Any dedicated martial artist and boxer knows the importance of training, whenever, and however they are able to. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to have a full boxing set-up in the comfort of your own home. Some of the best free-standing punching bags can cost a fair chunk of change and then you’ve got to find a place to put it.
There is no question about it that boxing is one of the best ways for you to develop your body. However, many individuals think that it is impossible to practise without a heavy punching bag or a speed bag. The good news it that is not true because you can do shadow boxing at home as well as many other exercises which do not require any equipment at all.
You could say that it is not the same as hitting a punching bag but, believe us, if you learn how to do this type of workout correctly and intensively, shadow boxing is a superb way to burn fat as well as to develop your endurance and skills. Shadow boxing is done by the professionals as well to improve their technique.
What Is Shadow Boxing?
Boxing without equipment or an opponent is a training technique that is known as shadow boxing. Essentially, this is punching the air. You’ll need to ensure that you have enough space to move around, though, so you may want to practise in front of a mirror in order to adjust your form.
Experiment with throwing different styles of punches. Create various combinations of moves and incorporate defensive boxing techniques. If you’re just starting out with shadow boxing, and need a little bit more guidance, try an app. These tools walk you through basic boxing skills and even offer shadowboxing classes.
With repeated practice, you’ll learn to correct mistakes on the fly, ultimately making you a much better boxer.
Keep A Constant Eye On Your Form
Shadowboxing is the perfect opportunity for you to focus on your form. There’s no pressure on you to throw out fast punches at the punching bag or an opponent. In addition, there’s nothing coming back at you which means that you can zone in on your form by practising your stance as well as to build up good fighting habits.
It’s a good idea to practise your basic boxing stance when you’re doing your shadowboxing rounds:
- Keep your feet in the ideal position and have your weight distributed evenly
- Slightly bend your knees
- Make sure that your feet are diagonal and a little wider than shoulder-width apart
- Keep your elbows down and your hands up
- With your chin slightly down, stare forward
Even for those intermediate and advanced contenders, practising basic boxing stance is essential as it can easily take a backseat when you’re working on new skills.
Work On Your Technique
Once you have your form down pat, you can start begin to focus on your technique:
- Where are you battling?
- Do you have any bad patterns in the ring, such as looking down or poor footwork?
- Would you like to improve certain skills such as your jab, straight punch, or uppercuts?
Zone in and make sure that you perfect those strikes.
This is a great time for you to work on punching combinations as well. Drill them as much as you are able to and really reinforce the muscle memory until these become second nature.
Remember that because you don’t have the pressure of a bag or an opponent shadowboxing is the perfect workout for boosting your technique, from punches to footwork, to movement and dodges.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
If you want to boost your boxing to the next level then you need to become a boxing instructor. Find out more about our Boxing Instructor Course here.
