Covering in boxing starts in a boxing stance and, upon engaging the incoming strike, the arms and fists raise together with palms facing inwards and boxing gloves pressed firmly against the face to cover up the face and head. To protect the torso, the boxer keeps his or her arms tucked against the body and rotates the hips to protect the midsection and allow punches to slide off the body.[3] Both professional and amateur boxers use this technique of covering.[1]
The type of covering utilized in the Israeli hand-to-hand combat system of Krav Maga is based on the Counter Defense level of covering usage.[2] This form of covering, called 'bursting' in Krav Maga, absorbs/ blocks/ deflects/ and counter-attacks simultaneously.[4] Krav Maga covering starts in an athletic fighting stance with both arms raised, fists balled, and palms facing the body.[4] If the opponent is delivering a straight punch, the hand that mirrors the attackers punching hand redirects and blocks the strike, while the opposing cover hand sends an identical straight punch toward the attackers head.[4]
Covering in the Spanish influenced Keysi Fighting Method or KFM, utilizes the defensive covering technique in an offensive manner. KFM utilizes a double arm covering stance called The Pensador which uses the arms that are defending to strike while still maintaining the covering position in front of the face.[5] The strikes used while in The Pensador position range from elbow strikes to punches to head-butts, with each strike executed while maintaining the covering position of the arms in front of the head.[6]
Covering in Bajiquan can be seen in 'Liang Yi Zhuang', meaning piercing heart elbow as one of its iconic movements and many of the movements seen in the taolu, Xiaojia and Danda, although this can vary from branches as how they interpret different movements.