Boxing Tips For Novices

Anyone who takes up boxing knows that it demands high levels of fitness from its participants. But a lesser known fact is that you need to be able to work out with intensity without destroying your delicate joints. Until you have a good overall level of strength and conditioning, boxing training will be very difficult.

As a boxer, you should exercise with a high level of intensity; in fact, you should max out at least once per "round". Combining this high intensity with a typical interval training routine is the best way to develop the sort of conditioning that the sport demands. Until you can keep calm and under control during the most rigorous workouts (and under the stress of sparring), you are not yet ready to box seriously, so start working at it as soon as possible.

Since boxing takes place over timed rounds (either 2 minutes for amateurs or 3 minutes for professionals), your training should mimic these rounds. Drills should be intense for 3 minutes, then easy for the 1 minute "rest" period. Of course, it's not ideal to actually rest during your workouts, but the intensity should attenuate to simulate a rest period.

Most people who develop and stick with a cardio program like to keep their heart rate at around 60 to 70 percent of its max. This lets them work out for a sufficient amount of time. But boxers can't stick to "easy" workouts like this. As a boxer, you have to regularly take your heart rate up to 90%, and keep it there for a minute or more. Until you are capable of this sort of physical fitness, you can't step in the ring and spar with any hope of success.

Another aspect of boxing training that you need to be aware of is plyometric training. This 'high impact' training is necessary because it's the only way to get your heart rate and intensity up as high as possible. It is demanding training, but it's not something you can do without.

For conditioning and most importantly, skill training, you need to start working the heavy bag. This is a popular exercise that most people enjoy, but you'll short-change yourself unless you hit the bag with power and speed, all the while concentrating on keeping your form perfect.

But punching with power isn't the only thing you'll work on when you hit the punching bag. You also need to think about your footwork and your head movement. Always switch things up so your body doesn't adapt to the movements. You do want to adapt to the actual combinations, not the exercise itself.

Finally, to improve your stamina and conditioning, keep the pace as fast as you can handle, but keep the intervals short. A good way to develop this sort of stamina is a 'punch out drill' which has you hit the bag as rapidly as possible for 2 or 3 minutes, with a minute of rest afterwards, then another circuit.

How to use a wallbag for punch training

No matter what martial art you study, it's important to train your striking power and accuracy. One of the best ways to do this is with a Wing Chun bag. There are several different styles that are in common use, but the exact style isn't as important as is the diligence with which it is used. No one style of punching bag is better than the other, but styles of training are certainly different and they vary in effectiveness.

Since this article is specifically about wallbags, that's what we'll focus on. But don't let that fool you; the other types of bags -- heavybags, focus bags, slip bags, etc. -- are equally as important if you want to learn how to hit fast and powerfully.

Here are some workout tips that will get you going with your wall bag almost overnight!

How to fill the wallbag

Traditional fillings for wallbags vary depending on whether you are being taught by a Wing chun traditionalist, or by a more contemporary instructor.

If you prefer a hard material to fill your bag, you could use ball bearings. But most old time martial artists prefer something with a little bit more "give", like beans, rice, or aquarium gravel.

However, in today's climate of long-term health, it's important not to do damage to the hand just to toughen it up. Everything else being equal, it's probably best to use some cloth to fill the bag. You can mix cloth and beans or rice if you want it to be harder, but not hard enough to cripple your fragile hand bones.

If you are really in good shape and have been training with a wall bag for years, you can graduate to filling it with sand. Sand is too hard for beginners, but it's not as difficult to use as beans or something equally as hard.

Conditioning with the wallbag

This is not the reason you use a wallbag. The heavybag is the tool to use when you want to get into fighting shape. But, as you can imagine, the wallbag will serve for conditioning to a degree.

Always make sure you take care of your hands. This means avoiding cuts, bruises, or scrapes that might stop you from training with the proper degree of intensity.

Also, instead of merely punching the wallbag, make sure to work on open-hand strikes and knife-hand chops too. These varied striking surfaces will help your conditioning in ways you might not realize at first.

Mounting the wallbag

Make sure you have a good, convenient place to mount your wallbag.

Although this style of punching bag saves a lot of space when compared with a heavybag, it still takes some room. And, more importantly, it can result in the destruction of your wall as you pound it day after day.

Therefore, the wall you use should be tough and sturdy. A masonry wall is perfect. Drywall isn't.

Although hardcore Wing Chun addicts like to put their wallbag not on a wall, but on a tree trunk, this is probably unnecessary for the vast majority of us.

Finally, mount it indoors. If you allow it to get soaked with rain, it'll be of little use to you.

Sections of your wallbag

Normally, a Wing Chun wallbag is constructed with several sections or partitions. The three-sectioned wallbag is meant to allow you to practice striking at three different levels.

But more than that, you can also fill the different sections with a different material, giving your conditioning a whole new dimension.