In the classic American boxing movie, Rocky trains with minimal equipment. Chase chickens for agility, use hanging meat as a punching bag, and run up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rocky rises from scratch, using hard work, no fancy equipment, to become a world champion. Maybe you can be the next champion with this boxing training routine at home.
You can recreate your own Rocky story and learn to box without material. The techniques and theory behind the basic stance of boxing and punching are easily accessible through instructional videos or books. Once you get the hang of them, you can put them all together for a full-body, calorie-burning, and muscle-building workout.
Start boxing at home without equipment: basic movements
It starts with shadow boxing
Boxing without a team or an opponent is a training technique known as shadow boxing (essentially hitting the air). However, you will need to make sure you have enough room to move and you may want to practice in front of a mirror to adjust your posture.
Experiment with throwing different styles of punches, creating various combinations of movements, and incorporating defensive boxing techniques. Although you are just starting out and need a little more guidance, try following YouTube videos.
With repeated practice, you will learn to correct mistakes as you go and become a much better boxer.
Position
As you progress through your shadow boxing training, posture is important. Your non-dominant foot should always be in front. That means, if you are right-handed, your left foot should take the lead and the right foot should come at 3 o’clock, behind the left and slightly to the side, making sure your feet are shoulder-width apart.
Your leading hand (if you are right-handed, it should be your left) should be approximately eye level with your back arm close to your body, almost touching your ribs. Keep your back arm on guard (along your cheekbone to protect your face, with the elbow bent) at all times.
Avoid standing with your feet too wide or too narrow, as it can affect your speed and balance. There should be enough weight between your feet, knees slightly bent so that you are flat on the ground. If someone pushes you, they won’t knock you down. You have balance.
Footwork
Proper footwork is key to successful boxing technique. For starters, your steps will be more random. The foot closest to the desired direction of movement is the one that takes the first step. As you take a step, your feet remain shoulder-width apart in the same 45-degree position.
Avoid crossing your legs or feet, as this can cause you to lose your balance, leaving you vulnerable in front of your opponent. Stay on the balls of your feet for agility and evenly distribute your body weight between both legs. At first, footwork may seem challenging and contradictory, as the feet never leave the boxing position.
Punching
There are four basic types of shots: jab, cross, hook, and uppercut. When strategically put together, these punches form different combinations. When starting to mix, think logically about your weight and power distribution.
For example, if you throw a jab, a cross is usually the next logical hit. On the other hand, hitting a left hook with a jab can throw you off balance as your weight is not evenly distributed.
While throwing punches, don’t forget to keep your idle hand on guard. Always be on your guard throughout your practice to develop the habit. Boxers draw their power from their entire body, not just their arms. It all comes from your core, but you need to rotate your hips, using your belly and your legs.
- Jab : Basic punches start with the jab. You jab with your lead hand (your non-dominant side). A jab is a direct hit, which means you hit straight out and back. The weight of your body is shifted towards the front leg and the hips rotate slightly towards the front side.
- Cr oss : It is a direct hit with the powerful hand, the back hand. The weight of your body shifts to the front leg as you turn the back foot and roll the body forward.
- Hooks (hook): the hooks are normally used for medium – distance targets. When you throw a hook, your arm comes out slightly to the side of your body, at a 90-degree angle. With a forward arm hook, your body shifts to the forward side and the weight to the front leg. When throwing a rear arm hook, your body shifts to the rear side, the weight is kept on the front leg.
- Uppercut : The uppercut is used for short and medium distance targets. When throwing an uppercut with your forward arm, slightly bend your knees and dip your back shoulder to protect your face. Drive your forward arm up toward your opponent’s chin, keeping your elbows bent. The entire time, your rear arm remains rigid on guard. Keep your shoulders sunk into your back, not up to your ears.
Defending
From your boxing stance, work on basic defensive moves so that when you’re in the ring, you can avoid getting hit. While performing the various defense moves, be sure to keep an eye on the opponent at all times, even though some of the defense moves involve covering your body and face.
- Bob : The bob is when you bend over and stand up. Imagine squatting to avoid a punch coming your way. Protect your body with your arms and keep your chin and eyes up.
- Slip : On slips, lean your upper body to the left or right. Slightly bend your knees to give your body more range of motion and keep your arms on guard.
- Bob and Weave : A bob and weave sets you up to hit your opponent and involves squatting down and stepping to the left or right before straightening up again. Keep your arms up to protect your face and ribs from a punch.
Boxing training routine
Warm up: jump rope
- 3 minutes
Get your blood pumping with the traditional boxing warm-up. Use a real jump rope if you have one handy, but if not, imagine you’re holding one.
Round 1: Jab, Cross, Jab, Bob and Weave
- Reps: 10 per side
Stand with your right foot forward, arms in a “guard” position (elbows bent, hands in fists on either side of the chin). Throw a right jab (quickly strike your right arm forward, turn your fist down, without locking your elbow), a left cross (strike your left arm forward, turn your left hip on the strike, and lift your left heel off the floor) and then repeat a right jab.
Bring your arms back to protect, and quickly move and knit from left to right lowering into a squat position as you circle your body from the back (lower left) to the front (lower right), as if you will draw a letter “U” with the upper part of the body). Come back to start. That is a repeat.
Do 10 repetitions in a row as fast as you can and then change your posture and do 10 repetitions on the other side.
Round 1: Fist Curls
- Reps: 10
Start in a plank position with your hands directly below your shoulders and your core tight. Lower your body until your chest is a few inches off the ground. Press halfway, then lower your back to float off the ground. Press all the way back to full plank. That is a repeat.
Do 10 in a row with proper form, being careful not to let your hips sag or your back arch during the movement. Get on your knees if it’s too challenging.
Round 2: Double jab, cross, jab, coverage
- Reps: 10 per side
Stand with your right foot forward, arms on guard. Launch a double jab with your right arm by quickly doing two jabs in a row. Then, throw a left cross punch, then repeat a single right punch.
Quickly “cover” (imagine you are trying to protect your torso from your opponent’s blows) by twisting your upper body (hips remain still) and bringing your right elbow to your belly button. Immediately back up to the left and then repeat one more time to the right (the pace of this movement is very fast, try to count “1, 2, 3” while doing it to keep up). Come back to start. That is a repeat.
Repeat 10 times in a row as fast as you can and then change your posture and do 10 reps on the other side.
Round 2: Fist Curls
- Reps: 10
Repeat the same movement that you did during the first round of this boxing training at home. If your posture begins to crumble, get on your knees to complete the set.
Round 3: Jab, Cross, Hook, Bob and Weave
- Reps: 10 per side
This combo is very similar to the first round, except that it will add a new knockout punch: the hook.
Start with your right foot forward and your arms on guard. Throw a right jab, a left cross, and then a right hook keeping your elbow bent at 90 degrees and turning your right heel up as you rotate your right hip forward to drive the punch (think of your fist moving around the side your opponent’s face).
Reach your arms back for protection and swing and interlock quickly from left to right, lowering into a squat as you circle your body from back to front. Come back to start. That is a repeat.
Repeat 10 times in a row as fast as you can and then change your posture and do 10 reps on the other side.
Round 3: Bike Abs
- Reps: 20
Lie on your back with your knees bent toward your chest and your arms on guard.
Raise your head, shoulders, and upper back off the ground and then perform a bike crunch by turning your left shoulder toward your right knee, extending your left leg straight and parallel (but not touching) the ground.
Repeat on the other side. That is a repeat. Repeat, keeping your belly button tight against your spine and your chin toward your chest to avoid neck tension. Keep your arms on guard at all times.
Do 20 repetitions in a row as fast as you can.
Round 4: Jab, Cross, Upper and Cover
- Reps: 10 per side
This combo introduces the fourth and final blow: the uppercut.
Stand with your right foot forward, arms on guard. Throw a right jab, a left cross punch, and then a right uppercut (bend the elbow toward the body, rotate the right hip and heel, and imagine punching up and under the opponent’s chin).
Then quickly repeat the covering movement from the second round by rotating your upper body and elbows to the left, right, and left (quickly counting “1, 2, 3” as you do so). Come back to start. That is a repeat.
Repeat 10 times in a row as fast as you can and then change your posture and do 10 reps on the other side.
Round 4: Sit-ups on a bike
- Reps: 20
Do another set of bike crunches, moving as fast as you can with perfect form.
Cardio Finisher: Interlocking Jump Ropes
- 3-5 minutes
To finish off this home boxing workout strong and burn off any remaining energy, grab the jump rope, real or imagined, and perform up to 5 minutes of crisscross jumps.
