The Turtle Strategy is a defensive guarding strategy used by Makunouchi Ippo.
About
Also known as the "Turtle Plan", this is a strategy employed almost exclusively by Ippo throughout the series. He erects a tight guard that covers as much of his front area as possible, then waits for the right moment to launch a counterattack. The enemy will usually get frustrated and throw a wide swing in an attempt to crack open the guard, at which point Ippo comes out of his shell and counters. Because of the compactness and destructiveness of his punches, he often turns the table around in the exchange. He was able to score a down on the more experienced Miyata Ichirou in their first bout because of it.
This strategy was also used by Hammer Nao (Yamada Naomichi) in Ippo's second title defense.
Real-life Users
Muhammad Ali used this strategy against the indomitable heavyweight George Foreman. He guarded tightly in the early rounds and made little attempt to dodge, even when backed up against the ropes, which caused Foreman to attack more aggressively and thus tire himself out. At the very end of the eighth round Ali switched to offense and knocked out Foreman with relative ease.