This guard you can apply by placing your lead arm across your torso. It is up to the boxer where exactly to position the arm but more or less it should be somewhere between the chest and the belly button. Your other hand is to be placed on the side of your face. If the dominant is your right hand, your hand will be next to the right side of your face. You must keep your lead shoulder pressed tightly towards the other side of your face. While from the above mentioned two guards it is very hard to counter-attack, from the crab guard one has a perfect counterpunching opportunity. Also, you will be able to slip strikes from your opponent by ducking your upper body all the time as well as you will be able to punch with your back hand your opponent and make him lose his balance.

The boxer has to use a shoulder lean from the crab guard position in order to counter-attack. During that, you should twist and dip (to the left if your dominant fighting hand is your left one) when your opponent is about to punch you. When your opponent brings his hand back, you have to rotate your body back in the direction of your opponent and punch fast with your back hand. The only problem with this guard may occur if the boxer is not moving. If you keep moving continuously, you will not run into any troubles with this defensive move.