Sunday, November 09, 2008 Shadowboxing By Luis A. Quibranza III
Though I believe firmly that not even the most earth-shaking type of shadowboxing will prepare me for three seconds in a friendly sparring match with boxing-icon Manny Pacquiao, this as an exercise is nevertheless one of the most simplest and effective workouts that one can do for the body. And you can do so at little or no cost. All you need is time, space and perhaps, a little bit of Eye of the Tiger music playing in the background.
Shadowboxing is a workout utilized in the training for any combat sports, but most especially, in boxing.
It mainly prepares the muscles before the person in training, engages in stronger physical activity (perhaps a real boxing match). In shadowboxing, only one person is required to participate. This is a good thing for those who prefer not to have a black eye when reporting to work.
And yes, for the spectator who knows not much about the art of solo training, shadowboxing may look like an insane person’s duel with an invisible entity. But the person in training punches the air, and not a human opponent or a punching bag, for various reasons.
According to Cheapboxing.com ”shadow boxing is a preparation tool, a warm up exercise, a cool down exercise and a technique critic. It works for preparation before a big fight because fighters often want to envision themselves against their future opponents. It works as a warm up/cool down exercise because it gets the joints and muscles of an athlete ready without the resistance of gloves or other equipment. And it works as a technique critic because with shadow boxing, there is no getting away from the way you look. Your technique cannot be blamed on an opponent nor can it be blamed on heavier gloves.”
What if you’re just a typical person who’s not really into boxing but who wants to try the solo exercise?
“While boxers tend to receive the publicity for this type of training, athletes in sports such as martial arts, kick boxing and even football utilize shadow boxing to improve their quickness and reaction time.
“Its main function is to prepare an athlete’s muscle fibers before a tougher, more physical battle, often mimicking the actions expected in competition,” adds the website.
There are different styles to shadow boxing.
One of them is the long method that involves a shuffle of the feet that rocks the body back and forth. This is a style favored by fighters with long reach, who use more of jabs and straight shots.
The short method sees the fighter move his head and body to the left and right, constantly slipping punches and moving in for closer body shots. If you do it the right way, there’s no stopping you from becoming a more fit person, one day at a time.
