Monday, January 16, 2012

How to Empower Your Left Hand Punches in Boxing


A boxer's ability to throw a crisp left jab often is the key to his ability to control and win a fight. The left-hand punch often sets the tone for a fight. In addition to the jab, which sets up nearly every other punch in a fight, the left hook, straight left and left uppercut can help a fighter dominate his opponent. Boxers need to spend time in training camp to build speed, accuracy and power with their left-hand punches.
Step 1
Punch the speed bag to build punching accuracy and hand-eye coordination. This is a vital tool for building the left jab. Use the 1-2-3 method when hitting the speed bag with your left jab. Hit the bag and allow it to hit the back support, rebound to the front support and then bound off the back support again before you hit the bag again. Keep this up for three minutes at a time to improve concentration and accuracy.
Step 2
Strike the double-end bag to improve your punching versatility. A double-end bag has two punching bags on a tight elastic band that stretches from the floor to the ceiling. The top bag is usually at head height and the bottom bag is at midsection height. Hitting these bags in combination will help you throw punches with more balance and speed. Hit the top bag with a stiff left jab and follow by throwing a straight left or of left hook to the bottom bag. Do this for three minutes.
Step 3
Build power in your left hand by hitting the heavy bag. The heavy bag usually weighs between 75 and 100 lbs. A boxer quickly learns that you can't simply hit this bag by throwing your fists. You need to get your full body behind the punch. Use your feet, hips, core muscles and upper body and drive through the bag to develop a harder left-hand punch. The speed bag will build quickness in your left jab while the heavy bag will make this punch stiffer and more dangerous.
Step 4
Spar in the ring with an opponent of similar size. Train on the speed bag and other training equipment and gain confidence that your punches are effective. However, you won't truly know how you are doing in your training until you trade punches with your opponent. If you have an effective left jab, you will dictate the pace of the fight because that punch sets up every other punch in the fight. Practice using your left jab and then setting up the left hook when you are sparring.

 
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