BOXING GUIDLINE

• While strength training focuses on the major muscle groups in your body, conditioning focuses on the most important muscle of them all: your heart. Incorporating periods of high-intensity cardio can improve your boxing strength and conditioning routine drastically, while shaking things up from your usual stream of Instagram photos.Again, think about it from the "quantity" perspective. When you focus on conditioning, you're making your heart pump more blood for a longer period of time. Like any other muscle, when you ask your heart to work a little harder than it's used to (in moderation!), it actually strengthens it. That means that the next time you work out, the heart will be able to pump blood and oxygen into your muscles for a longer period of time. You'll be able to put in the hard work for longer, whether you're doing boxing exercises or moving outside of the ring. The benefits of this aren't just exclusive to exercise. By regularly getting your heart rate up, you'll improve how well the heart functions overall, even when you're not exercising.
  

• Now that we understand the fundamentals of strength training and conditioning, how do we apply it specifically toward boxing exercises? We'll discuss a few ways you can utilize strength training exercises that will improve the quality of your movements as a boxer and a few tried-and-true ways to improve your conditioning, such that you'll be able to perform as a boxer for a longer period of time.
  

• Even though we tend to think of boxing as being mostly about having strong arms and shoulders, in order to deliver stronger punches, the truth is that boxing is a full-body workout. The power we generate for our punches comes from our legs and our core strength, just as much as it does from our upper body.As a result, any strength training regimen should be focused on the big muscle groups in our body, like our thighs, glutes, abdominals, as well as your chest and shoulders. This is where the classic resistance exercises will serve you best: squats, the deadlift, lunges, the bench press and things along those lines. You want to perform exercises that work multiple muscle groups at one time, which will mimic the needs of your body during boxing.Again, the focus isn't about building muscle mass and looking like a body builder-- though all the power to you if that's your goal. Instead of worrying about lifting really heavy weights when performing these exercises, just choose a weight that makes the exercise a bit more challenging but still allows you to perform 6-10 repetitions of that exercise in a given set.
  
• Best Strength Training Exercises for Boxers - Without Equipment

• If you want to focus on strength training but either don’t have access to or don’t have interest weight training, you still have plenty of options. After all, you'll always have access to the best possible weight available: your body weight.More often than not, you'll hear boxers say they prefer the old school strength-based exercises, instead of hitting the weight room. Rather, their regimen will include the classic bodyweight exercises: push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, plyometrics (jump rope, for example), and burpees. You can never go wrong incorporating these into your own training regimen, considering these are tried-and-true ways of using your body weight to improve your core strength and body strength overall. 

• Boxing conditioning, is similar to conditioning methods for any other fighting sport. From a pure conditioning standpoint, one of the most fundamental exercises for boxers is jumping rope. Almost every boxer of any skill level will jump rope when warming up and getting ready for more specific boxing-related exercises because it gets your heart rate going, but also because it emphasizes the need to have good footwork and stay light on your feet, both of which are essential for boxers.Jump rope falls into a category of exercises called plyometrics. Plyometrics teach your body to exert power through movement: maximum force in minimal time. Plyometrics are often hard work, but do wonders for your legs-- particularly your ankles and knees-- as you continue training. Plyometrics are also an effective addition to interval training circuits and routines.Once you're warmed up, it's time to move on to the more boxing-specific exercises. If you have access to a punching bag (commonly referred to as a "heavy bag"), you’ll want to put on your gloves (do not hit the bag with your bare fists-- you need proper wrapping to support your wrists) and start working through your punches and putting them together into combinations.The speed bag is another great piece of equipment that will keep your blood pumping, and help you practice keeping your hands by your head since you'll need to keep them close by to hit the bag. If you've never used a speed bag before, feel free to ask any WjM Fight Club coach to give you a tutorial. They'd be happy to give you one!If you lack the equipment or want to refine your skills without the force of a bag, engage in some good old fashioned shadow boxing. Stand in front of a mirror in your starting position, with slightly bent knees and a strong boxing stance. Give yourself room to try some combos, battle an invisible opponent, and correct your form as you go. While it may seem silly to beginners, even the pros will regularly add shadow boxing to their daily boxing workouts. 

• One of the easiest ways to improve your conditioning without the use of any equipment is to simply go for a run outside. Lots of avid runners will tell you that they get a better workout when running outdoors for a certain length of time rather than running on a treadmill for the same period. This is because the outdoors offers different terrains, inclines and declines, which challenge and condition your muscles much more effectively than running on the same surface and the same incline on a treadmill.It's also essential to incorporate some high-intensity interval training by adding periods of high exertion. This form of training is used by athletes around the world to help them improve their speed and endurance through using the anaerobic energy system for anaerobic conditioning. By incorporating high-intensity interval training into your boxing conditioning regimen, you'll be able to hit the heavy bag with more intensity, last longer when sparring with an opponent and improve your speed during footspeed drills.Another great way to condition yourself in the manner in which a boxer would is through shadowboxing, which involves nothing but yourself and maybe a mirror. Since shadowboxing simulates the movements you’d otherwise make in a boxing match, you can condition yourself to go multiple rounds of throwing punches without having to be in the boxing ring or the gym. 

• You won't only see strength and conditioning training in amateur boxing. It's also common in Muay Thai and mixed martial arts training. That's because every fighter worth his or her salt knows that training is about more than hitting a punching bag; it's about improving every aspect of your life to improve your sport.More often than not, the issue for most people is not motivation. We're willing to work hard in the gym and eat the right foods at home because we want to enjoy the benefits of a healthy body, and feel good about our overall appearance. However, there is so much confusing and conflicting information out there, that we're often misled about the best way to achieve our fitness -- or boxing -- goals. But it doesn't have to be this way.Regardless of whether you want to become a professional boxer, perform better in one of WjM FIGHT CLUB sessions as an amateur boxer or enhance the quality of your workouts, it's important to implement exercises that are focused on improving your boxing strength and conditioning.If you want to improve your boxing strength and conditioning,In these highly customized training sessions, you'll do mobility work, strength training, and full-body functional movements utilizing a variety of training tools. If you have any questions, our Gloveworx coaches are more than happy to provide you with tips or show you a few exercises that will help you go the distance.

Muay Thai is a stand-up combat sport, where fighters are not allowed to take the fight to the ground. It is fast-paced and combines both boxing and kicking in one swirling melee of a bout. In Thailand, it is known as the art of eight limbs, referring to the eight points of contact that are used to strike the opponent. The sport uses the human body to mimic the weapons and combat of centuries gone by. The fist takes the place of the sword and daggers, and the elbow emulates the crushing mace. The feet and knees take the place of the axe and staff. The shins and forearms are specially trained and hardened to play the role of armor and shield and are used to block blows. In practice, the sport uses a combination of punches, elbow strikes, kicks and knee strikes, to create one of the most exhilarating and bloody combat sports today.ur business offers? Say it here.

• f you are a skeptical person like myself, the first question you are probably going to ask is why would I choose Muay Thai over other striking arts? And that is a very fair question to ask.
• When it comes to the striking arts, Muay Thai is hands-down better than any other style out there. While there are other effective striking styles like Dutch Kickboxing, for example,  none are as complete as Muay Thai.
• The reason Muay Thai is the complete stand-up art is that it utilizes eight points to attack. Often referred to as the art of eight limbs, Muay Thai fighters use deadly knee and elbow attacks in addition to punches and kicks. Additionally, Muay Thai fighters are also masters at clinching (stand-up grappling) and can throw their opponents to the ground with devastating force.
• If you put a Muay Thai fighter in the ring against a Kickboxer with a similar experience level (same number of matches etc.), the Muay Thai fighter will win every time because of the clinch and extra weapons. The Muay Thai clinch is like the stand-up version of BJJ. If you do not know how to clinch, a good clincher will destroy you.
• The addition of elbow strikes, knees and clinching provide Muay Thai fighters with more deadly weapons at their disposal. Instead of limiting their strikes to kicks and punches, they can attack with elbows and clinch in close range. The diverse options are why Muay Thai is the  predominant striking style for all MMA fighters.
• Muay Thai is a sport that was developed in Thailand as a form of combat for the Thai military and eventually turned into a ring sport by adopting Boxing rules.
• While punches used to be the Achilles heel of a Muay Thai fighter, Muay Thai has evolved considerably over the years to incorporate better boxing and movement. In the past 20 years, Muay Thai gyms in Thailand incorporated Western Boxing directly into their training, which created a new breed of elite strikers.

• The structure of Muay Thai training is similar to Western Boxing. The different elements of training are each designed to sharpen specific areas of your Muay Thai game. Good gyms will incorporate many of these elements in training to ensure that students develop a well-rounded game.
• Every gym has a unique structure and training schedule. You may find some gyms emphasize certain areas more depending on the instructor and class size. (Many gyms don’t utilize heavy bag training because classes are too big.) There are a variety of training methods, and I won’t argue which one is better or worse.
• Here is an overview of the different things you will encounter in your Muay Thai training.
• Road Work – Outside of your ‘official’ training hours is when you dedicate time to road work, also known as running. Running will help you improve your energy systems and build up your general cardio. Running is completely optional in most gyms and requires you to be motivated to do it on your own. Adding running to your training will help you get in better shape, and allow you to feel less tired in training.
• If you ever plan on fighting, running is an essential part of your training. Anyone who tells you that you don’t need to run before a fight probably hasn’t fought in a five round war in Thailand . There is a reason why Thai boxers and Western fighters incorporated long runs in their training regimens for the past hundred years. Running gives your legs enough energy to last through hard rounds of training and competition.
• Shadow Boxing – At the start of most Muay Thai classes, you will usually shadow box. Shadow boxing takes place in front of a mirror so you can look at your stance, footwork, and techniques. As a beginner, when you shadow box, you should try to maintain the perfect stance, rhythm, and guard while throwing your techniques. Seeing yourself in the mirror gives you a chance to see how you look and what you need to work on.
• Slow everything down and focus on keeping everything simple. Don’t worry about trying to move around and throwing fancy techniques. After you throw a technique, always make sure you come back to your original stance. Practicing resetting your stance will help you develop your fundamentals.
• Pad Work – Hitting Muay Thai pads are an essential element of Muay Thai training. In most Western gyms, other students hold pads for you unless you are doing private lessons or training in Thailand.
• As a beginner, you should try to work with someone who is more advanced and knows how to hold pads. Working with experienced people will ensure that they can give you corrections and help you learn how to hit the pads.
• Starting off, you want to keep everything simple and focus on your technique, not power. You may be tempted to smash the pads as hard as you can, but this is only going to result in you throwing off your technique. Start off slow and focus on developing your basic movements first. Once you learn the correct movements, you can then work on other aspects of your game.
• A good pad holder is essential at this stage. If you end up with a beginner, then both of you won’t know what you are doing. A good instructor will pair beginners with advanced pad holders so the advanced students can help the beginners progress in their technique.
• Bag Work – Another element of  Muay Thai training is heavy bag training. The heavy bag is a piece of equipment designed to allow you to work on your techniques and conditioning on your own time. It is hard to train on a heavy bag when you first start because you will not know what you should be doing.
• The key is to keep everything simple and focus on single techniques to start. Throw a jab, reset, throw a right kick, reset, throw a knee, reset. Concentrate on trying to throw every strike with perfect execution and resetting yourself back to your Muay Thai stance. Don’t worry about trying to string together combinations; just focus on the basics.
• Hitting the heavy bag is an excellent way to build your stamina, and it can also condition your shins and knuckles. If you want to toughen up your shins, kicking the heavy bag is by far the best way to do it. After months and months of kicking a hard bag, your shins will harden up.
• Partner Drills – One of the best ways to become comfortable punching and kicking an opponent is to work on drills with a partner. Drills can help you develop confidence in your guard and will teach you how to block incoming attacks. Since drills are performed with no power, they allow you to focus on your technique and eliminate any risk of being hurt.
• Eventually, you can increase your speed when you drill, but the power is always turned off to prevent injuries. The purpose of training drills is to help you develop your reflexes, timing, and reactions when you are facing an opponent.
• Clinching – In Muay Thai there is striking, and there is clinching. Think of the Muay Thai clinch as the BJJ/Wrestling side of MMA. This is an area where you are locked in with your opponent and battle for control of the position. Clinching only involves arm control, sweeps, elbows, and knees.
• Your development in clinching will depend on the gym you train at. Many western gyms do not focus on clinching because of time constraints and a lack of clinching experience. When you clinch, you should take off your gloves (when you are advanced you can clinch with gloves) and wear a mouthguard. You would be surprised how many head butts you get when you clinch, so protect your mouth.
• As a beginner, you probably will not be clinching until you learn your basics, but it will depend entirely on the instructor.
• Muay Thai Sparring – Sparring is the process utilizing all of your techniques against a real opponent. It is in this stage of training that you will learn what works and what does not work in reality. Sparring is the element that most traditional martial arts are missing from their training regimens. Practical application is what makes sports like Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Boxing much more useful than other martial arts out there.
• As a beginner, you should not spar until you develop proper fundamental techniques. Trying to spar without cementing your method will result in creating bad habits that are difficult to change. While you may be excited to try sparring, be patient, and focus on drilling until you have good enough control and technique. This is a stage where you will eventually find your own style.
• Boxing Sparring – Even though Muay Thai and Western Boxing are two separate sports, many Muay Thai gyms have incorporated Boxing sparring into their training to improve hand striking. In Thailand, most of the gyms spar Western Boxing 50% of the time. This emphasis on punching allows fighters to develop good head movement and better punches when they fight.
• As a beginner, you should understand the importance of Boxing and how it can help your overall Muay Thai game. Punches are a big part of fighting, and there is no better sport than Western Boxing when it comes to hands. Sparring with only punches allows you to work on your head movement and your punching strikes, which are essential to reach a high level in the sport.
• Body Conditioning – One thing that separates Muay Thai fighters from other fighters is their toughness and conditioning. Fighters who have conditioned their bodies to take pain are able to withstand an enormous amount of damage without going down. As a beginner, your goal is to focus on slowly developing a strong body over time. You will notice your shins hurt like crazy when you first start. That is completely normal and something you have to accept. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to conditioning your body in Muay Thai. The more you kick and take hits, the tougher your body will become over time.
• Fighting – Competing in the ring is the final stage of a Muay Thai training program. Fighting is the ultimate goal because it allows you to test everything you learned in training and see how it applies to a real situation. Less than 5% of people who train Muay Thai ever compete. So don’t feel like you have to compete in order to train Muay Thai.

When you reach an advanced level of Muay Thai, fighting can help take your game to a higher standard. As I mentioned before, you don’t need to compete to enjoy the many benefits of Muay Thai. Just keep in mind that amateur competitions are fully padded, and the risk of injuries is significantly reduced.

• In combat sports, there is a tendency to want to run before you can walk. Because everyone is born with the ability to swing their arm and replicate a punch, it is easy to fall for the illusion that you have mastered the basics after a few classes. In every technique, there are so many movements happening in your body that it takes hundreds of hours of repetition to truly master a technique.
• Even when you perform a technique correctly, you will tend to revert to old habits. The moment you stop thinking about how you are performing a technique, is the moment you will revert to any old habits ingrained in you.
• Because you have to learn all of the basics from the ground up, you will need to focus on one thing at a time. The key to surviving the early stages of Muay Thai is patience and perseverance. Through hard work and a willingness to learn and grow, you will eventually become more comfortable performing the different techniques.
• Once you can throw your techniques without thinking, that is when your learning curve will skyrocket upwards. Once you pass the beginner stage, Muay Thai training starts to become a lot more fun. This new stage is the growth period of your journey and is an extremely exciting time to train. Every time you show up to class, you will improve and get better.
• The growth period is the stage where you go from surviving your training sessions to thriving. People who used to intimidate you in training will suddenly start to become your equal. You will spar with everyone in the gym and be able to hold your own. This is the intermediate stage of Muay Thai.
• After a few years in the intermediate stage, you will eventually reach the advanced stage. In the advanced stage, you will experience stagnation in your growth. Suddenly you will stop learning as fast as you used to and will start to notice a lack of progress. This is the maturation stage and is the final stage of your development. To improve in this stage requires much more work and constant focus in training.