Shadow boxing is a great way to practice form, technique, movement and balance.
It can be a full and effective workout in its own right or be used as a warm-up for other types of training.
It is time and space efficient. You can work out anywhere you have a little room to move around; gym, office, bedroom, or outside.
If you are new to boxing, tap on to learn the basics.
Before getting into the 6 basic punches, let’s work on the position of your feet and body (the STANCE) and your hands (the GUARD). A good boxing stance brings balance, stability and readiness. ⠀ 1 - Place your dominant hand and foot at an angle to your target.
2 - Raise your dominant hand near your chin with your non-dominant hand slightly covering your face. ⠀ 3 - Your non-dominant foot should be about shoulder-width apart from your dominant foot and angled slightly away from your target. ⠀ All our instructions assume you are starting from this position.
You may have heard these terms, but what do they mean? ⠀ Most people are right-handed and will naturally assume the Orthodox stance, with the LEFT arm becoming the LEAD and the RIGHT arm the REAR. ⠀ Most left-handed people will switch this and assume what we call a Southpaw stance with the RIGHT arm as the LEAD and the LEFT arm as the REAR. ⠀ We refer to LEAD and REAR in our instructions so these will apply to both stances, although our animations show an Orthodox stance boxer.
1 - Extend your lead arm straight ahead, keeping your fist in line with its starting point. ⠀ 2 - Return your fist quickly back to your face.
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1 - Pivot on your back foot as you rotate your hips, angling your body towards the front. ⠀ 2 - As you pivot and rotate, extend your rear arm forward using your shoulder as the source of your power.
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3 - Rotate your body back to fighting stance and return your rear hand to guard position.
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1 - Rotate your body into a forward position to transfer your weight to your lead leg. ⠀ 2 - Bring your lead arm up to shoulder-height with your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.
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3 - Pivot on your lead leg while rotating your body to follow your fist. ⠀ 4 - Your arm will remain bent at the elbow at a roughly 90-degree angle and your elbow should end up almost in front of your face as you follow-through.
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1 - Bring your rear arm to shoulder height with your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle. ⠀ 2 - Pivot on your rear foot while rotating your hips and body.
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3 - Your elbow will remain bent and should be almost in front of your face as you deliver the punch.
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1 - Bend your knees into a low squat. ⠀ 2 - Drop your lead arm to a 90-degree angle from your body. ⠀ 3 - Using the power from your legs and body, drive your fist upwards into a punch keeping your elbow bent.
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1 - Bend your knees into a low squat. ⠀ 2 - Drop your rear arm to a 90-degree angle from your body.
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