Tuesday, January 10, 2012

3 Beginner Ways to Practice Boxing Skills


In boxing, rewards are earned through performance. However, becoming skilled in the craft requires hours of practice in the gym. Both professional and amateur fighters implement a number of sports-specific routines into every training session; these routines sharpen and develop their skills in the ring.
Slip Bag
The slip bag is a small, sand-filled sack, suspended from the ceiling at eye level by a rope. It is used to improve your ability to dodge punches. Stand facing the bag in your normal boxing stance. Move forward until your forehead is actually touching the device. With your hand, give the slip bag a light push forward, causing it to swing away from your face. When it returns, lean slightly to either side from the waist, allowing it to pass your head without making contact. Calculating the speed of the bags movement, anticipate when it is approaching the back of your head and avoid it in the same manner. Wait until the slip bag is no more than three inches from either side of your head before moving to evade it. This is because your rival's punch is best avoided when he no longer has the opportunity to adjust its course. Also, make your movements quick and sharp. Only shift your head about two inches beyond the bag's line of motion and immediately bring yourself back to the starting position once it passes. Typically, a fighter will work the slip bag for four or six three-minute rounds during an average training session. However, you can do more or less according to your personal fitness goals.
Around the Ring
"Taking it around the ring" is a drill that can improve your footwork and lateral movement. You perform it by skipping sideways, traveling the ring's circumference in large circles. Every 20 or 30 seconds, stop abruptly and change direction. When you do, make the motion as sudden as possible, ideally within a single step, giving little to no indication of your intentions. Occasionally, switch direction two or three times together, making each change as quick as the first. Do this exercise either at the beginning or end of each training session, for an even number of three-minute rounds between four and 10.
Rolling the Rope
This exercise helps you condition and strengthen the muscles used to perform rolling punches, a common boxing maneuver. To roll a punch is to duck it while moving in a circular angle, removing yourself from harm's way. Tie a length of rope across the ring. Stand in your normal boxing stance and, starting at one end, duck under the rope by bending at the knees while stepping across and forward to the other side. Once you are standing on the opposite side, reverse the motion, bringing yourself back into the half of the ring from which you started. When you have reached the end of the rope, do the same maneuver by stepping backwards until you stand in the starting position. Continue going back and forth in this manner for six or eight three-minute rounds.

 
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