Glossary: The Pocket

In striking arts, the pocket refers to the are where a fighter can stand and throw punches at arm's length.

Properly used, it's when one fighter stands on a diagonal to the other defender, so they can land shots without worrying about the other fighter counterpunching or returning the strikes and cannot defend properly. Staying in the pocket then is used to describe being to the opponent's side, like you're, well, in his pocket.

Example: Panda and Dangerous both fight in a conventional stance and Panda wants to get into the pocket to drop some bombs on Dangerous while avoiding any counterstrikes. Panda will stand to Dangerous' 2 o'clock. Panda will be in a good position land his strikes while Dangerous has nothing to offer in return. Dangerous will want to pivot to face (and therefore be able to defend and attack) Panda, but Panda can keep circling to stay in the pocket.