Boxing footwork is one of the most important aspects of your training. Mastering this will allow you to move towards your target to hit and also get away from attacks your opponent sends. This is why we wanted to tell you more about the fundamentals you need for boxing footwork and shifting, and also because we want you to be the best boxer you can be! A mantra my trainer always tells me: Hit and don’t get hit!
You will need to learn footwork-specific skills and techniques that will help you handle different situations you will encounter when boxing. You can train by doing drills to obtain the speed and endurance you need for a boxing match.
Footwork in boxing will also help you with your timing and synchronization that will ultimately better your defense and punching. Knowing your footwork will help you become a better boxer by hitting the targets and defending yourself more effectively.
Boxers that don’t master footwork have a hard time getting to their target and also defending from attacks. Also, they may get more fatigued than normal because of overcompensating their defense and attacks.
One way to help you with footwork in your boxing training is by doing drills that focus on specific movements that you will need to master and memorize to get your feet moving faster and in a more fluid manner.
Boxing drills for footwork
We have gathered five boxing drills that will help you improve your footwork and become the best fighter you can be:
1. Jump rope
This is a great exercise to implement in boxing training and you can make it more complicated as you advance. If you do not know how to jump rope, don’t worry, start slowly and soon you will see that you get the rhythm of it and can add more complicated combinations.
The more time you put into jumping rope, the better you will get at it and you will see that it benefits your footwork. You will become more aware of the lower part of your body and gain more control over your legs, calves and feet.
Jumping rope will also help you gain the ability to move anywhere you want in the ring and however you want, flawlessly.
2. Agility ladder
Many sports use the agility ladder for training, such as gymnastics, and even in CrossFit. Boxing has also incorporated it in boxing gyms and it will also improve your footwork.
The agility ladder can teach boxers how to utilize their feet in different ways and also naturally and unnaturally. It helps build rhythm and fluidity.
3. Box jumps
This drill consists of jumping on and off a box, but it can be as hard as you need it to be by adding more height to the platform or incorporating different levels. This exercise will help the boxer instantly shift, if he or she needs to, between moving around and offense. You obtain more spring in your bounce by practicing box jumps.
In addition, you can practice box jumps at different speeds and switch from marching box jumps to single-step jumps and double feet jumps.
4. Shadow boxing
Often used as a warm-up drill, shadow boxing will also help you with your footwork and it is something you can do anywhere, you do not need to be in the gym. However, for better results, do it in front of a mirror so that you can see your flaws and nuances to your movements and be able to correct them.
One of those things you will be able to get better at while doing shadow boxing in front of a mirror is the footwork. You can do a routine that focuses solely on footwork and movement and enhance how you move in the ring.
5. Watch how the pros do it
Another drill for improving footwork is sitting down and watching other boxers move their feet. Analyze their moves, look at the techniques and observe what is going on. You can do this at the gym when others are fighting or working out, but you can also sit at home and watch boxing footage. We already shared with you many boxing movies that serve for inspiration and in some of them, you will be able to see genuine footwork.
You need to learn how to take the best from the best and add it to your own game. Imitation is key in boxing and it will be substantial with your footwork.
More tips for footwork
So, now you have five drills that if you practice over and over again will help you improve your footwork and this is why we want to give you even more tips so that you can be the best boxer you can be. Keep on reading!
- Wear boxing shoes
Some experts say that wearing tennis shoes in the ring instead of boxing shoes is the same as someone who wears a sweater in the pool and complains that they can’t move their arms. Nonetheless, you should get good boxing shoes and we are sure this will improve your footwork immediately.
Boxing shoes are thinner, which allows more power transfer. They are like a strong sock that allows you to feel the ground you are standing on and to transfer your energy from the ground, through your body and all the way to your arms. As we have told you in another post, power in boxing comes from the feet .
Regular athletic shoes have a thick sole meant for absorbing shock and it can be very curved. This, first, will not let you use the energy properly for good punches, but, secondly, you will not feel your feet planted on the ground as they should.
Boxing shoes are meant for you to feel agile and they WILL improve your overall performance, trust us, not only the footwork. According to Expert Boxing, “your boxing footwork will be instantly better, simply by wearing boxing shoes”.
Shoes that were made especially for boxing will let you slide and pivot, which is something athletic shoes won’t let you do. Either they have too much grip or no grip at all.
2. Keep your spine straightened
A straight spine will give you more balance since it is the natural position the human body should have. When standing straight your body will not require much energy and the weight is distributed equally between both feet.
When you tilt your spine in a certain direction, it will be more likely for you to fall in that direction. It is very important for you to have good posture and be aware of your spine as a boxer. This is the axis of movement and whenever you want to punch you should focus on moving your spine correctly.
“The important thing is to understand the relationship between your spine and your ability to move. You might straighten your spine to move into range, then plant your feet and tilt your spine for punches/slipping, and then straighten again to move away,” as you can read in Expert Boxing.
3. Relax your upper body
Yes, you can divide your body into lower body and upper body but the truth is that the body is just one piece and if you want to throw powerful punches, everything needs to do its part in perfect sync. As we have told you before, if you want to punch like a pro, you need to gather a sufficient amount of energy from your feet.
This is when footwork comes in handy. If you move your feet in a powerful way, you will generate sufficient energy for powerful punches from your arms. However, you need to relax your upper body for everything to happen the way it should. Try and relax your arms and have them counter-balance naturally with your lower body movement, instead of having them in a rigid position. Tension also makes you more tired and wastes energy.
4. Always land and push off using the balls of your feet
If you want to go forward, land the ball of your foot first, do not step forward with your heel. If you step with your heel first you will have far less control in boxing because you can’t ground or apply force in any direction until the ball of your foot finally hits the ground. You may also fall off balance and cannot throw punches as powerful as when your heel plants first.
Now, do everything in reverse if you are pushing your feet off the ground: use the ball of your feet, which will make this part of the foot the last one to break contact with the floor. This is a proper footwork technique that will give you more control, power and agility.
As Expert Boxing says, the heel has almost no muscle and that is the main reason why you have less control, balance and power if you only use the heels.
5. Narrow your stance
Narrower stances, rather than wider ones, will help you take bigger steps and pivots. By having your feet closer together, you will have more room available for moving around and pivoting while boxing.
In addition, wide stances use more energy and it is a position from which it will be harder to take long steps and pivot or you would have to jump instead to move around and spend more energy than you should. Also, it will be harder for you to stand for the same reasons. Try placing your feet closer together and you will see the difference. Your hips will be more relaxed, as well as your thighs.
You may think that a wider stance will help you have more balance, but this is not true. You may prevent from falling this way, but you will still be off-balance.
6. Take smaller steps
This is a beginner’s mistake but the truth is that you do not need to take giant steps to protect yourself from the opponent. Instead, you should try to stay within the edge of range and do not waste unnecessary energy.
Taking smaller steps will make you quicker when larger steps will leave you vulnerable to punches. Also, you should learn how to walk, which in boxing is different from when you normally walk around on the street. Walking saves energy and you can do this when trying to escape out the side from an opponent instead of using side-steps.
The proper way to walk is by using your legs and feet as we explained above and relaxing the upper body to counter-balance with the lower body as you are walking around the ring. You will be grounded enough for punching, defending or pushing.
7. Pivot your feet
Whenever you want to move in a certain direction, pivot your feet first. If you are trying to move forward, of course, this will be easy since your feet are naturally pointing in this direction. However, if you want to move backward, pivot the feet first, then the body will follow that direction and you will do the step required to move. It will take less effort than doing it differently.
8. Keep your hands low
If you want to have better footwork, you need to lower your hands so that you can lower the center of gravity of your body and keep from losing your balance or falling. To do this effectively you need can’t use a high guard (hands at the level of your forehead) but instead, keep your hands at a chin level.
What exercises do you do for improving your footwork that we did not explain here? Let us know in the comment section!
