The beauty of being a beginner at any sport is that, with a little bit of consistency and focus, you can see results fast. But if you want to get good at boxing, especially once you’ve found your feet and graduated from being a beginner to being intermediate, there are some specific training and learning strategies you can bring in to get results fast, both in and outside of the ring.
Our boxing coach, Josh Lakner Cook, gave us his formula for getting results from your boxing training, including individual technical and physical development, and coordinated development with training partners and in classes.
Solo technical development – drilling and learning
If you want to get good at boxing, you need to put the time in, and that includes more than showing up to classes, sparring and getting your strength and conditioning in. The best boxers all have a solo practice that helps them to be sharper, both physically and mentally.
Solo drills are a big part of your solo technical development. Josh recommends carving out time for footwork, head movements and bag drills by doing:
Isolated shadow boxing, focusing on things ike footwork and navigation
Isolated head movement and footwork drills
Specific bag drills, focusing on things like jab isolation or punch counter isolation
On top of solo drills and technical work, you should also develop your strategic understanding of the sport by learning as much as you can from other boxers. Do this by studying other fighters and fights – including your own. Through this, you can figure out what works and what doesn’t — and, crucially, why.
Fighter study: study your own training footage of the training footage of other boxers looking at shape, hand position, set ups, exits and habits.
Fight/competition study: look at the tactics, strategy and stylistic approach of other boxers.
Solo physical development
Every good fighter knows that roadwork is non-negotiable. Keeping your general fitness up outside of your regular sparring classes is paramount to success, as is keeping yourself in top physical shape by ensuring your diet, water intake and stress management is on point. On top of this, high intensity, boxing-specific circuits (with a focus on good fundamentals and form) are great for getting a bit more bang for your buck.
To keep yourself in fighting shape, Josh recommends:
Strength work, including skipping and roadwork
High intensity bag and fitness circuits based upon good, solid fundamentals
Diet, water and weight management
Stress and fatigue management, especially if you are competing
Coordinated development
Finally, boxing is a combat sport, so you need to make sure you get some training in with a partner, whether that’s at class or additionally outside of classes. It’s important to be a little strategic even when training with a partner. Try focusing on your defence, distance management and strategy as well as sparring.
To get the most out of your coordinated development:
Use your partner to develop a defensive system against all weapons, and a combination of weapons
Specific tactic and strategic sparring drills
Distance management and control drills, including air control and physical control
Sparring
Fighting Fit is a Manchester boxing gym, that offers a comprehensive approach to boxing training, ensuring that you develop both your technical and physical skills. Join us to see real results and become a stronger, more confident boxer.
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