The Ringside Blog | Tips and Advice from Ringside Boxing

Focus on Fighting Styles, Part 3 – The Slugger

George foreman knocking Joe Frazier into the ropes in their first match. — George Foreman, here in his first match against Frazier, was known as one of the heaviest hitters in boxing.

The Slugger. The Power Puncher. When people think of boxers, they usually think of the Slugger. The fighter who throws that one big punch that knocks an opponent to the ground.

Fighters like George Foreman, Sonny Liston, and Vitali Klitschko won their belts by mastering the art of the Slugger style. These fighters were known for closing on their opponents and unleashing their fists in destructive blows.

But becoming a Slugger type fighter does not come easy. It requires a focus on developing absolutely devastating power punches to the exclusion of almost all other fundamentals.

You will need to build a body that is solid power and the mechanics that can release that power all at once.

In this focus on fighting styles, we dive into the Slugger, or brawler, style.

Boxing Gloves by Weight: Understanding Glove Sizes

Ringside boxing gloves — You need to pick the right size for the type of glove you need.

If you are just getting started in the sport of boxing, you may be a bit confused by the different sizing options available for boxing gloves.

Companies size bag gloves with a standard Small/Medium/Large scale, which seems simple enough. But then you get into Sparring gloves and Competition Gloves and suddenly the gloves are sized by weight.

Because of this, it can be difficult to know what size glove you need.

We aim to help you make sense of the different sizing conventions, and figure out which size glove will meet your needs.

Holding Punch Mitts: 7 Tips for More Effective Mitt Training

Boxing coach, wearing a body protector, holds punch mitt for boxer throwing a cross. — Holding the punch mitts for a boxer is one of the most critical ways to help them train.

Introduced relatively recently, Punch Mitts have become a critical training tool for coaches and fighters throughout the boxing and martial arts world.

But you can’t just hang Punch Mitts from the ceiling. Someone has to hold them for a fighter. And that someone could be you.

If you want to learn the art of properly holding those mitts, then read on. We put together a list of seven fundamentals for creating a great mitt-work experience.

Focus on Fighting Styles, Part 2 – The Out-Boxer

The Out-Boxer fighting style can be a true wonder to behold.

An out-boxers uses the jab to keep an opponent at bay.

A master of this style uses pinpoint jabs to keep their opponent at bay, while slipping, ducking, and stepping out of the way of all incoming punches. It is graceful and highly technical.

But not just anyone can utilize this style effectively in the ring.

In our latest Focus on Fighting Styles, we will look more closely at the Out-Boxer style of fighting.

Combat Simulation: Getting the Most from your Sparring Session

Sparring offers fighters, from Boxing to MMA to Judo, an opportunity to test their skills against real live opponents. The experience of facing off against another human, even in a controlled setting, teaches you things that you can’t learn from hitting a bag.

To get the most out of a sparring session, though, you don’t just step into the ring and start brawling. If you don’t take a few key things in mind when you set up your sparring session, you may end up doing more harm than good.

In today’s article, we’ll discuss what you should keep in mind before, during, and after every sparring session.

Using a Punch Shield for Boxing Training

coach holds punch shield for boxer in blue gloves

A lot of folks don’t understand the value of the Punch Shield. Why use a punch shield, when lighter, smaller punch mitts offer a more versatile training option?

But the Punch Shield absolutely has a place in your training. Held properly, a punch shield gives a fighter a similar experience as a heavy bag, but with more mobility. You can throw heavy punches, while your training partner moves you around the ring.

Further, a Punch Shield reduces some of the wear and tear on the coach. Punch Mitts are great, but they don’t allow a coach to tolerate very many full power shots.

Read on to learn more about the Punch Shield and where it fits into your training program.

5 Effective Ways to Encourage and Motivate Young Fighters

A coach provides feedback to a boxer during mitt-work. — Keeping a fighter encouraged and motivated is critical to their successful development.

When a fighter first starts training, it can be hard to contain their fire and passion. It’s all you can do to keep up with them as they eat up everything you throw down.

But then, sometimes, you can’t seem to connect. You can’t get them to see the value of a particular exercise. Or you can’t get them to understand why they need to “fix” they way they throw their cross.

In those situations, you need to find a way to break through and get on the same page. Read on to learn about some of the tactics that might help motivate your fighters.

5 Ways to Improve Hand Speed

Fighter hits the speed bag to develop fast hands — A fighter trains hand speed by hitting the speed bag.

They say, “Speed Kills”. People get excited about punch power. But fighters who can throw more punches than their opponent usually win the day.

You don’t need some innate, natural-born talent to have fast hands. As with every other aspect of boxing, you develop fast hands through deliberate training. It takes time.

And like many other aspects of boxing training, you need to train your mind as well as your body.

We gathered together five of the most fundamental exercises for improving hand speed. Read on to learn more.

7 of the Greatest Mexican and Mexican-American Boxers

When Andy Ruiz, Jr. got the TKO against Anthony Joshua back in June, he made history. He became the first boxer of Mexican descent to win a world heavyweight championship in boxing.

But Ruiz is just the latest in a long line of history-making boxers from Mexico.

In honor of Mexican Independence Day we wanted to highlight some of the greatest Mexican and Mexican-American boxers to step into the ring. Continue reading “7 of the Greatest Mexican and Mexican-American Boxers”

Focus on Fighting Styles, Part 1: The Swarmer

Once you’ve gotten past the basics and begin sparring, you may notice that the art of boxing is more than just standing toe-to-toe trading punches.

A fighter should enter the ring with an overall strategy and specific tactics to make that strategy happen. How you box in the ring, though, doesn’t just begin from a blank slate. You have to understand fighting styles, the kind that you use and the kind that your opponent will use.

There are many different fighting styles out there, but typically, most fighting styles fall into one of five categories: The Swarmer, The Brawler, The Out-Fighter, The Boxer-Puncher, and the Counterpuncher.

In our post today, we’ll focus on the Swarmer style. Over the next few months, we’ll dive into each of the other four to give you a feel for the main fighting styles you might choose or see in the ring. Continue reading “Focus on Fighting Styles, Part 1: The Swarmer”