Do you want to be a good boxer? Well, you need super cardiovascular strength. You should also have strong legs that won’t turn into rubber as the fight goes on. This means you need to do a lot of running, stadium steps, and wind sprints. Of course, you also need the time to spend in the gym working out, building your muscles, sparring and working on your speed and strength. It would make sense not to waste time running around, and to do some shade on the go.
A very popular technique is to wear ankle and wrist weights while running. If you feel like ripping, wear more clothes so you can sweat more. Make sure you stay hydrated, and once you have removed all those pounds, you will be amazed at how light and fast your hands will feel. Better to go straight from running shadowboxing during each step, and straight to the gym for a speed bag workout. Maybe you’ve been driving and watched people run down the street, stop for a crosswalk sign, then turn around and shadowbox each way.
They look like throwing group punches at ghosts, and you’re glad you’re in your car where you’re safe and not in front of all those flying hats. You might think it sounds a little silly, but a smart boxer will do this for hours on end, honing their skills, and keeping them ready for their next fight challenge. Make no mistake, this is no substitute for lifting weights in the gym, doing push-ups, sit-ups, and staying in incredible shape – however, if you want to compete at higher levels than boxing, you will eventually have to combine boxing and running together during training. .
While on the track team and playing soccer, I would often take a soccer ball with me and kick it on my 6-mile runs. It was amazing how much control the ball had by combining these two activities. It made me fast and light and helped my skills with the ball. Same goes for Shadowboxing and sprinting.
In case you ever wondered what these people were doing running around in the street looking like they were fighting ghosts, now you know. Today they are punching in the air, and tomorrow it may be an opponent on the carpet. Please consider all this and think about it.