Welcome back Warriors! Have you ever wanted to get better at boxing, but you’re not clear on how to do it? I can relate to the concept. I’ve been committed to diving into boxing over the course of the year and I’ve learned a lot. To this day I’m still learning and passing what I learned on to you guys!
It takes a lot of hard work and determination to be a good boxer. Whether your goal is to step in the ring and fight, or simply to get in shape. Whatever your goal, really the only way you’re going to get better is if you focus on technique. But what can you do to improve your technique? I’m about to tell you what tips you can follow, based on what I learned and what I know about the sport.
Now, I am not an expert. I’m a beginner just like you. So, let’s learn something new together!
What Is Your Goal?
The first thing you should do is ask yourself why you’re doing this? What inspired you to follow the boxing path? Do you wish to get in better shape? Or do you wish to step in the ring and fight? Wherever your desires lay, you’ll need to have good technique so that you can get the most out of your training. And most importantly, so you don’t injure yourself.
What Makes Up Boxing Technique?
In my experience training as a boxer, there’s many different things that play a role in good boxing technique.
- CONTROLLED PUNCHES: Every time you punch, you must stop your arm from extending too far out. Otherwise, you could injure your arm or your hand. To find more information on the types of punches and good punching technique, check out my types of punches post here!
- CORE STRENGTH: A strong core is crucial to being a good boxer. It’ll help you stay balanced and it will help with your control.
- AGILE FOOTWORK: Being quick on your feet will make you lighter, faster, and more efficient.
- QUICK REFLEXES: If you have quick reflexes, you’re going to be a pretty hard guy to hit. It’s a critical skill in boxing, as you’re basically playing keep away with your opponent. You don’t want to get hit, and neither does your opponent.
- BRAIN OVER BRAWN: Boxing isn’t so much focused on power and KO’ing your opponent. It’s more about being fast and smart. The best way you can win a fight is if you’re faster and smarter than your opponent. You’ll need to try and guess your opponent’s next move before he guesses yours. Follow that up with an execution depending on what your opponent does.
- STAMINA: The worst thing that can happen is if you’re starting out your training or you just stepped in the ring and you’re gasping for air already. A good boxer needs to have good stamina so they can endure hour-long workouts and brutal fights.
- FOCUS: Never take your eyes off your opponent. Ever. The minute you look away, you’ll be distracted and vulnerable. That could get you KO’d.
What Can You Do to Improve Your Boxing Skills?
With each skill I mentioned above, here’s what you can do to practice each skill and turn any weaknesses into strengths. I’m doing these too, and they’re helping me a lot.
- SHADOWBOX IN FRONT OF A MIRROR: Every gym I went to has a mirror. I’ve never been to a gym that has no mirrors. The reason why gyms have mirrors is so that you can check your form as you work out. With boxing, it’s no different. Shadowboxing in front of a mirror helps you to evaluate your technique so that you can adjust it accordingly if you need to. My advice, practice your punches slowly so that you can see what your range of motion looks like. If you want to challenge yourself and go faster, you can. Just be careful to not injure anything.
- ABS EXERCISES: If you want to have a strong core for boxing, you’re going to have to tone up those abs. There are many different exercises you can do to build your core strength. These include planks, sit-ups, crunches, lying leg raises, and wall sits. I recommend you do these exercises at least 6 days out of the week (take 1 day off to recover) and you will get killer abs and super strong core.
- CARDIO: Now, I don’t just mean getting on a bike machine or on a treadmill for half an hour. That can get boring quickly. You can try things like jogging in place, jumping rope, swimming, and rapid-fire punches on the bag. I broke a good sweat by doing these, and I guarantee you will too if you push yourself. Just remember to not go full tilt, or you’ll be worn out before you even finish your workout.
- SPARRING WITH A PARTNER: This is one of the best ways to get your feet wet with the sport, especially if you have a fight coming up. You can have your partner hold punching mitts while you punch into them, or you and your partner can practice punching each other.
Other Things to Consider
I would consider watching some training montages of the best boxers to ever step in the ring. Like Mayweather, Tyson, Ali, Marciano, and others to see how they would train and what they would do to prep for a fight. You can take their words and techniques as inspiration and apply them to your training regime. That’s what I do, idolize from the best.
Remember, even if you think you learned everything there is to know, there is always more to learn. Even the best of the best are still learning new things every single day. What you need to do is keep an open mind, because you never know what you’ll learn the next day. I’m still in the beginning phase of my boxing experience, and I’m learning a lot of new things. And here I am sharing what I know with all of you!
Closing Words
I hope my words of advice will help you accomplish your goals and dreams as a boxer! Keep on punching, take care of yourself, and GO INTO BATTLE!
Slaughter Fit Warrior