Rope for bobing and weaving

[JoshR]

I was wondering if anyone could give me some intructions on properly setting up and using a rope for bobing and weaving.thnx

[Coach Jones]

Sure thing, Josh.

It's not hard at all, but before you get to that i'd recommend another drill first.

Make a line on the floor as long as possible with tape. If possible put a mirror in front of you so you can see what you ARE doing compared to what you THINK you're doing.

Get in your stance with your head over your left foot (as long as your right handed) and with both your left foot and head on the left side of the line.

Next. move forward as you shift your weight. You want your head to move from the left side of the line to the right side and back again as you move. This is the correct way to move. You have to be able to keep your head moving all the time. Many boxers today and most MM fighters have a problem with this. They move their hands a lot but their head stays in the same place and at the same level. Simply by learning and engraining this skill you will make yourself infinitely harder to hit. The head is a small target, if you keep it moving it makes it much harder for the opponent to hit you. It will instantly take your game up a few notches. Start of with just moving forward and backwards, then introduce your jab, then your cross and finally a jab, cross hook combination. Take your time, get your movement tight don't rush to trying to punch until you get that way of moving in your bones.

Once you have that, then move to the rope.

The Rope

String a rope across the room at a level slightly higher than your shoulder level when you're in your stance. A good alternative to a rope is one of those retractlable clothes line things. It makes it portable and maximizes space. You can do your rope training anywhere and in any size space - I love these things.

Once your rope is in place. Begin in your stance, make sure that you always have your chin down and are looking through your eyebrows. Don't allow your head to move. The movement is done primarily with the legs.

Bend the legs and change your level so that you are just below the height of the line. Make a "U" shape and ome up on one side of the rope. Reverse it, an come back to the other side. Go slow until you engrain the movement. Keep your hands up. Start without stepping and then, nce you have the move, introduce forward movment then backwards movment. Only after you can do that perfectly should you begin introducing punches. Punch before you bob and after you weave. Don't punch as you're dropping or raising. The mechanics and position are diferent for shots to the body.

If you have any other questions let me know.

Have fun.

[JoshR]

thanks coach jones, for your wealth of practical knowledge. Are these drills also ideal for developing good footwook? Also, what do you think of the skipping rope as a training tool? thanks

[Coach Tran]

Josh,

I cannot speak for Coach Jones, but I think jumping rope is an excellent exercise for boxing. I use it daily and love it. I have even made it a habit to jump rope (3 min. round) before dinner. (I like to condition myself with the idea that I must earn my food through physical work.) These are my top ten jump rope benefits:



power endurance
speed
coordination
agility
cardiovascular
wrist mobility
burn calories
metabolic
can be use for a warm up or cool down
cheap equipment which you can carry anywhere.

[Coach Jones]

Totally agree on all the general fitness benefits. There's also studies that show an added benefit from jumping that you can't get from good old running in terms on bone density and such, so it's great exercise.

However, it's not in any way magically related to boxing. If your wanting to improve your general overall cardio, it's a fine exercise. If you have a great deal of problems with balance, it's good for that too. It will also help with local muscular endurance in the shoulders.

The big thing is to realize that the specific benefits to your boxing are few and happen very early on, beyond that it's just good cardio.

with all the problems i've seen with people's boxing or with striking in general, the solution has never been "jump more rope".

So, in my opinion, great exercise, but not something to focus too much on or put too much stock in as far as how much it's going to help your game. If you dig it, then do it.

[AdamS.]

A good alternative to a rope is one of those retractable clothes line things. It makes it portable and maximizes space.

If you're in a jam, use your hand wraps. Not the best choice, but it'll do.

[Coach Jones]

Thats a great tip Adam. Anything like that can work. Work with what you have.

[Coach Jones]

On a similar note, you could use that rope or handwrap flat on the ground if you had to in order to make your ground line.