Basic Boxing Training Routine

June 16, 2010 June 16, 2010 by Johnny N Boxing Basics, How to Box 65 Comments
A simple basic boxing training routine for beginner boxers to follow. This is the same boxing
training used by seasoned amateurs and world class professionals.

A basic boxing training routine doesnt need to be fancy or full of impossible exercises. Its often
plain, boring, and focuses on mastering the basics over and over again. As long as you are
dedicated and open to learning, this same boxing training routine will take you far.
2-3 Rounds Jumping Rope
Gets your body warmed-up. Reducing changes of injury and increasing performance.
Work on breathing and staying relaxed.
Dont rest during the 1-minute break. Just skip through it.
You can substitute this with running for the same amount of time.
1-2 Rounds of Stretching
Reduces injury, increase blood flow, and increase range of motion.
Stretch, arms, legs, and back.
Relax the muscle to prepare it for heavy use.
3 Rounds on Focus Mitts
Work on offensive and defensive techniques.
Focus on speed and accuracy, not power.
3 Rounds Heavy Bag OR 3 Rounds Sparring
Practice the offensive techniques you learned from the mittwork (bag or sparring).
Make sure you keep your defense up and move (bag or sparring).
Feel free to throw some power but dont get careless (bag or sparring).
2 Rounds Speedbag
Be consistent and try not to take too many breaks.
Remember to breathe.
2 Rounds Double-end Bag
Move around it and throw smaller punches to increase your accuracy.
Do this with your training gloves on so you get use to hitting fast targets with punching
gloves on.
1-2 rounds stretching/warmdown
Relax and stretch out.
Feel free to chat with other boxers about techniques you learned that day.
Final Thoughts
This is a simple basic boxing exercise routine. Once you get the hang of this, you can try all
other sorts of crazy conditioning routines designed for specific aspects of boxing. For beginning
boxers, I recommend that you dont over do this routine and dont try to squeeze in extra training
to speed up your boxing improvement. Save the extra energy and motivation you have for next
week. Each week gets tougher and its important not to burn yourself out. If youre still a
beginner, make sure you take it easy!
Basics
Techniques
Training
Strategy



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Sit Ups for Boxing
June 13, 2013 June 13, 2013 by Johnny N Boxing Training, Boxing Workouts 20 Comments

Core strength is easily the most important factor in power generation and functional
movement. No matter what you do, whether its throwing a punch or taking a punch, standing
still or moving around, you will need tremendous amounts of core strength to do it.
Your core can allow you to move (twist/footwork), or prevent you from moving (balance). Your
core is responsible for holding your body steady and combining the strength of other muscles in
your body. Your core muscles can rotate your body for rotational power and has more to do with
your punching power than any other muscle.
And since youre going to be doing thousands if not millions of sit-ups throughout your fighting
career, you might as well learn how to do a sit-up correctly.
How to do a Proper Sit-up
1. Sit down on a comfortable surface
You can be on any surface as long as its flat. If the surface is particularly hard, put a little
cushion, or yoga mat, or anything to keep your back bones from smashing onto the floor. It helps
if your padded surface is also non-slippery so you dont slide all over the place as you do sit-ups.
Get a friend to hold your feet or stick your feet under the couch or anything else you can find.
Personally, I like having a friend because you two can motivate each other. The guy holding feet
also gets a free chest workout when the other guy is doing really fast sit-ups.
Last tip: make sure youre body is aligned straight. Its really common to curl more towards one
side and end up doing really crooked sit-ups when you get tired. Do your sit-ups straight!
Sit straight on a comfortable surface.
Feet together.
2. Feet & knees together
You can set your feet together or shoulder-width apart. Some people like having the feet
shoulder-width apart because the space between their legs makes it easier for them to come up. I
personally recommend you keep your legs together so that your sit-ups are more even with less
likelihood of preference to muscles on one side.
Feet together. Knees together.
3. Leg position
Your leg position during sit-ups affects the muscles used during the exercise. There are generally
two positions (everything else is a variation). The first position: your feet are flat on the ground
and the knees bent around 90 degrees or less. The second position: your heels are on the ground
with the toes up allowing the knees to straighten past 90 degrees.
Having your feet flat on the ground will use more of your hip flexor muscles, whereas having
your toes up will use more of your core and ab muscles. Most people switch around between the
2 positions not to target different muscles but to make sit-ups easier for them.
Having the feet flat on the ground will usually make the sit-up more difficult because you have
less space at the top which means you have to crunch harder to get up all the way. As you start
to get tired after so many sit-ups, your legs may cramp, or you need more room at the top. And
so in the final moments, some people will lift their toes to allow their legs to lengthen out. This
gives room for the abs to stretch out and really get more of an ab workout. Youll also have more
room at the top since your knees are lower.
IMPORTANT: have your friend hold you at the ankles and not at the toes. If youre hooking
your feet under an object, hook at the ankles. This isnt just for sit-up technique but so that you
dont injure your ankles by using that small joint as a lever for your whole body.
Feet flat for a steadier and challenging sit-up position.
Toes up for more focus on the core.
4. Hand placement
Your hands should have as little impact on your sit-ups as possible. You can put your hands
anywhere you want, behind the head, by the ends, across your chest, or by your hips. Anywhere
you want, but do not use your arms to swing yourself up. And dont use your arms pull on your
head or crank your neck.
I personally like to place my hands across my chest, on my shoulders (right hand on right
shoulder) and also lightly touch my fingers to my ears. I switch between the 3 sometimes to help
focus on my form and remind myself to keep good form. Arms on the chest is easiest but
sometimes you feel like your arms are in the way when youre trying to come up. Arms on the
ears remind me not to throw my head to come up.
Hands anywhere you want, but dont use them
to pull on your head/neck or swing yourself.
5. Proper UP position
The universally-regarded proper UP position is to sit up until your neck is directly above your
tailbone. Which means to come up until your neck is above your hips. I dont say head because
some people pull their head forward so the head gets up a lot easier than the neck does.
Come UP until your head neck is above your hips.
6. Proper DOWN position
You only have to go down until the center of your back touches the ground. Its not necessary to
go down until your head and shoulders hit the ground. At high speeds, its definitely not a good
idea to slam your head on the ground. Some people go all the way down so that they can throw
their head and arms to help swing themselves updont do this.
Lay flat on the ground and curl your head and shoulders off the floor (without stressing your
neck), and remember this position. You dont have to go any lower than this. Knowing this
position allows you to do sit-ups faster and without cheating because theres no room for you to
swing yourself.
Come DOWN until the center of your back
touches the floor.
Sit-up Techniques
1. Sit-Up Rhythm
Same as I explained for push-ups, there are 2 different rhythms for doing sit-ups depending your
level of fitness. The typical beginner rhythm is to go DOWN SLOW and then UP FAST.
Beginners will go down slowly and then explode upwards to get up using the least effort.
The advanced sit-up rhythm (much harder to do) is to go DOWN FAST and UP FAST. Going
down fast is especially hard because youre abdominal muscles work so much harder to reverse
directions and pull you back up. Its like youre accelerating towards the ground and then have to
use muscle to decelerate and then accelerate again in the opposite direction.
As your core becomes stronger and you get used to doing fast push-ups, you will realize that
going down is much harder than going up. Youll definitely feel the weight of your upper torso
and get a much better workout this way. This rhythm is also better for breaking push-up records.
Beginner sit-up rhythm = down SLOW, up FAST.
Advanced sit-up rhythm = down FAST, up FAST.
2. Breathing Technique for Sit Ups
The 2 different rhythms of doing sit-ups also calls for 2 different rhythms of breathing technique.
The beginner style of breathing is to inhale while going down and exhale when coming up. Many
athletes will find it easiest to synchronize the UPWARDS movement of the sit-up with exhaling
because the exhale gives power to the movement and also empties out your stomach making it
easier to curl up. The beginner style of breathing is useful if you cant do many sit-ups in a row
and need a pause between each one.
The advanced style of breathing is to INHALE as you come up, and to EXHALE as you come
down. The sit-up is a challenging exercise when done fast and there are many different levels of
advanced. Some people are slow enough that theres still room for an inhale and exhale on
each sit-up. If this is you, youll have to time your exhale so your breath can help you change
directions at the bottom (the hardest part of the sit-up).
Some guys people are fast enough that they can come all the way down and all the way up within
a single exhale. These people only need one inhale every couple of reps so they dont need to
find a rhythm for the inhale.
Youll find the hardest part about breathing during sit-ups is figuring out when to inhale. The
biggest problem with inhaling is that it feels up your stomach and so you feel like you cant
inhale while coming up. But then again if youre busy inhaling coming down, youll feel like
your exhale is too late to help you change directions. Some of you will try smaller inhales. Some
of you will skip inhaling on certain reps. Others will switch back and forth between the beginner
and advanced breathing rhythms.
Beginner sit-up breathing = EXHALE GOING UP.
Advanced sit-up breathing = EXHALE GOING DOWN.
Inhale whenever you need it.
3. Maintain the Curled Up Position
A common pattern youll see with many people is the tendency to change their upper body
position during the sit-ups. Most people will be more stretched out at the bottom and more curled
up at the top. This usually means theyre using the momentum (even if only slightly) of their
heads and arms to swing themselves up. Obviously, this takes away from the exercise and also
slows you down a bit.
The right way is to keep yourself curled up and to maintain this position as you go up and down.
This is why its not necessary to touch your head and shoulders to the floor everytime you go
down. Maintaining this solid position prevents you from swinging yourself and also makes it
easier to go faster because your upper body stays in one position. Your core will be constantly
engaged and doesnt allow you to relax and open up at the bottom.
Last note: dont crank on your head and neck. Curl up from your abs, not your neck. You can put
your chin on your chest if you want but dont strain your neck.
Remain curled up throughout the entire sit-up.
4. Resting Technique
I have one rule about resting: REST AT THE TOP. Do a sit-up all the way to the top and take as
long as you want up there. You can make space at the top by opening your knees or also by
scooting your butt back so you dont have to crunch as much to get up. You quickly realize
doing continuous sit-ups is sometimes easier than resting in one place.
The worst thing you can do is rest at the bottom. Most people will basically just lay down and let
go of everything and take a few breaths. Then theyll try to exhale real quick and explode a few
final reps.
The way I see it, the moment you let go of the curl and release your core, you basically finished
your set and started a new one. Its the same as coming down to your knees in the middle of
push-ups, or putting the barbell down before lifting it again. If you need to rest, do it at the top of
the sit-up, and keep your core engaged!
Rest at the top.
5. Squeezing Technique
Ive got numerous tactics for squeezing out extra sit-ups when you feel like you cant. The first
one is to make space at the top. You can do this by opening your knees so you have space in the
middle so your upper body can come up easier. You can also make space by straightening your
legs more so you have more room to fold up with your upper body. This last tip will probably
require you to lift your toes off the ground.
Just remember that if your toes are off the ground, it will use more ab muscles. On the other hand
if you have your feet flat on the ground, you can use more of your leg muscles to help pull you
up instead of focusing so much on the abs. Its actually the hip flexors, but try to imagine that
your quads are pulling you up.
You can also combine all these tips together. Have your knees pointing up and then use your legs
to help you come up and then at the top you open your legs so you have space at the center. And
you can rest in this hole between your legs if you need.
Another great is to pull forward instead of swinging up. Many people will focus on going UP
that they end up straining their bodies or rocking their hips to try and swing themselves over. (By
the way, keep your hips on the ground the entire time!) One tip I like to use for doing really
smooth sit-ups is to imagine myself pulling forward instead of trying to swing up. The focus is
on pushing my back forward rather than swinging my head over. This feels less stressful on my
lower back.
Also, keep your hips on the ground the entire time! (Some people will lift their hips to help get a
rocking motion.)
Open your knees and/or straighten your legs more.
Use your legs to help you come up.
Sit-Up Workouts
Do intervals
Dont focus on counting sit-ups. Your core is one of the strongest muscles in your body. You
will get tired of counting long before your core will ever get tired. Thats assuming, of course,
that you have a strong core. If your core is in shape, you should be able to do 2 sit-up workouts
every day, one at night and one in the morning. The core doesnt need days to rest like you
would with your chest from a benchpress workout.
The best way to do sit-up exercises (as well as many other exercises) is to do them in intervals.
Exercising with a focus on intervals will increase your level of conditioning much faster than
focusing on a count (e.g. doing X number of sit-ups).
I dont count my sit-ups,
I only starting counting when it starts hurting,
when I feel pain, thats when I start counting,
cause thats when it really counts.
- Muhammad Ali
60/45/30 Interval
Do as many sit-ups as you can in 60 seconds.
Rest 60 seconds.
Do as many sit-ups as you can in 45 seconds.
Rest 60 seconds.
Do as many sit-ups as you can in 30 seconds.
Heres my favorite interval that I did regularly in the Army. Youll feel slow and helpless at first
but with constant practice comes speed.
60-ON/60-OFF Intervals
Do as many sit-ups as you can in 60 seconds.
Rest 60 seconds.
Repeat for at least 3 sets.
This is a good alternative to the one above if youre not strong enough to get many sit-ups within
the 45-second or 30-second intervals.
2 MINUTES x 3 SETS (for beginners)
Do 3 sets of 2 minutes each.
Use 1-minute rest in between.
You dont have to go at max speed but dont be lazy either. This is a great starting point for
beginners who dont have the core strength to do sit-ups in fast intervals.

Things you can do with sit-ups
Variations of sit-ups
Twisting to one side? Crunches? Try them. Do a little of everything. I focus on the basic sit-up
because its commonly done incorrectly or ineffectively. Dont bother trying to do anything
fancy until you can do a couple hundred of the basic sit-up with proper form. My reasoning is
this, if you cant do the basic sit-up with proper form, you probably cant do any of the other
fancy variations with proper form either and you wont benefit much from them either.
Sit-ups are REALLY EASY (thanks to strong core muscles)
Keep doing sit-ups everyday and you should reach a point where you feel like you can go on
forever. Like past the 30-minute mark. Many people underestimate their core muscles. Some
people can do push-ups easier than sit-ups, whereas others have it the other way around
(especially females). Its common for females to be able to do as many sit-ups as the males in the
military.
Your core muscles are so strong that you can work them out every few hours if you wanted and
they gain strength quickly. Within a month of working out everyday, you can double or
quadruple your maximum number of sit-ups and it only goes up from there.
Sit-ups are among the worst exercises for getting a six pack
Getting a six pack has more to do with burning fat than it does with developing strong abdominal
muscles. Changing your diet will be the most important step for getting a six pack. Dont waste
your time with painful exercises that dont do anything. Ill have to make a guide on this
someday because I keep getting asked about it so much.

Proper Push Up Technique
Whether youre training for a fight, for weight loss, or any kind of physical activity, push-ups
will be a one of your regular workouts. Its a great exercise to build strength and power for the
upper body and doesnt require any special equipment other than the ground and gravity.
For fighters, push-ups are especially beneficial for developing the chest, shoulders, core, and
triceps. You can even develop a bodybuilders physique with push-ups if you do enough of
them.
But for now, lets go over what I call the perfect push-up form and technique:
How to do a PROPER Push-Up
1. Straight body
The first thing youll want to do is to straighten your back. Dont sag at the hip or lift at the hips.
It should be a straight line from head to toe. Check the mirror to see that your hips are in line.
The most uncomfortable position is probably the right one. (It will take some core muscle to
achieve this!)
Back straight, hips not lifted or sagging.
The most uncomfortable position is the right one.
2. Feet together
Place your entire feet together. Toes AND heels together. There are many people dont care
about the feet and this usually results in very sloppy form. Remember that your entire body is
placed on your hands and feet.
Keep your toes & heels together.
3. Hand placement
When you place your hands on the floor, imagine that there is an imaginary line between them,
and that your chest is hovering above that line. The sweet spot is most likely somewhere between
your shoulders and your nipples.
If your hands are hovering too high (such as above your shoulders), you will feel like your
elbows are swinging out too high and not supporting your body weight when you go down. If
your hands are too low (such as below your nipples), you will feel like the push-ups are too
stressful on your shoulders.
The width of your hands should be a little wider than shoulder width. The exact width depends
on various factors such as arm length and the type of push-up you want to do (chest VS tricep).
A narrower hand placement will use more tricep muscle and cause you to travel a longer distance
to and from the ground. A wider hand placement will use more chest muscle and cause you to to
travel less distance to and from the ground. Ideally, you want to find the width that allows you to
do the most push-ups without one muscle group (chest or triceps) tiring out before the other. It
takes some time to figure out your sweet spot.
Another distinction between chest push-ups and tricep push-ups is the way that your elbow
points out as you go down. For chest push-ups, your elbows will point out sideways. For tricep
push-ups, your elbows will stay along body so that the elbows are touching your lats and rib cage
as you go down. It is also possible to have the elbows travel somewhere diagonally in between
but I dont recommend this as its hard to keep it perfectly even on both sides (especially for
beginners).
When I was in the Army, all the guys that broke the push-up records were tricep pushers. But
even still, I preferred chest push-ups. They were harder but I liked the feel of working a bigger
muscle and felt I benefitted more from that version.
The hand can be placed on the floor with your fingers together or your fingers spread. I prefer to
spread my fingers because it feels stronger and more stable. Its also important to press your
hand completely flat into the ground. Push off the ground with all four corners of your palm.
Distribute your weight across the entire palm instead of only on the heel of your palm.
Hands at chest level, wider than shoulder width apart.
Fingers spread, pressing with the 4 corners of the palm.
Elbows open sideways for chest push-ups,
or open downwards for tricep push-ups.
4. Head alignment
The head should be lifted to extend straight out from the spine. Unfortunately this is hard to do
because your body will change in angle from the ground as you do push-ups. Most people are
usually focused on the ground which leads to a dropped head, and a dropped head makes it
harder for to get down low to the ground and also makes it harder to breathe.
My best advice is to stare at the ground 3 feet in front of your head this tilts the head up and
keeps it more in line with your spine and at the same time helps to open your throat for
breathing.
Eyes looking at the ground 3 feet in front of your head,
to keep a straight position
and open the throat for breathing.
5. Proper DOWN position
How low do you go to the ground? There are 2 standards. The rule I like to use is to go until your
chest is one inch off the ground. It doesnt have to be exact; go down until your chest is close to
the ground. You should feel a bounce of a stress on the sides of your chest where it connects to
the shoulders. (Make sure you keep your muscles contracted for support.)
The other standard is to go down until the upper arms (from the shoulder to the elbow) are
parallel with the ground. The elbows will probably be close to a 90-degree angle at this point
depending on where your hands are placed.
Go down until your chest is 1 inch off the ground,
or until the upper arms are parallel to the ground.
Push-Up Techniques
1. Push-Up Rhythm
There are 2 different rhythms for doing push ups depending on your level of fitness. The
beginner rhythm (about 99% of most people) is to go DOWN SLOW and then UP FAST. Youll
see them lower themselves slowly to the ground and then push themselves up quickly.
The more advanced rhythm and much harder way to do push-ups is to go DOWN FAST AND
UP FAST. This is how you break push-up records; by going down as fast as you can. It makes a
lot of sense if you think about it. You can save a lot of time by dropping down as fast as you can
and then pushing up as fast as you can. The reason why its so hard is because the faster you
drop, the more momentum you have to overcome at the bottom and the more challenging it is to
push yourself back up.
When I want to go down fast, I dont just rely on gravity to bring me down, I imagine that my
hands are pulling on the ground to PULL MYSELF DOWN as fast as I can. Its very challenging
and just about impossible for beginners to do as they will probably slam their faces on the
ground. But this is a good goal for you to work up to later on.
As you try to go down quickly, you will realize that going down is the hardest part because you
spend more energy to stop yourself from hitting the ground than you do to push yourself up. So
beginners spend their energy going up and advanced pushers will spend their energy going
down. Going down fast will build explosive strength in your upper body very quickly.
Beginner push-up rhythm = down SLOW, up FAST.
Advanced push-up rhythm = down FAST, up FAST.
2. Breathing Technique for Push-Ups
Just as there are 2 different rhythms for doing push-ups, there are 2 methods of breathing
technique to accommodate each rhythm.
The beginner style of breathing is to inhale while going down and then exhale while going up.
INHALE DOWN, EXHALE UP, INHALE DOWN, EXHALE UP. A beginner push-up will look
like (DOWN SLOW) INHALE SLOW (UP FAST) EXHALE FAST. It sound like innnnnnn-
OUT-innnnnnn-OUT.
The advanced style of breathing is to exhale when going down. Their exhalation will be a short
quick breath that happens at the hard moment (the peak of descent) when their body is about to
hit the ground. They use this quick exhalation to help bounce them off the ground. The
advanced push-up will look like DOWN FAST DOWN FAST DOWN FAST, which a quick
exhalation every time they go down. The inhale only as needed (could be once every 10 or 20
reps) as its hard to inhale when youre going fast. The advanced push-up will sound like a rapid
*SSHH!* *SSHH!* *SSHH!* as they breath explosively for explosive power.
Beginner push-up breathing = inhale DOWN, exhale UP
Advanced push-up breathing = exhale DOWN
Breathe explosively for explosive power.
3. Resting Technique
When it comes to resting while doing push-ups, the common tendency is to sag at the hips or
wiggle around on the arms. What I like to do is to put my body into the inverted V-position
(known as downward dog in yoga) where you raise your hips high into the air as you
straighten your legs and back and arms. This position will momentarily give your push-up
muscles a break by using a slightly different set of muscles.
From this upside-down V position, I take some deep breaths before quickly dropping back into
push-up position and squeezing out 1-3 push-ups before switching back again into the inverted
V-position again. With this tactic, I can easily squeeze out 20-30 more push-ups even when I felt
like I couldnt do anymore. Some of you will notice intense veins coming out of your muscles
and maybe even want to barf as youve now allowed yourself to exercise far beyond the point of
failure. (Good job!)
Rest by returning to INVERTED V-POSITION
as you squeeze out your final push-ups.
4. Squeezing Technique
Heres another trick to help you squeeze out more push-ups when you feel like you have nothing
left. Instead of imagining yourself pushing the ground away from you, instead try to imagine
yourself pulling your elbows in closer to each other. So instead of focusing on pushing up with
your triceps, try to focus on pulling your elbows into a straight position. This visualization will
make it easier to lockout your elbows straight when youre struggling on the last upper half of
the push-up.
Focus on bringing your elbows in,
instead of pushing the ground.

Push-Up Workouts
Do intervals
There are too many people who focus too much on doing X number of push-ups. It doesnt
matter if you do 500 a day or 1000 a day, everything is easy when youre not pressed for time.
Instead you should give yourself set intervals such as 1 or 2 minutes where you do as many as
you can in that period. Intervals are MUCH harder than you think.
Doing push-ups (as well as other exercises) in intervals will very quickly develop superior levels
of conditioning in your body and put your focus on a more functional athletic goal (rate of effort)
rather than just purely (total effort).
Do intervals for a better workout.
Its too easy when youre not pressed for time.
60/45/30/15/10 Interval (Army workout)
My favorite push-up workout and one that I did regularly in the Army is what I call the
60/45/30/15/10 interval:
Do as many push-ups as you can in 60 seconds.
Rest 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as you can in 45 seconds.
Rest 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as you can in 30 seconds.
Rest 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as you can in 15 seconds.
Rest 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as you can in 10 seconds.
It goes without saying that you should be using proper form and technique. A push-up with bad
form doesnt count as a push-up and more importantly, doesnt count as beneficial exercise!
60/30/15 Interval (for beginners)
Im sure many of you will not be able to handle the previous interval and so here is another one I
would recommend for beginners.
Do as many push-ups as you can in 60 seconds.
Rest 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as you can in 30 seconds.
Rest 60 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as you can in 15 seconds.
This will be quite the challenge as each set should take you to the point of failure.
15-ON/15-OFF Intervals (tabata interval)
This is doing push-ups in tabata drill style. Very effective and more challenging than you think.
Do as many push-ups as you can in 15 seconds.
Rest 15 seconds.
Do as many push-ups as you can in 15 seconds.
Rest 15 seconds.
Repeat this interval for up to 10 sets if you can.
Another way you can do this is to try to do 10 push-ups every 15 seconds. Every time the
interval starts, you do 10 as fast as you can. The faster you do them, the sooner you can take a
break. Do this for 10 sets if you dare.
What can you do with push-ups?
Variations of the push-up
I get questions everyday asking about whether its a good idea to do diamond push-ups, one hand
push-ups, knuckle push-ups, clapping push-ups, or any of the million other variations out there.
My answer is always this: focus on the basic push-up. The standard form gives the most focus to
proper technique and basic benefits of the push-up. Anytime you do something else like being on
your knuckles or using a very tricky hand placement, you start to distract yourself from the true
benefit of the push-up and end up focusing on the trick.
I would say you probably shouldnt be thinking about doing push-ups tricks until you do at least
a couple hundred of the basic push-ups in one sitting. In the meanwhile, if you want some basic
variation. Go wider, go narrower, or go faster. Or switch from the chest version to tricep version.
Do intervals
Do push-ups in intervals. Intervals really make it so much harder and more beneficial! Just
counting push-ups alone doesnt mean much. Once you get into really good shape, you can
pretty much do push-ups all day and it doesnt mean anything. Do as much as you can, but in
intervals!
GET BUFF MILITARY/PRISON STYLE
For those of you who dont know, you can get really buff and muscular just by doing push-ups.
Its a common routine for guys in the military or in jail to get really ripped and get 18 arms just
by doing push-ups.
The common routine is to do 1500 push-ups a day. Thats 30 sets of 50. And it will probably
take you 30 minutes to do. It used to be 2000 push-ups a day but guys have figured out over time
that doing 1500 push-ups is enough. It may sound hard to you but you can work up to it fairly
quickly if youre dedicated and have time. Ive known many guys who got big doing this (yes,
even skinny ones). They look like theyve been lifting weights but it was really just push-ups.
Another push-up routine I know for getting buff is to do 1200 push-ups a day. You do 20, then
widen your hands by an inch, and then do another 20. And keep repeating as you widen your
hands all the way out and then bring them all the way in as you keep doing 20 each time.
Beat my record
If you like you can try to beat my 30-second record of 47. Im a long-arm guy and used the chest
version which is harder to do but 47 was my magic number at the peak of my time. I cant
remember what I did at the 60-second mark, probably around 85. And my 2-minute mark was
probably around 110-120. I held the record in my platoon but the guys holding the record in the
company did around 180 in 2-minutes. (They had shorter stockier arms and used the tricep
method.)
Push-ups are easy
You just have to do them. If you did push-ups everyday, you could easily work your way up to a
thousand within a year. Of course, not one thousand in one sitting but maybe over over dozens of
sets. You can get to a point where you can do push-ups indefinitely.
I remember the times in the Army when our drill sergeant punished us by making us do push-ups
for 30 minutes. I have no idea how many I did. But thats how it waswe never counted, we just
went for time. They would say, GET DOWN AND BEAT YOUR FACE! And leave us there
for an hour.



How to Increase Your Fighting Endurance
9 years ago, I stepped into the ring for my first sparring match. It was a moment of
excitement and pure adrenaline. A Rocky fantasy dream-come-true moment that took all the life
out of me.
I was dead tired long before the final bell. I couldnt walk straight because my feet were stuck in
the mud and my legs felt like noodles. The 14oz gloves clung to my arms like a prisoners ball-
and-chain. Spectators laughed when I couldnt lift my leg to climb out of the ropes. My shirt
dripped like I had gone swimming. I almost vomited when I bent over at the water fountain.
You wouldnt know it from the way I lookedbut I won.
I might have been a winner but I sure didnt feel that one. And thats the miracle of fatigue.
Fatigue is a crippling handicap ruining your physical performance right when you need it most.
Wed all be better fighters if only we had more endurance!
The Physical Aspects of Fighting Endurance
1. Cardio
The first step to increasing your fight endurance is to work on your cardio, which means to
increase your bodys rate of oxygen absorption (oxygen intake). Boxing is an activity expressed
in physical movement. Physical movement requires the use of your muscles. And muscles need
oxygen in order to break down the glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream to create energy.
The higher your oxygen intake, the more oxygen your muscles can absorb and the more glucose
you will be able to take advantage of. In laymans terms, having better cardio means you can do
more physical exercise without getting out of breath. Youll not only have more energy but also
perform better. Having strong muscles wont do you any good if your body cant absorb oxygen
fast enough to fuel your muscles.
Increasing your cardiovascular endurance
Pretty much any exercise that raises your heart-rate, when done for a period of time at a high-
enough pace, could be considered cardio exercise. Running, swimming, biking, skipping rope,
are all good examples of cardio training for fighters.
The general rule is that you have to raise your heart-rate. You have to push yourself a little bit.
Being able to run 5 miles a day wont mean anything if you were totally relaxed the whole time.
Boxing itself is an excellent cardio exercise. Hitting the bag, sparring, and generally moving
your body over and over is great for developing cardio.
Raise your heart rate
to raise your cardio (oxygen intake).
2. Muscle Conditioning
The next step of fighting endurance has to do with muscle conditioning. Your muscles have to be
conditioned well enough to handle the repeated stress of a fight. You need strong legs to move
you around the ring. You need a strong core to generate power. You need well-conditioned
shoulders and arms to throw hundreds of punches at high speed. Every muscle you need to use in
boxing must be well-conditioned or else youll experience muscle fatigue that makes it difficult
to fight.
A weak link in your body will show as one part of the body prevents the others from working at
their full potential. Boxing is a total body exercise so youll need strong legs, strong core, strong
shoulders and arms. To be precise, youll need to focus on power, speed, and endurance rather
than just pure raw strength.
Increasing your physical conditioning
Work out the muscles you would use in fighting, which is pretty much your entire body. Start
running, skipping rope, squats for the legs. Bag work, speed bag, shadowboxing, push-ups for
the arms. Sit-ups and crunches for the core. Im generalizing here; there are MANY more
exercises youll need to do to be a well-conditioned fighter.
My #1 tip for muscle conditioning:
do interval training.
Make sure you balance out your muscles. (Like working out the biceps to balance the triceps.
Targeting the back to balance out the chest and abs.) Muscle imbalances contribute limited
physical performance, limited range of motion, etc.
3. Neurological (Muscle Memory)
The neurological aspect of fighting endurance has to do with understanding how muscle memory
works. Generally speaking, the more time you spend practicing a movement, the easier and more
natural it becomes. Your muscle memory is a part of your brain that stores information
repeated movements.
This is why its important to practice with real movements that simulate actual fighting. This
means lots of punches, shadowboxing, and of course the act of fighting itself. This practice not
only builds muscle memory but also confidence in your movements.
Increasing your muscle memory
Shadowboxing is the best exercise to build muscle memory. Jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts,
slipping, bobbing and weaving, rolling, moving and dashing around the ring. Big steps, little
steps, quick pivots, big pivots, sudden changes of movement. EVERYTHING. Every type of
boxing movement imaginable must be practiced over and over.
Shadowboxing is the best exercise
for developing muscle memory.
Sparring is also a great exercise for muscle memory but it has its limitations. For one, you can
only spar a couple rounds, maybe 10 rounds tops. Shadowboxing, on the other hand, can be done
for hours. At the very least, shadowboxing can be your warm-up and your warm-down. The
other issue with sparring is that it limits you to only making certain movements whereas
shadowboxing can allow you to freestyle and work on any movement you want. Ideally, youd
be using sparring to find out what you need to work on, and then use shadowboxing to help
develop these movements.

4. Technique
Effective and efficient fighting techniques allow you to get the same job with less energy and
effort. This is why proper technique is so important! It doesnt matter how amazing of an athlete
you are; your physicality is useless if you dont know how to apply it into boxing movements.
Good punching technique allows you to hit harder, faster, and with more precision. Good
defensive technique allows you to evade swiftly without compromising your position. Good
movement allows you to glide effortless across the canvas in and out of range as you please.
Study the best fighters and youll see that good fighting technique can do all the work for you.
You dont need to be a 200lb hulk if you know how to use all 160lbs of your middleweight
frame. Even if you are big, it doesnt mean youll be able to slip all the incoming punches. Being
strong doesnt mean youll know how roll under a combination and chop down your opponent
with a left hook over the top.
Have you ever seen an experienced fighter destroy a younger, stronger, more physically fit and
able-bodied opponent? And experienced fighter does it all without trying?! That my friend, is the
magic of technique. Power and leverage and all the benefits of physicalitywithout having to
use so much effort.
The highest levels of boxing
can only be reached with technique.
At some level of boxing, its impossible to reach without technique. And this is part of why
boxing is so beautiful: as raw and as brutal as it is, it can reach a level where the genius of the
mind expresses itself. Never before have you seen the physicality of the body expressing the
mind in such a beautiful way. Some would say this is the art of boxing.
Increasing your fighting technique
Get a coach, get a trainer. Someone more experienced, more wise and seasoned than you are.
Learn from others. Dont rely on your own intelligence. Its true what they say, Experience is
the best teacher. And its best to learn from someone with far more experience than yourself.
Ask intelligent questions and then listen to the answer. Open your mind, try it, try to understand
it. If it doesnt work, put it away and try something else. BUT ALWAYS TRY SOMETHING
NEW.
Your fighting technique wont improve
if you dont try anything new.

The Mental Aspects of Fighting Endurance
1. Mental Relaxation
The more panicky you are, the more energy you waste and the more tired you will feel. Fear
often casts a big shadows on small worries. I dont know how to put this eloquently but here
goes: LEARN TO RELAX during an ass-beating.
The next time youre losing a fight, try your best to CHILL. Relax! Block what you can, but
relax when you get hit. Breathe, dont panic. Keep your mind calm and count down the seconds
if you need. *Just ____ more seconds and the fight is over.* You can relax, enjoy the fight, and
learn something. Or you can panic, get even more tired, and make the beating seem longer than it
really is. Its up to you.
Increasing your mental relaxation
Its hard to stay mentally relaxed in boxing because of its physical and adrenaline-pumping
nature. But nonetheless its possible. Mental relaxation has to do with self-respect. You have to
know your level and admit it to yourself and to stay within your limits. Push yourself but be
reasonable. Dont get into nasty sparring situations that you clearly cant handle. Being 100%
terrified and worried for your safety is not the way to train. And its certainly not the way the
pros train!
Being able to relax in stressful environments allows you to make smart decisions and benefit
more out of the situation. Slow down and look around so you can absorb everything. If youre
always pushing yourself over the limit, youll end up making yourself quit and this attitude will
show in everything that you do. You are your own worst enemy. Its a good lesson you could
apply to life, actually.
Putting things in perspective will relax the mind. Let your expectations inspire you but then
accept yourself. Youre here to learn and be the best you can. Learn to accept that you are always
a work in progress! Nobody is perfect!
Try to enjoy the fight,
because anything becomes tiring if you dont enjoy it.
2. Attitude
At some point, getting tired has to do with the way you think. And a lot of fighters get tired so
easily because they have the wrong approach to fighting.
Theyre always thinking,
If I run out of energy, Im dead.
When a better alternative would be to think,
These are the things I want to do with the energy I have.
Instead of being energy conscious and always telling yourself that you only have a limited
amount of energy, try focusing on being more effective with that energy. Its not a bad idea to
throw less punches and jump around less but you should look beyond that.
Ask yourself:
How can I do the most damage to my opponent?
How can I make my punches more effective?
Whats the easiest way to avoid my opponents punches?
What are some things I could do more to win this fight?
You should be trying to do MORE, while using less energy. Again, the goal is to do more with
less, and not less with less. Using your energy effectively will PREVENT you from getting tired.
Because every punch will do more damage. Every movement you make will be more effective.
The fight WILL BE EASIER. The energy you use will drain your opponents energy even faster.
But if all you can think about is saving your energy and trying not to get tired, thats exactly
whats going to happen. Youll feel like your opponent keeps draining your energy and theres
nothing you can do to stop it. A good defense can slow down the energy loss but youll still get
tired because of your attitude.



How to Improve Your Fighting Reflexes
Fast reflexes are the standard of being a fighter. If anything, boxing is little more than a battle
of reflexes. One mans reflexes versus anothers.
Sure theres skill, theres strategy, strength, and all those other qualities. But without the reflexes
to utilize those abilities, you wont survive the round, let alone win the match.
Now theres a difference between just being fast and having TRAINED fighting reflexes.
Its the difference between jerking your head back instinctively versus slipping and countering
with a knockout punch.
Its a long road to developing knockout counters as second nature. But Ill show you how to get
there.
What are fighting reflexes?
A fighting reflex is a physical response to a fighting stimulus.
A fighting stimulus could be:
an opponents punch
a discovered opening in your opponents guard
any movement in your opponent
a sudden opportunity created somehow during a fight
A physical response could be:
you throwing a punch
you defending the punch
you moving away
any movement you make
A fighter with fast reflexes is one that responds quickly to a stimulus.
A fighter with GOOD reflexes is one that responds effectively to a stimulus.
Naturally, youd want to have the FASTER AND BETTER reflexes.
Fast reflexes doesnt help,
if youre not reacting effectively.

Is it possible to improve your reflexes?
What percentage of reflexes are genetics?
But what if Im naturally slow?
What if Im the slowest person in the gym?
What if I cant even see the punches?
This is a sad issue I have to address because of all the people with insecurity problems. I will
explain it like this:
We are sensory beings. We have intricate nervous systems, bones, muscles, and all sorts of
highly evolved physical functions to facilitate reactive movement. We are not plants that wave in
the wind. And were not stationary rocks in the landscape. We see, we hear, we smell, we touch,
we taste, and we think. Our bodies were made to respond to stimuli.
And genetics has less to do with trained reflexes than our amount of exposure to sense
stimulation over the years. A kid forced to think critically throughout his or her life will grow up
smarter. A kid thats played sports his whole life will be more athletic than one thats watched
TV his whole childhood. Genetics still matters but nowhere near as much as your upbringing and
all the stimulus thats happened to you AFTER childbirth.
If you can play video games, you can improve your fighting reflexes.
If you can send rapid fire text messages on your iPhone, you can improve your fighting
reflexes.
If you can scream when you touch a hot pan, you can improve your fighting reflexes.
As long as you have the instinctive ability to react,
you can train your fighting reflexes.
The Secret to Developing Fighting Reflexes
The goal is to develop TRAINED REFLEXES!
A reflex could be ANY reaction.
a punch
a flinch
a duck
a panic maneuver

A TRAINED REFLEX is an EFFECTIVE reaction:
a counter-punch
a defensive move
This is why I could care less if someone was genetically fast or not. Without the skill training,
a fast person wouldnt have that much of an advantage. If you pit two total beginners together,
the one with faster reflexes would win. But once you pit two experienced fighters together, the
one with the better TRAINED reflexes would win.
And what is a TRAINED REFLEX?
A trained reflex is an effective reaction most appropriate to the stimuli.
1. Sense the stimuli
2. React to the stimuli
Did you see the big secret? STIMULI, then REACTION! The stimuli first, the reaction second.
Better yet, let me say it this way
REACT TO THE STIMULI!
REACT TO THE STIMULI!
REACT TO THE STIMULI!
WHICH MEANS.
TRAIN FOR THE STIMULI!
TRAIN FOR THE STIMULI!
And say it one more time with me really loudly.TRAIN FOR THE STIMULI!

If you want to get good at reacting to punches, you need to train by looking at punches!
Thats all it is. The better you get at sensing the punches, the better you will get at responding to
them. You want to get better at seeing punches, hearing punches, feeling punches, sensing
punches even before theyre thrown. The focus should always be on the stimuli.
Common Reflex Training Mistake #1 not training with the right stimuli
And you have to train with the RIGHT STIMULI. If you want to get better at slipping punches,
you need to have punches thrown at you. Theres no other way. Playing pingpong is not going to
help. Dodging tennis balls as your friend throws them at you is not going to help. Sure, having
fast reflexes in ANY activity is a physical advantage, but ultimately the guy with better trained
BOXING reflexes will win the BOXING match.
Focusing on anything other than defending punches is going to be a giant waste of time! At best,
youd improve your coordination and instinctive reflexes, but you wouldnt get any better at
sensing punches or develop any effective reflexes. More on this later.
Common Reflex Training Mistake #2 focusing on the reaction
So many boxer waste their time by doing the wrong kinds of drills for reflex training:
practicing the defensive motion (slipping in front of the mirror or under the rope)
practicing the counter punches (on the bag or in the mirror)
Im not saying these drills arent useful (they are certainly essential for boxing training). My
point is that theyre terrible for developing fighting reflexes. Its common to see a beginner
practice slipping motions in front of the mirror for a whole week, and then get destroyed in the
ring, because he STILL CANT SEE THE PUNCHES COMING. What did he expect? How can
you slip a punch if you cant see it?
Just because I spend time slipping in front of the mirror and throwing punches on the bag,
doesnt mean Im trained to see counter-punching opportunities. Shadowboxing and bag work
has more do to with technique and conditioning. If I want to develop reflexes, I need to have
punches thrown at me. Having a partner throw punches at me (even without contact) while I
move around the ring will be far more effective for my reflex development because it exposes
me to the stimuli (punches being thrown).
The secret to reflex training,
is to focus on the stimuli!
Heavy Bag Workout
Theres more to a heavy bag workout than just throwing punches until you get tired.
There are many heavy bag drills you can use and many possible ways to organize your rounds to
develop different kinds of punches. If youre smart, youll use different rounds to focus on
different things instead of doing the same thing over and over.
Heres an easy 6-round heavy bag workout to help you develop different boxing skills.


Round 1 WARM UP
Walk around the bag and test long shots, mainly jabs and 1-2s. Pay attention to your stance and
your defense. Keep your eyes on the whole bag. Aim well without having to focus in on one tiny
spot. You should feel like you can see any attack from any angle if the bag had arms. Keep the
power down at 50% and move around a lot while you establish your range.
Round 1:
maintain your boxing stance
establish punching range
use your eyes

Round 2 & 3 POWER AND MOVEMENT
Attack the bag with combinations as if it was a live opponent. Start putting in some power;
increase your power output up to 80%. Every and now and then put in some really hard shots. If
youre going in and out of range, move in quick with sharp hooks and uppercuts and then move
out quickly. Remember to use good power (technique/breathing) and good footwork (slick
movements/pivots, not jumping).
Round 2 & 3:
good technique
sharp breathing
slick movement

Round 4 & 5 SPEED
Tabata drills are useful here. Start doing intervals where youre hitting the bag as fast as you can
for 15-seconds, then break for 15-seconds, then repeat till the end of the round. All out speed, no
power, no technique. Work speed and try to use as much of your body as possible to develop a
fast coordinated contraction of arm and leg muscles.
Round 4 & 5:
fast breathing
fast contractions
no technique

Round 6 ENDURANCE
The final round is all about conditioning. Get up to the bag and throw endless shots until the bell
rings. Unload EVERYTHING you have. Its best to focus on smaller shorter punches instead of
wild swinging shots. It may feel like youre throwing silly tiny punches but this is what develops
muscle memory and increases your rate of muscle contractions. Throwing wild punches allows
you to relax after the initial release where as small punches force you to keep activating your
muscles. Resist the urge to get lazy and lose your balance or forget about breathing.
Round 6:
maximize number of contractions
maintain your balance
avoid going for power

Heavy Bag Workout Tips
Customize your workout
Theres no rule saying you have to copy my workout. You can do whatever you want. Do 3
rounds if you dont have 6 rounds of time. Skip the power part if you only want to work speed
and endurance or do different rounds on different days. Customize it to fit your needs. Too
much or Too little depends on how you feel! I usually do 3-6 rounds on the heavy bag 5 days
a week. Some weeks more, some weeks less.

The heavy bag is only one tool
The heavy bag cant substitute for a real boxing workout. If youre serious about learning how to
fight, make sure you do all the other workouts (shadowboxing, sparring, speed bag, etc). Real
power comes from skills, not muscle effort. So being able to hit a bag well doesnt necessarily
guarantee you can hit an opponent like that. The best boxers probably spend only 10% of their
time in the gym on a heavy bag.
Real power comes from skills,
not muscle effort.


Heavy Bag Drills
Looking for new ways to train with your heavy bag?
The heavy bag has become the symbol of punching power in pop culture and rightfully so. A
punching bag is big, strong, and durable. Its made to be hit and tempts you to test your power
with every shot.
But theres more to a heavy bag than just power. Use it to develop your punching endurance,
punching speed, punch accuracy, and even your footwork! Here are five punching bag drills to
show you how.
1. Power Drills
The most obvious way to develop your punching power on the heavy bag is to throw as hard as
you can. Its better (especially for beginners) if you can resist this urge and limit yourself to only
50-80% power output. Power comes from good technique moreso than muscle effort, so power
drills should have some focus on technique instead of pure athleticism.
Its best if you can throw power punches in a realistic manner. Which would be to throw
combinations instead of single shots. To throw quickly instead of charging up like a karate
master breaking boards. Use good technique instead of mindlessly wasting your energy with
each shot. And to throw until the end of the round.
The problem is not throwing with too much power,
but FOCUSING too much on power.
Regular Heavy Bag Drill
Its not so much a drill but the common way to use a heavy bag. Follow it around and throw
heavy punches.
Repeat Combos Drill
I enjoy this one very much because it builds muscle memory. Spend an entire round throwing the
same combination or same series of power combinations. In a busy gym, this drill can be run
with multiple fighters taking turns hitting and holding the bags for each other while the trainer
yells out combinations. For example, the trainer might yell out 1-2-3, in which punchers throw
jab-right-hook continuously until he gives the next combination. If the switch command is
given, then the puncher and holder switch places.
2. Endurance Drills
Small Punches Drill
Hit the bag non-stop with small repetitive punches as fast as you can for an entire round. The
focus here is on getting in as many punches as possible and breathing properly throughout.
Some trainers will tell you to lift your legs as if youre running which makes it look like youre
taking a step with every punch. You can forget about technique since endurance is about volume
and not power.
The best tip I can give for endurance drills is to RESIST throwing with power. So many guys
end up trying to work power AND endurance in the same drill that it ends up looking like a
power drill. When youre doing endurance, focus ONLY on throwing as many punches as
possible. It might not seem like a real workout but you are actually developing muscle memory
so that your arm muscles are used to contracting many more times in a round.
Develop your endurance by
increasing the number of contractions.
Endurance drill tips:
Try to breathe with every punch.
Maintain a good posture without leaning into the bag.
Stand square or at least more square than your normal boxing stance.
You can aim at any height, many trainers prefer for you to aim at head level to work the
shoulders more.
Your heels are lifting and dropping with every punch.
Knees are bending and un-bending. No need to pivot with every punch.
3. Speed Drills
Tabata Interval Drill
To develop punching speed on the heavy bag, use the same drill you did for endurance but do
them in intervals (also known as tabata drills). The most common interval would be to punch for
15 seconds, and then break for 15 seconds, and repeat till the end of the round. This 15-second
timing is perfect because its short enough to practice your high-speed burst without tiring out,
but long enough to still wear you down.
Once again, make sure you focus on breathing. Feel free to lift your legs if you want. It can be
helpful to do tabata drills with a partner so you can take turns hitting and holding the bag for
each other. You can also alternate between head level (using straights), chest level (using
vertical-fisted straights), and stomach level (using small uppercuts).
Speed drill tips:
Resist the urge to turn your speed drills into endurance drills by skipping the interval
breaks. Rest intervals allow your muscles to relax so that youre always punching at high
speed and therefore developing your hand speed.
Speed has to do more with muscle contraction rate, rather than technique. Avoid focusing
on technique during speed drills.
Fast breathing equals fast speed. Breathe in smaller shorter bursts of exhalation to
increase your hand speed.
Your heels are lifting and dropping with every punch.
Knees are bending and un-bending. No need to pivot with every punch.
4. Footwork Drills
Footwork Drill 1 Move with the Bag
Use a heavy bag thats able to swing around freely. Its best if you can find one around 50-75%
of your body weight. You need one heavy enough to take punches without flying away with each
shot but still light enough to swing away from you. You may have to adjust your punching power
to create the desired effect.
Hit the bag as you normally would but keep moving with it. As the bag swings in circles, you
circle around with it. At times you may find yourself slipping to opposite sites of the bag and
dogging it entirely. The goal is to move with it instead of being stationary and waiting for it to
return to you.
Footwork tips:
Always keep the bag at arms distance, follow it when it goes away and back up or circle
when it comes towards you.
Dont hit it too hard if it moves faster than you can move your feet.
Try to walk with the bag instead of hopping around in a stiff stance.
The easiest punch to throw while moving is the jab!
Footwork Drill 2 Angled Escape
This angled escape drill is to develop good footwork habits on the heavy bag. The idea is to
always escape either to your back right or back left and never to go straight back. Throw a
combo and then step out to your back right. Throw another combo and step out to your back left
(orthodox fighters will require a pivot for this). Keep doing this over and over.
It should look like a very smooth step after your combo, not a jump! Another tip is not to move
so far away from the bag that you cant reach it after moving. When done right, this drill should
look as though youre repeatedly punching while backing away from the bag. A slick mover will
look as though hes simply punching and walking around the bag.
Footwork tips:
Keeping your feet on the ground keeps you prepared to punch or counter.
Jumping around only wastes energy and takes you too far out of countering range.
Try to keep a calm relaxed manner.
5. Accuracy Drills
You wouldnt think a big punching bag could be used for developing accuracy but there have
been several methods of achieving this:
1. Duct tape
What some gyms will do is put duct tape around the heavy bag. Some people have an organized
system where they put rings of duct tape separating different levels for head & body punches.
Other people have random pieces of duct tape sprinkled around the bag. Regardless of how you
place the duct tape, the goal is to raise your awareness and make you aim for something instead
of throwing blind punches.
2. Numbered Targets
There are even heavy bags with numbers printed on them for you to practice certain
combinations. I dont enjoy this as much (since the numbers disappear when the bag spins) but it
is an option and maybe you will like it.
3. Thin Heavy Bags
Ive only seen this once back in Canada but I enjoyed it very much. It was a small but very dense
heavy bag and very thin, maybe 6 inches in diameter. It hung by a chain but had an elastic rope
attached from the bottom to the floor. So it swung like a heavy bag but returned like a double-
end bag (a double-end heavy bag?). Very useful and great for developing power punches WITH
accuracy.
Punch accuracy tips:
Accuracy has to do with eye-to-hand coordination, rather than waiting for the right
moment (which is timing). You dont develop accuracy by waiting for the target, you do
it by using your eyes to assist you in finding the target. Keep throwing punches and make
adjustments to make the next ones more accurate. Dont sit around waiting for a moving
target to slow down.
Develop ALL Your Punches on the Heavy Bag
The most important aspect of the heavy bag is not to get too carried away with punching power.
A real fight has all kinds of punches. Sometimes, you need more speed, or more volumeits
not always about power. The heavy bag, if anything, is meant to develop punching power FOR
ALL YOUR PUNCHES (not only your power shots).
After increasing your punching abilities through the drills shown above (power, speed,
endurance, etc), apply them to your punches when needed during a fight. Let your punches flow
through the various qualities and become whatever attribute you need to win the fight.
All kinds of punches are necessary.
A complete punch arsenal has power, speed, and endurance!
Top 5 Boxing Exercises
December 25, 2011 December 25, 2011 by Johnny N Boxing Training, Boxing Workouts 115
Comments
How many new exercises have you learned since you started boxing? How many have you tried
and then never used again?
If you count everything youve seen in the gym, pre-fight training videos, and Youtube, weve
got all the exercises we need and more. Much more. Its easy to think theres some magical
exercise out there to make you the next Muhammad Ali but I disagree. Theres only so much
exercise your body can handle so youll have to prioritize.

How are my favorite boxing exercises

1. Sparring
Theres no training that better mimics fighting conditions than sparring. Aside from the
excitement of trading punches, its a great boxing workout. Sparring is so much harder than
training! You work every muscle in your body jumping, twisting, and contorting in an effort to
respond to your opponents every move. Your arms get tired because youre swinging at the air.
Your legs wear out faster because you keep going off balance. Your mind is panicking because
youre dont usually have to think so fast during training. You cant breathe as quickly because
you got a mouthpiece on and an opponent who wont give you any room to breathe!
Is there any workout more challenging
than punching and trying not to get punched?

How to Spar
I dont recommend this for everyone but heres how I do sparring: I try to spend as much time as
possible in the ring. I spar for warm-up, I spar for exercise, I spar to develop my skills. If no one
says anything, Ill hog the ring for over an hour!

Heres my secret:
I go slow. When I first hit the gym, Ill spar light with a beginner to warm-up my muscles. Im
only touching him, not trying to hurt him. Hell usually have a trainer coaching him but its ok,
hes only a beginner anyway. It works out nicely because Im getting a live opponent instead of
boring shadowboxing (which I still do, btw). After the warm-up sparring, I head to the jump rope
(if I havent already done this), bag work, stretching, etc.
After the warm-up exercises, Im back in the ring again! This time its a workout, Im in there
moving and trading with a solid opponent. Were both being fast and powerful. Its controlled,
but its still a workout. I last 3-6 rounds, tops. I step out of the ring exhausted this time, and start
chatting with coaches and other fighters about improvements to make on technique or strategy. I
do some work on the mitts, try out the new moves in front of the mirror and on the heavy bag.
And then, Im BACK IN THE RING AGAIN! This time, I go light with another skilled boxer.
We work on different combos and strategies but were not trying to beat each other up. Were
helping each other out, giving each other different looks and chances to improve. For example: If
I throw a combo that lands and he didnt see it, Ill throw it again for him to develop the counter
for it. I might throw the exact same combo 5 times in a row until he sees it counters it perfectly.
Once hes got it, we both smile and move on to other things. Well trade punches again giving
each other chances to work on new things, sometimes coaching each other as we fight. Because
its really light sparring, were usually more aggressive and staying in range with each other to
keep a continuous flow of punching. Being that nobodys getting hurt, we go up to 30 minutes
straight no breaks.
When sparring is done right, it develops EVERYTHING a fighter needs conditioning, skills,
and mental confidence. Youll learn more from sparring if you keep it controlled. Dont try to be
a tough guy. If youre just sparring to beat each other up, you wont last beyond a few rounds.

2. Mitts
The mitts is probably the best boxing drill to learn new technique. Its similar to sparring in that
you get to improve your offense and defense simultaneously. (Actually, I cant think of anything
other than sparring to test your defense.) The real benefit is that you get a trainer who can see
your every move and give you instant feedback. Hitting the mitts is the probably the best way to
develop new skills and its a lot of fun.
The advantage of the mitts is that it works your timing and accuracy in conditions that mimic a
real fight. Youll have a moving target that also punches back at you. My advice when working
on the mitts is DONT GET TIRED. Yes, hit it hard if you must but learn how to punch right.
Try going for 30 minutes straight and then when youre ready to stop, finish off with 3 hard
rounds. Dont just throw power into every shot, develop your accuracy, timing, breathing,
coordination, and reflexes. Just like with sparring, the keyword is CONTROL. Control
yourself, dont get tired!
Anybody that gets tired hitting the mitts
is definitely going to get tired against a live opponent.

3. Shadowboxing
One of boxings most underrated exercises. Physically, it develops your form, speed, and
balance. You can practice anything you want at full speed and move around. Sure, its not as
glamorous as beating up the heavy bag but its deadly effective. It conditions your body to throw
fast punches and gives you the opportunity to practice all fighting movements.
Shadowboxing is like
meditation and visualization exercise for a boxer.
Use the opportunity to practice anything you want like a difficult counter getting past your
opponents guard. You visualize as you shadowbox, moving around an imaginary opponent.
Shadowboxing in front of a mirror allows you to check your form and see instant changes in
your movements.
My favorite benefit of shadowboxing you can do it anywhere. In front of the TV during
commercials, while talking to friends, waiting in line at the grocery store, underwater in the pool,
or anywhere you can find a mirror. The only equipment you need to shadowbox is a place to
stand and a few seconds of time.

4. Double-end Bag
This right here is my favorite bag. The double-end bag is something between a heavy bag and a
speed-bag. Hitting a speed-bag can get repetitive and a heavy bag is a bit hard on my hands over
the years, so the double-end bag naturally became my favorite bag.
You can hit the double-end bag as hard as you want
but you have to time it right and be deadly accurate.
Its far more challenging to hit and develops your higher level skills, mainly timing & accuracy. I
understand some fighters (especially beginners) dont spend much time on it but I will say this,
Do it! Train on the double-end bag, and you will get much better at hitting opponents in the
ring. Its pretty satisfying to land combos on the double-end bag and much more satisfying
when you can do it to a moving opponent.
Aside from the timing and accuracy, the speed bag is great for developing hand speed and arm
conditioning. Its far more tiring to the double-end bag because you have to be fast each time. I
think of it as the minimum hand speed if youre not fast enough to hit the double-end bag,
youre probably not fast enough to hit an opponent. I recommend you wear 12 to 16oz gloves
and hit the double-end bag for at least 3 rounds. Sometimes Ill go for 30 minutes straight (even
while chatting with other boxers), but hey, thats just me.

5. Jumprope
The jumprope is one of
the best exercises for full-body conditioning!
Ill tell you its my why favorite conditioning exercise for boxing. It teaches you how to increase
your muscle efficiency, WHILE developing your muscle conditioning! If youve ever skipped
rope before youll know what Im talking about, and if you havent then youll just have to take
my word for it.
Using the jumprope trains 2 things, body conditioning and relaxation. Most beginners have a
problem of always using their muscles and not knowing how to relax. If you do this on a
jumprope, youll gas out in a few minutes tops. However, if you DO know how to relax you can
jump rope forever and not spend much energy. A beginner will exert his energy the whole time
on the jump rope whereas an experience skipper will relax with very quick bounces that require
only a split second of muscle contractions.
When I first started jumping rope, I was out of breath in about 2 minutes. Now I can go for at
least 2 hours; I actually dont break a sweat until 15 minutes in. The difference is that I know
how to relax and contract my muscles just in time to skip over the rope. It develops my mental
relaxation and maintains a minimum level of awareness of all times (you have to always be
aware of the rope). Later on this raised level of awareness can be used to slip jabs or other
punches. Youre always use to moving and thinking AND you can still relax while doing so.
Physically, it works the arms, shoulders, back, and legs. Youll develop better footwork and
more relaxed footwork. Combine that great body conditioning with the improved muscle
relaxation, and raised minimum level of awareness and youll see why the jump rope makes
better fighters. At the very least, you should be able to jump rope and tell jokes without getting
tired. Anybody that can do that will be able to box without getting tired.

Honorable mention: CRUNCHES & RUNNING
These exercises ALMOST made it to my list but unfortunately they dont because theyre boring
as hell and dont develop any boxing skills.
Core exercises like crunches are important for ANY sport because your core connects your entire
body together. Having a stronger core allows you to combine the power of all your muscles so to
exert force as one solid unit. Almost all moves that you make in boxing requires the synergistic
output of your entire body. Having a strong core allows you to punch harder, run faster, and
move explosively without losing control. Most fighters that have bad balance will typically have
a weak core. Think about itif balance is about staying centered, then what muscles in your
body are helping center yourself? THE CORE! The core is especially important in boxing
because your opponent is hittnig you there with punches. If you dont have a strong stomach,
your stomach will hurt when you try to move your legs or throw punches. Youll be weak and
youll be in pain if you dont do those crunches. Quite simply, its impossible to make explosive
movements with your body if you dont have a strong core.
Running is one of the most functional movements of the human body. Human bodies were
MADE to run yes, we were anatomically evolved to travel quickly using 2 limbs. I cant think
of any other animal that can run the same way we humans run. Our bodies were built to run as a
means of transportation, but I guess nowadays in this age of technology running just means
exercise to most people. Well, its a good exercise because our body is made to run efficiently.
The structural placement of our limbs and muscles make running one of the most natural and
efficient ways to use (and exercise) our entire body. I guess thats the secret to developing
athletic ability, you have to workout using natural movements to make your body more
functional. Sure, you can lift a ton of rocks and argue that lifting rocks is harder than running.
But does lifting rocks really make you more functional overall as an athlete? Hmmm
The Best Exercises for Boxing
The best boxing exercises should help to develop higher level boxing skills. After training for so
many years, you get sick of just running or doing crunches. You start to appreciate the more
challenging exercises. All of these exercises (except the jump rope) will allow you to practice
your more advanced fighting moves. The best exercises to me are challenging AND fun.
What about other boxing exercises?
Calisthenics, push-ups, etc. I dont enjoy them as much but theyre all important. You need to do
everything, but if it were up to meyou know exactly where Id be spending my time.
You can do all the exercises you want,
but PRIORITIZE!
ExpertBoxing EASY Boxing Workout
May 25, 2011 May 25, 2011 by Johnny N Boxing Training, Boxing Workouts 171 Comments

Workouts dont have to be hard to be fun!
The *official* ExpertBoxing EASY boxing workout is for people to enjoy boxing while getting
into great shape. This weekly plan includes boxing drills, conditioning, and sparring without
taking up too many hours of your week.

I highly recommend this easy boxing workout plan for anyone to enjoy boxing without killing
themselves in training like competing boxers. The workout is still pretty intense and gets you
into great shape without taking up all your time and energy. Youll look just as good as any
boxer and still learn all the same great boxing techniques, but without the pressure and
responsibility of competition.
Youll be working out from Monday through Friday. The sparring days are your easy days, also
known as the fun days. Friday is just running only. The weekends are your rest days. Actually,
you know what? This is the EASY boxing workout; just take a rest day whenever you feel like it.
(Seriously, its ok.)

Easy Boxing Workout Schedule
Monday = power conditioning
Tuesday = sparring
Wednesday = speed conditioning
Thursday = sparring
Friday = easy day
Saturday & Sunday = rest days


MONDAY: Power Conditioning
Use your momentum to complete the workout. Some exercises are easier when you go a
little faster.
No resting, try to finish the conditioning portion within 60 minutes before your body
adrenaline runs out.
Do the power conditioning workouts in any order you want. (Share the equipment.)
You are building power, not size or strength. Use a lighter weight than what you can
handle.
This is conditioning, not weightlifting.

Warm-up
15 minutes jumping rope
15 minutes stretching
15 minutes shadowboxing

Power Conditioning Workout

Power Exercises
Clapping push-ups
Set your hands on the floor at shoulder width or slightly wider.
Do a push-up and clap as you push yourself up and off the ground.
2 sets x 10 reps

Explosive Box Jumps
Stand on a box (about 12-24 inches high) or the edge of the ring.
Drop off, land on the balls of your feet, and immediately bounce back up.
Rest only at the top, and not at the bottom (if you need).
2 sets x 20 reps

Alternating Jumps
Stand by a box (12-24 inches high) or the edge of the ring.
Stand on your back leg as you raise your front leg to lightly step on the box.
Keep jumping and alternating your feet.
Keep your weight on the back leg, and your heads on top of your head.
2 sets x 20 reps

Squats
Stand with your feet at shoulder width or slightly wider.
Bend your knees as you lower your hips to the floor.
Go down at least until your thighs are parallel to the ground, before going back up.
2 sets x 30

Medicine Ball Lunge
Stand straight while holding a 10-20lb medicine ball on your head.
Lunge forward on one leg and then return to standing position.
Repeat with other leg.
20 reps each leg

Medicine Ball Chest Throws
Stand with a partner facing each other from about 5-10 feet apart.
Throw a medicine ball back and forth between a partner
20 throws (each person)

Medicine Ball Side Throws
Stand side-by-side with a partner about 5-10 feet apart.
Swing a medicine ball in an upwards diagonal direction at your partner as you rotate your
upper body.
The other person will catch the ball and let the momentum swing the ball away before
swinging it back again.
2 sets x 10 throws for each side

Medicine Ball Cross-over Push-ups
Place medicine ball in the middle.
Do push-ups from side to side landing a different hand on the ball each time.
15 crossover push-ups for each hand.

Medicine Ball Cross-over Press
Using platform in the middle (or another medicine ball).
Step on and off the platform from side to side.
Push a medicine ball straight up into the air as you come up each time
20 reps each leg

Medicine Ball Step to Press
Step up onto a box (12-16 tall) one foot at a time.
Push the medicine ball straight up into the air as you step up.
Step back down and repeat with the other leg.
20 reps each leg

One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Bend over a bench and brace yourself with one arm.
Hold a 10-20lb dumbbell with your other arm, with the palm facing you.
Pull the dumbbell up, bend your elbow as you point it towards the sky.
15 reps each arm

Standing Military Press
Hold a barbell at shoulder level right by your neck.
The weight 15-80lbs (should not exceed 30% of your body weight).
15 presses into the air

Dumbbell Side Swings
Stand straight a 10-20lb dumbbell in one arm.
Swing it out to the side up to shoulder height and let the weight swing the arm back
down.
Switch the dumbbell to the other hand at the bottom and let the momentum swing the
other arm out.
15 swings on each arm

Ab Roller
15 reps from your knees.
Do 50 crunches if you dont have this equipment.

Chin-Ups
Grip the pull-up bar so that your palms are facing you.
2 sets x 8 reps (do all at once if you can).

Bagwork
3 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds speed bag
3 rounds double-end bag

Mittwork
Work techniques and combinations on the mitts with your trainer.
3 to 4 rounds
The mittwork can interrupt your bagwork anytime your trainer is ready for you.
Core
100 push-ups (at any interval you want)
100 sit-ups (at any interval you want)
Do this at the end of your day.
Running
Run 3-5 miles.
Do this at any time of day. Doesnt matter if its before or after your workout.



TUESDAY/THURSDAY: Sparring Days
If youre not sparring, youre not boxing. So every boxing workout should involve sparring.
Without the sparring, youre basically just doing fitness bootcamp, boxercise, or taking a
cardio class at 24-hour fitness. Sparring is always fun as long as you keep it EASY. The
moment you start to feel uncomfortable, you should speak up immediately. Ask the other
guy to slow down or lighten up his punches. Fighting through the pain is the best way to ruin
the fun. Also show your sparring partner the same respect. Control your punches and give him
some breathing room if youre overwhelming him. Dont let your ego destroy the fun of boxing
for you or for others.
Warm-up
15 minutes jumping rope
15 minutes stretching
15 minutes shadowboxing
Technique & Mitts
Do some light work on the mitts with your trainer to learn some new techniques.
Sparring
Do 3-4 rounds EASY sparring.
Can have an extra first round as jabs only to warm-up.
Can have an extra last round as very light punches only to work at inside range.
Try to work on the new techniques your trainer just showed you.
Bagwork
3 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds speed bag
3 rounds double-end bag


WEDNESDAY: Speed Conditioning
This is a combination of speed and speed-endurance. Being fast is one thing, being able to
maintain your speed throughout an entire fight is another. There are also some drills to improve
your balance and coordination. Dont take any breaks during the drills and conditioning, go from
one exercise to the next. The important thing to developing speed is to relax! Focus on relaxed
speed, do not focus on power!
Warm-up
15 minutes jumping rope
15 minutes stretching
15 minutes shadowboxing

Footwork drills
1-legged Balance Squats
Stand on one leg
Bend the knee to squat down and touch your feet.
Straighten the leg as you clap your hands above your head.
20 reps in a row, then switch legs.
T-cone Drill

Get 4 cones, weights, medicine balls, or any objects.
Place the cones in a T formation about 12-feet wide and 12-feet long.
Run and touch cones in this order A, B, C, D, B, A.
Face your body forward the whole time and dont cross your legs.
Do the T-cone drill 5 times continously.
Foot-Tag
Have 2 fighters chase each other around the ring trying to step on each others feet.
Once they get good at this, have them play foot-tag without looking down at each
others feet.
Do it around the gym if no ringspace is available.
Have fun and dont take the drill too seriously.
2 rounds for each fighter.
Leg-Tag
Same as ideas as foot-tag but this time fighters try to tag each others upper thighs with
their hands.
Use lots of back & forth footwork.
2 rounds for each fighter.
Shadowbox Sparring
Have 2 fighters in the ring shadowboxing against each other as if theyre sparring.
Make sure they stay 1-2 feet away so nobody connects.
Encourage them to throw lots of combinations and pay attention to each other.
1-2 rounds.
Slipline Drill
Tie a rope or string across 2 posts at shoulder height.
Have boxers weave back and forth under the rope.
Go forwards and backwards.
Throw a few punches on each side of the rope before going under again.
Do 1 to 2 rounds.
Dumbbell Shadowboxing
Do SLOW shadowboxing while holding 1-2lb dumbbells.
Going fast will damage joints, do NOT go fast!
15 minutes
put the gloves on now


Punching Drills
Tabata Heavy Bag Drill High Hands, High Knees
2 fighters pair up on the heavy bag.
One holds the bag while the other throws fast straight punches on the bag.
Switch every 15 seconds.
The focus is PURE SPEED, not power! Go as fast as possible, keep pushing it.
Aim high at an area ABOVE the fighters head.
Lift the knees and move your feet as you punch (high hands, high knees).
It helps to motivate and yell at each other.
2 rounds

Tabata Heavy Bag Drill Combinations
2 fighters pair up on the heavy bag taking turns punching & holding.
Fighters will continously throw whatever combination the trainer calls.
Fighters switch every 15 seconds.
Trainer calls a new combo every 30 seconds.
The combos we used were: 1-2-3, 1-2-sidestep-2, 1-3-2, 1-2-5-2, 1-2-3-2-sidestep, 1-1-2.
Make up some of your own combos!

Jumping Jabs Along The Ropes
Jump in and out as you jab the ring ropes.
Every time you jump back, jump back diagonally to the side.
Continue all the way down the rope.
Go 3 times moving to your right, repeat again but moving to your left.
Try to move while jumping as low as possible to the ground.
(Its best if you can jump without taking your feet off the ground.)

Jab Race
Put up to 4 fighters on opposite sides of a heavy bag.
Have someone count SLOWLY from 1 to 10, pausing at random intervals.
Everytime a number is called, all fighters jab the bag as fast as possible.
Do 3 jab races.
(It really helps if everyone is relaxed and focused on pure speed. Not power.)

Jab Defense
Pair up 2 fighters in the ring.
Have one fighter chase the other around with multiple jabs at a time.
The other fighter simply slips and rolls off the jabs (with his hands behind his back).
The drill works much better if the defender is chasing the puncher.
First-time boxers can use their hands to defend instead of having to slip.
Focus on maintaining balance.
2 rounds of jab defense for each fighter.


Bagwork
3 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds speed bag
3 rounds double-end bag

Trainer
Work techniques & mitts with your trainer.
3 to 4 rounds is plenty.

Core
100 push-ups (at any interval you want)
100 sit-ups (at any interval you want)
Do this at the end of your day.
Running
Run 3-5 miles.
Do this at any time of day. Doesnt matter if its before or after your workout.




FRIDAY: Easy Day
Run 3-5 miles
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
stretching
Fridays are your easy days. Be lazy and enjoy it. Run with a partner and talk about stuff. The 3-5
miles will be done before you know it. You dont even need to warm up or anything. If you still
have lots of energy, just spend it stretching. Do not try to sneak an extra workout in.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY: Resting Only!
Resting only! Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT WORKOUT on Saturday or Sunday. Enjoy your non-
boxing life. Dont try to burn every ounce of energy you have. Its a common beginner mistake
to waste all their energy on days that dont matter. If you have a lot of excitement to workout,
GREATsave it for the week!
Your long term goal is not to succeed.
Success is inevitable if you are persistant.
Your long term goal is to stay motivated!
Staying motivated means not using up all your motivation. Save that mental strength and let your
passion for boxing and working out grow.
The secret to always having energy to workout
is to always use less than what you have.


The Easy Boxing Workout?
Easy boxing workout; just like I promised, right? Its fun and challenging enough for you to
make great progress but still easy enough for beginners to try out. If something feels much too
hard or youre experiencing pain, please stop! Give yourself some time. Different exercises will
have to be modified to make it easier on certain people. Feel free to increase or decrease the
number of repetitions as needed. Skip entire exercises if you like. Take an easy day anytime you
want. Hell, take an easy week if you need.
You are not a pro,
so dont expect a pro-performance out of yourself!
Just have fun!
What if its too easy? You can add the running and end-of-day core workout to Tuesdays and
Thursdays as well. Or add some mitts to your workout everyday to develop your boxing skills
faster.
How To Increase Your Endurance
March 26, 2010 March 26, 2010 by Johnny N Boxing Training, Boxing Workouts 74 Comments

A definitive guide to increasing your endurance for boxing! Get educated, get conditioned, and
never get tired in the ring again!

One of my biggest weaknesses in all sports was not because I wasnt good enough. It was almost
always because I just didnt have the energy to consistently compete. In the boxing ring, I was
always getting tired almost immediately after the bell sounded to START the round. Nothing
pissed me off more than seeing openings in the other guys defense and then not having the
energy to throw punches. I was often found at the end of the rounds cowardly hiding behind my
defensive shell because I just didnt have any energy to throw back. Eventually, I just got tired of
losing fights when I knew deep down inside that I was the better fighter.
After getting more experience, I finally realized boxers get tired for two basic reasons: One
reason is that the boxer is not conditioned well enough (simple fix). The other reason is that the
boxer is panicking under pressure and beating himself down mentally (not-so-simple fix).
Unfortunately for me, I was suffering for both reasons and now Ill tell you how to overcome
them.
For this article, Ill focus on just the physical conditioning. Ill leave the mental conditioning to
another article.
Physical Conditioning
This part is real simple. You need to do nothing more than these basic tips to increase your
overall physical endurance for boxing.
Run 5 miles a day AT LEAST 3-5 days out of the week.
Dont run less than five miles and dont burn yourself out by running everyday of the
week.
Save 2 days out of the week to allow your body to rest and heal.
Running is among the BEST ways to raise your cardio and is recommended by just about
anybody.
There is are very few if any substitutes for it swimming, jumping rope.
Fast hands and quick feet during the last 30 seconds on the heavy bag.
When you do your rounds on the heavy bag, listen for the bell that tells you theres only
30 seconds left. Right when you hear the 30-second bell start punching the heavy bag
non-stop with nothing but fast and straight punches.
They dont need to be powerful or big punches. You just need to throw non-stop punches
at a very fast pace.
Aim your punches at EYE LEVEL. (Many people tend to punch down as they fall into
the bag when they do this exercise.)
At the same time, you can OPTIONALLY lift your feet up and down off the ground as if
youre running in place as you non-stop punches at the bag.
This will quickly raise your arm endurance and overall cardio as well.
Again, the focus is SPEED and non-stop punches.
Throw an endless combo until the round is over!
Dont forget to keep breathing!
Start Jumping Rope
Jumping rope is one of the best cardio exercises.
Its fun and keeps your mind sharp.
It forces you to learn how to relax while performing complex footwork manuevers.
Way more challenging than running.
Do it all the time! Use a few rounds on the jumprope to warm-up and warm-down on
your workout days.
Start Hitting the Speedbag
Working the speedbag will increase your arm endurance.
Do at least 3 rounds on your workout days.
Dont get carried away and try to go too fast.
Just a slow but steady pace without a break makes the bigger difference.
Conclusion
Physically, youre just going to have to put in the work. There is no way around hard
conditioning when youre training to be a serious athlete. Boxing is not an leisure sport that you
can do twice a year when the season comes around. It requires a bit of dedication and if you put
that effort in, youll reap the benefits. Get to training and thanks for reading!
10 Heavy Bag Training Tips
May 7, 2011 May 7, 2011 by Johnny N Bag Training, Boxing Training 92 Comments

Dont just throw punches at the bag, learn how to hit a heavy the proper way. Here are 10 heavy
bag training tips to develop your boxing technique as well your punching power.
10 Heavy Bag Training Tips
1. Pay Attention
The number one problem of heavybag training is that it builds bad eye habits. The two common
problems I see are fighters staring too hard at the bag or not looking at the bag.
Too Much Staring
This kind of intense eye contact is pretty cool since you feel like a hunter keeping his eye on the
target. In the ring, staring at a target telegraphs to your opponent where you are going to punch
next. Whatever you do, do NOT look down when you throw a body punch. This makes the
punch so much easier to defend and so much easier to counter. You especially dont want to
telegraph a body punch because your head is wide open.
Dont stare too much at one spot that you cant see anything else.
The correct way to look at the bag is to just look forward. Imagine the bag as opponent in front
of you and try to keep the entire bag in your field of vision. You want to keep an eye on his head
and body movements at the same time. You aim your punches but youre not staring so much
into one spot that you cant see anything else.
Lazy Eyes
This is when the fighter is not even looking at the bag. Believe it or not, some fighters cant
answer when I ask them, What are you looking at when you punch? Ive caught new boxers
staring at the ground or just looking to the side when they throw big punches. Its amazing how
often boxers punch blind when they get tired.
Dont just let your eyes roam all over the place. Lazy eyes leave you vulnerable in the ring! Stay
focused and pay attention to the bag. This increases your accuracy and more importantly, so you
can see counter-punches coming your way. Best way to cure lazy eyes: put little squares of duct
tape around the bag to give the eyes something to look ator just spend more time using other
equipment like the double-end bag which keeps your eyes alert.
Ultimately you want to keep your eyes on the bag without staring into it. You want to have a
general awareness of the entire heavybag. Keep the bag in view and also be aware of how far the
bag is from you at all times.

2. Keep Your Balance
Throw punches at the bag but dont throw yourself at the bag. Stand on your own two feet and
dont fall into the bag. Keeping your balance makes for better punching power and better
footwork around the heavybag.
Dont use the bag to hold you up. Dont push with your shoulders; this bad habit allows skilled
fighters to keep you off-balance by moving when they feel you leaning into them. Worst of all,
do not push the bag around with your head; thats just a great way to leave yourself open for
uppercuts.

3. Punch, Dont Push
Dont push the bag, hit it. Dont make the bag swing all over the place, give it a seizure. Theres
an old saying that goes, If you want to know whos hitting the bag correctly, just ask the blind
man. This is because you can tell if youre punching correctly just by listening to the sound of
your punches hitting the bag. What you want a snapping SMACK sound when you punch it and
not a dull THUD sound. In case you dont know, I wrote guide a while back: How to Throw a
Snapping Punch
A push punch will only push the bag around as your arms get tired. A fast snap punch will jolt
the bag in place with a big smack sound. Relax your arms and throw quick snapping punches.
Commit some power but dont have your fist making contact with the bag for too long. As soon
as you make contact, return that fist and throw the next punch. You can always tell if youre
pushing if your arms are getting tired quickly. Again, limit the amount of time your fist makes
contact with the bag.

4. Ground Your Feet When You Punch
Plant those feet when you punch. Being grounded means more balance, more power, more
control, more mobility to move away after the punch, more everything! You can move around all
you want but when it comes time to punch, ground your feet! If you find it hard to keep your feet
on the ground, just take smaller steps when you move around. The pros punch so much harder
because their feet are always on the ground even as they move around the ring.

5. Move Your Feet When Youre Not Punching
Move your hands or move your feet.
As my trainer use to say, Move your hands or move your feet or move your head. If youre
not making an offensive move, youre making a defensive move. Because a heavy bag isnt
punching you, we wont worry about head movement but we can definitely work on foot
movement. Always move when you finish punching.
Keep Your Distance
Maintain a proper distance at all times. Move with the bag and keep it at arms reach at all times.
Dont let the bag get too far or too close. Dont be lazy with your legs. Move with the bag
instead of standing there and waiting for it to come to you. Back up when it comes at you and
follow it if it swings away. If you cant move your feet as swiftly as the bag swings, you need to
lighten up the punches or get a heavier bagor develop better footwork.

6. Dont Wait
This is what separates the men from the boys. Watch any professional fighter work the heavybag
and youll see that theyre ALWAYS throwing punches. Even when they rest, they only rest for
maybe 2 seconds at most.
The beginners are always waiting around in between combinations. Theyll throw big punches
and then just walk around for 5-10 seconds to catch their breath. These long periods of inactivity
will kill you. Real fights dont have 10-second breaks for you to catch your breath.
The moment you stop punching, your opponent starts punching.
So whats the moral of the story? NEVER STOP PUNCHING! You dont always have to
punch hard, but you have to keep throwing. Put in some light punches and jab as you move
around the bag to catch your breath. When youre ready to throw the big shots again, step in and
fire away.

7. Less Power, More Breathing
Hitting the heavy bag is a lot like runningits all about the breathing! Dont worry so much
about trying to hit hard. Focus on explosive breathing, not explosive punches. Stay relaxed and
work on your breathing so you dont get tired.
Power comes from good technique,
endurance comes from good breathing.
Power and endurance has very little to do with how much effort you put into your punches. The
pros throw hundreds of power punches using nothing but good technique and breathing. Good
breathing allows you to stay relaxed and throw many punches without tiring out. Good technique
allows you to deliver maximum power without wasting any of the energy you put into the punch.
Dont let the bag wear you out. A bag works at your rhythm which is only when you want to
punch. Learn how to conserve your energy for more challenging workouts like the double-end
bag or sparring. If youre still getting tired against a heavy bag, youre not ready for competition.

8. Throw 3-6 Punches
Throwing 3 to 6 punches at a time is the sweet spot. Not 1, not 2, and NOT 10. Its enough to do
damage, yet short enough for you to get out before your opponent fires back. Combo all your
punches together. Try some normal combos (1-2-1-2, 1-2-3, etc) as well as some unorthodox
combos (1-3-2, 3-1-2-3-3, etc). Fights are fought in combinations, not single punches. Keep
throwing combinations and keep up that rhythm.
Aim your punches high for the head and low for the body. The biggest problem I see is people
who dont punch high enough for the head. Come time to fight, their shoulders get tired because
theyre not use to punching high.

9. Be Active When You Rest
Everybody gets tired.
The important thing is that youre always doing something.
Dont just stand there when you get tired. Keep moving! If youre going to rest, do it as youre
moving around and throwing light punches. Do NOT rest by leaning on the bag or doing your
Mike Tyson slip choreography. Worst of all, do not rest by standing still like a punching bag.

10. Keep Your Hands Up
You have to be careful not to get carried away with your power.
Its easy to be lazy on defense when the bag isnt punching back.
You THINK your hands are up but you dont really know until you get punched. You could be
racking up hundreds of hours on the heavy bag developing a bad habit and not find out how open
you are until you step into the ring. Dont drop your right hand when you throw the jab and
especially do not drop your right hand when you throw the left hook. Dont just cover your head;
keep your elbows down to protect the body as well. The most helpful tip I can recommend is to
have a trainer or friend watch you and yell at you every time you drop your hands.


Heavy Bag Training
The heavy bag training is for developing efficient power, not absolute power. Youre not
breaking bricks with a single punch. You need power punches you can sustain throughout an
entire fight, not just for one round. Keep your hands up, move around the bag, and make sure
youre always throwing fast punches. Pay attention, stay balance, and work that bag! If you do it
right, it gets easy. The heavy bag becomes a warm-up for the real workout, which is in the ring.
Training Quickness of Mind For Punching Faster
Everything that you do starts with the mind. Before you blame your poor handspeed on genetics,
undeveloped muscles, or unknown punching secrets, you need to analyze your own mindset. The
first question is, What am I consciously doing anything to improve my handspeed when
punching? If youve never asked yourself this question before, the answer is probably NO.
The most important mindset you must have to punch faster is to focus on awareness. Your eyes
need to be trained to quickly recognize a target and then passing the signal to your arm, telling it
to punch. Forget about handspeed for now, Im talking about quickness of mind. The guy who
recognizes the punching opportunity is going to punch first and get a headstart on punching
giving him a huge advantage.
So now that you understand the first step to punching faster is to release your punches faster,
lets work on building quickness of mind. How do you do this, you ask. Real freaken easy,
practice everyday on punching fast moving targets. Speedbag and the double-end bag will be
your new friend. They will train your eyes and mind to follow fast moving targets and to throw
punches when the openings present themselves. When you hit the double-end bag, dont worry
about throwing fast combinations. Instead, try to watch the bag with your eyes and throwing 1 or
2 shots here and there very quickly and accurately. Even when youre not punching, you are still
watching the bag carefully. Do not take your eyes off of it! Again, the first step to acquiring
faster punches is to train a quicker mind!
The Right Attitude For Punching Faster
Having the right attitude is critical to building faster punches. I see guys all the time trying to
destroy the punching bag when I tell them to punch faster. When I say faster, I dont mean hit
harder. Loading up your punches for more power and more damage is probably not going to
make them faster. Quite often, that attitude only makes you swing wider, longer, and with more
body commitment.
Punching faster doesnt mean you put more effort and more force into the punch. It doesnt mean
that you tighten your fist even harder and try to hurt your opponent even more. Having the right
attitude for punching faster means that you focus on speed and nothing else. Dont focus on
power or accuracy. Just pure speed.
Instead of imagining yourself punching the guy, imagine yourself trying to touch without him
seeing it. Imagine yourself trying to move so fast that he doesnt even see the punch. Youre not
trying to hurt him, youre trying to surprise him! Now apply this attitude while youre
shadowboxing and while youre on the heavy bag. You will see that this change of attitude alone
can speed up your punches. Youre no longer thinking about trying to break this guys chin off
youre trying to steal his mouthpiece!
Relaxing The Fast Punch
This is something Ive understood for a long long time. This principle will hold true for any sport
or athletic endeavor that you pursue. The ONLY way to move at your fastest speed is to be
RELAXED! The most relaxed muscle has the most potential for moving at maximum speed. In
all sports that you observe, you will see that it is the most relaxed athletes that outperform their
opponents. I use to be a track & field sprinter and I will tell you that the most relaxed runners
make the best sprinters.
Do keep in mind, there is a fine line between relaxed movement and lazy movement. To be
RELAXED in movement means that you are moving with flow allowing your movement to
express itself freely without tension and stress whereas being LAZY in movement means that
you are moving without control and purpose.
So how does one relax for a faster punch? First off, dont tighten your fist all the time. Instead
keep those hands relaxed and tighten them into fists only at the moment of impact. When in
doubt, relax those hands even more. Keep your shoulders loose instead of hunched. Dont flex
your biceps or tighten any other part of your body before the punch. A relaxed body will punch
faster!
Releasing The Fast Punch
Clear your mind when throwing fast punches. Dont think of destroying your opponent. That
attitude holds tension in your arms and tightens your whole body, slowing your punches and
wasting energy. Carrying tension like that also wears your body out faster. When you punch,
exhale sharply as you release the arm freely into the punch and allow the body to snap into the
punch freely. As soon as the punch is extended, quickly breathe again returning the fist as you
throw the next punch. The most common mistake I see with new boxers is that they pull their
hand back a little to load up their punch before releasing it. This slows down the punch bigtime
since it moves backwards before going forwards. Its also proof that theyre thinking too much
about punching harder and not about punching faster. Dont think about power, think about
touching him quickly.
Quick Breathing For Quick Punches
This is another thing many athletes dont understand about speed. Quick breathing equals quick
movement. Explosive breathing equals explosive movement. If you never heard of this before,
try this: try breathing slow but punching fast. I bet you cant do it. Notice how your bodys
movement is timed to your breathing? Now work on breathing not just faster but sharper and
quicker. Listen to professional boxers. When they throw a 5-punch combo really fast, they
breathe out 5-times really fast. Sometimes when you watch professional boxers shadowbox, they
dont throw full punches. They throw really short or half-length punches that way they can work
on faster breathing and faster punches. If you want the ability to punch fast, you have to breathe
fast.
Throwing Fast Combinations
Let your punches flow when you release your hands and you will punch faster. Always keep
your mind focused on entire combinations and not individual punches and you will see that the
combinations will flow out throw your arms with blinding speed! Do not come at your opponent
with a step-by-step plan of how your punches will be thrown. Approach your opponent with a
combination in mind and just let it flow. With time and training, your mind will naturally adjust
your combinations during exchanges to counter your opponents punches.
Best Training Videos To Watch For Handspeed:
Manny Pacquiao watch this guy shadowbox. Focus on speed like he does! Speed
Shadowboxing Video
Joan Guzman Quick hands, quick feet. More importantly, quick mind! Speed Punching
Video
If you want some serious handspeed for punching faster, follow the steps above. Dont be lazy,
dont take shortcuts, and dont try to invent your own routines. Keep it simple and once you have
the handspeed, you can be however creative you want and improve on that. Be aware, be
relaxed, breathe faster, and punch faster!
Create your combos based off the basic punch combo:
JAB, CROSS, HOOK, CROSS (1-2-3-2)

Body Shots
Maybe his defense is too good or he slips all your punches. If head punches dont work, try
going to the body. This will cause him to defend up and down and increase the chances of you
sneaking some punches through.
Going to the body can mean a lot of things. Are you aiming for the stomach or the solar
plexus? The chest or the ribs? Or the liver? The same rule applies for the head: are you aiming to
the face or the side of the head? The forehead or the jaw? Concentrate your attack to one area to
make him guard there, then attack elsewhere. Mix it up!
Attack the body to expose the head, and vice versa.

Ideas for body shots:
Jab to the body, then right cross to the head. (Then 3-2)
Jab to the head, then right cross to the body. (Then 3-2)
1-2 to the head, then left hook to the body. (Then a right cross)
1-2 to the body, then left hook to the head. (Then a right cross)
1-2-3 to the head, then right cross to the body.

Different Punches
You should leave the jab as still your first punch but you can switch everything else out. Try
using a left uppercut or left cross instead of the left hook. Try using an right uppercut or
overhand right instead of the right cross. Changing the punch will change the angle and make it
that much trickier for your opponent to evade your shots.
If you absolutely want to lead with a left uppercut or left hook, make sure it FEELS like a jab
which means it should be light, fast, and snappy. It should FEEL like a jab except only has the
surprise angle of a hook or uppercut. (Dont make the mistake of loading power which then
makes it too obvious and leaves you vulnerable.)
Use different punches to create new attack angles.

Ideas for different punches:
1-2-3b-2 (Jab, cross, LEFT HOOK TO THE BODY, cross. Instead of all head punches.)
1-6-3-2 (Jab, RIGHT UPPERCUT, left hook, right cross. Instead of the usual 1-2-3-2.)
1-2-5-2 (Jab, cross, LEFT UPPERCUT, cross.)
1-6-5-2 (Two uppercuts to really drop his guard for the right hand.)
1-4-3-2 (Jab, OVERHAND RIGHT, hook, cross.)
5-2-1-2 (lead with a fast tapping uppercut)
Add punches to the end of the combination. (If youre landing punches, why not
continue?)

Change Rhythm
Rhythm is the easiest and possibly most effective way to change up your combinations.
Changing the rhythm allows you to change the way your combinations feel, without actually
changing the combination itself.

For example:
Lets take a simple combination like the JAB-CROSS-HOOK (1-2-3). Most beginners will throw
all hard punches which sounds like BAM-BAM-BAM! A more experienced fighter might speed
up the 1-2 to quickly blitz his opponent and then surprise him with the hook. This way it sounds
like bibip-BAM! And the left hook can be aimed to the head or body, anywhere you like.
The second example can be more effective because youve traded power for speed which helps
you open up the more skilled opponents. You can apply this same principle to any boxing
combination.
Trading off power for speed,
can help you penetrate the more defensive opponents.

Ideas for changing the rhythm:
Fast, then power. (Throw the first few punches with speed, and then lay down some hard
shots. Great way to make opponents block and then you surprise them with a hard shot.)
All fast punches. (Throw any combination but using all fast punches. Great for flurrying
and surprising opponents with speed.)

Double Up
Another way to change up the rhythm by becoming trickier is to repeat punches. Its common for
opponents to expect punches coming LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT but if you double up on one
side, you can easily screw up his defense rhythm. This tactic is especially effective against
boxers that slip or shoulder roll a lot.
If youre clever, youll hold back your power to speed up your double punches and strategically
place power shots when theyre most likely to land. (Sometimes the first one is the power one.
Other times the second one is the power one.) Another smart idea: instead of throw a double
hook, you can try an uppercut and then a hook or vice versa. And yet another smart idea: try
aiming at different targets when you double up your punches. (like throwing the first hook to the
body, and the second one to the head)
Double up punches to change your attack rhythm
and become harder to defend.

Ideas for doubling-up punches:
Double the first jab. Or triple it, or more. (Can give you more time until youre ready to
throw the right cross.)
Double the first right cross. (This can confuse your opponent momentarily to really open
him for your left hook.)
Double the left hook. (Many opponents dont expect two hooks. Use it to hurt him or
surprise him, which then sets him up for the delayed-and-now-unexpected finishing
cross.)

Feints
There may be times when youre more focused on opening up your opponent, rather than landing
punches. This can be the case for the more defensive or more skilled opponents. There will be
times when you purposely throw punches to make him guard in one place so that somewhere else
is left open. In these moments, a feint can be safer to use because youre creating offensive
pressure without actually throwing punches and potentially making yourself vulnerable.
A clever feint can make an opponent react in any way that you want, and create the opening you
need. A quick wave of the hand or even a half-thrown punch can fool even the quickest
opponents. Fake a movement, to create a desired reaction, and then take advantage from your
uncompromised position.
Feints can open up your opponents,
without opening up yourself.

Ideas for feints:
Feint at the head and throw at the body. (Or vice versa).
Feint with one hand but throw with another.
Many combos starting with a lead right or lead hook, are more effective when used after
a jab feint.
Feint with a head movement or foot movement before throwing your combo.

Head Movement
Using head movement during your punch combinations is a great idea and one used by many
experienced fighters. Its never safe to leave your head dead center in the middle of combinations
unless youre completely in control and ready to evade incoming punches. Moving the head
during a combination not only makes you more elusive but also creates new punching angles and
makes it less likely for your opponent to throw back (because you keep moving).
Using head movement while throwing punches,
can create new angles while making you more elusive.

Ideas for head movements:
Bring the head in when going inside. (Start the jab with your head outside but then bring
your head in as you throw aggressive punches.)
Bring the head in and out. (Bring the head in as you punch, and pull it back out as you
finish.)
Move the head with every punch. (Slip your head into new positions with every punch.)
Also try NOT moving your head with every punch. (Not having to constantly move your
head can give you more stability, speed, and power. Try throwing 2-3 punches before
moving your head to a new position.)
The trick to head movement is to do it subtly. Move it only as much as needed to get into
position or evade an oncoming punch.

Footwork
Using footwork while throwing combinations is a very hard concept but definitely possible. If
anything, its far easier to use footwork in between combinations.
The general idea with using footwork while punching is either to A) make you more elusive or
B) create new punching angles. Long-range footwork like IN-&-OUT movement is better suited
for using footwork before and after combinations. If youre going to be using footwork while
throwing combinations, it is most likely a pivot or stepping out at an angle.
The trick is to be RELAXED. If you feel like youre jumping all over the place, it wont work in
a real fight. When you practice, the footwork has to use no more energy than a single bounce on
the jump rope. (Hopefully, youve been jumping rope for boxing.)
Using footwork while throwing punches,
can create new angles while making you more elusive.

Ideas for footwork:
Pivot with every jab. (And then ground yourself for all the other punches. Pivoting helps
you circle your opponent.)
Step in with every 1-2. (And then ground yourself for the follow-up hooks and crosses.)
Pivot or back-step with every left hook. (To help make space for your right cross against
aggressive opponents.)

The Secret to Killer Punch Combinations
True punching quality
Doing different things is not the same as doing things differently.
When I first showed you how to create new combinations, that was showing you how to do
different things.
Now Im going to show you how to do the same things differently, such as throwing the same
combination but in a different way.
Its not WHAT you throw,
its HOW you throw it.
There are so many beginners watching Youtube and trying to copy their favorite fighters
combinations without any luck. This is because they lack the QUALITY. Sure you can throw a
hard 1-2 but can you throw it like Ali? I can assure you that the difference between Muhammad
Alis punches and yours is more than just speed and power. Ali has a specific QUALITY to his
punches.
When I say, quality, Im referring to the punchs ability to fit the unique situation. Its not
about just speed and power. Its about being sensitive to the situation and responding
accordingly. Fighting is like a conversation, like a dance. You have to see whats in front of you
and then react to it. Every opponent is different. World champions might LOOK like theyre
doing the same thing over and over, but I can assure you that theyre making subtle adjustments
constantly throughout the fight.
And this quality is something you can only develop from years of being in the ring. I would get
countered EASILY if I threw punches at my opponent the same way I threw them on the bag.
For some opponents, I have to throw jabs a little faster than normal. For other opponents I have
to throw jabs with my head a little off to the side. Or for some guys, I aim my jabs at their
forehead and other guys I aim my jabs at their chin. I remember discovering one day that if I
angled my right cross a certain way, it made it far more likely to sneak through a guard. These
details might seem small or plain common sense, but they often make the difference between
winning and losing.

Every combination should feel different
The point of having different combinations is to be able to threaten your opponent in
different ways.
This is again where skill and experience really makes all the difference. I can make the same 1-1-
2 combination feel like 10 different combos. Whereas a beginner can throw 20 different
combinations but they all feel the same.

Heres what I FEEL from a beginner opponent:
Ok, hes starting with straight jabs.
And now hes throwing a 1-2.
Ok, now hes throwing jabs and crosses with occasional hooks.
Oh look, now hes throwing a couple left hooks to the body.
Hes adding uppercuts and trying to be tricky but everything still FEELS the same.
OOOOH, now hes trying really hard. But his combos are too predictable All LEFT-
RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT. All same rhythm and comes from the same angles.
*And then I roll off everything without breaking a sweat.*

Heres what I FEEL from a skilled opponent:
Hes testing me with jabs. Some to the head, some to the body.
*THAK!* Darn it, he found an opening at a very weird angle to my left temple. Ill have
to lift my glove now. (I become very defensively aware now.)
*Bu-BAP!* He jabbed to my new glove position and then a HARD JAB to my chest. (Now
I have to protect my head and body.)
*Bu-Bup!* He threw a really fast 1-2 at my guard and then leaned back when I threw the
counter hook. (Im very aware of his head moving in and out now.)
*Bu-BAP-BAP-BAP!* This time he threw a very light jab and then jumped all the way in
and cracked me hard with a 1-2-3-2 combination. (Now I know he can be both elusive
AND aggressive.)
Now hes standing in a slightly different position. I feel like hes going to do something
weird and then*DAMMIT*he hits me with the same combination again.

Its all about the feeling
Its more than just throwing different punches at different angles and different rhythms. The goal
is to make your opponent vulnerable. You have to become sensitive enough to find new ways to
move against him (sometimes on the spot). Sometimes you have to abandon everything you
practiced because it doesnt work!
Sparring should increase your sensitivity.
Teaching you to adjust by creating new ways
to do the same thing.
A real fight is far more complicated than what I could ever explain. Im always doing things
differently. I might be throwing jabs over and over again, BUT ITS NOT THE SAME JAB. My
aim might be different. My head placement might be different. My hand and foot position might
be different. One jab might be for setting up the right hand. Another jab might be setting up the
left hook. Or maybe the breath is different. Or maybe the way I position my chest is different.
I often hear beginners asking me, But Johnny if I keep throwing jabs, wouldnt that make me
predictable? And it makes me laugh because I know it means hes throwing the same jab every
time. With that attitude, it doesnt matter what he does. He could throw different punches and he
would STILL be predictable because they would all feel the same.
I remember getting beat by a guy with a killer left hook. He would chase me down with head
punches and then out of nowhere, a big left hook to the body. Over and over again. And do you
want to know why I couldnt defend it? BECAUSE IT DIDNT FEEL LIKE A LEFT HOOK!
His incredible skill wasnt in his punching technique but rather his ability to MASK his left hook
to the body. It always felt like something else, anything but a left hook. How can you defend
something when you dont feel it?
A skilled fighter can throw the same punch
OVER AND OVER,
because hes able to give it a different quality.
Skilled fighters have a way of being very unpredictable. The way they stand or position
themselves makes you expect a certain punch but then something else comes. Or the way they
hold their hands makes you feel very vulnerable to their hook. Or the way they throw their right
hand makes you feel like youll never be able to counter them in time. Some guys have a way of
coming in on you where you feel like theyre in range but then you throw and youre not even
close. Some guys have a way of making you miss not because they slipped so well but because
they knew how to make you throw at the wrong place. It doesnt matter if you do the same
thing over and over, as long as youre still being unpredictable.
Skilled boxers can make me FEEL like I cant fight back. They know how to move their bodies
in ways that cause me to make mistakes. Against skilled fighters, I feel like their hands, their
heads, their feet, their bodies are all constantly moving around pressuring me from different
angles as they throw the same punches over and over.
If all your combinations feel the same to your opponent, hell be able to defend them easily
without ever having to adjust to you.
Its not about what you throw,
its about what your opponent feels.
Dieting Common Sense:
You need to eat everything.
Carb, protein, fats theyre all essential to your body; the key is moderation.
You need to eat at the right time.
Dont starve when your body needs energy, and dont over-eat when you have enough.
Timing your meals allow you to stay full on less food.
Your diet should fit your needs.
Diets are not one-size-fits-all. Everyones bodies, lifestyles, diets, and dieting goals are
different. A weight loss diet for one person might lead to weight gain for another.
Healthy dieting requires:
TIMING (of meals)
VARIETY (of foods)
BALANCE (of nutrients)
MODERATION (of portions)

The Boxing Diet
As a fighter, eating properly increases your performance, decreases your recovery time, while
maintaining a lean (and sexy) body weight. Boxers need more nutrients than the average person
to workout, develop and repair the body.
A boxers diet must:
provide energy for physical performance
provide nutrients for rapid muscle development
decrease body fat
The boxing diet varies from a normal diet in that you have to center your diets around your
workouts. You need nutrients to fuel the intense workout and begin recovery right after. Eating
around the workout is what makes the boxers diet so hard. Its easy to under-eat and end up
starving during your workout or over-eat because you feel so hungry after the workout. Its not
enough to say that an athlete requires more nutrition than the average person. Managing the
boxers diet is TRICKY! Theres timing, calculation, and balance involved!
The boxer has to eat more, without over-eating!

WHEN to Eat
Knowing WHEN to eat,
is as important as knowing WHAT to eat.
Our #1 problem is figuring out when to eat. (Most people know what to eat. Fruits are good, junk
foods are bad, etc) If youre eating healthy but still not losing weight, its probably your timing
thats off. If you dont eat at the right time, it matters very little whether you eat healthy or not
because the food gets transformed into fat anyway!
The #1 diet problem
Not eating when the body needs food,
and then over-eating when finally eating.
so when do we eat?

Timing Your Meals

The bodys daily energy use
Your body is constantly using energy, spiking its energy use during your workout.
Your boxing diet should follow your energy use as closely as possible.

Bad diet plan of eating 3 big meals a day.
over-eating converts surplus nutrients to fat
fewer meals leaves you hungry & weak in between meals
starving often leads to more over-eating
One of the biggest diet mistakes is waiting too long in between meals. If you wait till your
stomach is grumbling, your body is already starving (decreased energy and recovery rate).
Extreme hunger is usually countered with the next diet mistake, over-eating, which increases fat
storage. One mistake usually leads to the other, putting your body in a vicious cycle of starvation
(decreased metabolism) followed by periods of over-eating (fat gain).


Good diet plan of 6 meals a day
smaller meals keep you energized and full throughout the day
snacks keep you from starving during long workouts and in between meals
smaller meals keep your metabolism high while avoiding over-eating
Eating smaller meals more closely matches your bodys energy use. Your biggest meals are in
the mornings and the one before your workout. Smaller meals keep you satisfied without putting
extra calories into you.

5 to 6 Small Meals a Day
Eating 5 to 6 small meals a day is the best advice I can give and it really works. 5-6 meals comes
out to about one meal every 2-3 hours. Boxers looking to make weight follow this religiously.
Every friend Ive had that lost 50-100lbs of weight (epic miracle style), did it with just this one
principle alone. If there is anything you learn from reading this guide, let it be this one:
Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day!

My friend explained meal-timing in these simple terms:
Start eating before you get too hungry.
Stop eating before you get too full.
Biggest Meal in the Morning
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Its the first supply of nutrients for your day and
kickstarts your bodys metabolism. Once you have a full breakfast, you can make it through the
rest of the day on smaller meals to avoid getting hungry. Dont be silly and skip breakfast as part
of your weight loss plan. This leaves you hungry and sends your body into starvation mode
(decreasing metabolism), making it stingy for energy and storing everything you eat as fat. You
You need to have energy to start your day; you need to eat good breakfast.
Breakfast AFTER Your Morning Run
If you do your runs in the morning, its best to eat breakfast after that. First off, running on a full
stomach is a terrible idea. Secondly, running on an empty stomach helps you lose weight because
your body will be burning off stored fat instead of the food you ate that day. Its not necessary to
do your runs in the morning, but the common belief is that it burns off fat stored from the
previous night and energizes you for the day.
The Pre-Workout Meal
Aside from breakfast, the workout meal is the second and only other big meal on your training
day. (You dont need a workout meal on rest days.) Essentially, the boxers diet is different from
a normal diet because of the workout meal. It has to fuel your intense workout without going
overboard and storing fat.
You should eat 2 hours before the workout. The workout meal should be big enough to sustain
your whole workout. If youre doing a 30-minute bootcamp sesssion, you wont need much. If
youre like me and spend 5 hours sweating non-stop in the gym, you need a big meal. Eat light
foods so that youre not training with a half a steak still digesting in your stomach. (Meat usually
takes 4 hours to digest completely.) This might slow you down or give you cramps.
If you need, have a SMALL snack before or after the workout, followed by a recovery meal
when you get home. Eating within 30 minutes of your workout triggers your bodys recovery
phase immediately.
A boxer needs only 2 big meals a day at most;
One for breakfast and another 2 hours before training.
NOTE: if your workout comes early in the day, it is possible to have just one big meal. You
would use the same big meal as your breakfast and pre-workout meal.
Smallest Meals at Night
Later meals in the day should be kept small so that youre not going to bed starving, but also not
sleeping with unused calories. Eating before sleeping is one of the easiest ways to get fat. Your
biggest meals (like breakfast and before workout) come earlier so that you have all day to burn
off the calories.

WHAT to Eat
This is probably the most common subject of dieting. What should I eat?
The nutrients you need in large quantities are:
water (essential, vital to living)
carbs (for energy)
protein (muscle growth & recovery)
fats (vital to organs, secondary energy source)
Then comes nutrients you need in small quantities:
vitamins & minerals (boost immune system, support cell growth, organ functions, healthy
skin, strong bones)
fiber (move food through digestive system, keeps your digestive system running
smoothlyhelps you eat less)
Basically, you need everything. Eating a wide variety of foods is key to proper functioning,
growth, repair, and maintenance of your body. Deficiencies, excesses, and imbalances in diet
will lead to reduced physical performance, illness, and many other negative impacts on health.

Now lets review the different types of nutrients:
Water
Water is the most vital substance in your body; you need water to live. Over 50% of your body
weight is made up of water. From an athletic standpoint, you need water to replace fluids lost
through sweating.
Water:
transports oxygen & nutrients
removes waste & toxins
regulates body temperature
facilitates digestion
endless more important bodily functions.
Its no surprise that you will die sooner from dehydration than from starvation.
You must drink water all the time. There is no substitute for water, not even Powerade. I
recommend serious boxers to drink 2-3 gallons of water per day, spread out into 1 cup every
hour, starting with one right when you wake up and ending with one right before you go to bed.
Anytime that I drank any less, I got tired faster or felt weak during intense training.
Keeping drinking water until your urine is clear or light yellow.
Hydrate long before your workouts. If you have a workout later in the day, its best to hydrate
that morning. Drinking too much water during the workout may give you cramps or make you
feel like throwing up when the training gets too intense.
Water also helps you lose weight. How? Your liver is the organ responsible for metabolizing fat.
When your kidneys dont get enough water to function, the liver is called in to help. So drinking
enough water reserves the liver to break down as much fat as possible. This is why you must
drink water EVEN WHILE YOU ARE SHEDDING WATER WEIGHT to make weight!
Carbs
Carbohydrates provide your body with its most preferred form of energy. Without carbs, you
wont have energy and certainly wont last long as a boxer. Consuming too many carbs, on the
other hand, will increase your body fat.
Most things you eat that arent meat are carbs; grain, pasta, cereal, vegetables, fruits, anything
with sugar, are all carbs. Starchy foods like breads and pasta will provide a high number of carbs
whereas hard foods like vegetables and fruits provide a lower number of carbs. The focus is not
on high carb or low carb but rather to focus on eating good carbs while avoiding bad
carbs.
So how do you tell good carbs from bad carbs?
The key difference between good carbs and bad carbs
is how they affect your blood sugar levels.
The Glycemic Index
The glycemic index is a chart ranking all carbohydrate foods according to their effect on our
blood sugar levels. Simple carbs (bad carbs) are considered high glycemic carbs because they
cause large fluctuations in blood glucose. Complex carbs (good carbs) are considered low
glycemic carbs because they produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin
levels.
Good carbs = complex Carbs (Low GI),
Bad carbs = simple Carbs (High GI)
GOOD Carbs vs BAD Carbs
High GI carbs (bad carbs), are simple carbs like candy, that break down too quickly flooding
your blood with too much sugar. The sugar high forces your body to regulate the blood sugar
level by releasing high amounts of insulin into your blood. The insulin triggers the food coma
effect, causing an energy crash and making you feel tired. (If you do go to sleep, your body will
store the unused sugar as fat. This is why its bad to sleep after a big meal.) Unless youre
looking to quickly re-fuel your body for a short time, high GI carbs should always be avoided.
Regularly consuming too much carbs (sugar) at once increases your risk of heart disease and
diabetes over the long run. If you do eat too much in one meal, walk around and exercise to use
up that sugar before it affects your blood glucose or gets converted into fat.
Low GI carbs (good carbs), are complex carbs that take longer to breakdown thereby providing
constant energy throughout the day. They keep you energized and reduce hunger without spiking
your blood sugar levels.
Eating Low GI carbs (complex carbs):
reduces hunger and keeps you fuller for longer
helps you eat less to lose or maintain weight
improve blood cholesterol levels
prolong physical endurance
reduce risk of diabetes and heart disease
Switching to a Low GI Diet
Follow the glycemic index chart and do your best to eat carb foods that rank low on the glycemic
index. You dont have to recount carbs or recalculate anything, just switch off high GI foods like
Cornflakes for low GI equivalents like Mini Wheats. Try to get more of your carbs from fruits
and vegetables. You dont have to stop eating carbs, you just have to be more specific.
More info & resources on carbs:
Glycemic Index Chart
Official site of the Glycemic Index
Glycemic Index on Wikipedia
Good carbs vs Bad carbs
Problem with low carb diets
Proteins
Protein is needed to build and repair muscles, cells, and tissues. From a boxers standpoint,
protein deficiency can lead to fatigue and loss of muscle mass. The body cant store protein so
you need a little of it everyday (especially on workout days). Too much protein (over 30% of
your caloric intake) will lead to dehydration and toxic build-up.
Proteins can be found in animal or plants (such as soy, nuts, seeds). Current dietary guidelines
recommend a balanced protein diet of lean meats, seafood, and nuts.
Choosing Lean Meats
The right meats for protein are lean meats (meaning little or no fat). By industry definition, lean
meat has less than 10 grams of total fat, less than 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95
milligrams of cholesterol for every 3.5 ounces of meat. There is even extra lean meat which
contains less than 5 grams total fat, less than 2 grams saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams
cholesterol.
You can purchase lean meat or prepare lean meat by trimming off the visible fat. The way you
prepare the meat also affects its fat content. Baking, broiling, roasting, and grilling are excellent
low-fat cooking techniques that preserve the health benefits of lean meat. Frying and buttering is
pretty bad, although tasty! Dont forget that lean meat is dry meat so try to add some broth or
prepare it in a way that retains moisture and flavor.
White Meat vs Red Meat
Eating white meat or red meat doesnt matter,
as long as its lean meat.
Contrary to common belief, red meat can be just as healthy as white meat! If youre just referring
to the quality and quantity of the protein in the meat, white and red are equal. Once you take into
account the health risks, people will prefer white meat over red meat. Red meat has been linked
to many disease with the heart, cancer, etc, because of its high saturated fat content. This can be
negated by eating LEAN red meat. Red meat is more beneficial than white meat in many ways
because it has more vitamins and minerals your body needs. Sure, you consume more saturated
fat with red meat but this is less an issue if youre exercising.
Note: Im aware that pork is white-color. From what Ive researched, pork is being classified as
red meat because it shares more in common with other red meat than white meat.
Every kind of meat (chicken, turkey, beef, pork) whether white or red has fat. What makes it lean
is the part of the animal you eat and how you prepare it. Even chicken (white meat) can be high
in fat. Whichever meat you decide, keep your portions moderate.
Seafood
Many seafoods, such as white fish and shell fish will qualify as lean meat and also provide good
essential fats. Some fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids which help protect your body against
diseases. Be careful that you dont eat fish that have too much mercury, which is known for
interfering with the brain and nervous system, along with other serious health problems.
Meat resources:
Red meat vs white meat
Dark meat vs white meat
Healthy lean meats
Mercury levels in fish FDA
Benefits of eating fish
Chicken is Unhealthy?
FATS
Yes, you NEED fats.
GOOD Fats vs BAD Fats
Not all fats are bad! Good fats serve your bodys essential needs; providing energy, building
cells, facilitating vitamin absorption, among other important functions. And then there are bad
fats that only clog your arteries, make you fat, and increase your risk to heart disease, cancer, etc.
Its not about how much fat you eat, but the type of fat you eat.
Lets differentiate between the good fats and the bad fats:
Good fats - (Poly-unsaturated & Mono-unsaturated) found in olive oil, canola oil,
cashews, almonds, etc nuts & seeds, fish & fish oil supplements
Bad fats - (saturated fats) found in animal fat
VERY BAD fats - (trans fats) usually found in processed foods, junk foods, fast foods
Dont avoid all fats
Eating fat-free doesnt guarantee youre eating healthy. Many fat-free foods are high in sugar,
bad carbs, or have too many calories. Fats help you feel full, so avoiding fat could make you
over-eat and gain weight anyway. The key is eating more good fats and less bad fats. You can
avoid animal fats by trimming any fat you see around the meat. Eat good fats from nuts like
cashews and almonds (avoid peanuts). Cook with olive oil or canola oil (instead of coconut oil or
butter).
You dont have to run out and eat fats. You might have already consumed enough fats from
your carb and protein diet. NOTE: unless it states clearly POLY-unsaturated or Mono-
unsaturated, the fats listed on nutrition labels are usually the bad fats, not the good ones.
Resources regarding fats:
Healthy fats
List of trans fat fast foods
Top 10 foods with trans fats (BAD)
Why you need fats
Good and bad fats
What if saturated fats are GOOD for you?
Vitamins and Minerals
Micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) are different from macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fat)
because they are only necessary in tiny amounts. Nevertheless, micronutrients are still essential
for good health. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for proper functioning in all parts of your
body from bone growth to brain function to producing red blood cells.
Getting enough vitamins and minerals in your diet is pretty easy. A balanced diet including nuts,
whole grains, colorful fruits and vegetable will offer plenty of vitamins and minerals. The more
colorful your diet, the better. You only need a little, but any deficiency would lead to serious
health problems.
Fiber
Fiber is a carbohydrate found in whole grains, nuts, wheat bran, vegetables, oats, citrus fruits,
apples, barley, beans, etc. Humans cant digest the fiber so it passes through the small intestine
helping to keep the body healthy. Fiber is great for weight control because it slows down the
movement of food through your intestines. This slows down your food absorption, keeping you
full and allowing you to last longer with less food.
Fiber for controlling weight loss
Supplements
A supplement is a pill you take to remedy a deficiency in your diet. In this day and age,
supplements are sold under the illusion that they give you some magical performance boost you
could. As long as you are eating correctly, you will need little or no supplements at all. Eating
whole and natural foods is the best way to go!
Improve your dietnot your supplements.
Vitamin Pills
There are supplements I do recommend, like fish oil, omega 3, flaxseed oil, and other stuff thats
hard to find in regular food. A well balanced diet will cover just about everything else.
I dont personally recommend vitamin pills, its usually an overload of too much at once and
doesnt make up for a well-balanced diet. I actually noticed more of a difference eating the
necessary foods than just taking a pill. Research has shown that it is better to consume vitamins
through food than through pills.
Vitamins and mineral supplements
Taking vitamins vs eating fresh fruits and veggies
Benefits and dangers of vitamin supplements
Energy Snacks
Protein bars, energy snacks, and sports drinks providing quick carbs or sodium (lost through
sweat) can be beneficial for long workouts but arent necessary. An energy drink is definitely
NOT OK!
Performance Boosters
What about performance booster supplements like creatine? Does the supplement claim to help
you grow more muscle or perform at a higher level? Find out what the active ingredient is. Does
your body already naturally create this chemical? If not, then why should you be adding
something foreign to your body?
Creatine causes your body to retain water weight which makes you bigger and helps your
performance because their is more water to transport nutrients throughout your body. From a
boxers standpoint, creatine is already bad because it makes you bigger.
Recovery
What if a supplement (like whey protein) claims to help you repair muscle? What if it claims to
give you natural nutrients to increase your natural recovery processes? Again, I urge you to find
out what this natural ingredient is. Are you already absorbing this magical ingredient
through your diet? And if not, why is it that your normal diet not made up for this deficiency?
Whey protein is not needed at all if youre eating the right foods in your normal diet. It is better
to get your protein from foods because you also pick up the benefits of other vitamins and
minerals that come in natural food. Either way, youre not a bodybuilder so you dont need
THAT much protein.
Bad Foods
Cookies? Chocolate cake? Alcohol? Soda? Theyre bad because theyre loaded with sugar, bad
fats, bad carbs, or toxic preservatives. If the food feels heavy in your stomach, takes long to
digest, gives you a sugar high, or makes you drunk, its not good for you. Is it ever ok to cheat?
Sure, it is. But how often and how much is up to you. Some fighters can eat chocolate everyday
and still be on weight. Other fighters have to avoid it completely. It all comes down to how much
your weight and performance means to you.
Cheat meals
Ok, so you cant stand a clean diet. You cant live without ice cream, chocolate, Pringles,
whatever. If you must know, I think one cheat meal for every 15 good meals is OK. (I dont
actually live by that, of course. I only cheat like once every 50 meals.) I know other diets allow
you to have a cheat day every week but this is fighting. Your body is always busy performing or
busy healing. An entire cheat day is probably too much if you want to be serious about boxing.
Alcohol
My first trainer use to have a rule: if he could tell you drank alcohol over the weekend, he
wouldnt train you for a week. If youre serious about getting better, youll have to stay away
from distractions and things that get in the way of peak performance. This is fighting, not arts &
crafts. The punishment for showing up at less than your best, is physical damage. Its up to you
to prioritize what matters more to you, alcohol or trainingand to stick to one. Can you drink
once every week? Im sure some people get away with it. Being talented is not permission to
slack off. Pros and competing fighters NEVER drink alcohol during training. Unless youre more
talented than they are, I wouldnt recommend it.
Some studies to show you the effects of alcohol on athletic performance:
Alcohol and athletic performance - University of Georgia
Alcohol effects on athletic performance Bodybuilding.com
Alcohol and athletic performance UC San Diego
If you dont want to read, alcohol decreases: testorone, accuracy, balance, reaction time
(reflexes), visual tracking, power and muscle endurance, body hydration, absorption of
vitamins/minerals, aerobic capacity, muscle recovery, muscle growth potential, etc.
Personally, I think its disrespectful to your trainer to drink when he tells you not to. My trainer
gave me 100% in and out of the ring, and I feel its unfair to give him any less. You have every
right to do whatever you want with your body, but do it on your own time and not on someone
who really believes in you and trains you hoping you might one day turn pro and give him a 10%
cut. (But hey, thats just me)
Processed Food (the other kind of bad food)
Any food that is prepared, stored, or transformed into other forms for consumption or storage is
considered processed food. Any food that has to be made in a factory is probably processed.
Gummy bears, cheese, canned soup, instant noodles are all examples of processed food.
Processed foods are made of raw foods that have undergone a manufacturing process to make it
last longer or taste better. Most junk food, fast food, frozen foods also fall under the category of
processed food. Anything with a nutrition label and doesnt grow in the form in which you eat
it, is probably a processed food.
Processed VS Whole Foods
Heres are some examples:
Apples are whole natural foods, healthy and tastes good.
Canned apple sauce is processed food, possibly loaded with unhealthy preservatives to
last longer and sugars to make it taste better.
Home-made apple sauce is natural and just as healthy as the apple itself (assuming you
dont add stuff to it).
Canned apple sauce CLAIMING to be natural tough call, now you have to read the
nutrition label and see whats in it. Is it full of sugars (flavor), sodium (preservative), or
unnecessary carbs?
Processed food has long been connected to Americas growing health problems. Americans
today have busier lifestyles and dont have as much time to prepare natural foods. Its more
convenient to eat packaged food or fast food. Unfortunately, processed food can have harmful
ingredients added to improve shelf life (sodium) or enhance flavor (sugar, MSG). There are also
horror stories of other toxins being added to the food without your knowledge.
A dog raised on natural wild food lives longer, healthier, happier, has more energy and a more
beautiful coat than a dog raised on man-made dog food. I would recommend the same natural
foods approach for humans.
Not all processed foods are bad
Some processed foods have only undergone freezing, refrigeration, canning, or dehydration
which only results in decreased nutritional value and doesnt harm your body. The processed
foods you should avoid are the ones made with trans-fats, saturated fats, or large amounts of
sodium and sugar. (EX: packaged chips, cookies, cakes, white flour breads and pasta, canned
food or ramen with large amounts of sodium or fat).
Harmful effects of eating processed foods
Top 10 toxic processed food ingredients

Vegetarians and B12 Deficiency
Vegetarians need to watch for vitamin B12 deficiency. Strict vegetarian diets that avoid animal
foods will lack vitamin B12 unless they eat certain fortified cereals or take pills. Vitamin B12
helps maintain healthy nerves and red blood cells. Deficiencies in vitamin B12 lead to weakness,
depression, and other problems with your body. Fortunately, you can take pills for vitamin B12;
and all your other essential nutrients can be found in plants.
Vegetarian Diet and B12 Deficiency

Diet plans and Recipes
Im not going to make diet plans because it takes too much time everyones diet will vary
depending on their culture, religious beliefs, lifestyle, allergic reactions, etc. It doesnt matter
what you eat as long as you get the needed nutrients! Ive never followed a diet plan and got
along just fine without it. (Then again, Im not a professional boxer.) You can make up a diet
plan yourself using the foods that you eat daily. You might have to add some things, remove
some others, and make some substitutions along the way. From what Ive seen, most people need
to eat more fruits and vegetables while consuming less processed food, sugars, and fats.
Before you ask me Is it ok if I eat ____ to get my carbs?, do some research. See if there are
other foods out there that offer cleaner carbs, or higher quality carbs, or come with other
nutritional benefits. Look for alternatives that taste better, or take less time to prepare. Make sure
your body gets enough healthy carbs and youll be fine.
US Dietary Guidelines
Reading food labels


HOW MUCH to Eat
What Your Body Needs
Ok, so you already know what to eat. But what about how much you should eat? Everyone asks
me for calorie counts and I cant answer that. Every persons body is different from the next.
Some people need more calories, others need less. Some people can survive on just 5 hours of
sleep while others need a full 10 hours. Some bodies are more efficient than others and this has
more to do with your lifestyle than it does with your body type, size, age or shape.
Generally, you have to consume enough to replenish what you spend. If you use 3,000 calories a
day, then you probably need to consume just as much (unless youre trying to lose weight, then
eat less). If your muscles need 30g of protein a day to repair worn-out muscle, then thats the
minimum you should consume.
How much should you eat?
This is what your body needs, according to the
American Dietary Guidelines 2010 (from the US Department of Health):
2400-3000 calories for active men (reference size 510 154lbs)
2000-2400 calories for active women (reference size 54 126lbs)
*active is defined as doing the equivalent of walking over 3 miles a day
You see how vague that is? It really depends on so many factors. Aside from figuring out how
many calories your body needs to function, you have to figure out how to divide up those
calories. How much of your intake should be carbs, proteins, fats?
Every individual needs a different amount of nutrients.

Balanced Diet
A nutrient ratio keeps your diet balanced and makes it easier to keep track of your diet. Instead
of counting every piece of bread and chicken your eat, you can follow a nutrient ratio to make
sure youre getting all your nutrients without over-eat any of them.
A general nutrient ratio would be:
45-65% carbs
10-35% protein
20-35% fats
For example, if your diet requires 1,000 calories to fulfill your normal lifestyle AND boxing
workout, then you might get about 500 calories from carbs (50%), 300 calories from proteins
(30%), and 200 calories from fat (20%).
Calorie-counting is unrealistic,
its easier to follow a nutrient ratio.
There are several ways to figure out a good nutrient ratio.
Rule of Thirds
An easy way to balance your meals is to divide your plate into 3 equal parts of lean protein,
complex carbs, and vegetables/fruits. This simple rule of 2/3rds mixed carbs and 1/3rds proteins
will most likely cover your needed fats. (Rule of Thirds)
Rule of thirds:
Divide your plate into 3 equal portions of:
lean protein, fruits/vegetables, carbs.
Lowest Calorie Nutrient Ratio
Another way to choose your nutrient ratio, is to find a ratio that helps you consume the least
calories. Lets say eating carbs (pasta) all day doesnt make you feel full as when you eat protein
(meat). This would be a problem because youll compensate by eating too much pasta to get full
and likely end up over-eating more calories than you need. So it might be a good idea to
consume more fats (GOOD fats) and/or protein in order to get full on less calories.
Find the perfect nutrient ratio to meet your needs,
then increase or decrease your overall calorie consumption
to the required amount.
Once you find the perfect nutrient ratio to fit your body type, weight loss goals, performance
goals, whatever, you only have to follow your calorie intake. Look at the nutrition labels on your
food and see how many calories youre consuming with every serving. After a week of watching
your calorie intake, youll be able to estimate on the spot if your servings are too big or too
small. Dont make it too scientific. Just eat but be aware of what you put into your body!

Meal Portions
Try to eat as little as possible while still feeling full.
The trick is to consume as few calories as possible while still feeling full. Keep adjusting your
nutrient ratio and daily calorie intake until you come up with a complete diet that leaves you
feeling energized throughout the day, pumped during workouts, lean in the mirror, and still feels
full! (If youre not hungry 3-4 hours after a meal, youre eating too much.)
Size of Meals
Your breakfast and pre-workout meals should get you full, but not TOO full. If your stomach is
bloated or you feel sleepy after eating it, its too much. Your recovery meal after the workout
should be about half a meal. All the smaller meals should feel like something between a snack
and a half meal.
The Risk of Under-eating
Eat too little and youll experience starvation. Your body begins to eat itself, breaking down not
just your fat, but the muscle you worked long and hard to build. Your performance will drop as
will your motivation. Youll hate training and maybe even boxing itself. Your bodys
metabolism will decrease to an all new low and remain there even after you give up boxing.
Many boxers become super-fat after giving up competitive fighting because of this reason. Cut
calories but dont starve yourself!

Dieting Goals
What do you want out of your diet?
Are you looking to gain weight? Lose weight? More energy during workouts? Or maybe youre
a sumo wrestler and need to be as fat as possible (I wont judge). Losing weight will require a
calorie deficit whereas gaining weight will require a calorie surplus.
If you want to lose weight, eat less than you spend WITHOUT starving.
If you want to gain weight, eat more than you spend WITHOUT over-eating.
Fad diets fail over the long run because they break these simple rules. They either starve you, or
deprive your body of essential nutrients for only short-term weight loss. The problem with those
diets is not spreading the deficiency or surplus over multiple meals.

Once again, my awesome friend broke it down into these simple steps:
If you want to lose weight:
A diet is more important than working out, for weight loss.
Maintain a calorie deficit of 500-800 calories per day by eating less and/or spending more
energy. Use lower deficits for long-term weight loss and higher deficits for short-term
weight loss. Its usually much easier to create a calorie deficit from eating less than from
working out more. Do NOT eat less than 1500 calories a day, adults need this much as a
minimum to function.
Stop eating just before you get full.
Drinking water will help you feel full.
Do not go crazy low-carb. Decrease your entire calorie intake, instead of only your carbs
(maintain your nutrient ratio!).
If you want to maintain weight:
Eat until youre full.
Keep doing what youre doing as far as training goes.
If you want to gain FAT weight:
Eat as much as you can, as often as you can.
Staying active can help you build up the appetite to eat more.
Go to sleep right after you eat a giant meal (thats the sumo wrestlers secret to rapid fat
gain).
If you want to gain lean muscle weight: (THE HARDEST DIETING GOAL)
Workout to build your bodys demand to grow bigger muscles.
Workout to build your appetite for eating more.
Eat sufficient protein. Consume between 0.5 and 1 times of your bodyweight in grams of
protein. Example: if you weigh 100lbs, you need 50-100 grams of protein per day. (If you
are overweight, then calculate using your TARGET body weight). Keep in mind that
your diet must stay balanced. You cannot just increase protein, you have to add carbs and
fats to balance your overall diet.
The average person only needs 0.25 to 0.5 times their bodyweight in protein. (This would
be fine for a recreational boxer.) Dont eat too much protein, youre not a bodybuilder!
Extra protein doesnt help you, it hurts you.
The trick to gaining muscle weight is to consume more calories than you use WITHOUT
OVER-eating! (What?! Did that make no sense?) Basically, if you eat too much in one
sitting, the extra will be thrown away as waste. What you want to do is spread the extra
food across your 5-6 meals giving your body more chances to absorb all those extra
calories.
You just need more energy?
Eat a little more (more carbs, proteins, fats, everything).
More tiny snacks throughout the day, especially before your workout (nuts, crackers,
apple).
Try more protein for breakfast.

The Perfect Boxing Diet
How do you know youre eating right?
The cheap way to analyze your diet
Keep track of how you feel. Does your energy level stay up throughout the entire day or
does it fluctuate up and down? Do you feel tired or sleepy throughout the day? Do your
workouts feel flat? What you put into your body definitely affects what you get out of it. I
can usually feel the difference within 1 or 2 days as soon as I start eating on a cleaner
diet.
How does your body look? Did you gain or lose weight? If so, did your lean muscle mass
increase or decrease? Do you look better or worse? What does your doctor say during
your physical examination?
The expensive way to analyze your diet
See a nutritionist and pay for a blood test. It will tell you everything about your blood.
What nutrient deficiencies you have. What you have too much of and what you need
more of. Repeated consultations will help you fine-tune a personalized diet.

What About Metabolism?
Fast metabolism only means you wont get fat eating junk food.
It doesnt mean you can perform well on junk food.
Does it matter if you have fast metabolism or slow metabolism? Not really, because boxing is
about physical performance, not physical appearance. You have to eat healthy no matter how
amazing your metabolism is. Every athlete, fast metabolism or not, must eat as clean as possible
to maximize their performance.
I will even use myself as an example. Im one of those guys that everyone in my gym hates. I can
eat half a pint of ice cream for breakfast. Then a bowl of cereal (1/3rd the box) and instant
noodles an hour later. Ill devour a large pizza for lunch, then go out and have thai food for
dinner, washed down by soda. Its freaken disgusting but my body was genetically advantaged. I
sported a six pack no matter what I ate.
I never ate healthy until I joined the Army. The new food allowed me to exercise for hours
without getting tired. When I first got home from the Army and tried normal civilian food like
hamburgers and pizzas, I felt my arteries clogging right away. My magical endurance had
vanished overnight. Ever since then, I swore to eating healthy and never looked back. Even now,
I can easily run 5 miles on any given day without having been running, and I owe it to having a
clean diet.

A proper boxing diet Is NOT a Secret
Use your common sense!
You might have come here for a chart of eating schedules, foods, and recipes. Although Im
sorry I didnt provide that, I feel Ive given you much more than that. Using the right healthy diet
principles above, youll be able to create a very healthy boxing diet to fit your lifestyle, diet, and
workout habits!

Recaps on the common sense boxing diet:
5-6 small meals a day, every 2-3 hours.
Drink water until your urine is clear (or light yellow).
Eat a big meal for breakfast and another 2 hours before your workout.
Eat before you get hungry, and stop before you get full.
Good carbs are Low GI carbs, good proteins are LEAN meats + nuts, good fats are mono
and poly fats (nuts, fish, olive oil).
Balanced diets make supplements unnecessary.
Balance your nutrients (carbs/proteins/fats), and limit your calorie intake.
If you need to eat less, do it without starving. If you need to eat more, do it without over-
eating.
Your diet should fit YOUR needs, and not the other way around.
Boxing Defense Techniques
November 15, 2011 November 15, 2011 by Johnny N Boxing Techniques, Defense Techniques 68
Comments

A quick rundown of the 6 boxing defense techniques. Footwork, blocking, parrying, rolling,
slipping, and countering! Learn how each defensive technique is used, their advantages and
disadvantages. I list some examples of how they might be effective or ineffective in fighting
situations.
1a. Footwork (GOING AWAY)
Quite possibly the best defensive technique ever invented. (Havent you ever heard the best self-
defense technique is to run?) Why bother learning how to slip or roll under punches when you
can run away? The problem is that you cant attack when youre running away. Or at least if you
want to counter, you have to spend tremendous amounts of energy to bring yourself back into
range again to fire counters. So basically running is easy to do and very effective but theres little
option to counter. This is probably why so many guys start running when they know theyre up
on the scorecards.
PROS:
moving away is the easiest way to avoid getting hit (complete evasion)
avoids anything and everything
great way to frustrate opponent, tiring him out by making him hit air
works well against slower, heavy-footed opponents
CONS:
moving the body takes a lot of energy
hard to counter (or slow to counter)
moving the body can be slow
you can lose fight decisions for not showing aggression
1b. Footwork (GOING AROUND)
Pivots, side-steps, lateral movement. Great for moving away from a punch while still keeping
yourself in range to counter. Good stuff, very effective in theory but not efficient and definitely
not sustainable over the long run. Sure you can pivot around a punch or two here and there but it
takes too much energy to move your entire body when your opponent is only moving his arm.
You end up committing more energy which only pays off if you land deadly counters.
Nonetheless, moving around your opponent is a great way to use angles and to simultaneously
attack and defend. When you work hard to get into range, good technique will help you stay in
range without getting hit.
PROS:
moving around creates great angles
sometimes only way to escape bad positions (like against the ropes)
works well against slower, heavier-footed opponents
CONS:
risky if you get caught while moving (requires skill to evade at close range)
hard to punch while moving
still uses some energy
1c. Footwork (GOING FORWARD)
Smothering is a classic way to avoid punches. Instead of stepping away and being too far, now
you step forward and get too close. If youre able to get close, see if you can get on top of your
opponent. Try to project your chest onto your opponents head and crush him to keep him from
exploding back at you with punches. Theres no easier way to take away your opponents
weapon by grabbing his arm.
PROS:
great for neutralizing opponents punches
clinch/tire out small guys
keeps you in range of tall guys
push opponents around (push them off balance or move them around)
tire out weak-legged guys by making them move
CONS:
can get out-clinched or outworked on the inside if opponent is better inside fighter
can be tiring against well-grounded opponents
fighters using dirty tactics (head butts, low blows)
might walk into punches
2. Blocking
This is your basic boxing defense. Blocking is the easy way to defend without taking yourself
out of range. Requires little energy and little skill. If you really think about it, blocking is not
your first defensive skill-its your first COUNTER-OFFENSIVE skill. Simply cover your
vulnerable areas, dont try to catch the punch, fire back after you block.
Blocking covers both head and body and doesnt leave you open to follow up punches. There are
several drawbacks, mainly that its slow to counter (because hands are busy blocking) and also
that you still absorb partial damage. Blocking is not very helpful for closing distance against
longer armed opponents that can push you back, or defending against bigger opponents who can
still hurt you through your guard, or faster opponents who retract their arms before you counter.
Blocking too much can leave you stuck in your defensive shell and lose decisions for not
showing aggression.
PROS:
effective against all punches
easy (doesnt require much skill, energy, reflexes)
completely closed up
great for all but the heaviest punches
safe way to fight for fast punchers (block & counter)
safe way to fight at close range
easiest way to defend body punches
good defense for jabs (most common boxing attack)
CONS:
requires high energy/high speed to counter (slow to counterarms used as defense)
can be trapped in a shell
take partial damage (not effective against bigger or more powerful opponents)
not recommended against opponents that use long arms or volume to keep pushing you
back
hard to counter against faster opponents that retract their arms fast
hands sometimes block vision
3. Parrying
Its like a block but youre slightly deflecting your opponents punch away with your hand. A
small carry can take the power of your opponents hardest punches, whereas a big parry can
guide your opponent off balance and vulnerable using his own momentum. At some point all
your blocks should be made with a slight parrying motion to blunt the hardest punches.
The parry is a great way to wear out your opponents by using their momentum against them. It
works best against guys that take more energy to commit to their punches, especially power
punchers and long-armed punchers. The power punchers are always committing tremendous
body force which is an opportunity to parry their punch and create openings for your counters.
Long-armed punchers are especially vulnerable to parry since they have take longer to retract
their punches. By making them miss and parrying their punches you will tire out their long arms
faster.
The drawbacks to the parry is that it doesnt work well against light punchers (that use no
momentum) and also against curved punches. There is also a risk of leaving yourself vulnerable
to fakes if youre trying to parry a punch.
PROS:
great for power punches
great for straight punches
great for long punches
great for push punches (body weight committed)
create vulnerability for counters, make them off balance or slow down arm recovery
tiring opponents, especially long-armed opponents and power-punchers
useful for long-armed fighters that can hold their hands out while their head is out of
reach
useful for shorter fighters to deflect punches as they get inside
CONS:
ineffective against fast/light/non-committed punches
doesnt work against curved punches
not always effective against combination punchers
can leave you open if you get faked
hard to do at close range
still a tiny bit slow for countering the fastest punchers because hands are still used for
defense
not particularly helpful against body punches
Parrying Guides:
How to Parry Punches
4. Rolling
The shoulder roll is naturally the next step up from the parry technique. Instead of deflecting
punches with your hands, you use your body now. The shoulder roll is incredibly effective
because your body can roll off your opponents best shots with ease while keeping your hands
free to counter faster. The shoulder roll relies on rhythm for defense and effectively neutralizes
entire combinations at even close range.
The drawback to the shoulder roll is that it is ineffective against smaller, faster shots like the jab
which are thrown the majority of the time. The shoulder roll can also leave you highly vulnerable
to a punch if you get faked and/or roll in the wrong direction.
PROS:
effective and easy against multiple punches
great for power punches
frees up the hands for faster counter punching
covers both head and body easily
can work when blind or off-balanced
will deflect power even when punches land
save shoulder energy & gives tricky counter angles (when done with front arm down)
CONS:
ineffective/unnecessary against weak punches (like jabs)
less effective in cross-stance match-ups (southpaw vs orthodox)
Learn the Shoulder Roll:
How to Shoulder Roll
5. Slipping
Slipping is the most skillful defensive boxing technique. It requires complete evasion of the
punch by displacing the head or body to one side, USUALLY by going to the outside of the
oncoming punch. It is incredibly effective in that the opponent misses entirely and your hands
(and body) are completely free to counter or escape.
The drawbacks to slipping is that it requires very high skill and awareness to pull off
successfully. Its not enough to avoid the punch, you have to be in position to counter
immediately since it isnt realistic (energy-wise) to slip entire combinations. Should you make
any mistake during slipping, you will take a direct hit.
Slipping is the best way (sometimes the only way) to counter against really fast opponents.
Sometimes its the only way to close distance against a taller opponent, or escape off the ropes.
The drawbacks to slipping is that its very hard to use against body punches and fast volume
punchers that throw many sharp fast punches. Slipping can also be very tiring mentally and
physically to do throughout and entire fight and leaves you especially vulnerable if youre faked
out.
PROS:
hands and body completely free to counter instantaneously
creates huge vulnerabilities in opponent (he is wide open during missed punch)
avoid punch entirely, no contact (assuming successful slip)
create escapes (great way to escape when trapped in the corner)
allows you to come forward while defending
can be done with arms down (preserving shoulder muscles)
complete evasion easily breaks your opponents punching rhythm (combo-breaker)
CONS:
requires great skill
highly vulnerable if caught
highly vulnerable if faked
not recommended against multiple punches (very hard and/or tiring)
not really possible against body punches
Slipping Guides:
How to Slip Punches
How to Slip Punches in Boxing
6. Countering
Yes, offense (or counter-offense) is the best defense. See if you can evade your opponents
punch by landing one of your own. Maybe your punch cuts straight up the middle intercepting
his, or maybe your punch pulls your head out of the way of his punch. If you really think about
it, all defense techniques are simply a way of getting you in position to counterbut if you can
counter right off the bat, thats even better.
PROS:
maintains effective aggression, being offensive or counter-offensive
no better defense than hurting your opponent badly as he tries to punch
best way to go from defensive to offensive
effective way to stop volume punchers
more energy efficient since youre combining offense and defense in one motion
best time to hurt your opponent, counters cause the most damage
CONS:
can be tiring since opponents are forcing you to fight at their pace
potentially deadly when exchanging punches
your counter might get countered
Countering Guides:
7 Easy Boxing Counters
Baiting and Forcing Counters
Whats the BEST DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUE?!
The best defensive technique? No such thing. Use the one that fits your situation. Use the one
that feels the most natural in that moment. If you have to think about it, its probably not natural.
Evade your opponents punches any way that you can and be sure to counter right away.
Different techniques will work best against different opponent styles. Great boxers are forever
adapting their offense to get around your defense, so youll have to keep changing up your
defense to keep them off you.
There are unlimited ways to beat an opponent. If you were a short guy fighting a tall fighter, you
might want to parry from long distance to tire out his arms, then slip to get inside, and then move
sideways to avoid his punches while staying in range. Or you might try to walk him down by
coming in with a high guard and shoving him off balance repeatedly. Be creative and always
know that you have many different boxing techniques at your disposal! Styles make fights!
Defensive technique is for avoiding punches
WHILE STAYING IN RANGE TO ATTACK!
The point of defense is to be more effectively offensive. If you dont punch back, there is no
point to even staying in range of your opponent. Learning how to use all these defensive
techniques will help you block, deflect, and evade even the most skillful punchers! But most
important of all, defensive techniques should make you more offensive!
Shadowboxing Drills:
Start moving around and relax your whole body. Dont worry so much about putting your hands
all the way up. Use proper form but not to the point where you become stiff and tired in the
shoulders. You want your whole body to be loose and relaxed when you shadowbox for speed!
Here are the punch numbers Im using:
1 = left jab
2 = straight right / right cross
3 = left hook
4 = right hook / overhand right
5 = left uppercut
6 = right uppercut
*reverse these if you are southpaw (left-handed)
Ok, HERE WE GO! Follow along and mix it up!
Basic Jab Tricky Combos
1, move around, 1
1, back step, 1
1, step in, 1
Double-jab
1-1
1-1 (step in twice)
Triple Jab
1-1-1
Jab, Right Cross
1-2
1-1-2
1-2-1
1-2-1-2
1-2-1-1
Left Hook Now
1-2-3
1-2-3-2
Left-Right Left-Rights!
1-2-3-2-1
1-2-1-2-3
2-3-2
2-3-2-1
2-3-2-1-2
1-3
1-1-3
1-3-2
1-2-3-3-2
1-3-1-2
1-2-3-1-2
5-6-2
5-1-2-3-2
1-6-2-1-2
Uppercuts Now
1-6
1-6-3-2
3-6-3-2
1-2-5
1-2-5-2
Long Combos (focus on sharp rapid
breathing!)
6-5-6-5-2-3-2
1-2-5-2-3-6-3-2
1-1-2-3-6-3-2
5-2-1-6-3-2-1-2
take any of the above and combine it with
other punch combos
Go 3 rounds straight. Exhale on every single punch and every single movement. Dont worry
about doing all the combos listed above. Stick to your favorite ones and then try one or two new
ones each time. You should NOT be getting tired. If you are, then youre too stiff. Relax the
shoulders some more and maybe even slow down just a little bit. If you get winded punching air,
imagine what being in the ring might feel like.
When you step around during the combos, take REAL SMALL steps. You only need to take one-
inch steps, that way your feet can move as fast as your hands. If you take big steps, your feet
might still be in the air leaving your punches un-grounded and without power.
Dont worry about power! Some sequences that have double-lefts or double-rights are going to
feel weak. Again, you are just working on speed, not power. Just let your hands flow and get
some rhythm into there. Have a few pauses here and there in between your combinations and
then pick up the speed again.
Last note, please watch the Manny Pacquiao shadowboxing video below. What hes doing is a
perfect example of speed shadowboxing. Sharp breathing, very tiny steps, fast focus on punches.
He doesnt focus on single punches, hes focusing on entire combinations. And for the
923084723th time, RELAX!


Fast Punching On the Heavy Bag (Speed Endurance)
Fast punching isnt always about speed. Sometimes its about endurance. Moving a weight faster
will always take more energy. So its pretty hard to throw fast punches, or even practice fast
punches, if you dont have the endurance for it.
Throwing flurries of fast punches can wear anybody out. You dont realize it at first but once you
get tired, your slower opponent suddenly becomes faster than you. The even bigger danger of
getting tired is that your punches become too slow to hit your opponent. So lets work on speed
endurance so you can throw fast punches throughout the entire fightand not just the first round.
Punch Interval Drills:
Get a partner and stand on opposite sides of the bag. One boxer holds the bag steady while the
other one punches non-stop for 15-20 seconds. Then switch. Keep doing this until the 3-minute
round is over and then take your 1-minute break. 2 to 3 rounds of this is a great way to finish off
heavy bag workouts.
Some thoughts on this fast-punching drill:
Dont waste your time getting somebody to time you 15-20 seconds. Instead just count it
in your head or out loud as you punch. When you finish, just stop and the other boxer
should know instinctively to begin punching.
You can do variations against the bag. On the first interval, do regular punches aimed
high (palm facing the ground, aimed a spot of the bag thats 6-8 inches above your head).
On the second interval, do vertical punches aimed straight at shoulder level into the bag.
By vertical punches, I mean with the palm facing sideways, like a standing fist. On
the third interval, do SMALL quick uppercuts into the bag at body level. Keep repeating
until the round ends.
Punch interval drills develop your arm and shoulder endurance. Which is VERY important in
your performance during the later rounds. It doesnt matter if your body is not tired overall
Once your arms and shoulders get too tired,
your punches become too slow to hit your opponent.
Sure you might still have your power in the late rounds but if you dont have the speed, that
power wont make any difference! So work to make sure you build that arm and shoulder
endurance. In case you havent noticed, this fast-punching drill is a boxings rendition of Tabata
drills (in case you want to know more about the science behind this method of training).
The crucial reminder is that you dont get too ambitious and try to hit the bag like that for 3
minutes straight. The rest periods allow your arms to regain the energy to punch at max speed.
You should always train at your true top speed (going 100% when youre exhausted is not true
top speed). Think about it, sprinters dont train for speed by running 2 miles all at once. Instead,
they sprint short distances, take a break and repeat (aka Sprint Intervals). The break allows their
legs to regain the energy to sprint at full speed again. Likewise, you want to have breaks to
regain the energy to punch at full speed again. This way, youre spending more of your time
training at full speed and not half-speed, which is what happens when over-ambitious beginners
go 30 minutes non-stop without a break!
The other part about not skipping the break is that you might have a better workout when you
constantly have to stop and start again. Throwing punches non-stop is easy to do when youre
already in motion. But having to stop and start again, like in a real fight, is much harder to do
when you have to keep starting up your rhythm. So please, dont skip the breaks. 15-20 seconds
for each boxer, then switch!


Forced Speed Training (Speedbag & Double-End Bag)
The speedbag and double-end bag are great equipment for building speed. Aside from improving
your accuracy, timing, reflex, and coordination, they are great for forced hand speed exercises.
Punching fast is quite easy if youre only punching when you feel like it. Unfortunately, this is
never the case in real fights. In real fights, youre always being FORCED to punch even when
you dont want to. Because youre throwing these punches as a panic reaction rather than an
action of your own intention, these forced punches tire you out faster. So back to the speedbag
and double-end bag, they force you to punch even when you dont feel like it. No matter how
tired you are, you HAVE to throw punches at the bag.
The speedbag and double-end bag also come with their own unique qualities. The speedbag does
build arm endurance and shoulder endurance. The double-end bag helps improve your accuracy
and timing. This bag forces you always to react fast and think fast. Learning how to work the
double-end bag is an art in itself. So Ive save that long explanation for another day. For now,
just keep in mind that those will improve your hand speed. Do 2-3 rounds each on the speedbag
and double-end bag.

Resistance Training to Build Speed Muscles
Push-ups (Explosive Speed)
Push-ups, when perform with speed-specific technique, can help you add speed to your punches.
Because everyones arms are different, you have to find the perfect variation on where to set
your hands and how low to go. The focus is on speed, not power. You want to finish these sets
FAST!
EXTENDED PUSH-UPS
Because of my longer arms and thin frame, I prefer to do push-ups that only go 1/3rd of
the way down. So this means I am only working out triceps in this extended phase of
the push-up. I do about 10 quick sets of only 10-15 repetitions each. Again Im only
working out the top phase of the push-up to maximize quick speed and trying to explode
on each one. Focus on going down fast and up fast (most people go down slow and up
fast). When you pause, pause at the top of the push-up, and not at the bottom.
MEDICINE BALL PUSH-UPS
Get down into push-up position but with a medicine ball under one hand. As you do one
push-up, quickly push your body over to the other side so that you land with the other
arm on the medicine ball. Do these as fast as you can. 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Another
variation you can do is to have 2 medicine balls spaced apart wider than your shoulder
width. Have one hand on a medicine ball with the other hand planted on the ground right
between. As you do a push-up, you will move your body sideways so that both hands
constantly move between the side and the middle. (Please comment if you need a better
explanation of this.) Again, 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
CLAPPING PUSH-UPS
Another plyometric-style push-up routine I like is the clapping push-ups. You can do 3
sets of 10 to 15 clapping push-ups at a time. The important thing is to spend as little time
as possible at the bottom of the push-up. You dont necessarily have to come high off the
ground but just make sure you dont spend too much time with your arms bent at the
bottom of the push-up.

Resistance Training for Speed
Resistance Bands
You can also develop faster punches with resistance bands and isometric training. Resistance
bands apply a constant force as youre throwing punches. This constant resistance allows you to
build speed and explosive power throughout the whole movement. Regular weight training cant
do this because the weight is only heavy at the beginning. Once you push the weight, your
momentum makes the work easier as you extend your arm. Swimming can also be good for
constant resistance training since the water is constantly working against you.
Isometric Training
Isometric training is a type of workout where you exert force but your body doesnt move at all.
But how can you exert force without moving?! You can do isometric training with your arms by
going up to a wall and posing yourself in a punching position as if youre punching the wall.
Now push against the wall for 10-15 seconds for 3 sets at a time. Feel free to pose at different
angles that mimic different punches and target different muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps).
The whole theory behind isometric training for speed is that youre training your arms as if they
were rubberbands. Youre training your arm muscle to store energy so that once the hold is
releasedSNAPyour arm flies out like a charged up rubberband.


Recovery Muscles
The punch recovery speed is one thing MANY boxers neglect in speed training. Everyone loves
to work out the punch muscles such as the chest and triceps but rarely do they work on the
recovery muscles such as the back, lats, and rear shoulder muscles. What many boxers dont
realize is that the recovery phase is half the motion of a punch, so being able to pull your arms
back faster allows you to punch again much sooner!
Ive also noticed many beginners doing nothing more than hitting the heavy bag in training. The
heavy bag is a solid object so if you punch the bag, it will always bounce your hand back at you
which doesnt train your punch recovery muscles. Sure you can go 10 rounds easy on the heavy
bag but what happens when you try to spar? After missing only a few punches in the ring, your
arms are completely tired and youre not sure why. Its because youre not used to missing and
youre not used to punching air, so your recovery muscles (your back, rear shoulders, and rear
lats) are developed to pull your hands back fast enough.
Best workouts for strengthening the punch-recovery muscles:
Shadowboxing
Youre constantly punching the air while youre shadowboxing which forces you to use
your muscles to pull your arms back. Try shadowboxing at 100% speed with gloves on
and youll realize how weak your recovery muscles are. You dont have to add weights or
do anything fancy. Even regular shadowboxing will help balance your rear upper-body
muscles out with your front upper-body muscles.
Pull-ups
Pull-ups are an awesome exercise for the back and lats. Do 3 sets of 6, or 8, or 12.
Whatever you can do, just do it. Now your upperbody wont look so hunched over to the
front any more.
Pulling Exercises
I got too lazy to go chasing down exercise names. Any exercise that mimics a pulling
motion will be good. We have the TRX Suspension band at my gym and it works great
for this, but cable pull-downs or pulling at resistance bands will also work.


Stretching
Loose, relaxed muscles have the potential to move faster. Dont fight with soreness in your
shoulders and in your body. Make sure you have good stretching sessions and take your time in
warming up your muscles. Even on days that youre not training, try to stretch. Many of the
fastest fighters I have ever met also happened to be the most flexible people I know. (I wrote an
article on the importance of flexibility for boxing.) For the record, you should be stretching a
MINIMUM of 30-45 minutes before each workout and then also another 10-20 minutes at the
end of the day. Professional boxers, and perhaps all elite athletes, typically do at least double
that.


Final Thoughts on Hand Speed Exercises
Speed begins first in the mind and THEN in the body
If you cant think fast, you will never be able to move fast.
after all, your body cant box on auto-pilot. Relax the mind, concentrate and stay focused, but
be aware of everything around you. Dont focus each punch one by one. Try to focus on the
entire combination or the entire flurry. Each punch combo has its purpose, whether its to come
inside, land some hooks to the body, or just put your opponent on the defensive to make room for
you to escape.
Oh and one more thing. Dont try to do every single drill up above all in one day and on
everyday of training. Have some variation and focus on one thing each day and not everything
everyday
Basic Boxing Combinations
1-2 (Jab-Right cross)
Yes, the basic 1-2 jab-cross is naturally the first combination you learn how to throw. Its the
first two punches youve ever thrown together and youve probably been doing it long before
you started boxingprobably on your little brother or your annoying next door neighbor. The
fast jab catches your opponent off guard and the right cross takes his head off. You can actually
win entire fights simply by mastering the 1-2.
1-1-2 (Jab-Jab-Cross)
This one is a way to trick your opponent. The 1-1-2 works because your opponent might be
expecting a 1-2. If so, then the second jab has a good chance of surprising your opponent
opening the way once again for your big right hand. The 1-1-2 is also good if you feel that your
opponent is waiting for your right cross to throw a counter. Instead of throwing your usual 1-2,
you will throw endless jabs testing the waters (or your opponents defense) until he slips up and
you put a right cross in there.
See why the 1-1-2 is the Best Boxing Combination.
1-2-3 (Jab-Cross-Left hook)
This is where boxing starts to get fun. The shift of your weight when you throw the right hand
naturally sets the left hook up. The left hook comes after your right cross and can put some
massive hurting on your opponent. You can aim it high at his jaw or low at his body. Either way,
the left hook is equally dangerous regardless of whether or not your right cross lands.
1-2-3-2 (Jab-Cross-Hook-Cross)
This is nothing but you throwing LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT. The jab opens your opponents
guard. You follow-up with 3 big power punches: right hand, left hook, right hand finish. When
the 3 big punches land beautifully, you can pat yourself on the back.
Learn more about this basic boxing combo.
1-2-5-2 (Jab-Cross-Left uppercut-Cross)
This combo is the same as the last except instead of a left hook, you put a left uppercut in there.
The left uppercut will surprise your opponent since its coming from a downward angle. If the
other guy likes to hide behind his high guard with his head down or if he likes to charge into you,
the left uppercut will pop his head up so you can chop it off with the right hand finish.
1-6-3-2 (Jab-Right uppercut-Left hook-Right hand)
Starting with the 1-2 all the time can get a little too predictable. Your opponent might get clever
and try to slip the right hand. Or he might simply anticipate a straight right hand and just have his
guard up. In either case, throwing a right uppercut into there will do a ton of damage and lift his
head up so you can follow up with a left hook right hand finish. You can aim the right uppercut
at the body or the head, its your call. Make sure you dont get too predictable when you do this,
because your head is vulnerable to jabs and DEADLY counter left hooks when you throw that
right uppercut.
2-3-2 (Right cross-Left hook-Right cross)
Sometimes you dont have room to setup a whole combination. If youve got an overly
aggressive opponent thats invading your space, then you dont have time to start with the jab.
Drop a right hand on him followed by a left hook and another big right hand. If hes already wide
open, why waste your time with a jab? Just start with the hard punches right away. The 2-3-2 is
very good at close range. Dig your feet and make it hurt.
Want More Punching Combinations?
You dont have to learn more combinations. You can just change the way you throw certain
punches to create infinitely more ways to get through to your opponent.
Lighten The Left Hand
Many beginners try to put power into every punch. Dont do that, save your power and body
weight for the big right hand. When you jab, keep it light and accurate. You can also throw
lighter left hooks to keep yourself from swinging off balance if you miss.
Throw Some Fakes
This is great stuff. Instead of throwing a 1-2, fake the jab to get your opponent to lift his hand
and then just land your right cross since his defense is in the wrong place. Do the same with
other combinations faking the first punch or maybe the second punch. You can throw a jab, fake
the right (make your opponent put his guard in front), and land a big left hook that goes around
his guard.
Double The Left Hands
Same theory as the 1-1-2 but you can also double left hooks, or left uppercuts. Dont always
throw LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT all the time. Its too predictable and too easy to block.
Throw LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-LEFT-RIGHT. Thatll switch him up as he blocks the wrong side
and you hit him with the other hand.
Throw Faster Punches
Again, dont load power into every punch. Lighten them up so you can throw them faster
increasing your chances of connecting. You can save the power for later when you have your
opponent hurt, tired, and dropping his hands out of laziness. You can also mix it up, throwing
fast punches with hard punches. The fast punches disrupt your opponents rhythm whereas the
hard punches deliver the real power.
Go To The Body
Dont always aim for the head. Its too predictable and may not work against speedy boxers that
move well. The body is a bigger target and will force your opponent to block high and low. Go
up and down and force him to work doubletime on defense and increase your chances of landing
something. Another thing you should know, a well-placed body punch can cripple your opponent
in a painful knockout.
Its not what punches you throw,
its how you throw the punches.
Professionals use the same combinations over and over again. They dont go out trying to throw
more punches, or harder punches. They simply alter the aim, angle, and timing of their
combinations to beat their opponents.
Punch Legend
Each number below represents a punch. (Combinations are for orthodox fighters. There is a
small section for southpaws below.)
Punches
1 = jab
2 = right hand
3 = left hook
4 = right hook (or overhand right)
5 = left uppercut
6 = right uppercut
b = body (example: 1b = jab to the body)
Defense
[] = blocking
() = rolling
{} = rolling under
// = slipping or lean away from
<> = pivot away from
Movement
p/pccw = almost all pivots are on the front foot (p means pivot clockwise on the frontfoot,
pccw means pivot counter-clockwise on the front foot)
bp = backfoot pivot. very rarely used (bpccw means pivot counter-clockwise off your backfoot)
ls/rs = leftstep and rightstep. self-explanatory
bs = backstep (example: 1bs means you backstep as you throw the jab, 1-bs means you backstep
AFTER you throw the jab)
f = fake (example: 1f-3 means to fake a jab to the head, and then throw a left hook right after)
t = tap (example: 1t-2 means to throw a light tap jab, followed by a right cross)
sl/sr = slip left, slip right (example: 1-sl-3 means jab, then slip left, then left hook. 1sr-2 means
jab as you slip to the right and throw a right hand after)
To use the punching combinations listed below, simply chain the combos in this order:
starter > ender OR starter > combo > ender
(1/14/10 ad)
Common Punching Combinations
Most commonly used punching combinations inside the boxing ring. (These combinations are
complete as is, no need to pick a starter or ender for these.)
1-1
1-1-2
1-2
1-2-1
1-2-1-2
1-2-3-2
1-6-3-2
Starters
These sequences are commonly used to start off your combinations. You are also welcome to
start off a combination with a counter-punch. To look up counter-punches, please look up this
guide: xxxx
1
1-2
1-6b
2-1
Advanced Combinations
Highly advanced punching combinations that require advanced movement and highly
coordinated punching skills.
1-bs-1
1-bs-1-2
In-Fighting
Punching combinations for use up close or when in the clinch.
6-5-2-1p
6-3
6-3p
4b-3b-2-1-2
rs-5
1-2-3b-pivot-4b-4-1
1-4b-3b-6-1
Tricky Starters
Used these combinations to open up highly defensive opponents as you confuse and penetrate
their defenses.
1-3-2
1b-2
1-2b
1-2b-3
4-1b
4b-6-3-2 (works best in close range)
bs-2
1f-3
6-2
2-2
1t-2
1t-2t-3
Power Enders
End your punching combinations with these punches to do the most damage to your opponent.
Ending with these punch combinations may leave you vulnerable to a counter-punch so beware!
1p-2

Evasive Enders
End your punching combinations with these punch series to get you out of harms way safely.
1p
1b-bs
4bpccw (pivot ccw off the backfoot as you throw a right hook)
3p
2-p-2
Punch Combos for Orthodox Against Southpaws (left-
handers):
2-2-1bs
1-2b
2-rs-2-1-2b
2-1-2b
1-1-2b-3


Punch Combos for Southpaws Against Orthodox Boxers
1-2
2-2
2-3-2
2-3-2b
1-1-2b-3
6-1-2
6b-6-2-1
2-1-1-6-1

Evasive Combos
1-2-/1/-2
1-2-/1/-2-3-2
1-2-{3}-2
1-2-{3}-/2/-3-2
1-2-{3}-3-2-3
1-2-3-{2}-3-2
1-/1/-2-1-1
1-/1/-2-3-2


Training Out The Flinch Reflex
This is a guide base solely on training out your flinch reflex. Im talking about the natural reflex
where a fighter may blink or close his eyes and stiffen up his body when he sees punches coming
his way. Its natural but there is a way to fight through it. You basically have to practice.

For most beginners, the flinch reflex is when they cant keep their eyes open when they are
taking punches. For other fighters, it has to do with them panicking a little and holding their
breath when theyre taking punches. This only makes their condition worse since they will get
the wind knocked out of them when they get hit with a clean punch. In fact, part of the reason
why fighting in the ring is so tiring is because people cant overcome their flinch reflex and so
they keep freaking out and holding their breath instead of relaxing.

2 drills to help you get rid of that flinch reflex
Glove-Tapping Drill
This is a very basic drill but is still recommended for all boxers regardless of their skill level.
Basically the boxer walks around the ring forwards and backwards as the trainer (or another
boxer) keeps tapping him on his gloves. (These are not properly thrown punches, its just a
bunch of quick gloves taps from the attacking boxer. You rapidly tap his gloves at awkward
rhythms.) The point of the drill is for the defending boxer to be able to block all the light punches
while keeping his eyes open and his breathing in perfect rhythm. It will take a lot of practice but
soon you will be able to take punches without getting your rhythm broken up.
Jab Jab Counter Drill
Many fighters lose because they have not perfect this drill. This drill basically prevents you from
leaning back when youre taking a punch. Basically you and another boxer will move around the
ring taking turns at jabbing each other. Heres how it works: Boxer A jabs at Boxer B first.
Boxer B immediately cuts the jab short by blocking it with the right hand and returns with a
counter-jab at the air ABOVE Boxer As head. NOW HERE IS THE CRITICAL POINT: when
you are taking a jab, do NOT flinch and lean back to cushion the punch! Instead, you must
quickly stop the punch and then step forward and make an assertive counter-jab into your
opponent. It will take time but soon you will be able to quickly catch a jab, and instantaneously
return a counter without wasting a split second by leaning back.
Once you learn these basic drills, you can learn the next reflex drill which is the [Push Down and
Counter On Top]
How to Shoulder Roll
November 6, 2011 November 6, 2011 by Johnny N Boxing Techniques, Defense Techniques 111
Comments
What if you could defend against punches without using your hands? How much faster would
you be able to counter if your hands werent so busy blocking punches? You dont need Floyd
Mayweathers reflexes to do the shoulder roll. Ill show you the technique and teach you how to
roll with the punches!
Its time you
learned one of the oldest defensive techniques in boxing
The Shoulder Roll
The shoulder roll is a defensive move where you deflect a punch by rolling your shoulders away
from it. The punch lands harmlessly on your shoulders as your opponent shoulder is loaded to
come back with a hard counter. When used in rapid succession, the shoulder roll is quite
effective in neutralize entire combinations with little effort. Its a simple move to learn yet used
by even the most skilled boxers.

One of my all-time defensive favorites! JAMES TONEY!
Why learn the shoulder roll?
Easier Than Blocking!
The shoulder roll is ridiculously easy to do. You can block entire combinations just by rolling
your shoulders back and forth. No more worrying about perfect hand placement or seeing every
punch that comes at you. As long as you know which side the punch is coming from, you can
roll away from it easily. The shoulder roll takes all the complication out of boxing defense.
More Effective Than Blocking!
Heres a little secret: its not really possible to block HARD punches with just your hand. Would
you ever block a hammer with your hand? Neither would I. At some level in boxing, all punches
become power punches; and just sticking your hand in front is not going to stop it. Rolling away
from the punch effectively deflects the power! The shoulder roll will minimize the punch impact
EVEN IF IT LANDS!
The shoulder roll if you think about it, is a natural progression from the parrying defense
technique. With parrying, you learned how to deflect your opponents punches with your hand
and counter. The shoulder is a step up using your shoulders to parry so that your hands are free to
counter. The shoulder roll, once you learn the timing, can be easier than parrying.
Have you ever blocked a punch only to have your own glove smash your face?
Deflected punches that land,
have less impact than
squared punches through the glove.

Frees Your Hands For Countering
Seriously, who blocks punches with their hands anymore? Only noobs do that! (kidding). But
reallythe shoulder roll will use your body rotation to deflect punches so you can use your
hands for something more important, like punching back!
How to Shoulder Roll
Start in your basic stance

Stand in your regular boxing stance.
You dont have to drop your left hand to shoulder roll!
Shoulder Roll Away from Right Hands

Rolling away from the right hand as I lift my shoulder to cover my chin.
Keep your back straight and dont lean backwards.
Roll just enough to avoid that right hand.


Sometimes the right hand is blocked from the outside


Sometimes the right hand is deflected to the inside.
Wide right hands are typically blocked from the outside.
Straight right hands are typically parried by your shoulder to the inside.
Just roll your shoulders, dont worry about where the right hand goes.
Countering the Right Hand

Counter #1 STRAIGHT RIGHT


Counter #2 RIGHT UPPERCUT
Shoulder Roll Away from Left Hooks

Roll AWAY from the left hook


Dont roll into the left hook.
Roll AWAY from the left hook, not into it.
Dont roll away so much that you get hit in the back.
If you roll into the hook, you risk getting hit or pushed off balance.
Countering the Left Hook (after the shoulder roll)

Counter #1 JAB


Counter #2 LEFT HOOK

The Left Hand Can Be Up

Shoulder roll with the left hand up, blocking from the outside.


Shoulder roll with left hand up, deflecting the right hand inside.
You dont have to drop your left hand to do the shoulder roll.
Shoulder Roll Video
Helpful boxing instructional video demonstrating the shoulder roll technique and basic drills to
help you learn this effective boxing defense technique.
Practicing the Shoulder Roll
Shoulder Roll Drill

Stand at arms length with a partner.



Partner throws lefts and rights non-stop as you keep rolling away.
Your partner shoulder be swinging at shoulder level.
Have your partner randomly mix up straight rights and wide rights.
Exaggerate the roll, rotate your shoulders all the way during this drill.
Put the hands down, so you focus on the RHYTHM instead of covering your face.
Keep it slow using NO POWER; youre just touching each other and learning the rhythm. Keep
going LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT. Trade places after 1 round. Each fighter can do one round
of this as a warm-up everyday. YES, I know the drill seems unrealistic because nobodys aiming
for the head. The point of the drill is to focus on developing the rhythm, not on covering your
face. Once you have the technique down, the application comes naturally.
Shoulder Roll & Counter Drill


Same drill as before but this time, you throw counter-punches.


Shoulder roll with COUNTER LEFT


Shoulder roll with COUNTER RIGHT
Start off with the same LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT shoulder roll rhythm.
To punch during the shoulder roll, just release a punch from the shoulder going forward.
Dont focus on his punch or your punch, just feel the rhythm and release a punch anytime
you want.
Aim at your partners chest; dont hit hard. (This is just practice.)
Try countering several times in a row and return to just shoulder rolls without losing
rhythm.
Take turns! Switch after each round.
Push & Shoulder Roll

Have a trainer push you into the ropes during mitt work


and surprise you with 3-4 punches. You know what to do!
As long as you know what side the first punch is coming from, the rest is easy.

The shoulder rolls essence is IN THE ROLL!
Dont worry about the shoulder.
The secret is in the ROLL, not the shoulder! Dont focus on blocking the punch with your
shoulder. Focus on deflecting the punch as you turn away from it. Even if the punch goes
over your shoulder, a good roll will still deflect the power off your head.
The shoulder roll teaches you to move with your opponent. You learn read his movement and
roll at just the right time to deflect his punch. Roll too late and you get hit; roll too early and
youll telegraph your movement or leave yourself vulnerable. Do the shoulder roll drills with a
pure focus on rhythm. Keep it slow at first, and dont speed up until you both have the perfect
rhythm.
You and your partner must match each others rhythm.
Dont try to surprise each other.
When you practice the shoulder roll, try to be in sync with each other like a dance. Keep it slow.
Once you match your opponents punching rhythm, focus on other things. Calm your breathing,
relax your body, pay attention to your feet, pay attention to your balance. Start looking around
the room, try to have a conversation with other people in the room! What have you realized???
YOUR DEFENSE HAS BECOME AUTOMATIC!!! ((( HELL YEAH,
CONGRATULATIONS! )))
You have mastered the shoulder roll when it becomes automatic. Try to feel your opponents
rhythm without having to look for his punches. Now take this time to study your opponent. Look
at his feet, or his body. Is he leaning in? Does he throw punches with bad form? Where would
you like to counter punch? When I do the shoulder roll drills, I dont worry about defense,
Im looking for openings!
Do not be discouraged if your shoulder roll does not come off smooth the first few times you try
it in a fight. Like any move, the shoulder roll takes practice. Realistically, its hard for the
shoulder roll to be effective when youve only practiced it a few times compared to the hundreds
of times your opponent practiced his punch.
Masters of the Shoulder Roll
Study some of my favorite boxing masters of the shoulder roll. Im sure everybody has their own
list but I highly recommend watching these guys.
James Toney ultra-natural talented fighter, old school boxing skills, my favorite
defensive fighter. (Have you ever seen anybody fight without getting in shape?)
Pernell Whitaker he uses more slipping than rolling but so ridiculously talented! One of
my all time favorites. If you thought Floyd Mayweathers defense was good, watch this
guy fight with his hands down the entire time.
Joan Guzman excellent defense, very flashy defensive fighter. You have to watch a full
fight to appreciate.
Guillermo Rigondeaux incredible defense, its a shame he counters so well you never
get to see him on the defensive much.
Floyd Mayweather very effective, precision shoulder rolls.
Kevin Johnson defensive heavyweight. (Proof that big guys can shoulder roll too!)
Using the Shoulder Roll
The shoulder roll is simple boxing skill that should have been taught to you from day one. Its
not just a defensive move, it teaches you boxing rhythm to help you attack, counter-attack, as
well as defend. Rolling the shoulders defends you against attacks while loading up your counter
punch on your opponents weak side. The moment you figure out your opponents rhythm, just
start rolling his punches!
The shoulder roll uses RHYTHM as your defense.
The real trick to using the shoulder roll is not to think about the shoulders. Think about it. Its not
about blocking the punch with your shoulder or your arm or whatever. In a real fight, punches
are going to get through. As long as you roll with the punches, you will be fine! Because youre
using rhythm as your defense, your mind will be free to think about other things. Instead of
focusing on blocking or slipping punches, you just let your bodys natural rhythm run your
automatic defense. The shoulder roll makes your defense automatic so you can focus on
punching.
The shoulder roll is effective no matter what your opponent throws. You dont have to be
balanced, you dont have to really use your eyes. The simple action of you turning away from the
punch will deflect its full power off you. Rolling punches is more effective at defending power
punches than just blocking. Many advanced boxers roll with every punch; theyre not just
blocking.
Try a slight shoulder roll with every block.
Last but not leastPLEASE throw counters! Do not sit there trying to roll everything. Quickly
find your footing and come back immediately.
Even Floyd Mayweather, as great as he is, most also throw a counter or else he eventually gets
hit by a punch. I saw a fight not too long ago where Jason Litzau did a good job of rolling Adrien
Broners punches. Unfortunately, he either didnt have the cognizance to come back with a
counter or chose not tohe ultimately got caught and knocked out in the first round. The
shoulder roll can avoid punches, but it wont avoid a fight.
Shoulder Roll Tips:
Dont over-rotate. Rotate just enough to avoid the punch.
Dont get faked out, your opponent might punch with the opposite hand as you roll into
it!
Keep your eyes on your opponent the whole time.
Try to add a pivot when you roll the front shoulder.
The shoulder roll is ineffective against lighter punches.
think you got the shoulder roll down?