Mixed Martial Arts Training During COVID-19

Are you still forced to stay at home due to COVID 19? Although we all enjoy going out to the gym, sometimes we have to adapt and just work with what we got! One of the best ways to burn calories and sharpen your technique is SHADOWBOXING. All martial artists, whether beginner, intermediate, or advanced implement shadowboxing into their training.

Read: Similarities and Differences Between Heavy Bag Pad Work and Shadowboxing

Shadowboxing benefits

Shadowboxing is a great way to visualize and throw any combination you know. It forces you to pull out all the knowledge you have inside your head and lay it all out. But more than that, it teaches you what it feels like to miss a punch, kick, knee or elbow. It can feel very awkward to try and attack a target that isn't in front of you. Sometimes it puts you off balance, or you are unable to hit straight with accuracy. With all that said, it is very important to fill in those holes you're missing because no matter how skilled you are, you will most certainly miss a few strikes in a sparring match or fight!

Shadowboxing exercises

Now the way I usually like to do my workouts is to start with some light shadowboxing for 3 rounds of 3 minutes, followed by 3 rounds of 3 minutes on the pads with high intensity. When I say high intensity, it means I am hitting the pads as hard as I can! Since we may not have a partner to hold pads for us at home, I have been doing a 15 minute shadowboxing workout where I strike the air as hard as I can! That's right, you don't need to hit pads to hit your hardest. You can also swing at the air as hard as you can and you can get as great of a workout as if you were doing pads!