You’ve seen it in the movies and in promotional footage of fighters, but have you tried the Rope Slip drill? It’s easy to perform and a great way to get your core sharp for quick slip movement. Because, while you can’t duck every punch, you can at least soften the blow by avoiding the full force.
Slipping, the act of moving just out of the way of an oncoming punch, is an important skill to develop. Even if you never master perfect slipping, you need to do it good enough to protect your body from potentially dangerous hits. And amateur fighters need to be able to keep their opponent from scoring easy points by making themselves into a slippery moving target.
For fast-paced sports it is important to make quick decisions so you can respond with the best appropriate action. This may be more important in boxing and combat sports than any other. An opportunity for a clean punch comes and goes quickly so a short response time for a fighter can mean the difference between a shot that lands and one that glances off. And that goes double for when it’s you who is the target.
So reaction time, simply, is a measure of how long it takes for an individual to react and respond to a stimulus. A stoplight turns red, which triggers a response for you to apply the brake. While the car needs time and space to complete the stop, the lag time before you actually decide to step on the brake could mean the difference between ending up in the middle of an intersection or stopping short of disaster.
Combat sports are full body sports so your fight training should involve your FULL BODY. You train your shoulders, arms and legs, but equally important is your core - your chest, waist, hips, and portions of your back. Most workouts concentrate on either upper or lower body, but just like a city needs to have a thriving midtown, you need a powerful midsection - because this is where the serious business happens!
Think of your core as the foundation for every element of fighting. The core provides balance, moves and stabilizes your midsection, powers your punches and absorbs punishment from an opponent. As the saying goes, if you want to be hardcore, you must develop a hard core.
Breathing is essential. You need to breathe to live and in sports you need to breathe to perform. And it goes without saying, the more efficiently you breathe, the more efficiently you can perform. To be an effective fighter you'll need to develop strong lungs. To become a fighting machine you’ll need to develop controlled breathing.
Due to the mixed aerobic and anaerobic nature of boxing and fighting, efficiency of breathing can make a huge difference in your stamina and also assist you in staying focused. Two common rookie mistakes during sparring and competition are 1. holding one’s breath in the midst of action and then 2. over breathing or gasping for air in between. The combination of these two conditions will quickly cause fatigue. Additionally, anytime you hold your breath you’re temporarily cutting off the oxygen supply to your muscles, which could invite cramps.
Whether you are new to boxing training or you've merely upped the intensity of your workouts, shoulder soreness is a common problem. You can generally work through the aches, but it is important to not overdo it and invite an injury.
Punching puts stress on shoulder muscles, especially for newly initiated fighters. The less experienced or less conditioned you are, the quicker shoulder fatigue could set in. It may only feel like simple tired muscles, but if you overwork the shoulder you may cause something more severe that you really won't feel until the following day or two. What you are feeling is the stress of the anterior deltoid, the front shoulder muscle. This is a small muscle that typically doesn't get a lot of attention at the gym. But in boxing training you will discover it for sure!
