How I Can Improve My Footwork: Some Basic Drills

We understand that as a beginner you gradually understand the importance of every aspect of boxing. Just in case you are wondering to know the ways you can improve your footwork, you are at the right place for learning the best strategies. Footwork strategies involves stepping, shuffling and twisting. These movements can be enhanced and be made agile by following drills.

 

DRILLS – An aid to learning perfect footwork

First of all, I’d like to enlighten the significance of practicing good footwork drills. Good footwork inside the ring increases the chances of dominating your opponent, by increasing your speed and quick movements against the counter attacks. For this specific training and drill could be learned and mastered. Here are some basic yet essential drills for improving your footwork. These drills would exhibit fluent movements of your legs and calves, increase your agility and improve your grip on the floor.

 

DRILL #1: ABILITY TO BE STATIC

This training focus on the ability to maintain a strong stance. Defense and attack both cannot be perfect until you know to stand steadily and keep your body glued to the floor perfectly. This is important to endure the blow from the opponent and block it.

Ways to exercise static-blocking:

  • Be in your boxing position with seized fists and rhythmic breathing.
  • Prepare a person who will throw a punch towards you, starting from a blow with open-hand to both hands then to lower trunk.
  • Now take real hit shots to the head and lower trunk, while blocking all these punches.
  • Rhythmic punches must be thrown, initially practice blocking punches of 5 seconds each and when you get used to it, reduce it to 3 seconds, allow yourself to shift and transpose.
  • When you get used to it by easily blocking at a particular stance, shift the drill to the next level; allow your partner to blow anywhere on your whole body.
  • Allow your partner to take on your weak positions, as the goal is maintaining a strong balance.

Tips and tricks for static-blocking

  • Exert your body weight to the front rather than the rear.
  • Keep your posture relaxed, head bent and legs extended.
  • Try to nullify the effect of the blow by breathing in, and keep your body-fidgeting minimum to not disturb your posture.

 

DRILL #2: SKIPPING THE ROPE

Once you have practiced static-blocking, now is the time to move your body. Skipping rope is an effective footwork drill and helps in energizing the body, keeping it agile and boosting your endocrines. It challenges endurance and persistence. Skipping rope builds up the stamina and is the best drill for cardio capacity. Skipping enhances the sustenance to prolonged physical stress, preventing you from getting exhausted soon.

Skipping rope:

  • Take a good skipping rope and without any rest, start skipping for consecutive 15 minutes.
  • Do not stop skipping even if you trip over or get exhausted.
  • Practice it daily, until it becomes a piece of cake for you.

Tips and tricks:

  • Exhale through your nose.
  • Make sure to avoid breaks.
  • Use a good-length skipping rope.

 

DRILL #3: TAKING MINI STEP-DRAGs:

Making small step-drags like 2-3 inches.

Exercising small step-drag:

  • Move one foot, either the front or rear, a few inches and rapidly move the other foot, then go back to your respective position to recover your stance.
  • Make use of your toes while pushing and dragging.
  • Do not let your heels touch the floor.
  • Make brisk movements.
  • Avoid jumping.

Tips and tricks for small step-drag:

  • Keep the body movement at its minimum, aim for a slight push and a slight drag.
  • Keep your trunk low
  • Avoid jumping.
  • Try blowing a punch instantly after step-drag, to verify whether you were able to maintain a stable position or not.
  • Reduce fidgeting

 

DRILL #4: TAKING SHORT PIVOTS

Pivoting helps in punching at different angles, and to defend and escape a punch. Using a short pivot is useful in escaping a blow from the opponent. While a big pivot helps in throwing a hard punch.

Exercising short pivots:

  • Stand loose and take short pivots of less than 20 degrees, alternatively in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction.
  • Make a linear motion, then add step-drags and finally make a pivot. Repeat the steps.
  • Steadily shift from short to a bigger pivot, like more than 45 degrees.
  • Maintain a firm stance after each pivot.

Tips and tricks for short-pivot:

  • Keep your head more to the back
  • You don’t need to swirl your upper trunk, rather just a slight twist and in some case even this isn’t needed to make a short pivot.
  • Keep your head a bit low.
  • A pivot should end in a balanced stance.

 

DRILL #5: PRACTISE NON-TENSE WARM-UP EXERCISE

Finally, uniting all the drills you have learnt so far. While in the ring you need to recall all the moves instantly at the required moment. 

  • 1. Rock-solid stance/ strong balance in static-position.
  • 2. Co-ordinated and persistent skipping.
  • 3. Include movements such as jabbing, hooking, uppercut and back hand.
  • 4. Few inch drag-steps.
  • 5. Slight pivots.

Exercising smooth transitions

  • Better footwork isn’t all about rapid movements.
  • Make smooth transitions between different movements.
  • Make use of the strength of your hand blows, upper body and foot movements to transpose smoothly.
  • Keep calm

Exercising pause-transitions

  • Add a very instant pause between the movements. Each after every transposition.
  • It should be a mini-break after each sudden movement.

 

 

Keynote: On a short note, footwork drill enhances precision and endurance, and provides a chance for better progress in the ring. Footwork doesn’t need to be necessarily fast, but rhythmic and coordinated. Better footwork strategies boost up both the defensive and attacking ability. Boxing isn’t all about blowing your hand, because before punching or blocking a punch a balanced stance must be maintained, for push and drag. For this, one needs to know the importance of using feet for defense and offense along with affirming a balanced stance. Working on your footwork must be a focus for winning a good game.