Boxing Workouts: Best Plyometric Exercises to Improve Boxing Footwork

In recent years, plyometrics has grown in popularity as a training method. Certainly, it is hard to find a gym that doesn’t possess a few boxes for trainees to jump on top of.

Although it may look like a way to have fun in the gym, plyometrics are serious exercises, based on a fair amount of science with a very specific goal: to improve your power.

Despite the way it may look, true plyometric exercises have some very specific requirements. There is more to plyometrics than just jumping up and down and around the gym. All you’ll need to be more mindful of is rest and recovery in order to get the best benefits.

If performed correctly, plyometrics could significantly increase your power output. Plyometrics, essentially, could be the secret to improving your boxing footwork.

Continue reading to find out more about how it works, how it affects your boxing footwork. Also, dig out some key exercises that you need to incorporate into your boxing training.

Although there are multiple ways plyometrics help improve your boxing footwork, we’ll discuss one or two of them which are more prominent than others.

• Provide Power to Your Punch:

  As we’ve already discussed in Plyometrics Exercises for Boxing, punching power generates in the feet and legs. You're ready to begin hitting a heavy bag workout for weight reduction after warming up, wrapping your hands, and putting on a pair of boxing gloves. Your punches will be more powerful if you have more leg power.

• Direction Changes:

  Footwork is about responding to what’s happening in the ring. You want to be able to quickly move out of danger or into an advantageous position. The basic principles of plyometrics focus on improving your body's ability to quickly stop moving and push yourself off in a new direction. Quick powerful steps mean that you won’t be where your opponent expects.

Therefore, these exercises are quite beneficial and effective when you perform every rep in an efficient and clean manner. So, here are some rules that need to be kept in mind while performing plyometric exercises.

• Just Perform Plyometrics When You’re Fresh:

  Plyometrics is not tended to be done at the end of your workout when you are tired and likely to be sloppy. Otherwise, it won’t be effective and will open you up to injury.

• Limit Your Reps:

  Depending on your weight, do no more than 3-6 sets of 3-8 reps for each exercise. Keep the weight low because the more you weigh the fewer reps, you’ll be capable of doing. It’s important to take control of your reps in the beginning, first, work on learning the proper technique.

• Rest Between Sets:

  Proper rest in between sets prevents your muscles from getting fatigued and allows you to continue your plyometric boxing workout. However, except for that, the rest between sets eliminate a lot of benefits you’re trying to achieve.

• Allow Time for Recovery:

  The idea of plyometrics is to put a lot of stress on your muscles, bones, and joints. After the completion of a plyometric exercise circuit, allow 2-3 days for your body to recover before engaging in these exercises again.

Box Jumps as the name suggests is a simple plyometrics exercise yet extremely effective for boxing footwork. You jump from the floor up to the top of a box with a hop and then jump back down. sounds fun right? But that really exploits your leg muscles.

However, the boxes come in a lot of varieties, from the basic wooden box to boxes wrapped in form and non-slip material. Usually, the top of the box should be about 18’’ off the ground. Any higher than that, and you are really just training your vertical leap, rather than your explosive output.

Depth jumps are the most beneficial plyometric exercises for boxing footwork. Moreover, they remain to hold their place as one of the most challenging and valuable for training powerful legs. Begin on top of a box or step that is only 12 – 15’’ off the ground, with your toes at or slightly over the edge. Step off the front of the platform, drop to the ground, then jump as high as you can into the air.

Box toe touches help you improve your weight shifting from one foot to another quickly. From the starting position, stand a few inches in front of a plyometrics box. Jump into the air, land with one foot touching the top of the box and the other landing on the ground. Hop again and switch feet. Repeat the movements and shift the feet with each hop.

The explosive step up is beneficial to provide the power you need while pushing off of your plant foot into a punch. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart on top of a box that’s about knee height. Place your right foot on the ground. At the moment your foot makes contact with the floor, rapidly push up through your left hip, fully extending your left leg, pulling your right knee as high as possible. Stand on top of the box with both feet, step down with your left foot, then quickly push up through your right leg, raising your left knee toward your chest. Get back to a position with both feet on top of the box. Repeat the steps.

Bounding is yet another plyometric exercise that’s going to enhance your power for boxing footwork. It will help you to perform properly in the ring. Like the lateral jump, you are going to switch feet while jumping from one to another. Instead of jumping from side to side, you'll take giant leaps forward.

Lateral jumps or speed skaters, help develop your ability to quickly and powerfully transition between your feet. Bend your knees to push off of your right foot, and jump to your left. Land on your left foot, bringing your right foot behind you, then suddenly jump off your left foot to the right. Jump from side to side, speeding up and widening your lateral jumps as you get more comfortable with the movement.

You will need some room to perform this exercise, so clear a lane. Begin from a bent-knee position, swing your arms back, then, as you swing your arms forward, jump as far forward as you can. Land softly in a partial squat, then swing your arms back and forth and jump again. Turn around and jump back when you reach the end of your runway.

Plyometrics are a terrific way to spice up your boxing routine. The exercises listed here are targeted primarily at improving your footwork, although there are plenty of other exercises that can help you improve your upper body strength.

If you're thinking about incorporating plyometrics into your workout, keep in mind that they're only effective when performed correctly. So, when you're not very tired, perform these at the start of your workout. Allow enough time for rest. Also, don't forget to keep up with your strength and aerobic exercise on a daily basis.