I recently read an interview with Jack Johnson, the heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1908-1915.   In discussing how the sport has changed, he said something simple and profound.  Some of the greatest fighters of all time didn’t last because they could punch the hardest; but because they knew how to take a punch.  

It’s all about the stance Johnson said, the positioning of your feet: “Front foot pointed forward, rear foot pointed out at an angle.”  This stance gave fighters perfect balance, and control.  The fighters who could take a hit, and still stand, would prevail; because once you are thrown off balance, your opponent gains the upper hand.