Expert: Jack Rose - 4/29/2006

Question
My 15-year old is very interested in getting into boxing.  I have had the owner of a local gym introduce him to some fundementals.  After two 30 minute sessions it is going well.

My question is  if you  have any hints  to help my son remember how to maintain proper stance and  foot placement.  He is finding it  difficult to  remember his postion when following the opponent around the ring.  

Answer
Hi tom,

This is not uncommon for new boxers. Your son is only doing what his body feels is natural. There are lots things he will learn that will feel a little awkward at first until his body gets in tune with the new position.
His feet as he may already have been told, should never get closer than shoulder width apart at any time. This gives you leverage for both defense and offensive reasons. He needs to be able to deliver a punch at anytime, anyplace in the ring and you can't do this unless you have some leverage and balance.
I'll give you a drill he can do at home and that way he can get a big headstart on the issue and feel more comfortable about it when he's at the gym doing it for his trainer. He can do this in the yard or the driveway. Have him turn sideways with feet shoulder width apart and tell him to studder step about 20 to 25 feet in a straight line and then back to the start. The feet never get closer than shoulder width. He is taking small quick steps sideways with his knees slightly bent, on the balls of his feet. Watch him the first few minutes and everytime he brings his feet all the way together, stop him and point it out. Have him do 7 rounds. 3 minutes on, one minute rest. When brings them together, tell him he has to start the round over until he does the whole round correctly ultimately doing 7 clean rounds. After you point this out several times, he will start to catch it himself and no longer need to be watched, although, make sure he does not look down, he needs to learn to do this while looking up. He will get used to how this feels and his body will remember, depending on him as an individual and his abilites, he should show vast improvement in the first two weeks if he is practicing this about 35 rounds a week. Now, when he's at the gym and has access to the ring he should take this drill into the ring and do the same thing, the only difference is, he will be going from corner to corner all the way around the ring instead of a straight line. He should also start changing directions at this point, making sure to not cross his feet at any point during the change. It's constant studder stepping everywhere he goes, small quick steps. He will get this, I promise, as long as he sticks to it, and he will start seeing the value of it as well. Footwork is one of the most important aspects of boxing and can be a huge advantage.
The most important part is the beginning and make sure there is someone there to point out his feet coming together, making him stop and correct it before going on. Otherwise he will not realize he is doing it wrong because it will feel normal to him while he's looking up.
He's 15, a great age to start and a great age to learn. He has one year of juniors left before he will move up so it's a great year of learning opportunities for him so he can move up with some good knowledge.
I hope this helps some... tell him to hang in there and keep practicing and I promise he'll fall in love with the sport.
thanks for the question and don't hesitate to ask more...

later,
Jack

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