Eye of the Tiger
At A Glance
- Get boxing strategy and tips to improve your skills
- Block and dodge to tire the other fighter, then attack.
- Use body blows, hook and jab combos, and haymakers.
The sweet science has never been so faithfully rendered as it is in EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3, and it's just for that reason that proper tactics and strategy are more important than ever. Whether you're a veteran of the series or a casual newcomer, the following tips should hold you in good stead.
Before you start your first fight in the career mode, it's a good idea to train for the fight. Normally, you can only do one bit of training (weight lifting), but the Sparring mode is always available as a free option.
Sparring Mode
Sparring is a never-ending fight against active competition with no ramifications, so take advantage of this to brush up on your skills. Select different lessons from the pause menu. These are vital to understanding the scope and depth of the fighting system Fight Night Round 3 employs, so make sure you take and complete them all.
What's the rule? Always protect yourself!
Defensive Specialist
Primarily speaking, you win more fights with good defense than with good offense. Anyone can land a few blows, but if you're taking as many as you deal out, you're in trouble. A couple of suggestions:
- Duck back and weave out of the way of punches while blocking low at the same time. This will avoid most blows.
- Make sure you're always on the move. If you stand in one place during the more difficult fights, you're going to get killed. Especially make use of double-tapping back on the analog stick to take a quick hop backwards.
- Don't block just up and down, but also to one side or another to counter your opponent. Each successful counter will leave your opponent open for a haymaker or flurry of combos.
No damage or power meter is present. Are your
punches sluggish? Are you not as quick on your feet?
Always Manual
Whether your training for a fight or getting fixed up between rounds, make sure you choose to do the mini-games for both—don't automate them. Successfully conclude each mini-game and get far more out of the deal than if you chose to let the A.I. do it for you.
To the Gut
Making judicious use of the body blows is good advice all around, but especially against a human opponent. People tend to focus only on the face, so switch up consistently and keep them guessing. This is particularly true after stunning an opponent when one more hit will put them on the mat.
Laying down the thunder.
Combo Combo
Just like real boxing, one punch isn't going to get the job done. Use jab and hook combos to keep them honest and lay down the thunder respectively. Jab combos are especially useful when tied up in a close fight. Every one you land helps on the scorecard.
Haymakers
Each fighter has his signature punch, and while that can be classified as a haymaker, it's not what we're talking about here. Each hook and uppercut has a haymaker equivalent (check the advanced technique lessons in Sparring mode to learn how), and while they're devastating, they're also hard to pull off.
Try landing a haymaker after successfully countering an opponent. Use a haymaker after stunning an opponent for a much greater chance of a full knockout.
Ouch. Just … ouch.
Watch Closely
Take your cue on the state of your fighter from how he looks and reacts, as no damage or power meter is present. Are your punches sluggish? Are you not as quick on your feet?
Likewise, take a look at your face to see just how much damage has been done. Also, pay attention to the announcers as they call out whether your or your opponent is shaky on their feet or close to a knockdown.
Clinch 'Em
When your fighter is tired or shaky, it's time to take a little mid-round rest. Clinch your opponent at the first opportunity to take a breather and allow the fighter and yourself a chance to regroup. Make sure you only clinch when you need to though, or you actually waste energy.
Article by Alex McLain
