How to avoid hurting your shoulders in boxing?

[GoatArtemLobov]

Especially on the uppercuts and hooks.
I have a really good shoulder snap, and, while it is great to add power to my shots, it's certainly isn't good from a physical standpoint for the shoulders...
I always kind of knew that, but I didn't care and kept throwing thousands of hooks and uppercuts a day (whether it was in training or nor on the bag or shadowboxing, which I obviously do a lot of since my gyms are close). It has been one week that I started to feel the effects, especially in the left shoulder.
I can't do that very long if I don't want my shoulders to be permanently damaged. I think the very mechanics of this punches are just unhealthy in the long run for the shoulders... What are your tricks to avoid that? Have you had this issue?
I wanna make clear that this hasn't anything to do with any technical problem. As a matter of fact, my coach has always praised the snap that I had in my shoulders, and it has been a thing I have worked a lot since day 1 (I have done and still do tons of drills like straight, uppercut, hook, it isn't a very realistic combo, but it really teaches you to relax your shoulder and to quickly change directions with that snap).
In case someone doesn't know what I'm referring to

 

[j123]

How to avoid hurting your shoulders in boxing?

Buy better shoulders

 

[deucesarewild]

You crowding the bag? Could be that, you might also want to consider strengthening your shoulders. Use a less dense bag. If you are using 100 lbs use 80 lbs. Wear 16 oz sparring gloves on the bag. Different things work for different bodies.

For example, I have a massive penis so I need garbage bags for condoms. That was my solution.

There are options

 

[GoatArtemLobov]

How to avoid hurting your shoulders in boxing?

Buy better shoulders

Thanks for this excellent answer, it really helps.
Problem is, there is inherent problem with that body mechanic (it's actually discussed at 1:18 in the second video), so I was just wondering what your experience is with that and how you avoid it.
Or maybe you don't have that problem because of a lack of relaxation in your shoulders, even many many good boxers don't have it and are stiff in that area.

 

[GoatArtemLobov]

You crowding the bag? Could be that, you might also want to consider strengthening your shoulders. Use a less dense bag. If you are using 100 lbs use 80 lbs. Wear 16 oz sparring gloves on the bag. Different things work for different bodies.

For example, I have a massive penis so I need garbage bags for condoms. That was my solution.

There are options

It comes as much from the heavybag that from shadowboxing, so the issue hasn't anything to do with the bag (I also shasowbox more than I do bagwork).
I am also 100% sure that my technique is 100% good on this. Everytime a guy struggles with relaxing his shoulders, my coach will always tell him "see this guy, try to do it like him".

I might want to work more on strenghtening the shoulders as you said. But I'm not sure it will help enough to copletely avoid the injury. Might also consider good supplementation for joint strength maybe.

 

[j123]

Thanks for this excellent answer, it really helps.

Glad to be of help

Spoiler

Problem is, there is inherent problem with that body mechanic (it's actually discussed at 1:18 in the second video), so I was just wondering what your experience is with that and how you avoid it.
Or maybe you don't have that problem because of a lack of relaxation in your shoulders, even many many good boxers don't have it and are stiff in that area.

joking aside, my take has always been resistance training to strengthen and address muscle imbalances. Bad technique also credits to injuries. Stopping midway instead of following through or overextending, etc

 

[GoatArtemLobov]

Glad to be of help

Spoiler

joking aside, my take has always been resistance training to strengthen and address muscle imbalances. Bad technique also credits to injuries. Stopping midway instead of following through or overextending, etc

Agree with the resistance training. Not so much with the "bad technique credits to injuries". Bad technique can defiitely cause injuries, but perfect technique can as well. Often in sports, what is the best as far as performance goes isn't the best for health, especially in sports we were not designed as humans to do (unlike runnign for instance where it seems that the most efficient form is also the healthiest). But for instance, if we take a sport like Strongman competition, for some lifts you have to learn techniques that are inherently unhealthy but totally make sense to win a competition. You have to learn to perform the lift in an even unheathier way that somebody who is noob would do. Hence why pro-athletes are the ones who have the most wrecked bodies.
Same thing applies for powerlifting. A friend of mine is a pretty good powerlifter and has told me that, while you always need to have a bent in the lower back when you benchpress (and therefore guys who lift their feet i the air to "protect" their back are idiots), the form that they learn for competition and which is seen as "perfect form" from a competitive standpoint (being overly bent to have the last distance to travel to perform the lift) is as unhealthy as it gets and will almost inevitably lead to injuries.


I think I will take a lil break from throwing hooks and punches and take supplements for joint health and work on joint strength with weights.

 

[j123]

Agree with the resistance training. Not so much with the "bad technique credits to injuries". Bad technique can defiitely cause injuries, but perfect technique can as well. Often in sports, what is the best as far as performance goes isn't the best for health, especially in sports we were not designed as humans to do (unlike runnign for instance where it seems that the most efficient form is also the healthiest). But for instance, if we take a sport like Strongman competition, for some lifts you have to learn techniques that are inherently unhealthy but totally make sense to win a competition.

I see where you're coming from, a popular theory similarly I saw years back was why football players get knee injuries so often is because the joint wasn't meant to handle that impact, shock, and agility that frequent; Maybe on occasion for survival yes, but not 3x a day on years in and out

Same thing applies for powerlifting. A friend of mine is a pretty good powerlifter and has told me that, while you always need to have a bent in the lower back when you benchpress (and therefore guys who lift their feet i the air to "protect" their back are idiots), the form that they learn for competition and which is seen as "perfect form" from a competitive standpoint (being overly bent to have the last distance to travel to perform the lift) is as unhealthy as it gets and will almost inevitably lead to injuries.

You arc your back on the bench, while the extremes where your back looks like you're possessed like in the exorcist is "legal", its not really encouraged. The idea is to have your body as an entire unit as the bench is a full body movement as well. Bodybuilding in the 80s popularized the isolation aspect with wide shoulders, the movement as a whole was always a full body one.

Rear delts, and posterior work is pretty underdeveloped among alot in combat sports, I've seen this with my teammates. Over-excess of bad form running, with the distance and time being milestones, and lack of the rear development

Strong bench press isnt a requirement, but its good to have rear delt work, glutes/hamstring, and neck work to accommodate. Hell even outside of sports, these help for regular day to day. Sleeping in a wrong position out of your control will cause injury without a decent neck or rear delts

 

[GoatArtemLobov]

I see where you're coming from, a popular theory similarly I saw years back was why football players get knee injuries so often is because the joint wasn't meant to handle that impact, shock, and agility that frequent; Maybe on occasion for survival yes, but not 3x a day on years in and out


You arc your back on the bench, while the extremes where your back looks like you're possessed like in the exorcist is "legal", its not really encouraged. The idea is to have your body as an entire unit as the bench is a full body movement as well. Bodybuilding in the 80s popularized the isolation aspect with wide shoulders, the movement as a whole was always a full body one.

Rear delts, and posterior work is pretty underdeveloped among alot in combat sports, I've seen this with my teammates. Over-excess of bad form running, with the distance and time being milestones, and lack of the rear development

Strong bench press isnt a requirement, but its good to have rear delt work, glutes/hamstring, and neck work to accommodate. Hell even outside of sports, these help for regular day to day. Sleeping in a wrong position out of your control will cause injury without a decent neck or rear delts

Agree with that, you have to work on building rear delts, neck, and actualy all the posterior chain, especially as a martial artist. If you do a lot of punching, you will inevitably develop an imbalance between you anterior delts and posterior delts, which will later or sooner lead to injury. If you do bjj for instance and often play guard, chances are you will develop a hunchback, so not only will you be injured, but you will also look like shit.

 

[j123]

If you do bjj for instance and often play guard, chances are you will develop a hunchback, so not only will you be injured, but you will also look like shit.

Lol

 

[StopDucking]

The key not to injure your shoulder is to stop using the "shoulder snap".

Don't rotate your shoulder internally, lock it and use the rotation of your body to deliver the punch instead.

But you wouldn't be able to gloat about how "perfect" your technique is anymore so keep getting injured I guess.

 

[deucesarewild]

It comes as much from the heavybag that from shadowboxing, so the issue hasn't anything to do with the bag (I also shasowbox more than I do bagwork).
I am also 100% sure that my technique is 100% good on this. Everytime a guy struggles with relaxing his shoulders, my coach will always tell him "see this guy, try to do it like him".

I might want to work more on strenghtening the shoulders as you said. But I'm not sure it will help enough to copletely avoid the injury. Might also consider good supplementation for joint strength maybe.

As with a lot or focused exercises on muscle groups, when you work the specific muscle group, work the one next to it, too. Work your upper back. It goes without saying, make sure your elbows are in.

 

[eternaldarkness]

The key not to injure your shoulder is to stop using the "shoulder snap".

Don't rotate your shoulder internally, lock it and use the rotation of your body to deliver the punch instead.

But you wouldn't be able to gloat about how "perfect" your technique is anymore so keep getting injured I guess.

This. More force is generated in this way. Not to mention less shoulder damage.

 

[shincheckin]

Shoulder injuries are common, from acute injury, or from overuse.

Shoulder exercises is your answer

 

[genecop]

Insert Rhonda boxing here..

 

[biscuitsbrah]

It’s part of the game. Rehab, prehab, punch light and work head movement/footwork on days with shoulder pain.

You should post a video of your form too. Just cuz I’m curious

 

[DeepFreeze]

I was gonna say that it's your genetics at fault but I feel it as well now. It's hard to remember these thing.

Is normal.

Or we're both suckers

 

[yokerclown]

if you got problems with shoulders try to visit doctor i would not fiind medical advise on forum

 

[zapataxiv]

The key not to injure your shoulder is to stop using the "shoulder snap".

Don't rotate your shoulder internally, lock it and use the rotation of your body to deliver the punch instead.

But you wouldn't be able to gloat about how "perfect" your technique is anymore so keep getting injured I guess.

Yea i am from the school of no sholder snapping for a good hook or at least keeping the arc from your shoulder not reaching back

 

[patos]

The key not to injure your shoulder is to stop using the "shoulder snap".

Don't rotate your shoulder internally, lock it and use the rotation of your body to deliver the punch instead.

But you wouldn't be able to gloat about how "perfect" your technique is anymore so keep getting injured I guess.

Agreed. The punch is also tighter.

You don't need to fuck your shoulders up to deliver devastating damage, just a proper fundamental punch. But then you can't impress the teenagers with your Loma mimickry. Tough call.....