How to Practice Boxing

Intermittent training 2-3 times per week. The long-distance training you see in the movie Rocky is actually not very good for boxing. Boxing mainly uses powerful but short bursts, and the best way to practice this technique is with intermittent training. Intermittent training is when you alternate short sprints with short breaks. As health improves, you can reduce 10-15 seconds of each rest to increase the benefits of each training session. In each training session, beginners should practice the following:

• Warm up with a relaxing run of 1.5km.
• Sprint 6 times, 600m each, rest 1 minute between runs. You should run at approximately 75-80% of your maximum speed.
• Finally, jogging slowly for about 1km to recover. ^[6]

On non-intermittent training days, you run long distances, practice hitting alone and sprinting for a short time. Intermittent training should make up the majority of your cardio sessions, and that’s the best way to get the quick, powerful bursts that are so characteristic of boxing. However, you should still be active on your days off. The best way is to do a full body workout, jog longer but slower, and incorporate light sprints. The following activities (applied at the US Olympic training camp) should be incorporated into a 30-60 minute workout:

• Jog 1.5-3km to warm up (moderate to fast pace).
• Practice fighting alone for 1 round (3 minutes each round).
• Run backwards 200 meters.
• 100 meter sprint.
• Run with your hands up and throw punches on the 400 meter track. ^[7]

Run long distances at a slow pace 1-2 times a week to stretch and recover. Morning jogging 6-7.5km still plays a certain role in the process of boxing training. Do long distance runs on the days you need to recover, especially after 2-3 consecutive days of intense training. A slower but longer jog is also very beneficial in the days leading up to the game, to avoid the aches and pains of stepping into the ring. Run for 30-60 minutes at a moderate pace, remember to stretch before and after running.

• Many trainers recommend going for a run first thing in the morning, so you have time to re-energize and rest for the next skill session.
• When jogging, you should keep your hands in a defensive position, occasionally throwing punches to warm up the arm muscles. That’s why boxers call it “running and training”.

Jump rope in every workout. Jumping rope is one of the best boxing workouts, improving heart strength, agility, accuracy, and coordination. You should jump rope for about 15 minutes in each training session. Start with basic running technique, alternately lifting each leg while you spin the rope. Once you’ve mastered it, you can jump rope with a more advanced technique:

• Jump with both feet at the same time.
• Cross your hands. When the rope is going down, just past the nose, you cross your wrists together, then stop crossing your hands when the rope has gone over your legs.
• Move while jumping rope. “Step” forward, backward, and side-by-side by hopscotch while spinning the rope. ^[8]

Do agility-strengthening exercises like running on stairs. Stair runs are quite common at gyms, and can be easily incorporated into different workouts. To perform this exercise, you arrange tactical sticks or put a specialized ladder on the ground, and focus on moving quickly with your legs through each empty space. Once you’ve mastered it, you can change the pattern by removing the foot space, tapping each square twice, stepping out and on the ladder in forward and backward directions, and so on.

• Ladder exercises are common in many sports, and you should try new moves often.

Focus on doing the right footwork. Good leg technique isn’t just about working out the heart and lungs. To become a good boxer, you need to practice the right posture so that you don’t have to think about your footwork when fighting. When doing footwork, you should focus on:

• Stand on top of your feet. Those are the “up” positions right in front of the toes. This stance makes it easier to balance, move, and change positions.
• Keep the spine straight. Avoid hunching or leaning back. This pose helps keep your center of gravity balanced and allows you to move more smoothly.
• Relax your upper body. You should relax your shoulders and chest muscles. ^[9]

Follow a diet that includes only healthy foods . Choose protein as the main ingredient of your meal, eliminating high-calorie junk foods like fried foods, candies, ice cream, butter, and sugar. Drink lots of water every day. Drink as much water as possible for your body. A healthy meal should include:

• Lean proteins are essential ingredients, like eggs, fish, and chicken.
• Unsaturated fats are found in fish, avocados and nuts.
• Complex carbohydrates like pasta, whole wheat flour and quinoa, replace white rice, white bread and other simple carbohydrates.
• You need to drink water whenever you are thirsty. Drinking water to not be thirsty is a way to keep the body hydrated. ^[10] Always have a drink of water ready during exercise.

Practice fighting alone in the ring. You will be fighting a virtual opponent in the ring, you also have to move around, punch and mimic the tempo of a real match. This is the best way to practice hitting technique without worrying about getting injured or getting punched. However, you need to focus to use your full potential. Keep moving, alternating between punches and defenses, and maintain a high level of intensity. Most importantly, you must time each “turn” to the length of a standard round — 3 minutes for amateur fighters. ^[11]

• Focus on your movement around the ring. Maintain flexibility while moving, swinging back and forth, and pacing your legs.
• The hardest thing when practicing fighting alone is the spirit. You need to convince yourself to train with intensity, otherwise the session won’t bring much benefit.

Practice back-up pull-ups and squats to develop back and arm muscles, which are essential for a powerful punch. You may not be able to do other strengthening exercises, but the squats are indispensable. Practice pulling up the bar several times a day and try to increase the number of reps on the bar over time. Focus on doing slow and even movements up and down for best results. The pull-ups can be difficult at first, but try to do at least 10 reps per day and then gradually increase them.

• The difference between the front-hand pull-up and the back-arm pull-up is the grip and muscle group used.
  • For the squats, palms facing out of body and hands shoulder-width apart. This move works the back, shoulder and core muscles, but the back muscles are worked the most.
  • For the back-up pull-up, palms facing the body and hands shoulder-width apart. This move works the back, biceps, chest, and core muscles, but the pectoral and biceps are worked on the most.

Central muscle development. The core muscles include the abs and intercostals, which are the bridge for you to transfer energy from the upper body to the lower body. That way you can’t underestimate your core when boxing. Every day you should do the following exercises for the core, 3 times each, 20 reps each time:

• Bend your stomach to keep still. This is a variation of crunches to protect the back, starting in a seated position with knees and feet raised. Place your palms face down on the floor behind your back, and push your head toward your knees to complete the pose. ^[12]
• Plank (1-2 minutes on each side, repeat 2-3 times)
• Leg lift. ^[13]

Observe the other fighters closely. As with any sport, you can learn a lot by observing good athletes. Make watching competitions part of your training program. When watching them play, you should spend each round observing certain details. The first round you watch the feet – how they get out of a deadlock, move around the ring, and position their bodies when attacking and defending. In the second round you watch the hands – when do they punch, how do they react and counterattack? ^[14]