relaxing the shoulders

[HeadBodyBodyBody]

Hi, I'm 28 & I've been attending a boxing gym since October once a week so.. total beginner! Late starter but hey.. Really enjoying it so far!

Obviously at this stage it's fundamentals for me. However, I'm really struggling to relax my shoulders when throwing - I've been picked up on it a few times

I've seen one suggestion is to have a hand-towel in the hand and, with a relaxed arm, get the towel to crack back - mimicking the whipping motion of a technically-sound punch

Does anyone have any other practical advice to help relax the shoulders please?

[Locche]

Not commenting too much on the "relaxation" bit, but as a martial artist of a few years, I would put forward the suggestion to learn how to generate power with your legs and body in the proper way rather than power just coming from the shoulder which is common amongst slightly more inexperienced people.

That will certainly ensure that in the future not too much strain is put on them. Not so much a relaxation technique as a guard against them getting any more tense.

[HeadBodyBodyBody]

Thanks for the reply Locche! Working from the ground up seems to be a good motto

I can drop my hips fine and I feel quite confident in my footwork, basic though it is. It's just when the power gets to my shoulders, I'm tense

I'll ask the coach for some specific advice next time I'm in, it must be a fairly common problem

The only times I've felt loose is towards the end of a heavy workout, catching punches with a partner. So I feel like it will come with time but in the meanwhile, any suggestions from more experienced people would be more than welcome!

[Soju]

Do you mean you hunch up your shoulders when you throw? Are you a hunchback?


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[HeadBodyBodyBody]

haha! No definitely not that bad, thankfully! Just tense and tight in the shoulders generally I guess

[HeadBodyBodyBody]

ok so I did a bit of self massage (not like that!) mid-workout on my shoulders today and that really helped. did some shadow-boxing and could feel the snap in my punches much better

[Soju]

Sounds like you just need a weekly Thai massage to break your knots up and aid recovery.


Posted from Boxingscene.com App for Android

[Soju]

Sounds like you just need a weekly Thai massage to break your knots up and aid recovery.


Posted from Boxingscene.com App for Android

[HeadBodyBodyBody]

Good idea, there's a few massage parlours in town. I'll have to try them all out

[them_apples]

Not commenting too much on the "relaxation" bit, but as a martial artist of a few years, I would put forward the suggestion to learn how to generate power with your legs and body in the proper way rather than power just coming from the shoulder which is common amongst slightly more inexperienced people.

That will certainly ensure that in the future not too much strain is put on them. Not so much a relaxation technique as a guard against them getting any more tense.

perfect technique has as little tension as possible, but only when required (on extention and lockout. Takes years of practice to make this a muscle memory.