Shadowboxing Is Not As Dumb As It Looks

Have you have ever seen an idiot at the gym just punching air while staring at their biceps simultaneously in the mirror? Well… NEWS ALERT… they are not as stupid as they look. They are doing a boxing training drill called, Shadowboxing.

Shadowboxing is defined by the reliable source, Wikipedia, as “an exercise used to prepare the muscles prior to engaging in physical activity.” Oh, and an even more reliable source, Urban Dictionary, defines Shadowboxing as, “When a white chick bangs a black fella.” While that might be, I will be referring to the first definition going forward.

As stupid as Shadowboxing looks, it is a very useful tool. Even the least stupid person on the the planet, Mike Tyson shadow boxes. It is an important tool to help warm your muscles up, gain muscle memory, and increase your fight cardio.

Boxers shadowbox in the beginning of their workout in order to loosen up their muscles. Going into a fight or sparring without shadowboxing can be compared to Sebastian Janikowski going to kick a game winning field goal right out of the locker room, where he was most likely slugging cheap polish liquor. Warming up your muscles is vital to achieve peak physical performance.

Shadowboxing is also not something you do at half speed. It is supposed to simulate a real fight. Since air is feminine and doesn’t fight back too well, you must use visualization techniques to imagine a fighter in front of you. I don’t care if the person you visualize is your boss, the guy who bullied you in high school who probably manages a Ruby Tuesdays, or both.  If you practice at half speed, you will fight at half speed.

“Shadowboxing Is Not As Dumb As It Looks” because it helps you build muscle memory. In a real fight, you wont be able to think about the combinations. You will need to rely on instincts. Practicing combinations in the mirror with correct form will help train your muscles to initiate combinations without thinking.

Here are a list of things you should focus on while shadow boxing in front of a mirror:

1. Striking form.

2. Head movement.

3. Footwork.

4. How good looking you are.

5. Combinations.

6. Breathing.

7. Keeping your guard up.

8. How Katy Perry kinda used black culture to get mainstream media attention.

9. Circling the ring.

10. Energy conservation.

Doing all of these things while shadowboxing will help you increase your boxing skill and also increase how woke you are about Katy Perry.

Shadowboxing at fight speed also helps you increase your fight cardio. Fight cardio is much different than basic running. While fighting, you use many different muscle groups. Having more muscles under stress results in an increase in the body’s need for oxygen. Simply running would not be adequate conditioning to endure a full fight. If you want to go the distance, you will need to train the body for a fight, not a stroll around the neighborhood.

Tips to improve your shadowboxing experience:

1. Throw realistic combinations.

2. Start slow, then pick up your pace in later rounds.

3. Listen to “Roar,” by Katy Perry in your headphones.

Shadowboxing may look stupid, but it is extremely vital to a fighter’s training regiment. It is a great warm up exercise to get the blood flowing and it also helps build muscle memory to help increase your instinctual boxing. So next time you see a dude fighting air, it’s not because the air called his mom a bitch, but because he is utilizing one of the most underrated training tools in sports.

@RyanLangdon_    @TwoGlovesBoxing