Pushing hard in boxing is essential to succeeding in a sport where your opponent is trying to do significant physical damage. A boxer must realize from Day 1 that this is a dangerous sport and getting hit and hurt by hard punches is inevitable. Pushing hard in drills is essential if you are going to build the spirit needed to overcome pain and find success in the sport.
Roadwork
Boxers run to build endurance for the ring. Traditionally, boxers do most of their distance running in the six weeks leading up to a fight. Most fighters run two to four miles in the morning before a training session in the gym. Boxers usually run three times per week and then back off the final week to save their strength. Pushing harder with roadwork means running four times per week and making the training session five miles per run. This should give you a little more stamina for your fight, and you may find that you have the strength and fortitude to fight hard in the final three rounds, which may be enough to give you the victory.
Heavy Bag Punch-out
Hitting the heavy bag is a regular part of any boxer's workout. It helps you get stronger and throw harder punches in the ring. However, the punch-out routine helps you last longer and develop your stamina. Hit the heavy bag with hard 1-2 combinations -- left jab followed by right cross -- for two minutes without stopping. The normal punch-out drill lasts for one minute. Pushing it to two minutes should leave you exhausted but help build strength and endurance for a tough boxing match.
Strength Training
Boxers avoided weight-training for decades, as old-school trainers claimed that lifting weights would make a fighter slow and ponderous because the boxer would become muscle-bound. That philosophy died in the 1980s, and top fighters build strength with weight-training routines that include bench presses, lateral arm raises, leg presses, lunges and squats. Hit the weight room three times per week to build strength and power. Fighters who have greater strength can fight harder and longer than those who don't build muscular strength.
Sparring
Sparring is an important part of preparing for any fight. Now matter what kind of condition you are in, you won't know if you are truly in shape for boxing until you get in the ring and spar against a fighter of similar size and experience. Start your training routine by sparring for three rounds. To push harder, increase your sparring by at least one round per week. Prior to your fight, you should be able to spar for nine or 10 rounds to have endurance and staying power in the ring.
Posted in: Boxing