Want to try some boxing drills, but don’t want to work out a gym? Or work with a training partner? No problem! You don’t need a coach or sparring partner — or even a bunch of expensive equipment — to do drills that will improve your speed, coordination, cardio, strength, and overall fitness. Whether you’re training to compete, or boxing for exercise, there are all sorts of fun and challenging solo boxing drills that will make a great addition to your workout routine.
Here are four of our favorite boxing exercises that you can do on your own from the comfort of your own home. And some affordable, quality boxing gear suggestions to help make your solo boxing training possible.
1. Jump Rope Boxing Drills
Jump rope exercises are one of the most popular and types of drills in boxing history. And for good reason! Jumping rope is an effective warm up and cool down. Adding boxing-specific skipping to a boxer’s training can also improve almost every aspect of their game. Jump rope drills require a lot of focus. One wrong move can throw your whole routine off, and getting hit with your own rope is never fun. Preventing that from happening will allow you to fine-tune your rhythm, coordination, footwork, and mental game as a boxer. Jumping rope with any intensity for any length of time is also physically challenging, which will improve your cardio, endurance, and your punching power.
Boxing gear recommendations: What makes jump rope drills for boxing even better is that you can do them almost anywhere with very little equipment. All you need to do these solo boxing drills is a few square feet of empty space and a jump rope, like the ProForce® Fast Action Jumprope, or the ProForce® Leather Jumprope. If you’re worried about sound or scuffing up your floor, you can also invest in a set of ProForce® Jigsaw Mats.
2. Shadow Boxing Drills
Shadow boxing is a key component of any good boxer’s training regimen. While it might look like simple playing around to the uninitiated, these drills — which can focus on footwork, defensive moves, punching, or a combination of all of the above — play a vital role in improving a boxer’s skills. Shadow boxing drills help to develop your head movement, footwork, and mental game at your own pace in a controlled and low pressure environment. It allows you to visualize different aspects of your game — and to visualize that game against different types of opponents. Even if you’re not interested in training for competition, shadow boxing still has its benefits. These solo boxing drills are a great form of cardio. And they’re fun!
Boxing gear recommendations: Shadow boxing can be done anywhere with no equipment. You can use a set of ProForce® Jigsaw Mats if you’d feel more comfortable working on an even, padded surface, though. If you want to work on your strength, you can also try wearing a pair of boxing gloves during your shadow boxing drills. The weight of the gloves will turn your shadow boxing into a form of resistance training.
3. Medicine Ball Drills For Boxing
Boxers and boxing coaches understood the importance of medicine balls long before current fitness trends embraced this simple but incredibly powerful piece of equipment. One person boxing drills with medicine balls are intense full-body workouts that can improve your strength and cardiovascular power and stamina. Medicine ball drills that work in all of the planes of movement are especially good for strengthening and improving the function of your core, which will make your punches more powerful and more precise. That core strength will also help you to protect your organs against counter attacks in boxing matches.
Boxing gear recommendations: First, you’ll need a medicine ball of your own. The weight should be determined by your fitness level, size, and goals. ProForce® Thunder Medicine Balls come in 3, 6, and 12lb options. For comfort during floor-based exercises — like the Russian twist — some padding like the FlexFoam™ Exercise Mat will also come in handy.
4. Boxing Drills on the Freestanding Bag
If you’re serious about your boxing training and you have the space in your home and your budget, a freestanding bag can add a whole new dimension to your solo boxing workouts. Depending on the power of your punches and the amount of free space you have, you might not be able to do everything on a freestanding bag that you could do on a hanging bag in a gym setting, but you’ll still have a lot of options for boxing training. And a lot of benefits. Doing one person boxing drills on a freestanding bag will allow you to refine your punching techniques. Putting those drills into timed rounds will challenge and develop your cardio, strength, power, and endurance. One person boxing drills on a bag are also an excellent form of stress relief.
Boxing gear recommendations: ProForce® Tower Free Standing Bags feature a compressed foam cushioned tower, reinforced synthetic shell, and a plastic base that can be filled with water or sand. When filled, they approximately 140lbs and stands 67” tall. This excellent piece of solo boxing training equipment is available at AWMA.com for as low as $399.95 USD.
You’ll also need a pair of boxing gloves, and a set of handwraps to protect the bones and soft tissues of your hands while you’re punching.
