Movement Drills

[ScubaSteve86]

Hi all,

It's been a while since I posted on here (a couple of months), and my training is coming along quite well. I've trimmed down a bit, and my offense/defense is improving. However, while working out the other day, I noticed that I felt a bit uncomfortable moving quickly around the ring. It seems that I feel more at home standing in one spot. While I can move around, I feel clunky and robot-like.

I was wondering if there are any specific drills that could help me with my ring movement? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Scuba

[Chris Nagel]

Hi ScubaSteve,

Are you allowed to use the ring besides sparring? If so, then why not take advantage of it. You can do 'ring jacks' (something like jumping jacks in which you move around in a circle) to loosen up and move around the ring, and then start shadowboxing while emphasizing your footwork. Work on moving forward and backward, changing directions, circling left and right, and then coordinating your hands and feet. Pick a spot where your opponent would be, and then practice pivoting on your front foot. You can also work on angles, turns, getting off the ropes, etc. You can practice your footwork throughout your training, when you're shadowboxing, hitting the bags/pads, and when you're sparring. That's where you really you really develop useful footwork that you can execute on the fly.

Anyway, try not to stay in one spot for too long when you're shadowboxing or hitting the bags. Shadowboxing in front of a mirror too much, can also reinforce the tendency of staying in one spot as well.

When hitting the bag, give it a little push to get in swinging and then circle it. Stay on brim of punching range, and step in to punch. While you're doing this you can also step in at an angle (diagonally), and out. You can work in close, giving the bag a hard push and then on the return-swing, pivot out of the way. In this case the bag represents an opponent rushing you in a straight line, giving you a safe and realistic way to practice your pivots.

Controlled sparring, say for instance when it's defense only, or jabs only, is also good for practicing your footwork. You don't have to worry as much about running into something, and you can fine-tune those moves that will save your butt.

Practice is the mother of all skills.

[Fran@myboxingcoach]

Hey Scuba

Top advice from Chris. Something else you can try. If you get the chance to work with a partner, have 3 rounds of tag boxing in the gym. No gloves. The aim is to tap your opponent's thigh or shoulder with an open palm...and not get tapped yourself. Some things to remember when having a go:

1. Don't bend at the waist to hit the thigh, bend the knees.
2. Use lots of feints.
3. Short, explosive movements with the feet; push off the front foot to move backwards, the back foot to move forwards.
4. Aim for very short foot movements, looking to feint, push out (6-8cm) and then straight back in to get your tap in.
5. Don't be tempted to 'pull' your leg out of the way of a tap; it's cheating and it ruins your stance (as well as missing the entire point of the thing!)
6. Stay relaxed and learn about the subtle movements involved in hitting whilst not being hit.

You sound like you're enjoying the sport and doing well, stick at it mate.

Fran

[God.in.my.corner]

^ That sounds like an outstanding drill! Never tried one even close to that! Can wait to try it out my my training partner.

[Chris Nagel]

Hey Scuba

Top advice from Chris. Something else you can try. If you get the chance to work with a partner, have 3 rounds of tag boxing in the gym. No gloves. The aim is to tap your opponent's thigh or shoulder with an open palm...and not get tapped yourself. Some things to remember when having a go:

1. Don't bend at the waist to hit the thigh, bend the knees.
2. Use lots of feints.
3. Short, explosive movements with the feet; push off the front foot to move backwards, the back foot to move forwards.
4. Aim for very short foot movements, looking to feint, push out (6-8cm) and then straight back in to get your tap in.
5. Don't be tempted to 'pull' your leg out of the way of a tap; it's cheating and it ruins your stance (as well as missing the entire point of the thing!)
6. Stay relaxed and learn about the subtle movements involved in hitting whilst not being hit.

You sound like you're enjoying the sport and doing well, stick at it mate.

Fran

I like it. Often at times, you may see a couple of guys that just want to dominate, which is anything but productive. This on the other hand is fun, and more to the point allows them to develop some useful skills that will stay with them during their fights. If they can avoid getting tagged by a palm, then they should be good when it comes to gloves.

[Scrap]

http://www.youtube.http://www.youtub...?v=0tfDnj4Xwy0 2 nice ones

[Andre]

http://www.youtube.<a href="http://w...tfDnj4Xwy0</a> 2 nice ones

That one is great.




Two swords and some Irish jigs playing in the background and we'd be able to open up a show in the west end and put Micheal Flatley out of business.

[jeff thomas]

http://www.youtube.<a href="http://w...tfDnj4Xwy0</a> 2 nice ones

does the pad need to be cusioned or could you use an aerobic step scrap? What are your instructions to the exerciser? Cheers mate

[Scrap]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tfDnj4Xwy0&NR=1

[Scrap]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WScy2GqIEyE

[jeff thomas]

Hi mate , being referred here by a good pal of mine (scrap) good one for beginners is 'The Cross' dead simple- get into your boxing stance and take one step forward, one back, one left then one right. Ensure all the fundamentals are met ie. not crossing your legs maintaining good distance between your fight. Weight towards the balls of your feet, repeat continuously for 3 mins.

You should find that this will start to improve your movement technique due to muscle memory and also help you develop your lower leg to contract isometrically with less pain.

Hope this helps- I use it on my newbies and they all find it helpful.