relaxing the shoulders

[Locche]

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.

You mean relaxing until impact, etc. ? A good point.

[carms]

I feel like this just comes with time, definitely try ur best to use ur lower body/core to get ur power moving ur hips ect ect, if anything slow it down go at 40% speed no tensing at all then once u figure it out up the speed

[MayThird]

Try not to think about it. Just keep practicing and it will come.

[AdamWeiss]

Relaxation very very very important!
What I have found is that beginners in their impetus to learn fast. Have a lot of tension on their shoulders.
How to get rid of it?
First thing be patient. Slow down your movements, be conscious of full range of motion.
Learn the correct technique, this may seems counter intuitive, but by practicing at slow motion in front of the mirror you'll learn faster.
The second factor is your coach, he should be reminding you to relax.
Third imitation. Find a really relaxed fighter. James Toney comes to mind (when he was a middle weight). And imitate his style.
And fourth. If you are too tight it is not a bad idea to do some stretching.

[MarkHerry]

I would put ahead the recommendation to understand how to produce energy with your feet and body system in the appropriate way rather than energy just arriving from the neck which is typical amongst a little bit more unskilled people.

[Beavis_5000]

I would say its likely your tight in other places too, at least in your arms and likely up through your neck. Probably the whole upper body. I could be wrong I guess.

Anyway, relaxation of course comes with experience and being comfortable in the ring.

Its important to be relaxed because the tension will use all your energy and will take away your speed and power.

For now, do a lot of mental preperation before going to the gym as in envisioning yourself being relaxed and smooth while sparring.

I think this is a hump that most, if not all, newbies have to get over.

When your in the ring nice and loose you can feint with your shoulders just using your regular movement. When your shoulders are tight this isnt possible.

When you are outside of the ring put much as focus on being relaxed in the ring as you would when you are actually in the ring.

When your arms are to your side, jump up and down. Your arms should flop around almost like they are spagetti noodles. Ive actually heard someone call them spagetti arms. Sounds weird I know.

If you feel your self getting tight step back for a second and shake those arms out. Do it before you spar and in between rounds.

[HeadBodyBodyBody]

thanks for all the encouraging advice everyone! other guys at my club have also been very kind and reassured me that it'll come with time. also, coach told me i was doing alright tonight which i'm made up about!

i'm having moments of feeling like it's starting to come together, just gotta join those moments up

annoyingly, the very first boxing club i went to was not encouraging and i didn't get any advice/tuition - the beginners class was just circuit work & bag work with a trainer that didn't seem to care about correcting bad form etc. so obviously that didn't help much!! since switching about nearly 2 months ago, i found a place where--even though i'm a beginner--the coach treats me with respect and cares if i'm doing it right or not

for example, i didn't even realise i was so tense until switching to a better club, finding a gym with a positive atmosphere has made all the difference

the shaky arms technique is a good one for me, i just think of mr. tickle from the mr. men books i have also found visualisation to be fairly effective - i have to be careful about wandering off into long daydream sequences though ha!

[NearHypnos]

I dunno, i started when I was 6-7 so I don't remember a whole lot of my "REAL" beginner days. Just a lot of anger, crying...s hit like that lol.


Anyway, for me... it's hard to explain. I guess for me it starts with me feet. If my feet/legs/hips feel "loose" then I feel like I'm carrying that relaxation into my shoulders. Maybe it's muscle memory so I'm not sure how to really tell you. Just stay calm in the ring, whatever will be will be. Get into your own rhythm and just take it easy on your mind. You're not just throwing with your arms, remember to use yours legs. At first, try to keep your punches in rhythm with your feet so its flowing and coming out naturally. Follow through with your mechanics the rest just falls into place. You're still learning so the sport is likely still too fast for you and as time goes, things will "slow down" and you'll be more self aware and build that muscle memory. I don't box anymore, havent since i was deployed some years back but til this day when I hit the bag i take it slow and try to sway my body in such a way where i start relaxing everything and getting into a rhythm. I control my breathing and try to just be as loose as possible but again, I boxed for a fair amount of time and it might come more naturally to me as opposed to a beginner, even if I haven't boxed in a few years.


I've heard people say things like "don't let your hands go if it doesn't feel right. wait til it feels right" and to an extent, that could mean not to over think things, don't get carried away by the chaos and relax and fight at your pace. Sometimes you have to throw, but be mindful of throwing just for the sake of doing so.