Excercises for improving head movement...

[Douglas]

Anyone know any good excercises that will help me practice moving my head from side to side? I don't have anyone to spar with, so I'll be all on my lonesome on this.

[Canvasback]

Buy a maze bag. It's advertised in most boxing catalogs. I've never used one, but I believe the idea is to get it swinging and try to move your head before it hits you.

[boozeboxer]

Spar with Tyson.

[Douglas]

Thanks for your help.

[Andre]

In addition work on stretching your ankles ,legs, up to your waist.
Your head natuarally follows all your lower movments, improve those and you have more than the rest.
Drop a knee look what happens to your head. sway your knees ,watch your head etc.
Just by turning your heel outwards your head can avoid a straight shot or flow with another shot without the knee bend to add to it.
HAving a mirror and moving in towards it and away from it ,gets you knowing your limits on the end of moves or through moves to vary head movment on the attack etc and if and for when your walking into or away from something.
You have to know when you can and when cant do a certain thing.
Around and under an extended jab is the safest as its already spent but you still gotta watch ,move away from, or physically cover that rear arm as you move .
In tight following someones elbow back in with your head using it as a cover is possible and leg flexability is what you use when you pop out of the hole they leave as they correct to where they think your heading to.

[donnydarkoIRL]

Go through the motions.
Imagine he's throwing a jab, look in the mirror and slip the jab. Repeat three or four times.

Imagine a straight right winging toward you. Slip it. Repeat.

Visualise a hook. Duck it. Repeat.

It's all visualisation mate,

[Douglas]

Thanks Andre and Donny. I'm waaaay too stiff, so I really need to stretch more and see if that won't help.

[donnydarkoIRL]

Thanks Andre and Donny. I'm waaaay too stiff, so I really need to stretch more and see if that won't help.

I can relate my man!
Repitition helped me.
I go by the tought "train how you intend to fight."

On the bag I always do a head movement after every combination, visualising pounches coming and creating my own responses, that might help.

[El Kabong]

Stretch before AND after working out...stretching when done properly is a workout in itself and it lengthens muscles out so you could lift weights and be flexible at the same time.

Watch Tyson workout on youtube, buy a maize bag, shaddow box and just imagine how other fighters move their heads when you throw a jab, right cross, uppercut....now when you shaddow box throw a jab, imagine a right cross coming back at you, bring your hand back quick and slip to the left and down and just whenever you throw a punch imagine the opposite punch will be coming at you right afterwards.

[diesel]

The exercise I do - is have a piece of washing line/broom stick etc held at shoulder height, use this as a reference and in your stance work on dipping and slipping as you move forward and back - this WILL improve your head movement, footwork, and make you a lot harder target.

If you need any more help let me know fella

[Von Milash]

Go through the motions.
Imagine he's throwing a jab, look in the mirror and slip the jab. Repeat three or four times.

Imagine a straight right winging toward you. Slip it. Repeat.

Visualise a hook. Duck it. Repeat.

It's all visualisation mate,

donnie, great post. it's amazing how powerful visualization can be. shadow boxing without reason is useless compared to imagining the actualy situation.

[Douglas]

It really does help to have imagination while practicing.

[donnydarkoIRL]

donnie, great post. it's amazing how powerful visualization can be. shadow boxing without reason is useless compared to imagining the actualy situation.

Thanks Von it is true.

I think one way to realise how great a focused mind can be is to analyse the individual training aimlessly and the fighter with an opponent in mind.

Even the most diligent trainee will not put the effort or strain into his workout that a fighter preparaing for an impending fight will.

[Andre]

Remember too that people get get caught hard and even ko'ed when they practice head movment the opposite way to whats going on, or getting fully read the second time.

That happens if you think that one pattern of fast head movment will fool someone into missing; Specially twice!

More danger if its done with planted fixed feet instead of moving to an area that you can hit him with both hands and he can only reach you with one.!

There is safety in head movment when its combined with foot and body placement around certain attacks and certain defences; for positioning for seeking openings when moving out or moving in.

Not many fighters move in agressivley bodily but with arm or glove defence first, then use this type of hed /body movment to flow around their reaction and then be in prime position to attack.

Its not taught or practiced that way around often but can work and can disrupt their timing when it counts the most.

Think them out (the possibilities to you and to the opposition);

know them deeply.

IF theres a risk that you find during a move that your practicing, check that risk with a glove as you move past it or through it into your opening etc.

Thats why what Donnie said about visualization is so right.

Knowing what to do and why you do it (only) at certain times and putting that into your own style through thinking ,shaodow boxing ,then take it into sparring.