Lesson 2 of 11 · 5 min
Stay loose and breathe
After this lesson: Punch with relaxed shoulders, tightening only at impact, and breathe out on every punch.
Lead handRear handDrag an animation to turn it · tap a cue to jump to it
Watch great boxers and they look almost lazy until they strike. That's not an accident. Tense muscles fight each other: a tight shoulder slows your punch down and burns energy even when you're not throwing.
The rule is simple: loose until impact. Your hand, arm and shoulder stay relaxed, the fist tightens only at the moment it lands, and then everything relaxes again.
Shoulders down, not up by your ears
Animation: red glove is the lead hand, blue glove is the rear hand.
A loose jab snaps; a tense jab pushes
Animation: red glove is the lead hand, blue glove is the rear hand.
How to stay loose
- Shoulders down and relaxed. If they creep up to your ears, shrug them up hard for a second, then let them drop.
- Hands relaxed inside the gloves. Squeeze the fist only as the punch lands.
- Think of flicking a towel, not pushing a door.
- Breathe out sharply with every punch: a short “tss” through your teeth or nose. It keeps you breathing and firms up your core as you hit.
- Never hold your breath. Short, sharp exhale on each punch, easy breathing in between.
- Mouth closed on the mouthguard, chin down: an open jaw is easier to hurt.
Try it
Loose shadowboxing
- Throw slow, easy jabs at about 30% power. Breathe out “tss” on every single one.
- Every 30 seconds, stop for a second: are your shoulders down? Shake them out.
- Last round: speed up a little, but keep the shoulders just as loose.
3 rounds · 1.5 min work · 45 s rest. Clear some space and turn the sound on.
Get ready
0:10
Combinations will be called here
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