5 WAYS SHADOW BOXING CAN BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE

If you watch boxing, chances are you’ve noticed how lean a boxer’s physique can be. However, most combat sports athletes spend more time training outside the ring, than they do fighting in it. Therefore, you too can achieve a boxer’s body and enjoy the benefits of this exhilarating sport without hurting an opponent or getting hurt by one – in the comfort of your own home.

It’s as simple as wearing your favorite workout clothes, something that makes you feel strong and fabulous and boxing an imaginary opponent.

What Is Shadow Boxing And How Do I Start?

Shadow boxing is a workout in which you spar with an imaginary component.

One method is to use your shadow, but we prefer the power of visualisation. With visualisation, you can imagine fighting with a real opponent, going through movements that you’d perform in an actual match. Fortunately, there’s nobody to hit you back and stop you during your workout and you can get a complete body workout, primarily focusing on your arms, core and legs right in your living room.

To maximize the output of your workout, be in constant motion. While punching, put ample power into it – as if you’re punching someone or something. Don’t punch as if you’re punching just air. Shadow boxing doesn’t require any special equipment but you can add a pair of 1kg dumbbells not only to make the workout more challenging but you will likely find that it will help you get into the swing of things, as for some, shadow boxing can feel a little alien at first.

How Shadow Boxing Can Help With Your Confidence?

We’ve heard several people talking about how boxing workouts improve their confidence just after the first session. Here’s why you should start shadow boxing today:

1.     It Helps You Visualise

You may have read that 90 percent of any sports is mental. This is true, especially in the case of boxing.

While most athletes practice the technical and physical aspects of their sport, shadowboxing requires you to visualise, helping you train your mind, while training your body.

With shadowboxing, you’re constantly thinking. You create your opponent and create movements using your imagination. You visualise their strikes and dodges and you move accordingly.

More importantly, to win, you have to visualise your way to victory. We can’t think of a better confidence booster than imagining our own glorified wins.

2.     It Helps You Focus

Shadowboxing isn’t just throwing random strikes in the air. Since you’re visualizing your opponent’s strikes, you dodge and strike in response to their movements. Alternatively, with guided shadowboxing, where the trainer directs your combinations, it requires a lot of concentration and coordination to ensure you get the combinations right. This increases your focus, which invariably helps you in several areas of life, including work and everyday tasks.

3.     It’s An Instant Form Of Stress Relief

Most of us have to power through days that are filled with frustration from work or personal life. Getting into your workout clothes and throwing combos with force can help release all of that bottled up aggression, allowing you to feel more relaxed and positive. 

4.     It Requires Serious Mental Skill

You have to remember several things at once during a shadowboxing routine, which boosts your physical skill and mental proficiency. Therefore, instead of relying on the treadmill for your cardio, try something that allows you to think fast and effectively. You’ll not only break a sweat faster, you’ll see results from the workout at lightning speed too – mentally and physically.

5.     It Makes You Stronger

Shadowboxing is a fast-paced, total body workout that demands work from most of your muscles. Although your main focus is on your arm movement, you’ll be surprised at the amount of muscles you’re working during your workout.

Shadowboxing employs your shoulders, chest, abdominals, back, glutes, calves, quads and so on. If you’re including a variety of footwork and punches, you’re working your neck muscles and toes too.

Since shadowboxing does not involve striking an object, you use your back and core muscles more as well. This is mainly because you’re stopping the force of your own punch, while maintaining your overall balance.

Shadowboxing is an effective HIIT workout that burns calories faster than regular steady state workouts. Furthermore, you’re enhancing your endurance, strength and reflexes significantly during each session.

If you love the sound of shadowboxing and want that confidence boost, why not give it a try from the comfort of your own home, Sign Up for our 10 Day FREE Trial and start today, you will love it!