Boxing training such as hitting the pads with a trainer or doing a few rounds on a bag is always popular with gym users, in my opinion it’s a lot more fun than pounding away on a hamster wheel AKA the treadmill. It’s a great way of burning off some extra calories as well as letting off a bit of steam! But to make sure your getting the most out of your boxercise you’ll want to be using your whole body when you punch not just your arms so let’s go over a few basic fundamentals that will help you involve more musculature (in doing so burn more calories) and get a more satisfying smack on the pad each time you throw a shot!
It’s all in the hips
To get your lower body and torso more involved in your punches you want to get your hips moving. To use them most effectively you’ll first want to make sure you are standing in the correct stance below I am demonstrating the basic boxing stance for a right hander if you’re a leftie just switch feet.
Stance
• The foot of your dominant hand side is back
• Try and keep your hands up around chin height it will make your shoulders work harder than just hanging them by your hips.
• Make sure you keep your knees slightly bent
• Don’t stand with too narrow a stance as this will make it hard to turn your hips
When you throw a straight left hand (right for lefties) you don’t need to deviate much from this position. however when you throw a straight right hand you want turn your right hip forward as you punch pushing through your rear foot. Think of it as almost like the start of a lunge movement.
Straight Right Hand (Cross)
• Push through you back foot to get the power
• Right hip turns with the punch
• Pivot on the ball of your rear foot your heel should be raised
Another great punch to throw is a lead hand hook, for a right hander like me that’s a left hook. This time you turn your left hip while throwing a bent arm punch. The movement of the front foot is kind of like twisting out a cigarette on the ground. ( note you can throw a hook with a palm down hand position but for beginners I find the palm facing back which is shown is usually safer on the wrist .. oh and also don’t smoke it’s bad for you!.)
Left Hook
• Keep your elbow high and imagine hitting your target from the side
• Arm should still be bent on contact at about 90 degrees
• Pivot on your front foot like twisting out a cigarette
• You should end up in a side on position when you throw this punch
And that’s all there is too it to get the most out of the basic punches in your pad sessions or heavy bag workouts. Try utilizing these punches in combinations like a left straight right straight followed immediately by a left hook right straight you should feel your hips moving about a lot if you’re doing it right! If you want to make sure you got it down give me a shout when you see me about or book a session with me or any of the trainers here at better body group and we can do a bit of pad work together.
Jas
Exercise Specialist
Better Body Group, Sevenoaks
