Tips to improve fluidity...

[ahheadlock]

I hope that title made sense.

i took a video of myself the other day at the end of some heavy bag rounds (not going to post it, I look like shit hah) - which i've found helpful in giving me a LOT of stuff i need to think about next time, but one thing i'd like to improve is my fluidity of motion when throwing punches. What i mean by that is transition between each shot looked too stiff and initiating the motion also i guess. I'm having a hard time explaining, but you know when you watch someone working and their combinations look smooth and effortless? how do you work towards that without relaxing to the point that your shots have no speed or power? Obviously practice is key, but i guess what i'm asking for are some tips on the best ways to practice this particular thing. I like mitt work for this but that's out unfortunately. I'm down to just two or three days of boxing a week and one or two of those days has to be solo basically, the other one - the gym i train at dont really do mitts, the trainer prefers drills, sparring, bags, etc.

i figured shadow boxing more might be a good place to start, with a focus on throwing combinations - and perhaps doing more rounds with trying to throw light punches but faster and in combinations? Work towards making it more of a reflex instead of having to think "ok now a combination" and then going if you know what i mean.

 

[Sinister]

Take a salsa class.

 

[Kickzilla]

Def. shadowbox more.

Skip more.

Roadwork.

Be loose/elastic. Part of that is comfort with your body the other part is mentally relaxing. Don't worry about muscling shit get your mechanics right (shadowboxing will help with this).

The thing with combos is smoothness (an uninterrupted rhythm) not necessarily speed or power (but technique trumps that).

And this speaks towards my own sensibilities but jab more, the jab does everything. It sets up those combos. It establishes your rhythm and hopefully enforces yours on your opponent. And if this is KB/MT then in addition to that teep more as well (same spiel as above).

The other part of it you can do nothing about and that's simply experience and time. It will all start coming together.

 

[ahheadlock]

i have actually had a few (salsa classes that is), though it was years ago. dont have time now unfortunately, kind of need the "try this at home" tips.

edit. thanks - i shall indeed shadow box more. i jab a lot, but it tends to be ones and twos. Linking it all together is where i start to get a bit stiff.

 

[Devout Pessimist]

Ballet.

 

[Babba]

ballet is a bad tip.

latin dance always comes up, but for me just watch tape and shadow box every day. experiment with different angles and directions on your punches, get used to throwing from all positions of ur body.. get that body control comfort. learn to relax

 

[cjwhitt51]

Keep boxing/kickboxing. This comes up a lot and the answer that no one wants to hear is just practice. It is counter intuitive to think your going to be able to do something "naturally" and "smoothly" that you've never done before. When you've thrown 5000 right hands or 1-2-3 combos it'll be fluid. Of course there are drills that will help your game wherever you might need help (which we can't really know unless you post a vid, or at least some explanation) but as far as practicing fluidity just keep learning and it will come.

 

[ripskater]

There is a workout book "probodx." Fluidity will improve drastically in just a few workouts and it's very noticeable. The downside is finding some equipment a making your own equipment. And scouring the web for videos if you can't figure out the picture descriptions.
It doesn't replace the standup you do, but it's an overall workout that tunes up your body to work more effectively.

 

[ahheadlock]

Thanks for the the replies guys. Ive been at it a bit over a decade now, so I'm not a total newb - but combination Punching had never been a strong point for me. My mt coach used to encourage power shots and my boxing coach teaches an outside counter punching style. I'll work more on shadow boxing and overall relaxation of movement

 

[Sinister]

This sort of thing doesn't come natural to everyone and training it can be difficult. You don't just become fluid and rhythmic overnight. I wouldn't just say "shadowbox" and "practice more" because you strike me as a guy who doesn't need suggestions that are fairly common sense.

Shadowbox to rhythmic music you like, move to the beat. Same with the double-end bag if you use one. Make yourself a reballdo.

 

[ahheadlock]

yeah i am definitely not a natural at it, but i guess we'd all like to improve our weak points Music is a good suggestion, i have noticed that having music i like on (eg. ipod) i feel a lot better than being stuck with whatevers on the radio, I'll be sure to do that more often - and spend more time on the end to end bag.

what's a reballdo? i haven't heard of that one - is that perhaps the 'tennis ball on headband' contraption Kostya Tszyu was fond of? or an end to end bag with a small rubber ball rather than a bag? i have one of the latter around the place somewhere.

 

[Perfect form]

Create a long combo drill. Practice that combo drill. Master the drill. Reap the benefits. It works outside of boxing and is a method that been around for ever.

 

[nomilkforsanta]

LIGHT sparring.

Shadow boxing to music

moving your weight in a stationary stance to music

agility ladder (speed, not endurance)

dog-dot-mat (speed, not endurance)

 

[xilliun]

Practice more, there's no simple cure to it. You've just gotta keep going until you're good.

A lot of it comes down to rhythm. Skipping, speed bag, speed ball, shadowboxing.

Movement drills going forward to back, side to side, pivoting, bobbing and weaving underneath a rope. Throw a punch after you take a step, or a combination when you're in a good position.

Most importantly, just stand in front of a bag and just go at 50% of your usual work rate and just throw combinations and move around for a while. Doesn't need to be fast or hard, just at a pace that's good enough for your strikes to be in sync with the rest of your body. As an example, I'm only just getting back into the swing of things now after the better part of a year away from the gym. So I was trying to get my left hook to the body going again. To do that, the first thing I corrected was my foot placement when I moved in and to the outside of the bag before twisting across my trunk and landing the punch onto the bag. I took it slow and broke it down into parts and within a few minutes I was comfortable throwing it and not looking like a complete novice again.

 

[Sinister]

yeah i am definitely not a natural at it, but i guess we'd all like to improve our weak points Music is a good suggestion, i have noticed that having music i like on (eg. ipod) i feel a lot better than being stuck with whatevers on the radio, I'll be sure to do that more often - and spend more time on the end to end bag.

what's a reballdo? i haven't heard of that one - is that perhaps the 'tennis ball on headband' contraption Kostya Tszyu was fond of? or an end to end bag with a small rubber ball rather than a bag? i have one of the latter around the place somewhere.

Yes, that's what it is. It forces a continuous and smooth punching pace, set to a rhythm.

 

[apizur**]

Dude what are with these fucking advertisements that block me from skipping to the next page???

Anyway, only read page one, minus the first and last post. You should post the video anyway, as we might be able to target certain times in which you are off balance or rigid. You'll never meet any of us in real life, and honestly, if you're laughing at yourself... who cares if someone else joins you. We all sucked terribly at one point in time and a lot of us still do in at least our own opinion.

 

[earpussy]

Try shadowboxing without throwing any strikes, move your body the same as you would if you were actually throwing. Work in just letting the hips roll out without worrying about the actual strike. I found it really useful but you have to start with really understanding how to move your hips which I'm sure is why Latin dancing is a common answer.

 

[ahheadlock]

Dude what are with these fucking advertisements that block me from skipping to the next page???

Anyway, only read page one, minus the first and last post. You should post the video anyway, as we might be able to target certain times in which you are off balance or rigid. You'll never meet any of us in real life, and honestly, if you're laughing at yourself... who cares if someone else joins you. We all sucked terribly at one point in time and a lot of us still do in at least our own opinion.

yeah alright, you've convinced me. i'll break my sacred pledge to never post my ugly mug on sherdog and upload it

 

[ahheadlock]

alright here we go, be gentle it's my first time.

like i say - there's a lot wrong with it. Feel free to tear it apart though, you guys will probably get stuff i'm too busy noticing other more obvious things to catch. out of shape and end of workout but i wont use that as an excuse, existing flaws just become more apparent when you're tired.

and yes i know my T-Shirt tan is out of control.

 

[apizur**]

You can punch alright.

You're a little front foot heavy during combinations. That means you're getting tall and balanced over your front leg. That probably feels "stiff" because you're basically on a stilt until you can get your stance back underneath you.

At :55 you drop a lovely right that doesn't push you forward. If all your rights looked like that one you wouldn't have to worry about it for a while. You stifle your hook on the 2, 3... but it probably stems from being front foot heavy, but when you throw your hook by itself you throw at full power... see that front foot heavy pattern?

It looks to me like during 3 or 4 punch combinations you lock your head to your shoulders and don't keep it facing your bag. To me this means you're carrying tension in your neck and shoulders... and could be a huge reason why you don't feel fluid. I will tell you it's a huge problem for me, unnecessary tension.

Don't be afraid to throw some pitty pat punches just to do some volume work and play with your balance. Not every punch has to be a killer.

For now I would focus primarily on really feeling the ground with your legs. Not tense, but just a little bend in the knees and keep your weight between your feet. If you have to lean forward, don't "tip" over your front foot tall, but bend your knees and sink "onto" it. When you feel the 3 come more naturally and more powerfully, you'll know you're in the right area.