or melee attacks.
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Upon reaching 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, a brawler can choose to learn a new bonus combat feat in place of a bonus combat feat she has already learned. In effect, the brawler loses the bonus combat feat in exchange for the new one. The old feat cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or other ability.
Starting at 2nd level, a brawler can make a brawler’s flurry as a full-attack action. When doing so, a brawler has the Two-Weapon Fighting feat when attacking with any combination of unarmed strikes, weapons from the close fighter weapon group, or weapons with the “monk” special feature.
A brawler applies her full Strength modifier to her damage rolls for all attacks made with brawler’s flurry, whether the attacks are made with an off-hand weapon or a weapon wielded in both hands.
At 1st level, a brawler counts her total brawler levels as both fighter levels and monk levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats. She also counts as both a fighter and a monk for feats and magic items that have different effects based on whether the character has levels in those classes (such as Stunning Fist and a monk’s robe).
A brawler can substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for unarmed attacks as part of brawler’s flurry. At 8th level, the brawler gains use of the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat when using brawler’s flurry.
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Martial Flexibility
A brawler can take a move action to gain the benefit of a combat feat she doesn’t possess. This effect lasts for 1 minute. The brawler must meet all the feat’s prerequisites.
- At 6th level, a brawler can use this ability to gain the benefit of two combat feats at the same time. She may select one feat as a swift action or two feats as a move action. She may use one of these feats to meet a prerequisite of the second feat; doing so means that she cannot replace a feat currently fulfilling another’s prerequisite without also replacing those feats that require it.
- At 10th level, a brawler can use this ability to gain the benefit of three combat feats at the same time. She may select one feat as a free action, two feats as a swift action, or three feats as a move action. She may use one of the feats to meet a prerequisite of the second and third feats, and use the second feat to meet a prerequisite of the third feat.
- At 12th level, a brawler can use this ability to gain the benefit of one combat feat as an immediate action or three combat feats as a swift action.
- At 20th level, a brawler can use this ability to gain the benefit of any number of combat feats as a swift action.
Maneuver Training
At 3rd level, a brawler can select one combat maneuver to receive additional training. At 7th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the brawler becomes further trained in another combat maneuver, gaining the above +1 bonus combat maneuver checks and to CMD.
In addition, the bonuses granted by all previous maneuver training increase by 1 each. (For example, if a brawler chooses grapple at 3rd level and sunder at 7th level, her bonuses to grapple are +2 and bonuses to sunder are +1.
Brawler’s Cunning
Brawler’s Cunning (Ex): If the brawler’s Intelligence score is less than 13, it counts as 13 for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites of combat feats.
Knockout
At 4th level, once per day a brawler can unleash a devastating attack that can instantly knock a target unconscious. She must announce this intent before making her attack roll. If the brawler hits and the target takes damage from the blow, the target must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the brawler’s level + the higher of the brawler’s Strength or Dexterity modifier) or fall unconscious for 1d6 rounds.
Each round on its turn, the unconscious target may attempt a new saving throw to end the effect as a full-round action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Creatures immune to critical hits or nonlethal damage are immune to this ability.
Awesome Blow
At 16th level, the brawler can as a standard action perform an awesome blow combat maneuver against a corporeal creature of her size or smaller. If the combat maneuver check succeeds, the opponent takes damage as if the brawler hit it with the close weapon she is wielding or an unarmed strike, it is knocked flying 10 feet in a direction of the brawler’s choice, and it falls prone.
The brawler can only push the opponent in a straight line, and the opponent can’t move closer to the brawler than the square it started in. If an obstacle prevents the completion of the opponent’s move, the opponent and the obstacle each take 1d6 points of damage, and the opponent is knocked prone in the space adjacent to the obstacle.
At 20th level, the brawler can use her awesome blow ability as an attack rather than as a standard action. She may use it on creatures of any size.