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Boxing Drills

You got the equipment; you know the basics, time to get to work! Here we will get into some drills you can do to enhance your boxing skills and turn you into a stronger, quicker and more skilled fighter.

What you will need:

Bag gloves, hand-wraps, boxing shoes, a heavy bag (40 lbs or heavier, only required for certain drills), dumbbells (5 lbs - 25 lbs, only required for specific drills).

This section will cover:
- Focus Training
- Punch-out Drills
- Power Boxing

Focus Training

If your ultimate goal is to become a better fighter, there are a number of key areas that you should look for continuous improvement on. Those are technique (this one is key, focus on form, remember?), speed and power. There are other areas as well, but these are the three that build the foundation of any solid fighter. There are specific drills that can be used to hone each of these areas.

Technique drill: This is the most important of any drill. In any boxing training session (see “Boxing Training Sessions” article) you should complete a technique drill at the beginning, and multiple times throughout the workout. Wrap your hands, put on your bag gloves and head over to the heavy bag. Our goal here is NOT speed, nor is it power. It is to focus on throwing all punches properly and crisply. Your jabs should give you a nice “pop” sound upon contact. See the “Boxing Basics” article for proper form on each punch.
Drill Length: 120-180 seconds
Punches thrown: 90-180.

Speed Drill: To improve the speed at which punches and combinations are thrown, there are two common tactics that can be employed. The first involves the heavybag. Normal bag gloves are anywhere from 6 to 10 ounces in weight. For a speed drill, put on a pair of heavier gloves (preferably 16 ounce) and get to work. You will be throwing mainly jabs with a few crosses and the occasional hook. Focus mainly on throwing 2 or 3 jab sets followed by a stiff cross. The second speed drill is a bit more difficult, but yields better results. Instead of a heavybag and gloves, pickup a set of 5 LB dumbbells and repeat the steps detailed above. 2 or 3 jabs per set, followed up with a stiff cross. After either drill, repeat the drill with your NORMAL weight bag gloves and the heavybag, or without any gloves shadowboxing. Your punches will be fired at lightning speed!
Drill Length: 60 seconds w/ weight 60 seconds w/out
Punches thrown: No Limit.

Power Drill: Every boxer loves to have their marquis haymaker used to layout a weary opponent. Even more useful is when a 3 punch power combo comes out with jaw-breaking force. To maximize the force behind your power punches, we look away from the heavy bag and over to the free weights. Pickup a set of dumbbells between 10 and 25 LBS in weight. Stand with proper form and throw 1 power punch every 5 seconds. Make certain you are throwing with absolute flawless form, as this will maximize your benefits. Throw the punch as quickly as possible and return to your guard form.
Drill Length: 60 seconds
Punches Thrown: 12

Punch-out Drills

Punch-out Drill: Looking to have some fun on the heavybag? Alright, let’s get to it. Wrap your hands, put on your favorite bag gloves and head over to the heavybag… it’s time to work. Jabs and crosses… with NOTHING else mixed in. Throw with maximum speed and power for 60 seconds straight. You can mixup the variety of each, but they should be thrown one after the other with only a fraction of a second between each. There should be a very short break between each combination, and it should almost seem as if you are throwing one 60 second long 250 punch combo. Work fast and work hard!
Drill Length: 60 seconds
Punches Thrown: No limit.

Power Boxing

Power Boxing: It’s time to let loose and punish that bag. Nothing but hooks and uppercuts with the occasional cross. All punches are to be thrown in 2 to 4 punch combinations with the worst of intentions. Toss to the body, then to the head. Mix it up and keep it fresh. DO NOT telegraph your punches. Stick in proper form and give that bag a serious work over. Each combination should have a 1 to 2 second break in between the next. See below for a list of effective combinations to give a go at. Or design your own.
Drill Length: 60 seconds
Punches Thrown: 60-160

L = Lead Hand
R = Rear Hand

Beginner:
Cross, Cross (all to head or body)
Cross, L Hook (all to head or body)
Cross, L Uppercut (all to head or body)
R Uppercut, L Hook (all to head or body)
L Hook, L Hook (all to head or body)

Intermediate:
Cross, Cross, R Hook (all to head or body)
Cross, Cross, R Uppercut (all to head or body)
L Hook, L Hook, R Hook (all to head or body)
L Hook, L Hook, Cross (all to head or body)
R Hook, R Hook, L Uppercut (all to head or body)

Advanced:
L Uppercut (body), R Uppercut (head), L Hook (head)
L Hook (head), L Hook (body), Cross (body), L Uppercut (head)
Cross (body), Cross (body), L Hook (body), R Uppercut (head), L Hook (head)
Cross (head), Cross (head), L Hook (body), L Hook (body), R Uppercut (head), L Hook (head)
Cross (body), Cross (body), L Hook (head), R Uppercut (head), L Uppercut (body), R Hook (head)

If you have any questions, please post a thread on the forums.