Keep Your Chin Down – huh?

Boxing or MMA cornermen routinely will say, “keep your chin down.”   Seems at odds with the old Keep Your Chin Up – as Merriam-Webster defines as stay cheerful and hopeful during difficult times. 

Quora.com answers the boxing adage this way:  Essentially, the boxer keeps their chin down or tucked, in order to make it less of a target for their opponent.

The Chin is a MAJOR Vulnerable spot because when it’s hit with the right amount of speed and force, the jaw bone gets jammed back into the major nerves that run down from the brain and down the spine.

That jolt from a good chin-shot will cause a temporary loss of Motor Control and Coordination that commonly results in the boxer falling down and then stumbling around without body-control like they’re extremely inebriated.

Sounds like a good reason to keep your chin down.   For me, I’m repeating the chin down adage, partly to avoid a violent vulnerability, but to avoid eye strain.  Yep!  Eye strain. 

I recently got new glasses with progressive lenses that provide near to distance vision correction.   Distance correction on the top and reading protection on the bottom.  With my chin up, which I have found is my predominant head position, results in me looking through my lenses targeted for mid-distance correction (i.e., computer screen distance) and my eyes are working overtime.  Its amazing how a slight shift downward in field of view has helped with my eye strain.

My question – can you be Chin Up psychologically yet Chin Down physically?