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I've met several people from a soccer background now who have excellent footwork and I'm thinking it's not just a coincidence. So wondering if there is anyone whose played a bit of soccer who can clue me in on the drills etc that might have helped develop that or others who've taken drills from soccer and found ways to implement it in their boxing training?
You dont really do those kind of drills for football. Footwork and balance pretty much come naturally after years of practice dribbling with the ball.
Have a look at one hitting a bag then look at there footwork f###king useless.
when i first started boxing i was told i had natural footwork, i put this down to playing national level basketball up to under 17 level, what do you think of basketball drills in boxing scrap?
Basketball or Volleyball are great I once trained a 17 year old Basketball International to box great footwork he finnished up a great fighter.
Yeah, I'm not so sure about this connection either. I played soccer at a pretty high level throughout my teens and still kick a ball around and have good skills but my boxing footwork has been a long time in improving and I would still only describe it as average.
Part of the problem is fitness - it's bloody hard to have good footwork when your legs feel like lead.
That said, my footwork is starting to come on and I attribute it to four things:-
1) Heaps of shadow boxing at home, focusing very intensely on footwork - starting slowly and gradually building the combos and slips up to speed.
2) More skipping and varying the way I'm jumping.
3) Shoulder sparring (a method of training that our trainer uses where the goal is to touch the other persons shoulder with your glove - the aim is speed and getting in and out fast on your feet. Sorry if this is a common thing, I am unaware)
4) More sparring and ring work.
Yeah i was going to suggest basketball to Sharla, but i guess you already new that!
I think footwork is down to 3 real things, balance, expierience and memory.
For balance try one of thoe flattened balls. Place both feet on and practice balance. (same idea as a wobbleboard i hear but iv neverr used those.)
Expieience will come from sparring and shadowboxing, more so sparring as you move as demanded.
After that, in fights good and correct footwork seems to come naturally as your brain automatically seems to employ the calculated movements you practised earlier...
For me it shows the depth of the brains power as if you watch yourself on tape after you say "God i was moving well." But the thing is you only decided which way to move, ur brain and body moved in the manner you practised, it's strange.
How about table tennis. hand /eye coordination ,foot placement /pivots.
good in betweener.
I guess I can see how moving something with your hands while you move your feet is more relevant than moving something with your feet. Maybe it was just a coincidence.
CC everyone for the input and advice :)