How To Get Better at Boxing When You're NOT Boxing

Remember that scene in the movie, The Matrix, where Keanu Reeves's character is strapped to a chair with cables hooked up to his skull and a computer uploads a complete mastery of Kung Fu into his brain within seconds? Well, you can't do that with boxing. You also can't do it with Kung Fu. I do remember people selling tapes that you could listen to while you were sleeping that would implant suggestions that supposedly helped with things like weight loss, and I am pretty sure that none of those things worked either. As nice is it would be to do absolutely nothing and learn certain skills or disciplines, this is not an option for us in the present day. For now, learning things requires hard work.

But you can get better at boxing, even when you are not actually training boxing. Here are 4 ways to do it and note that you do have to be awake for all of them:

Watching With a Purpose

While we can't have boxing just directly implanted into our brains like Neo in the Matrix, we do have the ability now to watch boxing any time we want, anywhere we want, through our many screen options. Watching competitive boxing, particularly with skilled fighters, will help you to better understand the sport and movement mechanics, which can translate into better success in your own training. I put some good, classic fights up on our youtube channel here - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN0PPf0o8X6WesaqNEuumJFunk5C9P_-u

But you can make it much more effective than just watching some good fights. Instead, pick a fighter to study. Preferably someone who you connect with and seems more similar to you than others. There may not be that many similarities but if you are small and fast, maybe find a good small and fast fighter to study, for example. Or better yet, let's say you have a favorite punch or at least, one you like to throw. Or maybe you really like footwork. Or defense. Or you just like punching and aren't interested as much in the other stuff. Or whatever. Find a fighter who is like that. Search online for things like, "which boxer has the best left hook?," "which boxer punches the fastest?," etc. You will likely get different answers and you can explore all of them a little.

Once you find that fighter to study, watch some of their fights or at least, highlights. Then try to visualize them when you get back to boxing training. Provided they aren't breaking a ton of rules, your boxing will almost definitely improve. I always tell people to watch Mike Tyson throwing uppercuts. The more you visualize him using his legs, exploding upwards, rotating his hips and arch his back, the more power you are going to get. I can tell you to do all of those things myself but if you are able to clearly see it in your head, it can really help.

DISCLAIMER: Note that the advice above is for someone who has already been training in boxing. You don't have to be an expert, not by any means, but at least have a very basic handle on the different punches and movements. I occasionally see people come to our club who have never done any training before in their lives and instantly try to be like Floyd Mayweather Jr., doing Philly Shell defense and shoulder roll and this is definitely NOT what I am talking about here. 

Boxing On My Mind

Just thinking about boxing will help you get better at it. Maybe won't make a huge difference but it will help. As I have said many many times, boxing is not natural. Taking a swing at somebody, sure, that is pretty natural but throwing proper punches with good form while staying protected is the opposite of natural. Keeping your mind engaged in the sport, even when you aren't training your body, will assist with the transition of making something unnatural become natural.

So, what should you think about? Could be anything, really, but something I recommend are combinations. Think about throwing a combination. Doesn't have to be anything long or fancy at all. Could even be a jab-cross. Just like I mentioned above, see it in your mind. Then think about what punch you might throw next. You don't have to put a lot of thought into it either, just whatever feels right. Then what might you throw after that? You could imagine defense as well. And you could think about everything in relation to an opponent and it will get even better. What did your opponent do when you threw the jab-cross? How does that change your next punch? Did they throw something back at you and how are you going to defend it? Perhaps this is veering into the more complicated, but simple works just fine, too.

When would you actually do this? While you're waiting in line for something. During an unskippable commercial interlude. Any time you have a few seconds where you aren't able to do anything else productive. You actually do this while you are trying to get to sleep and it actually may help, like a violent version of counting sheep. Maybe you are thinking now, "Look, I like boxing but I am not THAT into it where I would be thinking of combos during the day and night." Maybe that does feel like a certain level of interest that you don't have, but during these moments, what else are you going to think about? I am a relatively busy person and I like to stay busy, but still find those little moments of dead time all the time.

Accept That You Are Boxer

If you train boxing somewhat consistently, at least once a week in a very structured manner under a coach, you are a boxer. Doesn't matter if you train on the heavy bag, mitts, even shadow boxing, if you are training with a purpose and a decent coach, you are a boxer. I wrote a whole blog post on this once that anybody who doubts whether or not they are a boxer should read - https://theboxingmanifesto.blogspot.com/2022/12/are-you-boxer.html

How does this help you get better? Because it changes your mindset. It means you are more likely to do the 2 things I have already mentioned above and means that you take your own training more seriously, with more accountability. We all hold ourselves back in different ways and this is extremely common when it comes to average folks learning boxing. Boxing is not their world and as I'll say again, it is certainly not natural nor easy, so they create a mental block for themselves, as well as a built-in excuse. "I don't have to punch any harder or faster because I'm not a boxer - I'm just trying a new kind of exercise." They may certainly just be trying out a new kind of exercise but that thinking will hold them and their exercise results back. 

Once again, if you train consistently under a coach in a structured format, like the classes we do at our club, you are a boxer. You may not think of yourself as a particularly good or strong boxers but you are boxer nonetheless. And you can always get better. Always. No matter who you are or who you think you are.

Self-Care

Whether you are a boxer, bowler, bocce baller, or just regular old human being, proper nutrition, sleep and eating habits are important. You don't need me to tell you that, but sometimes it helps to think about it in a different context. If you eat healthier, you will perform better when you box. You'll have more energy, feel less fatigued, and recover quicker. If those things happen, you will be able to focus more on form and coaching in general, as well as generally feel more capable while you box as opposed to wiped out. You also may feel more confident as you perform better. All of those things translate into making you a better boxer, so the better you eat, the better you box.

Sleep too. If you have a rough sleep and only get about 4 hours in, you are almost definitely not going to perform as well the next day as you would have done with 7-8 hours of good sleep. Besides what I mentioned above with nutrition, a lack of sleep also leads to crankiness, which can make the mind less open to learning and developing. Sleep also gives the body a chance to recover so that you perform better the next time as well. If you have trouble falling asleep, there are plenty of healthy, non-narcotic options out there, like counting or thinking about boxing combinations as mentioned earlier. You just have to explore.

Of course everyone knows that eating and sleeping are crucial to our well-being but we can't just flip a switch and start eating better and sleeping better.  These things require time and discipline, not things we all have in spades. Instead of trying to do a total 180 with your self-care habits, start small. Maybe go to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual for a while. Take one day where you normally eat something like pizza and go with an even slightly healthier alternative. Baby steps. This does not have to be a major life change. Every little bit matters and besides making you generally healthier, it makes you a better boxer too.

What about other, non-boxing exercises? Will lifting/running/etc. help you become a better boxer when you're away from your training facility? This is yet another thing I have talked about before in an earlier post - https://theboxingmanifesto.blogspot.com/2021/06/weight-training-for-boxing-this-is-big.html#comment-form - but my short, pithy answer is that there are plenty of good reasons to perform other basic exercises but they likely won't make a huge difference in your boxing ability, with the exception of skipping rope. There are boxing benefits that come from skipping rope beyond the general fitness/cardio aspect, like timing, rhythm, learning how to turn off certain parts of your body while engaging others but for the most part, if the goal is simply to get better at boxing while not boxing in a gym, you would be better served practicing your footwork, head movement, and shadowboxing. You could do sprints and tempo runs for better cardio and weight loss, if this was an area you really wanted to focus on too. Most of us only have so much time for exercise though, and obviously you are going to get the best boxing bang for your buck by actually boxing. But when you can't box, at least there are some other options that don't really require any physical exertion.