Increasing hand speed in boxing is just half the journey. You need to punch faster and deliver a lot of power.

To do that, quickly turn on all your muscle motors. Have them develop a rapid force. Then use the best economy of motion to jab, cross, or hook, etc. You’ll soon generate a lethal amount of force enough to knock out your opponent.

A single-hand speed drill won’t optimally enhance your speed, though. 

So, identify your punching imperfections first and practice multiple drills and exercises to increase your hand speed.

Let me explain.

Hand speed is one of the major differences between pro boxers and beginners. Most amateurs think superior hand speed is all you need if you’re a swarmer.

This is true in the lower ranks. But in the upper ranks? An average fighter can throw up to 300 punches a minute — if they don’t think about the defense.

If you want to reach the higher ranks of boxing, you need to improve your punching speed. Follow these tips to develop this aspect of your game.

Tips to Improve Your Punching Speed

1. Learn the Perfect Punching Technique

The perfect punching technique is to throw your punches with relaxed muscles. You should only contract your muscles when your punch lands. 

That explains why most fighters don’t have clenched fists when they’re in the guard position. Instead, amateur boxers usually clench their fists from the release to the follow-through — making their punches look and feel sluggish.

This technique is difficult to execute for beginners. You need to practice your punches at home to become accustomed to the sequence. To practice, throw gloveless punches to a double-end bag while following these guidelines:

• Practice the 1-2 punch combination — Start in the guard position with your arms bent but relaxed. Your fingers folded to a fist but not clenched.

• Throw your jab by twisting your torso towards the target, extending your lead arm, and stepping forward to generate the force required. Your arms and your fist shouldn’t be clenched in the motion.
• Right before your jab hits the target, clench your fist and contract the muscles in your arms and back.
• Make the same pattern of movements when throwing your straight.

For beginners, the timing of the clenching of the fists is usually off. However, as you practice your punches more, you’ll be able to time your punches right.

2. Practice Your Combinations Everyday

After choosing your fighting style, identify punch combinations effective to your style. As stated before, experienced boxers fight from the outside. That way, they’re more likely to use jabs and straights to gain points.

For power punches, the pro boxer prefers overhands and counter crosses. They also use short punches to get out of the opponent’s reach and deliver power combinations when having the upper hand.

To become a great boxer, train your long-range punches. Then train the combinations you’ll use either when the opponent is tired or if you’re finishing the opponent off.

If you’re a swarmer — that is, a fighter who attempts to overwhelm his opponent by applying constant pressure — you’ll need to use more combinations of short punches.

The goal is to hit your opponent from all angles.

Also, utilize the jab combinations just to move closer to the opponent. Once inside, push the fight’s tempo — by delivering combinations designed to slip your power punches in. Do this while still keeping your defense up.

Puncher boxers need both punching combinations of out-boxers and swarm boxers. If you want to use this fighting style, practice long-distance combinations. 

Also, have a set of go-to combinations when the opponent comes too close.

Practice your chosen combinations every day. Throughout your career, you’ll find new combinations you can add to your arsenal. Continuously train for new combinations to become unpredictable in the ring.

If you keep practicing your combinations, you’ll become faster when throwing them. You’ll even develop muscle memory in throwing these combinations. And when the opportunity comes, automatically unload the combination with blazing speed.

3. Develop a Fast Reaction Time

The effectiveness of your punches will depend on the speed of your reactions to openings and opportunities for combinations.

When they see opportunities, boxers with fast reaction times can score more knockouts than those who only rely on combinations.

Pad work is one of the best training methods to train your reaction speed. You’ll need a trainer to hold the pads for you.

Each pad position should represent a vulnerable part of the opponent’s body. For example, when the trainer puts the mitts at head level, he’s training you to hit the head.

If it’s in a lower position, he’s training you to use body shots. You can only effectively use pad training if you have already practiced your preferred combinations.

4. Spend More Time with the Double-End Bag

The double-end bag is one of the best tools to use when developing hand speed and reaction time. However, the movements of the double-end bag are difficult to anticipate at first. 

Its movement is also too fast for most beginners.

Give the double-end bag a few tries before catching it with your punches consistently. If you’re training to increase your hand speed in boxing, practice your combinations with the double end bag for maximum results.

5. Go Heavy on the Heavy Bag (With your Trainer’s Supervision)

Go all out on the heavy bag and throw as many combinations in a minute as possible. Throw the combinations that you already practiced beforehand.

Your trainer should time and supervise you while taking note of your form lapses. Don’t worry about time when doing this hand speed exercise. Instead, focus on the speed of your punches and the combinations you’re throwing.

At this point, your trainer should explain the factors affecting your hand speed as you won’t be able to spot them yourself. Also, continually check if your speed is improving.

Throwing wide punches is a common factor that slows down beginners. 

In this hand speed exercise, always practice throwing your punches from the guard position. The fastest fighters often start with the guard to defend themselves — and sometimes throwing varying combinations.

Guard your thought process while in a match as well. Focus solely on your target when practicing or sparring. Don’t allow outside-the-ring forces to distract you. This is an excellent exercise to prepare you for the actual fight.

Outside the ring, multiple distractions abound. Fans will shout at you from all around the ring. Lose focus, and your punches will slow down and widen.

6. Shadowbox Your Combinations

Even if you don’t have access to a boxing gym, you need to practice your combinations. When at home, for example, find a spot to practice your footwork and combinations.

When shadowboxing, imagine your opponent is in front of you. Then throw punches at them and combinations with proper form. And for the 100th time, relax when throwing punches — in short, monitor your breathing pattern.

You should be able to throw punches and move around in at least three minutes. After one round, rest for a minute. Then do another three-minute shadowboxing round.

7. Practice Hand Speed during Sparring Sessions

Hand speed exercises are pointless if you can’t mirror the tactics in the ring. 

So, try to spar with other boxers who’ve trained for as long as you have. And avoid sparring with boxers beneath your level.

In a sparring match, execute your ideal game plan and deliver your combinations with maximum and masterful speed.

If you plan to play from outside of the reach of your opponent, execute your best style. And use your hand speed to throw jabs and long combinations.

Also, if you plan to swarm your opponents, practice defensive movements as you enter the opponents’ range — and short combinations as you attack. Finally, whatever style you choose, consistently execute your combinations at high speed.

Factors Affecting the Power of Your Punches

Heavyweight Deontay Wilder had “scary” punch power in the ring. 

Out of 43 career fights, 41 Wilder victories were knockouts. He recorded the highest knockout percentage (95.3%) ever! The legendary Muhammad Ali won 37 of his 56 career fights through knockouts.

This doesn’t prove Wilder was a better boxer than Ali — or other boxing greats — but his knockout ratio deserves massive honors and recognition.

The knockout is the most impressive way to win in boxing. 

While boxing enthusiasts love it when the fight goes the distance, common fans just want their favorite stars to knock their opponents out. 

If you also want to score a knockout — or learn how Wilder threw power-packed punches — first consider factors affecting your punches.

Force Behind your Punch

The force behind the punch is an essential factor if you want to knock out your opponents. This is because the force of a punch is proportional to the fighter’s weight. 

This is the reason why we have weight divisions in contact sports. 

Combinations that use your weight to generate force are more likely to knock out an opponent. Besides the weight behind the punch, the technique used to throw it will most definitely affect its power.

The hand speed techniques we discussed earlier help maximize your boxing power while keeping the punch movements efficient.

Accuracy of your Hit

The accuracy of the hit is also an essential factor. When practicing your punches, work on your accuracy and precision by putting a target on your heavy bag. Also, invest time in hitting moving targets like the speed bag and the double-end bag.

Target your Hit by the Punch

Hitting the opponent in the chest will usually not knock him out. Instead, most knockdowns occur when the opponent takes a hit on the head — pushing the brain to bounce around, hitting the wall of the skull. 

Brain trauma causes a fighter to lose consciousness momentarily.

You can also knock an opponent with a well-placed body shot. However, most people raise their guard to protect their faces and the head from power punches — opening up the right rib, where most internal organs nestle, including the liver.

When enough force is applied in this area, a fighter can experience sharp, stinging pain. Most fighters kneel to suppress the pain until it stops.

Even if they continue fighting after the initial knockdown, you can initiate the pain again by punching the same target. To knock your opponents out, you need to hit these targets consistently with the right amount of force.

That said, it’s not wise to always go after knockouts in every fight. 

Your opponents will become difficult to knock out with just one punch as you rise in the ranks. So, you should follow your prescribed game plan and consider a knockout only when opportunity calls for it.

Timing your shots

Your opponents are usually aware of your combinations. By anticipating your combinations, they’ll try to avoid your power punches. So, it’s crucial to have a power punch ready at any time when your opponent presents an opening.

If you can hit your opponent in the opening with one of your practiced punches, you’ll be able to time the knockout. The impact is greater if your punch comes as a surprise.

One way to prepare the timing of your shots is to study your opponent’s ahead of time. For example, if your opponents have videos of their fights online, go through them and look for patterns and mannerisms you can exploit. 

Amateurs and lower-ranked fighters often have loopholes in their defense that you can easily spot. The defense gets tighter as you move up the rankings.

When you spot movement patterns to exploit, practice the counter punch, you’ll use against it. Then create a combination — using the movement patterns — or a one-punch counter to it. In the gym, practice speed and the timing of your counter punch. 

Prepare as many counter punches as you can for other openings in your opponent’s defense. Then make sure to practice them in the heavy bags, the mitts, and in sparring.

Continuously look for those openings when in the ring. Also, ensure your footwork is set when opportunities happen — to prepare to throw a counter.

The Bottom Line? 

While boxing is a lucrative sport, it’s violent. So, you need to learn the ropes before you start signing up for boxing matches.

Fortunately for you, I’ve created a valuable Hand Speed Training Camp to walk you through hand speed, power punches, and better footwork.

The best part? We’ll train together.

You won’t do the work alone or blindly figure your way out through the program. I’ll lay out all the details, and we’ll hold each other accountable. For five days, we’ll do five full-on boxing workouts aimed at increasing hand speed.

After developing your skills, you’ll need to put more time practicing your moves and game plan. Losing in the gym (or at home) isn’t as bad as losing in real fights. If you’re ready, you can join the Hand Speed Training Camp to improve your boxing skills.

The post 7 Little-Known Ways to Increase Hand Speed in Boxing appeared first on The Ultimate Boxing Experience.

There’s no way to put this lightly, so I’m just going to come out and say it…

Defense in boxing is so hard to learn.

Boxers looking to improve their boxing defense tactics face an uphill task. That’s because a lot of it comes from the instinctive reading of the opponent’s body shape, shoulder and head movements, and reacting to footwork, etc.

The problem with learning this is that it must be done in sparring. Get it wrong and you get hit. Getting hit hurts. Getting hit repeatedly is not good for your health, especially your brain (headgear or not).

Repeated punches to the head can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a brain condition caused by concussions or repeated blows to the head.

CTE — also known as “punch-drunk syndrome” — causes slurred speech, memory loss, shakes, violent mood swings, depression, and other symptoms. About 90% of boxers suffer concussions in their career and many also deal with CTE. 

Even more shocking is that concussions are now known to be much more serious injuries than once thought. According to a recent scientific study, a single concussion may triple the long-term risks of suicide.

This harsh truth means that you need to see most of the punches coming — and defend them. I say most because even the best boxers in the business don’t see all the punches coming. It’s impossible.

That said, learning the best boxing defense techniques is just half the journey. You need to master a few fundamentals of movement in regards to footwork.

Let me explain.

If you put a lot of focus on slipping and rolling punches without improving your footwork and coordination technique, you’re as good as a stationary target — and a stationary target is easier to hit.

Few boxers can dodge a properly formed punch from a stationary position anyway. Meaning, you need to master solid footwork fundamentals to help you build speed, power, and fluidity — before you can even master the defenses against each punch. This holds throughout any punch you may attempt.

To paint a clear picture:

Floyd Mayweather and James Toney often give opponents the illusion of a stationary target but their defense is subtle movement.

Mayweather dangles himself in range but he’s already set his feet in motion. He pulls his chin back after a specific time whether you punch or not. The lethal Guillermo Rigondeaux also lives off this tactic in the ring.

In other words: footwork is everything.

Why is Footwork Important in Boxing?

Boxing is more than just punching, ducking, weaving, and slipping.

You need to master movement that will send your opponent crashing down against the ropes. Or worse, leave them with a bad hematoma that prevents them from coming out for the next round.

Here’s everything you need to know about footwork.

It’s the ultimate defense

Whenever boxing defense techniques are mentioned, blocks, parry, and head movement often come to mind — and for good reasons, because these are the staples to protecting yourself in the ring.

However, these are just the icing. Well-developed footwork is the cake that helps you stay in a position where your opponent will not strike from an angle that requires you to block their punches.

Once you perfect your footwork, it becomes your primary defense — it’s far much better to use your feet to escape an unconventional angle than weave through your opponent’s punches and get hit.

It allows you to find and exploit angles

Exceptional footwork creates angles. Great angles then create more opportunities that win you rounds and fight finishing combos.

You don’t expect to land a knockout punch while standing directly in front of your opponent. That won’t happen unless your opponent is stationary (which is rare) or you possess a great speed advantage.

This is where angles come in.

The subtle footwork off to the side allows you to blast that shovel hook to the body, the left foot pivots while you unload a check hook on an aggressive opponent attempting to back you up against the ropes.

It helps you generate power

To place as much power behind your punches as possible, your stance needs to remain balanced while striking both forward and backward.

If you’re leaning forward or your weight is distributed incorrectly, odds are you will miss and potentially fall forward.

Mastering boxing footwork drills will help you sit down on your punches (or sink your weight into the canvas of the boxing ring) and be in a position to counterpunch with power.

If your opponent throws a wild punch and misses — exposing their chin for a moment — and you have your legs crossed over or standing too tall, you will miss an opportunity to make them pay.

It wears off your opponent

Dread, doubt, and anger can cloud your thoughts whenever you try and bring an opponent against the corner of the ropes only for them to disappear.

And when your sparring partner repeatedly tags you, your mind experiences fatigue. You will wonder why you can’t catch them. Then your legs will start to give way mid-round as you lack the footwork skills necessary for endurance.

Sparring an individual that pays no attention to developing their footwork is like boxing in 3D while your opponent is only 2D. Footwork adds a whole other dimension to the game of boxing — and that’s a fact.

It optimizes your energy reserves

The best way to fatigue an opponent physically and mentally, as the round goes on, is to master and employ the use of evasive footwork tactics.

With exceptional footwork techniques, you not only optimize your energy reserves but also help increase your volume of punches per round.

When sparring a particularly aggressive opponent, use slick footwork instead of moving backward in a straight line to cut angles. It’s easy to frustrate and even anger your opponents this way.

Boxing Footwork Drills to Improve Your Movement

Whether you’ve spent days or years in the ring, these footwork drills can take your boxing to the next level.

1) Jump Rope

Training with a jump rope keeps you quick and light on your feet.

For an added challenge, speed up your tempo with a jump rope — or practice any of these jump rope drills to improve your movement:

• Criss Cross arms. Get yourself into a comfortable rhythm jumping naturally. Then bring one hand over the other as the rope comes down in front of you. When mid-jump, alternate crossing one arm over the other. And as you bring the rope behind you, uncross your arms again.
• Backward jump rope. Jump as you normally would but reverse the direction of your arm rotation — such that the rope is traveling in the opposite direction.
• High knees jump. For every jump, try and bring both of your legs as far up towards your chest. This drill challenges you to an intense jump rope workout.

2) Box Jumps

Your stance could be good but if your legs lack power and speed, your opponent will take advantage of this in the ring. Box jumps improve extreme power and speed in your legs.

To perform box jumps (also known as plyometric exercises) use a soft box for safety — or one that’ll be forgiving in case you fail to clear the box on your later repetitions as your legs begin to fatigue.

3) Agility Ladder

Just like hopscotch, agility ladder exercises are simple and fun — and yet super helpful in improving your footwork and dexterity in the ring.

If you don’t have an agility ladder, don’t worry. Using tape and chalk, mark out a ladder pattern or draw a bunch of boxes on the floor to replicate the look of an agility ladder. Then use them for these exercises.

Agility ladder footwork drills to try out include:

• Ins and outs
• Forward and back
• Single foot hops
• Cross-overs

4) Shadowboxing

Do you want to perfect your boxing footwork techniques? Shadowboxing is a common boxing training exercise that also improves form and other critical boxing defense tactics.

To nail down the perfect movement in the ring, observe the footwork of other professional boxing trainers — what, when, and how they do it for — and then practice daily. You don’t need footwork equipment for shadowboxing drills.

5) Dance

One of the most essential and yet often overlooked elements of boxing is mastering graceful motion. The legendary Muhammad Ali spoke about it as well — floating like a butterfly, remember?

Mastering graceful motion makes you agile and flexible in the ring. And creates smooth footwork patterns. You can train in various forms of dance to help improve your rhythm, agility, and footwork techniques.

That said, footwork begins with stance and gradually improves with training. So always include footwork drills in your boxing workout routines.

7 Boxing Defense Tactics to Outsmart Your Opponents

You’ve already mastered good footwork technique, now you want to develop the best boxing defensive tactics to outsmart your opponents.

Learning the proper defensive moves is important. That’s because no matter how hard a hitter you are, or how strong you are, you will one day come up against someone who can handle your punches — and who may hurt you.

That’s when you must apply your boxing defense techniques. Even the unbeaten heavyweight champ and legend Rocky Marciano was knocked down twice, though he got up to beat both men — Walcott and Moore.

When a punch is thrown at you, you have a choice of several different ways of avoiding it. You can block the punch with your hand, arm, elbow, or shoulder.

Or you can pick it off with your glove (also known as parrying). Another choice is to go with the punch, moving your head in the direction of the punch.

1. Ducking

A duck is performed by quickly bending the knees and leaning slightly forward.

The big advantage to ducking or slipping a punch (instead of blocking or parrying it) is that you still have both hands free, ready to counterpunch.

The proper way to duck a punch is to move to the inside line. In other words, to avoid the right punch, move your head to the right. And to slip a left, move your head to the left. This leaves you in the perfect position to counterpunch.

If you move to the outside — that is, to the left when your opponent throws a right or to the right when your opponent throws a left — your opponent’s arm will be blocking you, even hitting you as you move into their punch.

Are you struggling to defend against punches? Learn some of the best boxing defense and counter punching techniques. You will soon master various ways to defend the jab, the right hand, hooks, uppercuts, and body shots.

2. Bobbing and weaving

Bobbing and weaving is an effective defense technique in slipping punches because it allows you to come up swinging.

Learning to punch from a bob and weave technique takes practice, but the defensive and offensive advantages it gives you make it well worth the effort.

When bobbing and weaving, alter your moves. If you keep making the same moves over and over, it won’t take your opponent long to figure you out. Also, always watch your opponent’s chest when bobbing and weaving.

By doing so you can tell what punches they’re going to throw. You can also tell approximately where their head is so that you can go on the offensive quickly and land your own punches.

3. Parrying

A parry is an inside deflection of an incoming punch with a short, quick tap using only your wrist and hand. This may cause your opponent to become vulnerable — in turn giving you an opportunity.

Blocking or picking off a jab, or parrying can be done in either one of two ways, depending on the type of jab being thrown at you.

If the jab comes straight from your opponent’s shoulder, extend your left arm sideways from the proper stance position, just enough to knock or brush the blow to the outside.

If your opponent is jabbing from a lower guard position, you can either catch the jab in the open palm of your right glove or press downward with your right, knocking the blow away from you.

4. Blocks

The goal of this boxing defense tactic is to put something in the way of the punch — like a glove, forearm, or elbow to absorb the brunt of the blow.

For example, when you place your glove against your head, you will feel the pressure of the blow but not the pain.

Try to keep your elbow pointing down and your eyes on your opponent. Make sure there’s no separation between your glove and face. Otherwise, you’ll end up hitting yourself.

Adding a slight turn and weight shift with contact puts you in a position to throw a counter-punch of the same variety. If your opponent throws a right hand, you block and counter with your own right hand.

5. Sidestep

Stepping to the side of the blow is also an important defensive tactic to learn.

Slips are more effective than blocks if you’re fighting against a bigger opponent, but absorbing lots of them from a big man saps your energy.

Evasive moves such as sidestep drills allow you to really exploit aggressive boxers who overthink their punches. And it’s frustrating to throw punches that miss their mark.

When using this boxing defense tactic, you must match the intensity of the punch by “popping” your defensive moves. That means the speed of your head must equal the speed of your hand.

6. Peek-a-Boo

This boxing defense tactic allows you to keep both hands at a level while holding them a few inches in front of and to the side of your head — as if playing peek-a-boo.

Keeping your hands in this position, helps you use your gloves to block punches thrown at your head. And to use your elbows to block body punches.

Mike Tyson used to fold his arms with his elbows pointing out across his body. He hid behind his arms most of the time and maintained a peek-a-boo hand position while in the ring. 

As a beginner boxer, you will soon discover the best defensive style for you after a while. So don’t worry if you find this defense technique too hard.

7. The Clinch

What if your defensive efforts have been unsuccessful in the ring? What do you do in that case? Well, desperate situations call for desperate solutions.

Try to tie your opponent up in a clinch. Clinching means holding your opponent’s arms so that they can’t strike a blow.

By moving in on your opponent and pinning both of his arms to your body with your arms entwining them on the outside, you can gain additional time after missing a blow.

Gaining time can be especially crucial when you’re hurt or tired. Boxers shouldn’t hold in the ring, though.

However, you must know about this defensive tactic if you want to get a breather — as part of your defensive strategy.

The Bottom Line?

Defense in boxing is a matter of instinctive self-preservation.

That said, it’s up to you to sharpen your fighting instincts. And know all of the fundamentals of boxing and what it takes to succeed at defending punches.

You don’t have to go at it alone, though. If you’re struggling to achieve high-level defense, this beginner’s guide will help you get the most out of boxing with virtually no equipment or pre-requisite skills. 

Boxing is half defense and half offense. But when you’re pounding the heavy bag all by yourself, it’s not so easy to see that. We’ll make sure you master the basics of boxing (including defense) in no time.

The post 7 Boxing Defense Tactics to Help You Avoid and Defend Punches appeared first on The Ultimate Boxing Experience.

Physical Aspect of How to Increase Your Fighting Endurance

Boxing involves a lot of body movements. The punches take precision, power, and, most of all, energy to throw. As you get tired, it becomes challenging to dodge or even throw punches. That is why you need to build your physical strength to stay competitive throughout the rounds. Here’s how to increase your physical fighting stamina:

1. Cardio (Increase oxygen intake)

Cardio is the first thing to consider when looking to increase your fighting endurance. It involves the use of oxygen to meet energy demands adequately. This means Cardio enhances your body’s rate of oxygen intake. Having better Cardio implies that you can do more physical exercise without getting out of breath.

The more oxygen your muscles can take in, the more energy and stamina you will have. Not only will you have more strength but also perform more efficiently. Learn Mega Cardio Boxing Workout.

Increasing Your Cardiovascular Endurance

According to Medical News Today, increasing Cardiorespiratory endurance helps improve oxygen uptake in the lungs and heart. It enables you to sustain physical activity for a long time. 

To increase cardiovascular endurance, choose exercises and activities that raise your heart rate. Such as running, power walking, swimming, jump rope, biking, and skipping rope. These are all considered cardio training for fighters. Other excellent cardio exercises include hitting the bag, sparring; these are all excellent for developing Cardio. 

2. Muscular Conditioning

Another physical step for fighting endurance is muscle (‘muscular’) conditioning. Your muscles must be well-conditioned, or else you’ll experience fatigue, making it difficult for you to fight.

It would be best if you conditioned your muscles to handle the stress of repeated fights. This means you need a firm core to generate power and strong legs to move around the ring. Well-conditioned arms and shoulders to throw several punches at high speed. 

Increasing your physical conditioning

Consistently train the muscles you would use to fight, pretty much your entire body. Start exercising your legs by squatting, running, and skipping rope. Practice shadow boxing, speed bag, bag work, and push-ups for the arms.

Also, include sit-ups and crunches for the core, etc. Ensure you work out your back to balance the abs and chest. Target the biceps to balance the triceps. Your physical performance is mainly dependent on how balanced your muscles are. See how effective conditioning works.

3. Neurological (Muscle Memory)

Increasing your fighting endurance involves understanding muscle memory. A part of your brain that saves information on repeated movements is called muscle memory. Studies showed that the human muscle has a heightened sensitivity to exercise stimulus when previously trained.

Have you ever taken a break from training, only to go back and find that you were able to get back to the level you were faster? That’s your muscle memory at work; what happens is, when you build a certain amount of strength and muscle, your body ‘remembers’ it, which enables you to swiftly bounce back into shape after a period of neglecting the gym.

Generally, the more time you spend practicing a movement, the easier and more natural it becomes. For this reason, it is relevant to train with actual movements that encourage real fights, which means lots of shadowboxing and punches. These exercises not only build your muscle memory but also confidence in your movements.

How to Increase Your Fighting Endurance With Muscle Memory

Shadowboxing and sparring is the best exercise to build muscle memory. Crosses, jabs, slipping, bobbing, hooks, weaving, uppercuts, moving, dashing, rolling, moving around the ring. Every kind of movement related to boxing must be practiced over and over. Here’s the Ultimate Shadow Boxing Guide.

4. Technique

Proper fighting techniques allow you to get the same job done with less effort and energy. Ensure you develop good punching skills to enable you to hit harder, faster, and with more precision.

Watch here to Learn the best power punching combos. Know how to apply your physicality to boxing footwork. Good footwork allows you to glide effortlessly across the ring and in and out of range as you please. 

Also, excellent defensive technique enables you to defend and dodge quickly without compromising your position. It will be hard for your opponents to win if they can’t land effective shots on you. So defense should always be your priority when mastering your fighting technique.

Increase Your Fighting Endurance Technique

When it comes to increasing your fighting technique, you don’t need to rely only on yourself. Get a trainer or a coach so that they can guide you in your journey. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and practice the answers with an open mind. 

A coach is such an essential aspect of training. Imagine having someone who has the passion and knowledge to help you get where you want to be every step of the way. Someone to challenge you, motivate you, believe in you, and help you become the best version of yourself! This will be good for you both physically and mentally.

The Mental Aspect of How to Increase Your Fighting Endurance 

Physical training may improve your physical conditioning, but mental strength and toughness are the cornerstones of any athlete’s journey in increasing endurance. Here are the things to consider:

1. Mental Relaxation (this one is indented but the others aren’t)

The idea is to be more relaxed while navigating through each round. When you’re tense, you tend to expend energy even during periods of less activity. The more you panic, the more energy you waste and the more tired you will feel. Try your best to block what you can, but relax when you get hit. Breathe, don’t panic. Learn more about mental relaxation.

Increasing your mental relaxation

To increase your mental relaxation, you need to develop concentration skills and the ability to maintain focus. Relaxing in stressful environments allows you to make intelligent decisions and take charge of the situation. 

According to Boxing science, when you’re physically tired in between rounds, you are more likely to concentrate on getting your breath back and miss out on essential instructions given by a coach.

So you need to develop a relatively unique mental relaxation to produce the maximal effort and think calmly and tactically. See how Rhythm and Relaxation Drills can help.

 2. Attitude

Another critical aspect of fighting endurance is attitude. Developing the right attitude involves discipline. Discipline is essential both in and out of the ring. The mentally strong athlete is the one who can push themselves to do what it takes to gain an edge over their opponent.

A lot of fighters get tired so quickly because they focus on the wrong thoughts. Always focus on thoughts that make you more effective with your energy.  

Ask yourself:

• What is the easiest way to beat my opponent?
• What is the easiest way to avoid my opponent’s punches?
• How can I make my punches more effective?
• What more can I do more in training to win this fight?

Do more with less energy. Use your energy effectively to avoid getting tired. With the right attitude and mindset, every punch will do more damage, and your move will be more effective. You’ll realize that the fight will be easier, and this attitude will drain your opponent’s energy even faster.

Still getting tired?

• Strength and Power Training for Boxing
• How to Train for Speed and Stamina in Boxing
• Easiest Way to Improve Stamina for Boxing

Conclusion

A high level of fighting endurance is achievable, but it requires determination. If you genuinely want to succeed as a boxer, then implement these tips to help you achieve your goals. Finally, if you don’t know where to start, hire a coach to train, guide, and support your journey. 

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Are you a beginner, who is just taking your first steps on your journey to boxing success? If so, you’ve come to the right place! Here, you’ll find some of the best boxing tips for beginners.

So, let’s get started.

Select a Good Boxing Gym

There are some important things that you need to take into account to pick the right boxing gym. These include:

1. You should aim to find a gym with highly professional coaches, who have a huge passion for teaching boxing. It helps if you can get to know the reputation of the gym and coach, along with their achievements, ahead of time.
2. Make sure that a gym of your choice has all the necessary boxing equipment. A gym has to have enough space for boxing classes. And of course, it’s ideal if the gym had a boxing, punching bags, boxing medicine balls, dumbbells, reflex bag, speed bag and other boxing equipment.
3. Plus, it would be better to pick a gym that’s close to you. If you live near a gym, then you will find it a lot easier to get to the fitness center and attend boxing classes.

Beginners have to be very selective when it comes to picking a boxing gym. Pick a gym for boxing classes with these things in mind. Explore all your options carefully and make the best possible choice.

Buy All the Necessary Boxing Gear

Here is some of the equipment you’ll need to get started.  However, most of the time the gym will provide this for you.  So you can always go to a gym without equipment and ask them what you can buy from them and what you can purchase on your own.

Standard boxing competition apparel includes the following:

• Boxing trunks
• Hand wraps
• Boxing gloves
• Boxing headgear
• Mouth guard
• Jump rope
• Boxing boots

When selecting boxing gear, don’t hesitate to ask a coach for an advice. A coach will recommend the best gear in your price range.

Get Familiar with a proper Warm-Up and Conditioning for Boxing

Every boxing training session has to begin with a proper warm-up. That’s why it’s so important for a boxer to get familiar with warm ups and do them before practices and competitions.

Among the best warm-up and conditioning exercises for boxing are:

• Running
• Running with hips forward
• Butt kicks drill
• Jumping rope
• Push-ups
• Jump squats
• Shadow boxing
• Burpees
• Bicycle Kicks

Learn the Basic Boxing Stance

Stance is one of the first things that boxing beginners need to study. There are different types of boxing stances, however, it is ideal for beginners to study a basic boxing stance. You should keep your chin down, hands high and elbows in close to the ribs. If you learn the proper position, you’ll find it easy to throw powerful punches and defend yourself when such a need arises.  Here is a quick tutorial video on a basic boxing stance.

Learn Basic Boxing Footwork

Once you learn a proper boxing stance, it’s time to master the basics of footwork.

• First of all, you need to learn how to move without throwing punches. When moving left, right, forward and back you have to keep the proper stance.
• The punching power depends a lot on footwork. So, you have to learn how to make movements when throwing such punches as jab, cross, hook and uppercut.  Here is a quick guide on boxing footwork.

Learn Basic Boxing Punches

Practicing basic punching techniques needs to be a key part of boxer’s training program. As a boxer, you should master all types of punches. By doing so, you’ll manage to make your strategy more diverse and unpredictable.

Different types of punches

There are 8 types of punches in boxing. These include:

• Jab
• Cross
• Left hook
• Right hook
• Left uppercut
• Right uppercut
• Overhand right/left
• Shovel Hook

As a boxing beginner, you have to learn each type of punch and work on the technique.

Increase punching power

First and foremost, you have to learn the correct technique of throwing a punch. After that, you have to learn how to punch with power. Learn how to get the most out of body weight and transfer power to the punch. Also, you should aim to throw punches accurately. This will help you increase punching power, deliver a knockout blow.

Study boxing combinations

Boxing combos are the first tactics a boxer learns.  So, it’s crucial for a boxer to learn how to perform different types of punch combinations. Do your best to add more combinations to your arsenal.  Check out my other Youtube Channel called Boxing Home Workouts where we go over literally dozens of combos in a workout format.

Master body punches

Don’t become a head hunter in boxing. It’s a good idea to learn how to attack the body and diversify your attack.

Focus on Mastering Boxing Defense Techniques

Defense has to be the number one priority for any boxer. Boxing defense is more important than throwing powerful punches.

Footwork plays an important role in boxing defense. If you are faster than your opponent, then you can go away or go around. By doing so, you’ll be able to avoid punches.

In addition to footwork, you should learn how to defend each type of punch with blocking, parrying, rolling and slipping. Learn how to protect yourself against different types of punches.

Once your defense get’s better you’ll be able to counter off of your defense. Learn how to take advantage of boxing defense and counter punching.

Learn How to Breathe Properly in Boxing

The endurance of a boxer depends on the way you breathe. If you breathe properly during match and workouts, you will have more energy. As a result, you will be able to perform much better on the court. Exhale when punches and focus on getting the air out.  Your body will naturally know to inhale.  Make sure you don’t hold your breath.  This might take some awareness at first.

Boxing Tips for Beginners at Home

There are many things that athletes can do at home to improve their boxing skills.  In a home gym, you can hang a punching bag or just work on your technique with shadow boxing workouts to increase your skill and conditioning. You can also take this time to work on your base conditioning through running and skipping rope.

Sparring Tips for Beginners

It’s hard to imaging boxing without sparing. However, you should get started with sparing only when you are well-prepared for it. Now, we’ll share the beginner boxing tips that you have to follow to get ready for sparing in the best possible way.

– During your sparing, you should always think about defense. Don’t relax and don’t lose your focus.

– Many beginners choose to have sparing with weaker partners. However, it’s not the right thing to do. It would be better to spar with more experienced boxers. If your partner is better than you are, then you will be able to get the most out of your training.

– Coaches give boxers recommendations during fights. A coach will see your mistakes during sparing and give you an advice. Listen to your coach and follow his instructions to do a better work on the court.

– You must be mentally prepared for fight. Visualization is used in different sports and volleyball is no exception. It makes a lot of sense to visualize in advance. Imagine how you will spar with your opponent and what you will do. This will help you get ready for sparing mentally and do a great job on the court.

Conclusion

Boxing requires a fair amount of time but you can start slow and go at your own pace. Be patient and give yourself time to master the basic boxing techniques before thinking about stepping into the ring. Follow these tips for beginner boxers to get the most out of your training, and achieve the best possible results.

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Introduction

The goal of this course is to cover the fundamental reasons why we use shadow boxing as a training technique. It’s not so much about the “how”, but more about the “why”. By covering the core principles and techniques behind it. I want to help remove some of the mystery of shadow boxing. Many beginners can find themselves feeling stupid, or embarrassed throwing punches at thin air. Without some sparring or fighting experience, it can be hard to visualise the imaginary interaction of an opponent. By giving you these principles, as you then gather more knowledge and combinations, you’ll be able to fit these into your shadow boxing workouts fluently.

Movement

So, once we get into our shadow boxing stance and we want to execute a technique and hit our opponent, we have to move to our opponent. Unless they’re moving towards us, but we’ll discuss this later. Let’s work on our movement with some basic movement drills. These are simply drills, not practical boxing techniques to use in the ring, but they’ll give you some fundamental movements to work on in your shadow boxing.

Drill One –  Forward and Backwards

This drill is all about getting in range of your opponent and then getting away from them. Although the exact technique is not something you’ll perform verbatim in the ring, it will give you the foundation of boxing footwork. Start in your basic boxing stance, hands up, chin down. Step forward with your lead foot, follow that step with your rear foot. Repeat this sequence and now imagine you’re in-range of your opponent. Step forward again with the lead foot, as you simultaneously throw a jab, bringing the lead foot back in to where it was.

Now the retreat. Here the rear foot steps back first, followed by the lead foot, and another step back with the rear foot, followed by the lead foot. You’ll now be back where you started. To help yourself drill this, you can say this sequence to yourself out loud: “forward (as the lead foot steps forward), forward (again), jab (as you step and throw the jab), in (as your lead foot returns), back (as the rear foot retreats), back (as the rear foot takes the second step backwards).

Drill Two – Circling

This drill is split into four parts that represent most of all boxing exchanges. They all involve visualising a circle on the floor, which will guide your movements. If you have the ability to either draw a circle with chalk, or use duct tape to tape out a circular area, fantastic (aim for just over a meter in diameter). If not, you can simply visualise a circular area on the floor. During all of the drills in this section, you’ll want to incorporate your newly practiced forwards and backwards footwork.

Part One – Working on the outside

This drill will work your circular footwork, which will improve your movement as an outside fighter. Start with your lead foot just touching the outside of the circular area, and imagine your opponent is in the middle of the circle facing you. Now look down at your feet, if you have a regular stance, then your left foot will be on the circle and your right foot will be the rear foot (slightly to the right of your body centre). If you’re a southpaw, then you’ll have your right foot on the circle and your left foot will be the rear foot.

No matter your stance, just remember that whichever way you want to circle, the foot that is closest to that direction moves first. So if you’re a regular fighter and want to circle left, your left foot steps left, followed by your right foot. Avoid looking down at the circle, or your feet and visualise an opponent who won’t move from the centre of the circle. Start with your hands up, eyes forward, chin down, in your boxing stance and practice moving clockwise and anticlockwise. Work this for about a minute. Occasionally add in some of your forward and backward footwork to practice moving in and out of range.

Part Two – Dominating the centre

Next, change roles and become the opponent in the centre of the circle. Imagine an opponent doing exactly what you were doing in the last drill. This time your rear foot will be in the middle of the circle, with your lead foot on the outside line of the circle, you’ll be facing outwards towards the opponent. Staying inside the circle for the entire drill, track your opponent down, by constantly moving your focus as they circle around you. Remember to keep switching directions, keeping your eyes and hands up. Dominate and control that centre. The footwork is less of a step and more of a foot pick-up and put-down. All of the movement is started with the lead foot this time, keeping that rear foot in the middle of the circle. Again, remember to add in some of the forward and backwards footwork from drill one, move forwards to put pressure on your opponent and move backwards as they “attack your position”.

Part Three – Neutral

This position often happens when two similar style fighters come up against each other. So you’ll start with your lead foot close to the centre of the circle and your rear foot outside the circle. This is similar to the first drill, except you’re closer to the centre and closer to your opponent now. Your footwork will be very similar to part one of this drill, except you’ll need to add in a lot more forward and backward movement, to simulate the attacking and defensive phases of this situation. Keep shifting direction, clockwise and anticlockwise and keep your hands tight.

Part Four – Mix it Up

Finally try mixing it up. Start by working five to ten seconds in any position and then use your forward or backward movement to change roles. So, for example, start on the outside, work your rotational movements, then after ten seconds use the forward movement from drill one to get you into the centre of the circle. Now you’re dominating the centre for five to ten seconds. Then use a backwards step to shift into the neutral position.

Offence

Once you’re comfortable with the movement drills you’re ready for the next step, which is to add in some punches. We’ll use the same movement drills, but this time add-in some attacks.

The Jab

The jab is our first line of offence, and the first punch we’ll integrate into the movement drills. So let’s quickly recap on the jab. It’s a punch thrown with the lead hand, straight forwards. For this exercise we’ll be stepping into the jab as well. In order to step that lead foot forwards, you need to have the rear foot firmly planted. Consider this when moving, so you’re throwing the jab from a stable base, otherwise your jab will have a lot less power. Let’s apply this to the first part of drill two above.

Start exactly as you did before, except now pop out a jab every few seconds, there’s no set rules on how often you jab, just feel it and throw it when you’re ready. Remember to keep your head up and eyes forward, visualise your opponent and make sure the rear foot is planted as you spring forward with the jab. Make sure your feet are doing the work, don’t lean your upper body forward to throw the jab. Keep moving and switching directions, clockwise and anticlockwise. Aim to do an entire round working the outside jab.

Next run through part two (holding the centre drill) and add in the jab. This time consider that your opponent will be constantly changing ranges, so also use your forward and backward steps to either close the distance, or open it up. Again every few seconds or so, pop out your jab and then move. Remember you’re trying to stay in the centre of the circle, so avoid more than a couple of steps backwards.

Finally let’s add the jab into the part three drill. Repeat the drill, and as you step-in to throw the jab, your lead foot will land in the centre of the circle. Keep your rear foot planted and once you’ve thrown the jab spring back off the front foot. We can also step in with the rear foot if we want to generate more power, or close the range even further, but for now just move the front foot.

The Jab-Cross (One-Two)

This is the first and most fundamental combination you’ll learn, so now let’s add this into the above drills. You don’t have to step the front foot in with a jab-cross, but for this exercise continue to step in on the jab, and then pivot on the rear foot as you throw the rear hand (the cross). Remember to bring your jab hand back to your chin to protect yourself, as you throw the cross. With the footwork, remember after you throw the combination, you’ll step back with the rear foot first and then the front foot. This can feel a bit difficult as your front foot will be loaded, but use that loading to push off the front foot, springing yourself backwards. It may almost feel like a small jump backwards, that’s fine, they don’t need to be definite steps as in our first drill.

Now run through each of the four parts of drill two, using the jab cross instead of just the jab, dedicate a whole round to each part until you’re comfortable with the movements.

Defence

Often in boxing, you’re not the first one, and certainly not the only one to attack. Your opponent will attack you. You may be planning your attack and then they attack first, as Mike Tyson once said “everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face”. So you need to be prepared for this, even if you have no intentions of sparring or fighting, it’s still an interesting concept to keep in mind.

They’re most likely going to try and hit you with the first thing you’re thinking of hitting them with, the jab. There’s many different ways to defend against the jab, but we’re just going to cover one of them. It can be done from all different positions. Start by working from the outside (drill two – part one), in your boxing stance, with hands up and chin down.

The basic drill is to imagine their jab coming at your face. You’re going to take a small step back with your rear foot, keeping the front foot still, this will help to take the power out of their jab. At the same time, bring your rear hand out to “catch” their jab with your palm. Try to move your head very slightly off the centre line towards your rear hand at the same time. Remember their fist isn’t that large and it doesn’t take a lot of movement to get out of danger, so keep things tight and your movements short and fast.

Again apply this defensive drill in each of the four situations from drill two and you’ll be sharpening your defence and footwork at the same time.

Counter Attack

After the opponent hits you, you’re going to want to hit them back. Normally the best opportunities to land punches come as your opponent is attacking, or just as they finish. This drill will work your quick counter attack, starting with the jab.

So perform the same defensive drills as above, but this time as soon as you’ve caught the imaginary jab, your weight is on the rear foot, use that loading to spring yourself forwards into the jab. Again it’ll feel like a jump forward. In practice you can counter just by stepping forwards, or off the rearfoot, but for now let’s work this spring-off movement. So step the rear foot back, catch the jab, then spring off the rear foot, forwards onto the front foot, simultaneously throwing the jab.    

Offence and Exit

Now let’s work on the other offensive situation, which is where your opponent will attack you back. We need to be able to throw our attack and then get out of danger. There are a lot of things you can do, but it’ll depend on your body position and what punch you last threw. For example, you could step back and cover, you could duck out to the side, you could pivot out, or even spring back out of range. Some fighters will just cover up, fully prepared to take the counter attack, so they’re still in range for their next attack. It all depends on the situation, but for this drill we’ll apply two useful exit techniques.

The first exit technique is to step back and cover. To perform this drill, throw the jab-cross, imagine your opponent reacting by throwing the same back at you. So as soon as you’ve thrown the one-two, step back with the rear foot, followed by the front foot. Bring up your guard, so your knuckles are resting on your brow, with your palms turned in so you can see through the gap between the right and left gloves. Make sure your elbows are close together, so you have some protection for the body. Pause and imagine taking a couple of shots from your opponent and then move, using the same footwork we covered in the first part of drill two. Again practice combining this one-two, step back and cover, with the three different versions of drill two.

The next technique, avoids their shots completely. Start by working this technique in the outside position from the first part of drill two. Again, starting with the one-two, but this time when you step back with the rear foot, you’ll also drop your weight by bending your knees. Duck your head, keeping your eyes on the opponent, not the floor. Then bring the lead foot back as you duck in one smooth movement, and finally circle left or right.

When you come to apply this to holding the centre position, you won’t circle off after the duck, but you can reset your position and turn to face your moving opponent. When you apply this to the neutral position, we learnt in part three of the movement drill, you won’t circle off as much, but you will still move left or right.

Finally we can really mix this up. The key is always to hit, but not get hit. Sometimes in order to hit your opponent, you have to be unpredictable and give them something new. So once you’re comfortable with the above drills, it’s time to add in even more punches to really spice up your combinations. Keeping with two shots for now, mix up the second shot for all of the above movement drills. For example, start with a jab and then an overhand right, then jab and hook to the body, then jab and uppercut, finally add in the standard one-two.

Shadow Boxing

Now you have the fundamental movement patterns, some defensive exits, as well as a few basic combinations, you’re starting to build a shadowboxing foundation. However shadowboxing isn’t just about running drills, it’s about simulating a boxing exchange when you have no real opponent and sharpening those movement, attack and defence patterns until they become second nature. You want to develop all of this, whilst becoming more and more varied in your attacks and movement, so you become an unpredictable fighter.

So to develop on the last drill, it’s time to really get creative. Keep the three positional movement drills as the foundation to your shadow boxing, but now start to mix up the attacks, by including a third and forth punch into your opening combination. For example, try a jab-cross-hook, then maybe a double jab-uppercut, varying your combinations everytime you throw something. Don’t forget to mix up your defense and counter movements, mix up your movements off the combinations and you’ll start to realise how much variety is actually possible. Now you’ll really start to look like a boxer, block out the outside world and really try to focus on your imaginary opponent.

Fakes and Faints

Lastly, developing your unpredictability to the point where your opponent really can’t read you, will rely on tricking them into thinking they can read your movements, but then breaking those movement patterns. This is where fakes and faints come in. You develop fakes and faints by actually boxing, they’re simply a fractional movement that leads your opponent into thinking you’re going to do something you’re not.

For example, if they get used to you always stepping in on your jab, then a simple step-in signals to them that you’re going to throw a jab. You can now use this to your advantage, by just stepping in, but not throwing the jab, or throwing something different. This will really put your opponent on edge, they’ll become very reactive to every little movement, and this will open them up for attacks.

To practice this, start by working the outside movement drill and without throwing any punches, just work a small front foot step-in, make it short and snappy. Then try the rear foot, just a small rapid step-in. The idea is to trick your opponent into thinking you’re going to do something you’re not. As you become comfortable, so would your opponent. So now is the time to faint the step, but then actually finish with the jab. Try a small, fast, half step with the lead foot and then take your actual step-in and then jab. Then step back and circle off. Repeat this several times in each of the movement drills.

Summary

Shadow boxing can be a daunting exercise when you are new to boxing. Hopefully these drills and exercises have taken away some of the mystery around shadow boxing, and we’ve not only addressed the “how”, but also “why” we shadowbox. As well as being an awesome activity for fitness, shadowboxing can help take away some of the fear that new boxers experience when they face a real opponent. You’ll have a better idea of what to expect from an opponent and how to react to certain situations. It can also become a fun way of training on your own, even if you don’t like the idea of hitting someone in the face, then you can imagine trying to hit an imaginary ball, or a robot. Compete with yourself, and you’ll get faster and fitter at the same time.    

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Beginner Boxing Defense Mistakes

One of the most common mistake I see in a beginners’ boxing defense, is that they don’t exhale during their defense. Most boxers are taught to exhale on their punches, but it seems that few are taught to exhale as they defend against punches. Instead they’ll hold their breath whilst covering up and even hold their breath whilst covering and moving. If you do this you’ll get gassed-out very quickly in sparring rounds, as your breathing rhythm will be severely disrupted and you’ll go into oxygen deficit.

Another mistake I see with beginners is that they will freeze up when they hold their breath and cover up. The best analogy here, is rather than becoming a hard ice sculpture that will shatter if the shot is hard enough, try to be like a sandbag. To do this you have to relax into the punches and absorb them, move with them, rather than tense up completely. However there is a trade-off, the more absorptive you are, the slower your counters will be. With this in mind, you need to adapt your defense depending on the situation. If you need a quick counter then you’ll want to tense up and hold firm in order to throw a quick counter. If you are looking to relax, conserve energy and maybe wear down your opponent by letting them throw some shots. Then you’ll want to adopt the “sandbag” technique and relax and exhale with your defense.

A good drill for training yourself to exhale on your boxing defense is to imagine a combo coming at you and practice exhaling a breath as you block each shot. This will work up to about eight breaths, at which point you’ll need to inhale in order to maintain your breathing rhythm. So either inhale on one quick deep breath, or get out of range so you can inhale. Another good method, is to have a partner throw a set of body shots at you and try to relax and exhale into the block of each shot.

When you exhale on your defense it allows you to easily transition to your offence, because you’re already exhaling. This allows you to maintain a consistent breathing rhythm and you’re ready to throw a punch at any time. If you pause and hold your breath, then you break the rhythm and have to inhale before countering, or you’ll start punching without exhaling, in which case you’ll quickly get gassed.

Adopting this technique early in your boxing will give you a big advantage over other new boxers, if you have more oxygen, you’ll be able to move easier and attack harder. So practice this technique in your sparring and even in your shadowboxing and bag work in order to make it a habit.

How to Defend and Counter the Jab

The jab is the most important punch in boxing, it’s the foundation of any good offence. Knowing how to counter it is just as important. Let’s look at four effective ways of countering the jab.

The first technique is to parry the jab. With the parry, you’re aiming to catch the jab with the centre of your palm and nudge it aside just enough to avoid the shot. The shorter and faster your parry, the better. Try not to over extend or reach for the jab, otherwise your opponent can fake to create a reaction, which will open you up.

Another factor with the jab parry is taking a step back to absorb it better. A quick step back will take the power out of the jab and may cause your opponent to over reach on their jab, which will give you offensive opportunities. You can also use the loading of your back foot to launch the counter.

The next jab counter is the pull/lean-back. When you get good at the pull, you may not even need your hands up, but initially you should keep your hands up just in case you misjudge the distance. With an effective pull, you shouldn’t need to move both your feet. Instead you can move your weight back onto your rear foot, which you can use to spring yourself into a counter. Another variant of the pull is to shift angles, this is like a pull and slip combined. So as you lean back you take a small step back and off to the side with your rear foot. This automatically takes you off the centre line and out of danger, it can also open up offensive opportunities.

The third jab counter is the high guard counter. You can see this in action with Andy Ruiz, Miguel Cotto and Mike Tyson. This involves having a good strong high guard and as soon as you feel the jab touch your guard, you throw your counter. If there’s a possibility of the one-two then you can combine a drop of your head as you launch your counter to get you off the centre line.

The forth counter is to simply counter the jab with your own jab. This is particularly effective if you have superior reach, or you’re a better judge of distance. It takes some practice and great timing, but once you get it you’ll be able to shut down their jab in an offensive way.

How to Defend the Jab-Cross

The jab-cross is the most fundamental boxing combo, so drilling how to defend against it is a fundamental exercise for your boxing defense. To start this exercise we build on what we’ve covered above. Have a partner throw a step-in jab. As the jab comes in, work on your catch and remember to take a step back to maintain a safe distance between you. Next, have your partner add in the rear-hand and you’ll block this with your lead hand. Finally add in a rear-hand counter off the block. This will help build in an instinctive quick counter. You can even visualize this drill in your shadow boxing and bag work to reinforce the technique.

You can vary the defenses for both the jab and the cross, to open up new counters and attacks. So try swapping the catch/parry for a slip, the rear-hand counter won’t feel so natural from this position, but maybe a body-hook will. Then try swapping the block for a slip, this will actually get you into a new position on the outside of your partner’s rear hand, opening up a different counter opportunity to counter with your lead hook. Try mixing up a few different variants and drill them to find out which feel the most natural for you.

Boxing Defense for Maximum Protection

Normally in boxing you’ll be using an active defense, so slips, parries, rolls and other defensive movements. However, sometimes you need a defensive guard where you can be covered as much as possible whilst requiring minimal movement. It’s important to master this type of boxing defense and there’s two main styles you can use to create a very defensive guard that requires very little movement to be effective.

Peekaboo Style

To set-up this defense, cup your hand, take the thumb part of your palm and place it against the base of your cheek bone on each side. Your forefinger on each side should rest on your forehead just above your brow. Your wrists should be tucked in towards each other to close the gap. This also forces the elbows inwards into a better position to cover your ribs. Crunch your torso downwards slightly, so your elbows rest on your abs and keep your elbows in tight.

This basic position gives you maximum defensive coverage with minimal movement, whilst giving you forward vision through the gap between your hands. The only real exposure in this position is against low body shots, but it only takes a small adjustment of leaning and tucking your elbow into your hip to protect against any low body shots from this position.

A good drill to get used to this position is to set it up and stand with your back to a wall, then have a partner throw a range of punches at you. This forces you to rely on the guard, rather than your movement. Another drill, once you’re comfortable in this position, is to set your guard and practice walking towards your partner whilst they throw several shots at you.

Once you’re comfortable in this position you’ll flinch less, open your eyes more and see punches coming at you sooner. You’ll be able to use it, to close the distance and then launch attacks from in the pocket, which is ideal if you’re a shorter fighter. You’ll also be able to use it once you’ve closed the distance, as a defensive shell to absorb attacks.

Philly Shell Style

The less orthodox Philly Shell style of boxing defense made popular by boxers such as Thomas Hearns and Mayweather Jnr can also offer a lot of coverage if used correctly. To set up the shell, take your lead hand and place it on the opposite side of your abs, just below your ribs. Your forearm will be covering your belly-button and you then tuck your chin into the inside of your lead shoulder, keeping your shoulder tight and high for maximum coverage. Your rear elbow sits on top of your lead hand, so your rear arm covers all of your ribs on that side. Your rear hand rests on your brow, so it’s ready to parry and counter.

Again practice the same drills as with the peekaboo style to improve your comfort in this position and get used to a less active defense. This is an ideal defense if you’re up against the ropes and also works well for taller fighters.

Eliminate the Fear of Getting Hit

If you’re a boxer or participate in any striking-based combat sport, then you’re going to get hit, it’s inevitable and the fundamental basis of any stand-up combat sport.

The fear of getting hit is natural and to a certain extent it is important in making you a better boxer. The secret is to embrace the fear and use it intelligently to motivate you to avoid punches, but also control the fear so that you’re not distracted by it. Fighters with no fear of getting hit, can become reckless and leave themselves open to dangerous attacks. They’ll also likely to take more damage and potentially get badly hurt.

Although it’s natural self-protection response that prevents you from getting hit, it can also cause problems when this fear causes you to freeze up or flinch. This will delay or even restrict your counters. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the best way to reduce the fear of getting hit, is to get hit less.

To picture this, imagine you’ve developed your defense to such a high level you rarely get hit and then you go into sparring with a beginner. You definitely won’t have any fear of getting hit in this situation. Whilst that’s an extreme example, it highlights that if you have better defense and can avoid getting hit, you’ll have far less fear of getting hit.

Another way to reduce the fear of getting hit, is to reduce the possibility of taking a devastating hit. Having small shots landing on your guard is a good thing for reducing your flinch response, but being hit with a devastating shot that rocks you or knocks you down, only reduces your confidence. There’s two situations where you are most likely to take a devastating blow:

• First is when you’re coming in with a combo, or stepping in with an opening attack. Your opponent times you and lands a big clean shot. This can lead to fear of coming in, which will damage your confidence in attack. To reduce the chance of this happening, it’s important to have at least 4 or 5 opening combos in your repertoire so that you’re less predictable.It’s also important to maintain lateral motion and head movement before you launch your combo. If you get in the habit of pausing before you launch your opening combo, your opponent will time you and again they’ll catch you with that big shot. Add in some fakes and faints and you’ll become a very difficult fighter to predict.Finally once you’ve thrown that opening combo, you need to have your next move planned. If you stay in the pocket, you’re much more likely to get hit. Finish your combo, then get out.
• The second situation is when someone steps in and opens up on you and you’re caught standing still and freeze with fear of getting hit. They’ll likely see an opening and again land a big, clean shot. This is where developing your guard and defense, which we discuss in the section above, will come into play. You’ll have the ability to take some shots on the guard and then make your next move, rather than freezing and giving your opponent the opportunities to land the devastating blows.

A great drill for reducing your fear of getting hit is to do some rounds with a partner you trust. Specifically tell them that you want them to open up on you with some combos at around 80% power, whilst you just defend. This drill will get you used to the adrenaline response and it’ll improve your reactions. While you’re doing this drill, focus on exhaling in the defense, keeping your guard set as we discussed above, maintain your balance and try not to move around too much. Keep your eyes open and focused on your opponent’s chest, if you focus on the punches coming in, you’ll flinch a lot more, if you focus on their chest your natural flinch reflex will be reduced. If you remember to apply all of the advice from the sections above then you’ll gain a lot of confidence in your defense.

Create Defensive Angles with Footwork

incorporating footwork as part of your boxing defense can help you to deal with an opponent who’s pressuring you. It can help you to create space and angles between you and your opponent. The best way to change the direction is to time it so you change angles as a punch comes in. You don’t want to wait until they’re done punching, otherwise they’ll just track you down. Also you don’t necessarily want to keep trying to change direction while they’re attacking you, otherwise they’ll zero in on you and chase you into a corner. So let’s look at a drill for timing your angle change off the rear hand or lead hook.

Start with your partner throwing a slow double-jab cross. Take a small step back on each jab and then as the cross comes in you block it with your lead hand and take a small step off with your lead foot. Drop your weight onto this foot and pivot backwards and away with your rear foot. Doing this on the punch will create a lot more space and open up counter punch opportunities.

Another option if you know they are going for a head shot with the double jab cross, is to slip to the outside and then pivot. As you slip to the outside, you’ll naturally drop your weight which allows for a faster, better pivot. With this option, you can even include a skip-step or two before the pivot to really increase the distance.

To create the angle off the lead hook you have two options. You can either block or roll. To practice the block, have your partner throw a slow jab-jab-cross-hook. Again use small back-steps to maintain distance on the straight shots and as the hook comes in you rotate your torso inside to block the hook with your rear hand, simultaneously take a small step back and outwards with your rear foot. Then your feet are in position to step out diagonally away from the direction of attack. If you simply go backwards your opponent will just keep throwing and chase you down. A variant of this is to block and move inside with the direction of the punch by simply side stepping. This will not only take the sting out of the shot, but requires less skill in timing.

The roll works best if your partner is closer and you don’t have space to step off. Deal with the straight shots the same way as the block, with small step-backs. Plant the rear foot on the cross to allow you to switch direction for the roll. As you roll you’ll step out to the side to create the angle.

How to Counter Punch more Effectively

The key to better boxing defense and counter punching is timing and balance. Your body and centre of gravity when you are defending against incoming shots is critical to a good counter. You need to be relaxed and centred. If you apply the skills we’ve covered above you’ll be more relaxed and centred in your defensive stance and therefore in a good position to counter.

In terms of timing, your counter should follow the rhythm of your opponent’s attack, or even faster. Aim to throw your counter immediately after blocking so that it lands just as he would have thrown the next shot. A good drill for this is on the heavy bag. Block some imaginary punches, then immediately throw your counter so it lands on the bag just before the next shot would have hit you. Another drill would be to perform this live with a partner throwing a 1-2 and just after you block the cross you throw your counter and work on reducing the time between your block and counter.

There are a few other types of counter, but this is probably the most common and also the simplest to work on, as it simply comes down to your speed.

The post Boxing Defense and Counter Punching appeared first on The Ultimate Boxing Experience.

The heavy bag is one of the most useful and versatile training tools at your disposal, it’s also probably the most widely available; many non-boxing gyms have a punch bag. Having a wide selection of exercises and drills to work on the heavy bag will not only make your workouts more technical, but also more intensive. This will make you more motivated to train for longer and harder, which in turn will help you improve your boxing.

With any heavy bag routine, it’s a good idea to break it down into rounds that relate to your training goals and personal level. Use a round timer to keep your rounds strict, but sets comprising of three minutes of work and one minute rest will obviously suit most boxers, as they are the same as most fight/sparring rounds. Shorter rounds will be necessary when the intensity is high (such as pyramid/punch-out rounds or when you’re not conditioned to standard rounds.

Bear in mind active rest (footwork drills and movement) is a good idea after lower intensity rounds and passive rest (deep, controlled breathing whilst walking around the bag) is normally necessary after high intensity rounds.

Also remember your footwork drills during all the rounds. Move around the bag, put in step-offs, forward and backward steps, pivots and stance switches. The only round below that this is not such a focus is punching with balance, this round is focused more on being stable in one place.

I’ve broken the rounds/drills down into three main types: Defence and Attack; Attack only and Conditioning. It’s a good idea to mix a range of these round types into every workout, rather than just focusing on attack.

Attack Rounds

These heavy bag rounds are focused on increasing your speed, power and movement around the bag, they’ll also naturally work your boxing endurance.

Head Body Head

Simple as it sounds, the goal of this round is to drill the good habit of level changes. So start with a punch at head level then drop to a body level shot and finish with one or two shots back up at head height. Focus on smooth, fast flow amongst shots. You can mix up straight shots and hooks, for example: left jab, left body hook and right hook. You can also try working all your shots on the same side. This exercise will make you hard to defend against and more likely to land a clean shot.

Hooks – Short, Medium, Long Range

This round is all about switching up the range of your hooks. Start by focusing up close at holding range, throw in a few hooks with the same hand and then switch hands, staying tight to the bag and keeping your guard solid. Next step out to medium range, and throw hooks on both sides. Finally step out to maximum range where your hooks can still connect effectively and throw a number of hooks. You can mix things up with a few other shots and also mix up the ranges quickly.

Jab Round

With the jab being so important, especially for outside fighters, this is a fundamental round and one I would say worth including in every heavy bag workout. There’s more to this than simply jabbing the bag, you can work on multiple elements within the jab. So start with singles; then doubles; then triples and quadruple jabs. Remember your movement and footwork throughout, and use the following techniques to keep it varied:

• Mix up your levels (Jab to head and body).
• Add in feints.
• Focus on snapping the jab out and back as quickly as possible.
• On your doubles try half-beat jabs for the 2^nd This is where you only return the fist about halfway back to guard after the first jab, before snapping back out. This will be less powerful, but can often catch your opponent off-guard.
• Use the jab as a set-up for other combos in the jab round.

Southpaw/Switch Stance Jab

Try a full jab round using your non-natural stance, for me this is southpaw. It will highlight to you, weaknesses in your footwork and your technique. If you’ve been boxing for a while and don’t practice switching stances that often, then this is good practice to help avoid tightness in your kinetic chain and can help give more speed to your cross (when you switch back). Try applying all of the above principles, but for your switch stance.

Body Attacks

This round emphasises the body shots. Try throwing pure body shot combos, then add in combos that finish with a body shot and really focus on setting up and delivering the final body shot effectively. Mix in straight body shots and body hooks. Try playing with your footwork, add in some pivots and angle changes. Remember on your body hooks to really try and drive your punches diagonally upwards, as if you were aiming for the opposite shoulder on your opponent. Land a liver shot with this technique and it’ll be game over.

Short Combos

This round works particularly well as an early round. Keeping things simple I aim to work short simple combos, such as: jab-cross, double jab-cross, jab-cross hook etc. This will help warm up your fundamentals without too much thinking, you’ll also be able to focus on remembering things like keeping your hands up and moving in and out of combos. It’s also a good opportunity to polish up your basic combos before progressing onto more complex ones.

Short Combos in Southpaw/Switch Stance

Again this works well as an early round, allowing you to warm up your fundamentals, but in your switch stance. Feel things out and try to identify weaknesses to work on in this stance. I feel my footwork doesn’t have as much natural mobility in southpaw, so I’ll use this round to try and work on quicker movement in southpaw. Remember to be creative and try things even if you think they don’t look great, this is your chance to push yourself out of your normal comfortable stance.

Focus on Punching with Balance

Sometimes you need to work on delivering your shots with balance. Often we’ll use our footwork to compensate when we’re off balance; however this round will force you to deliver punches with more balance. So keep your footwork to a minimum, focus on your balance and keep the weight on the balls of your feet. Stay quite planted in your stance, then work on delivering combos and upper-body/head movement from this position. You don’t need to stay in one place for the entire round, you can move around the heavy bag, but then stop and deliver a few combos and upper body movements, slips, lean-backs etc. from the same spot. This exercise also helps to develop power as you can deliver shots in a more balanced, stable way.

Working on the Inside

Get in tight on the heavy bag, just like being up close with your opponent, get your head and shoulders uncomfortably close to the bag. Feel the movement of the bag and try to maintain contact with it, stay tight and deliver short sharp punches. It’ll give you a feel for inside sparring and although you won’t be able to train some of the more tactical inside sparring moves perfectly, you’ll be able to simulate the general techniques. Don’t be afraid to move the bag with your elbows an shoulders, as you would with an opponent and also you can occasionally hold on to the bag. It’ll get you more comfortable working your opponent up close and it’ll help you keep your hands up and deliver tight, fast shots.

Moving to the Right

This can feel unusual at first as we’re used to moving to the left, being the side our weight is on. But adding this into your heavy bag workouts will give you an edge in sparring as it’ll make life difficult for your opponent. If you’re a southpaw then it’ll be a case of moving to the left. So spend the whole round circling to the right, throw a combo move off to the right. Try jabbing whilst simultaneously moving to the right, try circling off to the right then throw a combo, basically spend the whole round moving in the same direction, it’ll feel strange at first, but will eventually become more natural.

Defence and Attack Rounds

These heavy bag rounds combine some defensive drills with attacks. They will help to develop your overall flow, head movement and natural defensive counters.

Block and Counter

To start with, work on one technique until you have it feeling smooth. So for example, start with catch and jab, catch the imaginary jab from your opponent and return with your jab. Keep moving around the bag and then try catching the jab and returning with a combo. Once you’re feeling slick start a different block and counter combo. This could be side guard block and return with the hook, or a side guard block and then a short combo. Remember you can parry, catch or block and then counter, essentially you can mix up the defence and then the attack. The whole time focus on a fast return, this will train your instinctive response to an attack making you a more dangerous fighter.

Dempsey Roll

This is a great drill for getting your head moving, it’s basically a slip in one direction whilst throwing a wide hook with the opposite hand to the direction you slip in. So for example, your head slips to the left and you throw a wide right hook. Then slip to the right and throw a wide left hook as you’re slipping right. This keeps your head constantly moving off the centre line, making you a harder target. You’re also working the power of your shots, because you’ll adding some extra momentum into the shots. Add in some rolls in between the slip/hook combos to keep that head bobbing and you’ll soon see your natural head movement increase.

In and Out Compound Attacks

Again this is a defence and attack drill. You’re working your defensive movement and combining it with fast compound attacks. Start just out of range, then pop into range deliver a fast short combo and pop back out of range. Then move around, reset and go again with a different combo, pop in attack, pop out. Once you’re feeling fast with the pop-in pop-out, start working on ducking in delivering a fast combo and ducking out. This is all about getting in delivering a combo and getting out of range quickly without getting hit. This is a great drill for smaller faster boxers.

Head Movement between Punches

Just like the Dempsey Roll round, this is a great drill for improving head movement, it’s also more taxing than just punching as you’ll be working your neck, shoulders and abs a lot more. You can get very creative with this round. Try starting with a head movement such as a pull, slip or dip and then deliver a combo. Then try adding head movement into the middle of your combos with or without a head movement set-up. Finally you can add head movement to your exit as well. A great starter combo is jab, slip left, slip right, straight. Or pull, jab, cross, hook, roll out. You’ll start to get a feel for the head movements that flow best with the combos you’re throwing, just keep that head moving!

Heavy Bag Conditioning

These rounds will push your fitness and conditioning for boxing. They’re ideal for fight and sparring preparation, especially if you can commit to full 3 minute rounds.

Breathing and Relaxation Round

This is a perfect round to add in after a high intensity round to help recover if you’re still gassed after your rest period. The goal of this exercise is to help you focus on more efficient breathing during rounds and relaxing your posture. So your shot and combo selection is less important in this round. Throw a combo or flurry of punches and then move, take some good breaths, reset and go again. Remember short exhalations as you throw each shot and deep breaths-in through your nose and out through your mouth between combos. Keep things light and loose, loosen up your shoulder carriage and really concentrate on de-tensing your body. This isn’t just a recovery round, but actually teaches you to relax generally during your boxing, which will make you a more efficient boxer.

Low Drives

This is a good conditioning round for the legs. The focus should be delivering punches from a low stance. Get low, throw a shot and then move. Keep your stance low and balanced, deliver your shots and then move. You’ll feel the legs start to burn, but that’s the point of this round, to really build up the conditioning of your legs.

Punch-out/Pyramid Punch-out

This is normally my favourite round to save until last as it’ll really finish off your workout, leaving you feeling like you’ve really worked hard. It also helps to simulate those final rounds in sparring or a fight, where you have to keep working when you want to stop. Don’t focus too much on technique, but more a fast release of the shots to keep the intensity high. The simple punch-out consists of sets of at least 6 shots in a row, but you can do as many in a row as you like. The pyramid punch-out is a bit more interesting as you work your way up from two shots (a one-two) all the way up to ten shots in a row. Here’s how a set would look:

1. One-two
2. One-two-three-four
3. One-two-three-four-five-six
4. One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight
5. One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-ten

You can then either reset back to two or for more of a challenge, work back down progressively through 8, 6, 4 and finishing on 2. Then to really challenge yourself and measure your fitness progress, try to see how many of the same pyramid sets you can squeeze into a set time period, such as a 3 minute round. They don’t have to be straight shots either, you can do this with consecutive hooks, or upper cuts, but stick with numbers of the same shot, rather than combos.

So that’s my ultimate heavy bag guide, there’s plenty of rounds here to put together some serious punch bag workouts. Many of these rounds can be used on double-end bags and uppercut bags as well.

Common Heavy Bag Mistakes

Here is a bonus video the most Common Beginner Heavy Bag mistakes that new boxers make.

The post Ultimate Heavy Bag Training Guide appeared first on The Ultimate Boxing Experience.

Beginner Shadow Boxing

Shadow boxing can be hard for beginners. Trying to visualise a fight, especially if you haven’t sparred or fought yet, can be difficult. There’s a few key principles you can apply to get started and help feel more confident when shadowboxing.

Get Moving

The first thing you need to do is move. Don’t even worry about punching yet, just get yourself moving and feeling nice and loose. Focus on changing angles, level changes and pivots.

One of the best ways to do this is to imagine a hula-hoop laid on the floor in front of you. Start to move around it. Start to move closer and further away from the imaginary hoop. You’ll begin to feel comfortable with this little area. Then, when you’re relaxed and into a rhythm, start to add some simple punches. Keep your combos real simple to start with such as singles, 1-2’s and double jab cross. Once you are feeling bored of these combos, then it’s time to mix things up, we’ll talk more about combos later.

Hit your Target

You need to develop the visualization that there is always a target in front of you, and the target is just out of range. This will force you to close the distance and develop your in-out movements.

The easiest way to picture a target is by developing on the hula-hoop exercise. Whilst moving around the imaginary hula-hoop, also imagine a ball or balloon floating in the air at eye level.

Now imagine the ball/balloon lighting up randomly for a few seconds at a time, or if you’re not a visual person, imagine a sound going off. When the ball lights up or you hear the sound, close the range and throw your combo, then get back out of range and keep moving.

Go-to Combos

So now you have the movement, the timing and you’re getting in and out effectively. The final step is to spice things up with some more interesting combos and defensive moves. Most combinations start with the jab. It could be a jab to the head, the body or even a slip and jab. But just like dancing, you need to have a few go-to combos that you can fall back on, in case you can’t think of a specific combo to throw.

Normally this’ll be your one-two, or double-jab cross. Once you are comfortable with throwing these and you’re in the groove with your movement, then start to add in some more complex combos. These combos should include defensive moves like slips, lean-backs, parrying and side-guard.

If you need ideas for new combos then checkout my Ultra Combos Audio package, or to see them in action by style you can pick up my Padwork and Combinations instructional video.

The final step in the shadowboxing formula, is to learn to throw your combo, then get out of range effectively. The simplest method here, is to simply move in and then get out the same way you got in.

Common Beginner Mistakes

I want to briefly cover some of the common beginner mistakes that occur during shadowboxing, these also apply to sparring and general training.

Chin and Hand Position

One of the most common mistakes with beginners, is a poor guard. This applies as much to shadowboxing as it does to the rest of your boxing. Keep your chin down, hands up and your elbows tucked into your ribs. You can even save energy by resting your elbows on your chest.

Avoid flaring your elbows, otherwise your punches will be weaker, you’ll also broadcast your shots more and you’ll be leaving yourself open to easy body shots.

Don’t be tempted to let this slip in your shadowboxing, otherwise you’ll develop bad habits that will carry across into your sparring.

Lazy Footwork

Usually when you throw your rear hand, it’ll be after a jab. When you throw the jab you’ll usually need to step in to get the range.

Often when beginners step the front foot forward to throw the jab, they fail to bring the rear foot with them for the cross. You’ll end up stretching for the cross, leaning forward and you’ll have a harder time getting your hip into the shot to generate power.

Remember to pick up the rear foot, bring it in and this will allow you to get your hip into the shot. This will result in better balance, more power and it’ll be easier to set-up your next shot.

Inconsistent Range of Right Hand and Left Hook

If you’ve developed a compact hook and try to combine this with a long right hand on an imaginary target. The hook will often arrive a long way short of the right hand, because you don’t have a bag or target to hit. It’s important in shadowboxing to remember to make the range of your hooks relate to the range of your straight shots.

You can reinforce this range when you’re not shadowboxing, by using a double end bag, as it’s a smaller target that can be hit from the side and from the front.

Predictability

This can be a difficult one to assess yourself, but if you have a good sparring partner, they’ll probably be happy to let you know any predictable habits you have when you’re boxing. Once you know, then work on eliminating them from your shadowboxing.

For example, think how many different ways can you start a simple jab? Here’s a few:

• Fake it, then throw it
• Double it up
• Go body, then head
• Slip and then throw it
• Slip as you throw it

Add variations like these into all your punches and you’ll become far less predictable.

Lacking an Active Rhythm

Beginners often have two modes –“I’m busy”, and “I’m not busy”. This also links back into predictability, as you’ll be giving away your attack timings.

Tells such as tapping your gloves together or walking around with your gloves together when you’re in “I’m not busy mode” can both be giveaways.

Try to find a consistent active rhythm, such as moving your hands in small circles, or moving them up and down slightly. If you include slight head movement you’ll look a lot less predictable and ready to attack at any moment.

Try to maintain this rhythm when you are out of range and in range. The main difference when you’re in range is that your rhythm may speed up.

By developing a good rhythm, you’ll always look unpredictable and your opponent won’t know when you’re about to launch an attack.

Coming Up to Hit Your Opponent

This normally occurs to shorter guys, against taller boxers. There’s a temptation to come up into a higher stance to reach them. This puts you off balance and will take away a lot of your power and mobility.

To eliminate this habit, start to throw punches higher in your shadowboxing, imagine a taller opponent and avoid coming up onto your toes and stretching forwards. Instead get used to throwing punches upwards and do the same in your bag sessions. Let your hands do the work, rather than your body.

Awesome Shadowboxing Workout

Breaking your shadowboxing workout down into set rounds, can really help you to focus on a wide range of techniques in a structured way. Here’s a breakdown into a killer shadowboxing workout I like to do when I can’t get to the gym:

Round 1 – Footwork

So for my warm-up, I like to focus purely on footwork. Working a wide range of movements, angle changes, level changes and taking the time to focus on what I’ll be working in the other rounds. There’s no need to throw any hands in this round, just focus purely on footwork.

Round 2 – Single Techniques

Choose a single technique, such as the jab, then work this in as many varieties as possible. For example; single jab, double jab, triple jab, faking, going to the body, jab whilst moving, stepping in etc. When you keep it simple for long enough, you’ll naturally start to get more creative.

Round 3 – Combinations

Pick a handful of combinations that you need to work on and focus on the execution on those combos. They could be combos you need to drill, or they could be your favourite combos. You could mix up a variety of combos or one combo that you want to drill for the whole round. Just remember to incorporate your movement into them.

Round 4 – Moving Forwards and Getting Inside

This round is all about closing the distance and putting pressure on your opponent. If you’re a taller fighter, then think of this as a pressure round. Work on slips, fakes and forward movement whilst imagining getting around the shots that’ll be coming your way as you close the distance.

Round 5 – Working from the Outside

This round is all about staying out of danger and still delivering your combos. Working from the outside, work the jab, work quick combos and then moving back out. Keep your distance from your imaginary opponent, but still maintain pressure.

Round 6 – Counter Punching

This round is all about reacting to the shots of your imaginary opponent. Start every combo with a defensive move. This could be a slip, catch, parry or a defensive movement, then deliver your counter. Try to imagine a specific attack coming towards you and then react to it.

Round 7 – Power

I normally use this towards the end of the workout as it’s a great finisher. Try to imagine you have a stubborn opponent, who won’t go down. Use powerful aggressive shots to put the pressure on and try to take them down. Keep the intensity high!

Round 8 – Flow

Try to let your shots flow, without stopping, keep your mind free and loose. This doesn’t have to be high intensity, keep things light and loose, and focus on the flow, don’t stop moving whilst keeping everything connected.

Round 9 – Fight Pace

This is basically about fast combinations, keeping your head moving and avoiding incoming attacks. Doing things you’d realistically do in a fight, work your game, and try not to think too much. Just visualise your opponent and do what you’d do in a fight.

Round 10 – Moving in One Direction

For example working every technique whilst moving to the left. You don’t have to stick with the same direction for the entire round, but working one direction whilst throwing combos and defences. Sometimes this will be necessary in a fight and can push you to the next level above some opponents.

Round 11 – Working on the Inside and Turning

Working in the pocket, this is about keeping everything tight, by imagining you have an opponent on the ropes or you’re under a lot of pressure from an opponent. This can be difficult if you’re not used to this sort of situation. Keep your punches short and your defences tight and work hard.

Round 12 – Extra Conditioning

It’s always a great feeling to finish your workout absolutely exhausted. Adding some tough punch-outs to the end of your shadowboxing will certainly achieve this. Work at maximum pace for a set period of time (like 10 seconds), catch your breath briefly and then go again.

Obviously you can perform these rounds in any order, but try to keep the extra conditioning and power rounds for the end of your workout, so you can finish strong.

The post The Ultimate Shadow Boxing Guide appeared first on The Ultimate Boxing Experience.

The core peekaboo principles give boxers a safe and loaded “base of operation”, enabling the fighter to move where they want, when they want, and thus, controlling their opponent and the fight with minimal risk. Now, this luxury of control doesn’t come easy. There are a few things you need to be aware of if you’re going to implement the best parts of the peekaboo style into your boxing skill set.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to capitalize on Cus D’Amato’s boxing philosophy without falling into the pitfalls that many boxers criticize the peekaboo style for.  I’ll discuss the criticisms shortly, but first, I think it’s important to highlight the man behind the peekaboo boxing style and how he engineered it.

Cus D’Amato was born in 1908 to a blue collar, Italian family in The Bronx, New York. Cus briefly boxed as an amateur in the featherweight and lightweight divisions, but an eye injury prevented him from obtaining a professional license. However, as we know, thankfully, this was only the beginning of his legendary career. Cus’s dedication to training up-and-coming boxers led him to literally sleeping in his gym in New York. Cus believed in positive thinking. He would have his students memorize things like, “The mind always makes things worse than they really are.” And, “A professional always does what needs to be done no matter how he feels.” Getting up at 5 am to do roadwork or going to the gym to train, a professional does not follow their feelings. He wanted his young students to always remember that, “Your feelings will lie to you.”

Cus was one of the first boxing trainers to implement psychological training. He brought Zen to boxing before most people in the western world even knew what Zen was. He said, “Heroes and cowards feel exactly the same fear. Heroes just react to it differently.” He spent a lot of time teaching emotional control. Example: Tyson eventually admitted that he was terrified before every fight, but looking at him, he was often the source of his opponents’ terror. D’Amato genuinely cared for his boxers, developing father-son bonds with many of them. Even after Floyd Patterson decided to part ways with Cus, he would never talk negatively of Floyd, nor would he let any of his fighters. Eventually, Floyd would come to admit that he regretted nothing in his life except the time he was apart from Cus.

He took care of his fighters so much so that Cus filed for bankruptcy in 1971, but it was never apparent that any of his fighters felt such financial pressure. In fact, Jose Torres estimated that he had earned roughly $1 Million in his career, “and Cus never took a penny.” Cus also fought and protected his boxers from the politics of boxing at the time, many times refusing to take fights because of who the opponent was associated with and their perceived backroom dealings.

What was less publicized, but perhaps most intriguing is that he served as an occasional adviser for the late, Greatest, Muhammad Ali. The city of New York renamed the street where his Gramercy Gym was located to “Cus D’Amato Way”. There’s been books and documentaries done on his life, and still, his impact on boxing doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. The man has undeniably left a massive, well-respected legacy in the boxing world. Now, on to the style he dedicated his life to perfecting…

There’s something incredibly intriguing about the peekaboo style that seems to get lost or at least overlooked in today’s complex world of boxing. There’s so much information and so many videos to study that it’s easy to lose sight of the essence of what made the peekaboo style so effective. Cus said, “Slipping punches is the hardest thing to learn. But once you get it, that’s when boxing starts to become fun!”

Very few boxers have been able to incorporate the style as Cus himself had engineered it. Most notably, obviously, is Mike Tyson. If we go back even further, other Gramercy alumni include: Floyd Patterson, a 1952 Olympic Gold Medalist and former World Heavyweight Champion. Jose Torres, a 1956 Olympic Silver Medalist and former World Light heavyweight Champion. Joey Hadley, a 6-time Golden Gloves winner. And Kevin Rooney who trained Tyson after Cus passed in 1985 until 1988.

During his time training under Rooney, Tyson accrued 35 wins (31 by knockout), and set a record as the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history just 4 months after his 20th birthday. Despite the obvious success of his students,  a good amount of criticism has been hurled at the style. Most notably, many believe:

– An efficient attack cannot be launched from the stance
– It relies too heavily on power
– The fighter eats too many punches on the way in
– It doesn’t utilize the length of taller fighters

Now, not to say there’s no validity in these critiques. But most of these problems that boxers run into when trying to adapt to the peekaboo style can be avoided.To get the most out of the style, we need to be conscious of a couple things:

First: The peekaboo learning curve is steep. Many fighters will give up before they fully understand the key principles of the style. I think this is largely due to a lack of coaches who know how to teach it.

Second: When most people think of peekaboo boxing, they think of Mike Tyson, and rightfully so. Tyson displayed, for the entire world, in spectacularly brutal fashion just how effective the style can be. The problem is, while Tyson is solid proof that peekaboo boxing can be a viable style, even at the highest levels, his idolization has unintentionally led many boxers down the wrong path.

Here’s why:

A lot of boxers who try to incorporate the peekaboo style try to mimic Tyson. The issue is that Tyson’s style was a flavor of peekaboo that was tailored to his unique physical attributes.  His exceptional speed and power allowed him to slip punches at high volume and capitalize on counter punching opportunities that the average peekaboo fighter would have difficulty with.

The fundamental version of the style takes advantage of a high guard with minimal openings for opponents to attack.  If you strip away the exceptional speed and power of fighters like Tyson or Patterson you would have a more modern example.  One such example is Winky Wright…

Strip away all of those preconceived ideas of what you think peekaboo looks like and work on the core principles and philosophy that Cus engineered.The secret is in the details.  Learn to hold your gloves at the exact angle needed so punches either can’t fit through or they glide off the outside of the glove and miss.

Here’s a few quotes from Cus himself that should give you an idea of just how dedicated he was to the peekaboo fundamentals:

“Now, in my style, you cover up all the time. You never gamble. The right arm is always covering the liver, the left, the solar plexus, and the hands are protecting the chin.”

“You gotta be protected, not part of the time, not most of the time, but all the time. You cannot gamble by using open stance because every time you gamble and lose, you get hurt. And when a fighter gets hurt, he is intimidated. He thinks he is tired and covers up.”

“Always keep your chin tucked down into your chest. I don’t care if you are running roadwork or just walking around school or watching t.v. Keep that chin tucked down and your eyes looking up and out.”

And he wasn’t kidding…

Here’s a recent video I made that covers one aspect of this approach

A 1985 New York Times article highlighted an incident involving Jose Torres. Torres had gotten into trouble prior to one of his big fights and this was his phone conversation with Cus from the police station:

“Cus,” said Torres, embarrassed and apologetic, “I’m in the police station. I got into a street fight.”

“Jose,” said Cus, with concern in his voice, “did you keep your chin down?”

Here’s how to adopt the ‘aggressively safe’ style:

The proper way to implement the peekaboo style and truly get the best out of it requires just two things which many boxers miss completely:

1. An unwavering dedication to its fundamental philosophy (not just mimicking a specific move set).  Meaning hands up protecting the chin, forearms protecting the body and learning to maintain this position in all situations.

2. A proper adaptation to the fighter’s unique physical attributes.  If you have quick feet then take advantage of them.  If you have great visual reaction and slipping ability, then use it.

To get you started, here’s some of those core principles and philosophies for you to consider:

– A Stoic approach to controlling your emotions, when in the ring, in your day-to-day training, and even life in general.

– Active defense. Remain alert and protected 100% of the time, no relaxing or passiveness.

– Off-rhythm attacks that force opponents to be cautious, even when you’re defending.

– Intense, ‘aggressively safe’ movement and pressure, always using angles and balanced movement.

– Impenetrable defense that forces opponents to waste energy on ineffective punches.

– Draw out punches from opponents, leaving them vulnerable to rapid counters with what Cus called “bad intentions”.

If you are able to implement a more dynamic approach then move your head before and after you throw, and add angles for compound attacks.  Never give your opponent a free opening, keep your guard tight when you move so you automatically block as you pressure your opponent. Jabbing and closing the gap is often coupled with a slip in anticipation of the straight counter. Further protection can be achieved by lowering the body in conjunction with the slip; this extra bend can add even more power to rising uppercuts and hooks.

Obviously, these are a simplified breakdown of what Cus’s peekaboo style can do for you…

If you want an in-depth look at different techniques and attacks that arise from the few foundations we’ve covered here, I strongly recommend checking out my Head Movement and Getting Inside instructional video.

This training will give you:

– The essentials of slipping and ducking; how to use these motions to set up your offense while maintaining rock-solid balance.

– How to use lateral motion to create angles and close the gap; sneak attacks that catch your opponent off guard.

– How to sync your footwork with your head movement to wind up and throw once you enter the best position.

– A little trick with your back foot to create sharp angles that set you up for quick attacks with “bad intentions”.

– And plenty more.

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