It is estimated that 90% of adult Americans consume caffeine regularly. Nowadays, it seems like there are literally a million different types of energy drinks and pre-workout supplements, as consuming caffeine before exercise is very common too. Should you be taking it before boxing workouts? And if so, when? And how much? What about side effects? Read on!
First and foremost, your intake of caffeine should depend very much on who you are and your present medical condition. People with heart disease, high blood pressure, high anxiety, or insomnia should definitely use caution and check with your doctor before using caffeine. It is certainly not recommended for people who are pregnant either.
Otherwise, while moderation is often encouraged, caffeine is probably the most effective exercise supplement available. It affects several different types of cells throughout your body including muscle cells, fat cells and those within your central nervous system. Besides increased athletic performance and decreased fatigue, caffeine can also improve your mental focus as well. It even may help you burn more calories.
How does it do all of this? Many different ways. Caffeine increases circulating epinephrine, the hormone that kicks in during the fight or flight response and gives us that adrenaline rush feeling. Beta-endorphins are also produced that help give you the workout high feeling as well. The effects on the central nervous system are not as well understood but we all tend to feel more awake, focused and able to process things quicker mentally when we consume it. Caffeine can increase your body's ability to burn fat via lipolysis- breaking down fat in fat cells- plus it can raise your body temperature too, which can help burn calories. The lipolysis effect means that you might burn less of your glycogen carb storage, leading to enhanced endurance performance.
There have been plenty of studies of caffeine and endurance athletes, with all of them experience some performance improvements. How much you improve once again depends a lot on you and your genetic make-up but you don't have to read the studies to know this. Just consume a reasonable amount of caffeine and you will very likely feel more energy.
For higher-intensity training, the results are pretty similar except a little more skewed towards caffeine being more of a benefit to trained athletes vs. untrained athletes. For strength training, there is not a lot of evidence to show that it will increase your 1 rep maximum lift but your overall performance and muscular endurance (reps, rest time between sets) will likely improve.
All of these things will benefit your boxing training. You can box at a given intensity for longer before feeling fatigued. I can tell you almost every fighter consumes caffeine before training or a fight. Usually a pre-workout or sometimes just black coffee. They have to be careful not to overdo it, especially before a fight, as some of the side effects, like jitteriness, are not beneficial. Usually, it is anywhere between 40-325 mg. Depends on a lot on their personal tolerance and body weight.
Speaking of side effects, is there a down side? Of course! Too much caffeine can cause:
increased heart rate
anxiety
dizziness
irritability
tremors
multiple stomach problems
sleep disruptions
It should also be noted that caffeine becomes addictive and the more you take, the more your tolerance increases so the more you feel like you need. Breaking this addiction or even dramatically reducing your intake can be rough. I personally have found (working with people and in my own training), that some of the negative side of effects of caffeine can really be exacerbated by how much you eat. For instance, if you skip lunch and come to a boxing class at night after downing an energy drink, you may feel pretty bad and even quite weak, despite the energized feeling. I don't recommend high amounts of caffeine during the day on an empty stomach.
Of course the method you choose to consume caffeine may have a different effect too. Some energy drinks are also full of sugar, some are not. Pre-workouts also have a million different ingredients and your reaction to them will be different than others. We don't have a ton of information on all of these ingredients and the FDA does not regulate this stuff so make sure to compare labels and do research if you are concerned.
Since everyone's tolerance is pretty different, it is hard to recommend a particular amount of caffeine for training. You really need to safely assess your own sensitivity first. 200mg is pretty standard for energy drinks and pre-workouts. The stronger ones are about 300-400mg. I have read things that say an average cup of coffee is about 50mg but we drink coffee in all different sizes so I would guess 50 is on the very low end. What would be considered a somewhat dangerously high dose? About 600mg, especially if you are not used to it.
Can you overdose and even die from too much caffeine? Yes, you can. It would have to be an extremely high amount and usually a habit of extremely high doses, as well as pre-existing medical conditions.
The bottom line is that caffeine is a fairly safe, undeniably effective exercise supplement. The recommended doses vary by body weight, usually between 200-400mg, taken 30-60 minutes before a workout. Make sure you know how much you are taking, how you handle the side effects and most importantly, if you have any physical or mental conditions that make caffeine a bad fit for you personally. As always, what might be safe for someone else may not be safe for you!
Energy efficiency isn't just for our homes and our cars. We can be more energy efficient when we box too. This does not mean, however, using less energy in general. In fact, you could even use more energy, but by using it more effectively and efficiently, you will be able to perform at significantly higher levels. Here are several different ways I recommend to maximize your work during boxing training sessions and one way that I DON'T recommend for training. First, the do's:
Breathing
Most people relatively new to boxing, as well as plenty who have boxed for a while, don't actually breathe properly when they punch stuff. Sure, we all know how to breathe, we are even doing it right now, but that is steady state breathing. Meaning, your body automatically breathes in a certain, mostly-uninterrupted rhythm. And even if you are doing physical activity like jogging or biking or lifting, you can still keep this steady state breathing pattern, just maybe at a higher rate and/or deeper inhale-exhale. But this is not how we breathe when we box, as boxing is not a steady state activity. It is a series of constantly changing rhythms, patterns and exertions. Steady state breathing will not work well here.
As insult to injury, what many people naturally do when they punch (or exert themselves in any sudden way), is hold their breath. This is a pretty natural human reaction that does not serve us when we box. Instead we have to teach ourselves to do the opposite: every time you punch or perform any exertion, force a quick exhale. To make sure you are doing this, it should be audible too. Generally a "shushing" type sound is preferred because you don't want to get into the habit of opening your mouth while punching.
I think there are plenty of folks who feel somewhat uncomfortable doing this in a group setting. Being noisy with their breathing. It might feel like you're calling attention to yourself or showing off or even being obnoxious, like some of those tennis players and weightlifters who grunt really loud. I get it, for sure. But as long as you aren't trying to make an obnoxious sound on purpose, this is not the case. The forced exhale should be as much as part of the punch as the punch is. Every single fighter does this. Not most, ALL! So you should do it too!! I guarantee it will help!!
But what about in between rounds? This is when you can go back to your steady state breathing and try to go in through the nose, out through the mouth. Deep breaths are good but I have seen people go too far and actually make themselves dizzy going too deep. You may also want water right away and you should drink water but make sure you get at least 2 good breaths in first.
For more info, here is a video I made a couple years ago about breathing:
This can be very unnatural as well. Generally when people want to throw a punch (or again, any exertion), the tendency is to tense up. All of your muscles engage to put extra oomph into this powerful punch. The problem is, while you may use a lot of different muscles to punch, you don't use all of them. When you're tense and certain muscles are engaged that don't actually help with the action you are trying to do, they end up fighting a little bit with all the muscles you actually do need. So tensing up can actually make your punches less powerful and slower, as well as tire you out unnecessarily.
The key is to relax the muscles you don't need at that split second and activate the ones you do need. This does NOT mean throwing punches lightly though! Quite the opposite as relaxing can result in faster, harder punches because you are not fighting yourself. You are launching a hand towards the target totally unimpeded. This is a lot easier said than done as you need to figure out, either consciously or not, which muscles to turn on and turn off.
Biggest and most common example are the shoulders. If your shoulders are highly engaged, maybe even shrugging upward a little, it is going to slow everything down. You don't need to do a lot with your shoulder muscles when you throw a punch. Don't get me wrong though. Your shoulders definitely move and rotation is often encouraged but it is not those shoulder muscles that activate initially. It is the hips and trunk starting the motion, then the shoulders just follow. When the punch lands and you pull it back quickly, that should begin with the lat muscles in your back, along with the hips and trunk. Even when keeping your hands up to guard your face, you should be using very little shoulder muscle. Instead, just let your elbows rest on your ribs, bringing the hands up, keeping your shoulders up and relaxed.
If you look up any physical endurance record - like the most consecutive push-ups or holding a plank - the numbers are insane. Like for instance, people have done over 10,000 push-ups in a row. How is that humanly possible? From a physical standpoint, it isn't. The people who have these records are not necessarily more physically fit than people who do push-ups and tons of other exercises every day, the difference is mental. The mind is incredibly powerful and can sometimes override the feelings of exhaustion we all get when working hard.
This works the other way too. The mind can also work against you and be de-motivational as well. It can tell you that you are tired and that you didn't sleep that well last night and had a long day at work so that is why you have less energy during your training sessions. Whether or not this is true, this kind of thinking can bring you down. Instead, stay positive and remind yourself that intense exercise training sessions are somewhat of a journey. How you feel right now may not be how you feel in a round or two. Second and third winds are very real things. There are times where I've been at the halfway point in a workout and thought I couldn't go much longer but then once I get towards the end, I feel like I never need to stop.
The body achieves what the mind the believes. When you get tired during boxing training, remember why you started. Think about every person who may have doubted you at any point in your life. Visualize that you are an unstoppable killing machine or at least, your favorite fighter. Being tired is just a state of mind. Find your perfect mindset that gives you the most possible energy and strength for boxing training.
Quality Over Quantity
No matter how fit we are, no matter how mentally tough we are, we all have a finite amount of energy within a given time frame. So it makes sense that we would want to spend this energy on what is most important, right? What is giving us the most bang for our buck, so to speak. When I see people just standing in front of the bag, throwing non-stop punches with no breaks, I am happy to see that kind of determination but I believe they would be much better served trying to throw combinations faster, more powerfully and with better technique, followed by movement, before throwing the combination again.
It is important to remember that our punches can always get faster, more powerful and technically better. Doing this requires additional energy. And it is a different energy system than throwing non-stop steady state punches. So I definitely understand how making this change can be difficult but it is more than worth it. Your workout will be better with a higher ceiling too. When you find yourself getting more tired throwing combinations with this intensity, use your footwork to recover and manage your energy systems, then throw it again only when you are ready to throw at that same (or better) intensity level. Tapping the bag lazily when you're tired in the name of not stopping isn't going to do much for you. You'd get a lot more by taking an active rest.
Food and Hydration
Every body is a little different here but I feel like for many of us, boxing on an empty stomach is not a great idea unless it is really early in the morning. If it's 9am or after, I would highly recommend at least eating a little something. I won't get into specifics in this particular post but generally, we run on carbs so eating something carby without a lot of sugar before workouts makes sense, unless you've just had a full meal in the not-too-distant past.
Hydration is critical too. Most people drink water during their workout sessions but it's good to hydrate before as well, especially the later in the day those sessions are. Try to consume a full glass of water within the hour before training.
If you find yourself feeling jittery, light-headed and weaker than normal during boxing training, there is a good chance it has something to do with your food and hydration levels. Even if your goal is purely to lose weight, you will ultimately get more out of a properly-fueled performance than an under nourished one.
Box More
This is an easy one! You can learn technique to manage your energy systems efficiently, like some of what I have mentioned already, but there is a lot of subconscious learning that our bodies do which can only come from experience. The more we box, the more our bodies learn.
Consistency is important here too. If you train consistently X-amount of times a week, your body (and mind) will learn and develop better than if you say, boxed 6 times in one week and then not again for two weeks. This makes it much easier to set goals. So if for instance, you are boxing 2 or 3 times every week, you can try to up the intensity level every few weeks and have a much better chance of taking that next step up because of that consistent training.
And here is one way that I DON'T recommend using for energy management during boxing training...
Conscious Conservation
This is the idea of trying to conserve energy, usually in the early rounds, to avoid gassing out at the end. It makes a lot of logical sense and you hear a lot of smart people talk about it but I think it can easily be misunderstood and not applied properly in a training scenario.
An important distinction to make is whether or not we are talking about boxing competitively or training with a coach/on your own. Even if you are fighter who competes, these are still really different things in some ways. Then there is context too. If you are boxing competitively and using a lot of energy but not doing a lot of damage or scoring a lot of points, that is obviously a non-efficient use of energy. In cases where someone is covering up, moving around a lot and causing you to miss, it makes good sense not to expend a ton of energy unless it is going to directly break this pattern that you have fallen into. In professional fights that go more than say, 8 rounds, it is not uncommon at all to see a fighter taking a round off if they feel like they don't necessarily need it on the scorecard. This is generally in the name of conservation so they can make sure to finish strong. I don't particularly love this strategy because of the uncertainty of judging in boxing but most everybody does it and it often works out okay for them.
But if we are talking about training on your own or with a coach, I feel like trying to conserve will not help you get better and even create some bad habits. The two main ones are creating a pattern of sub-maximal effort and routinely throwing punches without a ton of speed or power because that is the routine you are used to.
The other bad habit is that it makes it harder to increase your overall stamina and fitness. If you find yourself gassing out early, you'd be much better served by training your body to overcome this and get stronger than to simply concede that you WILL gas out early and had better conserve or else. Pushing to failure is not a bad thing in training. Obviously, you don't want "failure" to result in physical ailments but going to the point where you simply can't go any more is how you build that stamina.
On some level, your body may unconsciously pace itself to handle the task at hand. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you just make sure you always consciously pushing to get better, getting out of your comfort zone.
We all should know by now that boxing is a sport and a very particular set of skills. Skills that we are always improving and developing, making you stronger and faster every time you practice. Nobody starts off with these skills. Nobody. Sure, some folks are able to learn and adapt more quickly, maybe because of their background doing somewhat comparable things, but they still must learn and develop these skills from the ground up, like everybody else.
One thing that makes boxing a little bit different than many other sports is that it is based less on physical talent than things like football and basketball. Not that those sports aren't very skill-based as they certainly are, but more often than not, the greatest performers also have more physical talent than everybody else. They are just bigger, stronger, faster, quicker, can jump higher, etc. and present a natural match-up problem for anyone trying to defend them. This is much less the case in boxing. There are definitely exceptions, like Tyson Fury being 6'9 and being able to move the way he does, but for the most part, the higher-level boxers are better because they have better developed skills than everybody else, as well as just a powerful mental game.
I have met more than a few people who have no formal boxing/combat sports experience but tell me they do have some experience fighting on the street or messing around with their friends in a basement. I would say that over 95% of such people really, really struggle their first time with formal boxing training. In fact, a good percentage struggle more than someone who has never even thought about throwing a punch in their life. This is because boxing is not fighting, it is a very particular set of skills.
To learn these skills, as I have talked about many times on this blog, you need someone who cares to teach you. But it's not just the basics you need to learn, you also need to someone to teach you how to improve those skills because remember, boxing is about always improving. Of course you want your coach to be knowledgeable and likable, but above all else, to care about your development. To care about making you better. Not just even at boxing but healthier, stronger, happier, more confident, etc. We've all had teachers who don't care about us or what they are teaching, and hopefully, we've had teachers who do care. The difference is obvious.
Having a positive, supportive environment is really important too, in my opinion. You want people to have fun, feel good and work hard. But if you want to teach everyone boxing (or anything), there needs to be some instruction obviously. The tricky part is how people respond to this instruction. Not just how to throw a particular punch or combo but how what they are currently doing can be improved. Everybody both learns and responds to instruction differently. There are plenty who take it as a very negative criticism, even if the teacher tries to put it as nicely and inoffensively as possible. All that they hear is that they are doing something wrong and that is a bad thing.
This is very understandable though. Especially if you are in an environment that is unfamiliar and surrounded by people who may all seem to "get it.” You may feel like you are even being called out (even though not by name and no one else is paying attention anyway) in front of the group. Sometimes this comes from mismatched expectations. I have had people get mad at me and look very taken aback by the sheer fact that I am teaching them anything. I personally would assume that if I were going to a boxing class and had never done boxing before that people at this place would try to teach me boxing, but I have learned that these expectations can really vary. I've also met the opposite - people who get mad if I say "good job!" because they know they are doing something less than perfectly and want me to tell them what that is. I myself fall somewhat into this category although please feel free to tell me, "good job!" from time to time.
Everyone also has different interest levels in learning too. Some people really want to learn a lot and get better. Some don't really care as much and see boxing only as another form of exercise and aren't able to make the connection between getting better at boxing and the workout getting better too.
No matter what side of the fence you are on, the most important thing to remember is something I talked about earlier - caring. If someone is trying to teach you boxing (or anything), they must care about you on some level. Even if they sound like a bossy jerk, they are not just doing it to be a bossy jerk or make you feel bad, they care about you learning. (Note that this does not mean it is okay to be a bossy jerk, I am just explaining that it still comes from a motivation of care). If someone doesn't care, why spend any time trying to instruct you specifically? What difference does it make to them if you get better? I guess they could be doing it for money, but that is less of a motivator than it used to be, and if it is in a group class scenario, they can just kind of avoid/ignore you pretty easily. Or I suppose they could also just be mean and sadistic and want to make you feel bad for doing something "wrong" but I think you will be able to spot someone like that.
Also remember that no matter how good you get, you can always get better. When someone tells you to throw a punch or do something differently, it is not saying you are bad or even doing it wrong, per se. It means, "Here is how to do this even better!" Now the bossy jerk may not make it feel this way and that is on them, but try not to see something a coach may want to correct as a representation of you doing something wrong or bad. It's not! The greatest boxers in the world all have coaches and I would bet they do a better job of listening to those coaches than average fighters because, as I mentioned earlier, boxing is less about natural physical/athletic talent than many other sports.
If you could do something better and maybe get stronger and fitter and healthier, wouldn't that be a good thing? So if anyone is telling you, "Here is how you can do this even better!" (even if they don't use those exact words), wouldn't that be a good thing too? This is how we need to see all types of instruction and correction if we want to be our best selves. It isn't always easy and on some level, we all have egos and human sensitivities but again, the reward is our best selves and that is more than worth it! The other part of this is that when you listen to your coach and improve, you need acknowledgement of that too. Your coach should celebrate it and this is where the "good job!" comes in.
So to recap, the next time you hear a coach try to teach you something in boxing, remember the following things:
Boxing is hard
Everyone can always get better
You are not doing anything wrong, you can just can just do that thing better
Your Coach cares about YOU getting better
Getting better is good
Your hard work should be acknowledged and celebrated
Learning the basic punches and movements in boxing is hard enough on its own. Throwing them in a particular sequence can be even more daunting. Oh, and by the way, there is literally an infinite number of these sequences, these combinations. Pretty much everyone who starts off boxing will likely struggle with this and even those who have boxed for years will sometimes get stumped by a particularly tough combo- but don't worry. Here are 8 tips that I guarantee will make this a lot easier:
When You Hear/See the Combo, Be Confident
This is the first and most important step. In fact, of the 8 things I list here, if you give up reading the whole thing but just get this first point down, it will help a lot. I can't tell you how many times I have seen someone brand new hear the combo and see it demonstrated slowly, decide that it is too tough for them and there is no way they will be able to remember it. This also can happen when I add on even a single punch to a combo they were already throwing pretty successfully. I can see it in people's eyes and sometimes people even say it out loud. The problem is that once you do that, once you tell yourself that something is too hard and beyond your abilities, your pipes of learning are clogged. A combo or add-on may be challenging, for sure, but there are ways to tackle this problem. We need information to flow as freely as possible and just like a clog in your sink drain pipe will prevent water flow, so do our mental clogs prevent information flow.
Instead, tell yourself something like what I just said - "This is a challenging combo, yes, but it is something I can learn calmly and methodically." Self-talk is so important. If it's hard for you to always be so positive and confident, just make sure you at least avoid the highly negative stuff. The instant you say something like, "this is too hard, I will never get it", you can make it almost impossible for yourself. Not because the combo is impossible, because you made it so by clogging the pipes. Keep those things clear!
Besides just the negative self-talk being, well, negative, it is also a distraction. I have seen many instances where I give someone a combo, they immediately decide they can't do and don't even hear what I say afterwards because they listening to their own selves tell them that they can't do it instead of listening to me. This of course, only compounds the problem. So make sure not only keep the pipes clear but also your ears open, without any internal distractions.
Take It Slow. At First!
If you even have to think about the combo at all, take it slowly the first time or two that you throw it. No need to rush it. Take it one punch at a time. Teach your own muscle memory. Do not worry about power or speed or even perfect technique right away, just kind of do a quick run through.
The idea though is that you just do this once or twice though. Then you want to try to increase those three factors I mentioned earlier, in this order - technique, speed, power. I have also seen people get a combo down, throw it perfectly 10 times in a row but then lose it again. It's happened to me too. Just reset, run through it slowly again, and then get back to your technique, speed and power. Sometimes we need that little reset and slow is the way to do it.
I have also seen this taken to a non-productive extreme though. People using this slow method longer than I think they need to. At some point, take the training wheels off the bike and speed up. If you fall down and lose it, you can always go back to slow but don't be afraid to try and throw a combo with confidence after a couple practice rounds. What is the worst that could happen? You throw the wrong punches? So what?
Say the Punches Out Loud As You Throw Them
This goes hand-in-hand with the abovementioned tip. It helps your brain and your muscles learn the punches and build the flow. It also helps you to concentrate, focusing on the punches and avoid any distractions and/or negative self-talk. And it helps you to breathe out every time you throw a punch, something lots of people have trouble with. What's more, I truly guarantee it will help you. I guarantee all of this stuff will help but this is the most easily measurable.
So why don't more people do it? It is an ongoing mystery to me. I am sure some people don't want to make any noises out loud in a room full of others but you can say it under your breath. And if that is really an issue, stop caring about that. We are allowed to make sounds when we punch. Literally every single fighter does. Every single one. It is not like when those brohams grunt at the gym trying to look cool either. There should be some forced exhale sound at the end of your punches. It is part of the technique. Plus, remember that worrying about what other people think is another way you can clog your own pipes.
If a Combo Is Particularly Long, Start With Just the 1st Few Things
Usually, I try to build combos with smaller, digestible chunks. But let's say a combination starts off pretty long, something like double jab-cross-lead hook-rear uppercut-roll-overhand-liver-lead hook. I would never start off with something that long but let's say I did and it wasn't clicking for you. Start off with just throwing the double jab-cross-lead hook. That is pretty reasonable. Most of us have done it before. Don't even think about the rest of it for now. Just concentrate on the first 3-4 strikes. Then add the rear uppercut on. Then maybe the roll-overhand.
If you never quite get all the way there, that is okay. Just practice what you can right now and you will be better prepared to take on more in the future. Plus you will get much more work in. Use this technique as part of your self-talk as well. If you tell yourself that a combo is very long and very challenging, remember that you don't have to do all of it. Just take it one or two pieces at a time. You can do that!
When It Comes To Add-Ons, Don't Overthink!
So if the combo isn't too long at first (or even if it is) and we do decide to build it up by adding on a strike or movement or two, don't worry. First and foremost, you don't have to actually add it on! Just like I said above, if your brain is maxed out, you certainly don't have to add on extra stuff. Keep it digestible and only add on when you are ready.
But if you do want to add on, don't overthink it either. It may not be as challenging as you initially feel like it is. I have seen instances where I had people throwing a combo like, jab-cross-liver shot-slip-lead hook and everybody's hitting it pretty well. No one looks confused, no looks hesitant, everyone's just flowing. But then I add on a cross and it's like the levy just broke! Sometimes people will seem to re-evaluate everything they just did now that a single punch or movement or two has been added instead of just doing the same thing they were already doing successfully and throwing a cross at the end.
Know That There May Be a Repeating Pattern or Structure
In our classes, we put a lot of thought into each round and progression of everything. We also do so knowing that certain things will be challenging and try to mitigate this issue re-using certain structures, patterns, or even the punches themselves so you don't have to learn something brand new every time. For instance, I just taught a class where slips and rolls were the focus. First 4 rounds were all about slips, the next 4 were about rolls. So in Round 2, there was a combo that was jab-cross-lead hook-slip-lead uppercut-cross. When working on rolls in Round 6, we went back to this exact same combo except instead of slipping, we rolled (J-C-LH-roll-LU-C). So instead of it being something totally new to learn, it was the same thing with just a defensive variable changed.
This is a pretty basic example but there are many that aren't necessarily so obvious. You may not even perceive them, in fact. So how is that supposed to help you if you don't perceive the similarity? Self-talk. I keep coming back to it. Instead of thinking, "Oh crap, I've got to learn something brand new!", think that this is something you have done before, whether you remember it or not, and your brain and body can probably handle it.
Another type example involves the specific punches. Instead of looking at them as all individual, unique things that require the same amount of brain processing power, think that there may be some repetition that can be grouped together. For instance, if I were to tell someone to throw a jab-cross-lead hook-cross-lead hook-cross, they would hear a lot of words and maybe think it's particularly tricky but all it is is a jab and then repeated between crosses and lead hooks several times over. Or sometimes I like to do what I call "cycle drills" where you might throw a jab-cross-jab-rear uppercut-jab-rear hook-jab rear body shot over and over. Sounds like a lot but you can simplify by telling your brain that the only punch you are going to throw on your lead side is a jab. It's just a jab + a new punch on the rear side. Still challenging but easier when you don't have to think about doing anything differently with the left/lead side of your body. But not everybody does this. They just hear 8 totally unique strikes.
Don't Be Afraid To Do the Wrong Thing
I already touched on this one when talking about taking things slow at first but it is definitely worth mentioning on its own. Though I will say, once again, that I fully guarantee all of things will help you, you may still get lost in a combo. Or you may be used to throwing a slightly different combo and it's hard to stop your muscle memory from throwing the old one. It is gonna happen if you practice a lot of different combinations of punches (and you should). And while slowing things down at first is helpful, you do not want to get to the point of hesitation because you are worried about throwing the wrong punch, rolling the wrong way or whatever. Just throw something and if it is a hook instead of a cross, that's fine. Can always fix it later. I just don't want anyone getting in the habit of constantly second guessing themselves and not committing to their strikes. The technique behind the strikes is always going to be more important.
Important Note: This does NOT mean that you should quit trying to throw the combo or drill or whatever the coach gives you. Do not give up on it in the spirit of this tip. Yes, it might be hard but you CAN do it. Don't be afraid to be wrong but always try to be right.
Careful With the Ancillary Stuff
This can be a problem for more experienced boxers as well as new boxers, who are already fans of the sport, and try to bite off more than they can chew early on. Boxing is not just throwing combos or punches. It is footwork, head movement, hand movement, feints and more. I always like seeing people move after they throw a combo and not just stand in front of a bag and punch. But we all have to be careful sometimes. When you add in a lot of extra movement, you run the risk of forgetting the combo. I have certainly done it myself while taking classes. Sometimes I have done so much other stuff, I even forget what the combo is when it's time to punch. If you find yourself moving around a lot but then having trouble executing the combo efficiently, maybe eliminate the ancillary stuff and just focus on the punches. Burn the flow into your brain and then add on the movement.
And if you're brand new but love combat sports, don't come in and start dancing around and doing the Philly Shell like Floyd Mayweather. Let that be the LAST thing you learn. Get the punches and the combos down. Don't worry about how you look. I honestly think everybody looks pretty cool when boxing but if someone tries to do fancy stuff without understanding the basics or even the combo, it looks awkward and the opposite of what they are going for.
Boxing is as much of a mental game as it is a physical one and combination punching is a great way to help your body learn the mechanics while flowing through them efficiently. It also helps provide the best full-body workout. If you were to just throw individual punches, you would be able to work a lot of muscles but when you throw them together in different ways, it forces those muscles to move in infinitely different ways. While there a lot of different lifts with weights, it doesn't compare to the number of boxing combinations. And if you did every type of weight lift, you would run out of time in a day, whereas boxing combinations go fast and you can get a much more significant amount of work in a very short period of time. This is why we practice them all the time, besides of course, the boxing skill/strategy element. It's just the mental part that is difficult but I will close in saying for the third and final time that if you follow these tips, I guarantee it will make it easier for you to grasp and transition through all the different combos. Or your pizza is free.
