How to arrange boxing training ?

Boxing is a highly competitive sport where power confrontation, speed and dodging, instantaneous explosive power, and body agility all have a crucial impact on a boxer’s performance. How should daily boxing training be carried out? Today, I will show you how professional boxers usually train.

1. Preparation

Dynamic stretching (activates joint mobility) → simple running and air kicking/skipping (increases heart rate and body temperature)

2. Agility Training

Many people ignore agility training and go directly to strength training. In fact, agility is the soul of boxing , because boxing requires both courage and intelligence, and the requirements for agility are definitely no less than those for strength.

Agility training mainly uses the two-person confrontation method, such as chasing and sliding. This method can very effectively train reaction speed and agility, as well as the ability to predict the opponent’s intentions.

One party actively controls the side sliding direction and can change direction and make fake moves at any time to deceive the other party;

While the other party is following closely, try to figure out the other party’s intentions and predict the direction of the other party’s slide.

3. Quick Strength Training

Punching is an action that requires the coordinated and rapid force generation through multiple joints such as the lower limbs, core, and upper limbs, so we usually use box jumps, high cleans, rapid medicine ball throwing, etc., which are overall rapid force generation actions.

4. Maximum Strength Training

Boxing is a highly confrontational sport. If your maximum strength is far weaker than that of your opponent, even if your punching speed is very fast, your fist will not pose a threat to your opponent, and you will be at a great disadvantage in close-range pushing and pushing confrontations.

For maximum strength training, we usually use squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, powerlifts, etc., which are classic multi-joint movements.

When choosing a load, except for heavyweight athletes who have no maximum weight limit and athletes who are not heavy enough for their weight class, you should avoid loads that will obviously cause you to gain weight (such as 8-12RM). If you don’t pay attention to this, you will be in great pain before you get on the scale.

5. Functional Training

Functional training : It can teach us how to use our bodies correctly and how to exert strength, making our sports safer and more efficient. Therefore, functional training is an essential training content for both the general public and professional athletes.

Most of the movements in boxing involve unilateral force and rotation. In functional training, unilateral force and rotation-based movement pattern training are usually used, such as scissors squats, kneeling push-ups, push-up rows, incline bar single-arm press, single-leg deadlift, etc.

6. Core Training

Punching is do by extending the lower limbs, and then transmitting the force through the core. When doing some difficult counterattacks (such as Mayweather’s classic backward counterattack), all the pressure will be concentrated on the waist, and 
strong core stability and anti-rotation ability can prevent waist injuries while transmitting lower limb power without loss. Therefore, in core training, we 
usually use anti-rotation and stability training.

ommonly used training movements include anti-rotation side steps, Swiss ball dynamic plank, hard medicine ball shoulder touch, incline bar lateral raise, side bridge support, etc.

7. Maintenance training

Maintenance training usually focuses on neck and shoulder stability training. Boxers will inevitably be hit on the head during a fight. A stable neck can help you recover instantly, while an unstable neck will cause the head to shake and cause cervical spine injuries when hit on the head. Therefore, more neck stability training is recommend.

Neck stability training can be do by using elastic bands to resist at various angles and performing neck bridge exercises.

On the other hand, most punches involve internal rotation of the upper arm, and due to the stance, boxers are usually particularly tight at the front and loose at the back, which can lead to scapulohumeral rhythm imbalance and rotator cuff injury in the long run. Therefore, shoulder maintenance training usually focuses on scapulohumeral rhythm and rotator cuff training movements, such as IOS, glass wiping, and lucky cat.

8. Relax

Everyone knows how to relax after training. You can roll on the foam roller first, and then do some regular stretching and then add some hip rotation, shoulder rotation, and spinal stretching movements.

The above is the more common training sequence and content in boxing strength training. The mentioned movements do not have to be complete in one training session. You can selectively practice them according to your own situation .

If you are a beginner with weak basic strength, it is recommend that you focus on strengthening your maximum strength and core strength. If you are a strong person who can squat or deadlift more than twice your body weight, you can focus on strengthening your rapid strength and functional strength; if you feel that your basic strength is strong enough but you just don’t have the energy to punch, it is recommended that you focus on strengthening your rotational explosiveness and core anti-rotation strength.

In fact, boxing strength training is not as complicated as everyone imagines. It is just adding some agility training before strength training , more functional training and core training during strength training , and finally some basic maintenance training and stretching and relaxation.