Are Plyometrics Good for Boxing?

We at Sporteq know that for a boxer at any level, plyometrics are an excellent supplementary exercise to help increase your stamina, strength and coordination, three key elements that need to develop to be proficient at boxing.

In this article we will be answering the question, are plyometrics good for boxing?

But first, let us explain a bit about boxing and plyometrics.

Boxing

Boxing is a contact sport in which athletes fight each other via punching, which scores points that are then tallied by judges at the end of the allocated rounds, or they can win via KO (Knockout).

Even though the nature of boxing is technique driven, physically demanding and dangerous (if there are no professionals there to coordinate) you don’t need to have an opponent if you want to practice your technique or get on the path to start improving your general health through boxing.

Boxing can be considered an aerobic sport, meaning you need to have an aerobic capacity (or develop one) to be able to be proficient or see the benefits of it. Boxing has many benefits, this includes:

• Improves balance and coordination: Throwing punches to a specific area, using combos and utilising footwork to able to dodge your opponent and manoeuvre around them to land a clean hit, are key features of boxing. As such, the routine of practising these elements leads to your body adapting and improving your baseline balance and coordination.
• Improves concentration: A professional boxer or even anyone with sufficient practice is able to dodge, punch, and manoeuvre to a new position within seconds. As with physical conditioning, over time boxing provides mental conditioning through the harnessing of focus, this improved concentration can be used in many other areas of your life and develops a level of discipline.
• Stress relief: boxing provides an opportunity for stress to be released through the hitting of the punch bag, as opposed to screaming, slamming or destroying objects.
• Weight loss: Due to the aerobic demand of boxing, punching, dodging and moving for three-minute rounds, people who are not used to prolonged physical activity may find that they lose weight as a result.
• Confidence booster: Boxing, as with any physical activity can boost your confidence the more you do it, this is because your consistency will be rewarded through results, whether it’s better technique, weight loss, or even feeling your improvement compared to when you first started. This empowerment and self-belief that you attain through your own actions will boost your confidence and can help your mental health.

With all of these mental and physical benefits, it’s no surprise boxing is such a popular sport. We at Sporteq can help facilitate the beginning of your boxing/fitness journey whether it be punchbags or boxing gloves and everything in between.

Plyometrics and the plyometric box

Plyometrics is a form of exercise and conditioning that is done to develop explosive power.

A plyometric exercise comprises three phases:

• The eccentric or landing phase involves the agonist muscle group’s pre-loading (energy is stored).
• The amortization or transition phase is the time between the concentric and eccentric phases. This time needs to be as short as possible. Otherwise, the energy stored during the eccentric phase dissipates, reducing the plyometric effect.
• The concentric phase, or take-off phase, uses the stored energy to increase the force of the movement.

Put simply, normal exercises sometimes require you to move slowly, like with a bench press, at its lowest point, your chest will stretch before you contract it and push the weight to complete the rep.

Because plyometrics focus on the use and cultivation of explosive power, a plyometric exercise requires you to use as little time in the ‘stretching’ part of a movement as possible.

The plyometric box is commonly used for plyometric exercise and is also referred to as one of the following:

• Plyobox
• Plyometric Jump Box
• Plyometrics Box
• Jump Box
• Jumping Box
• Jump box gym

A staple gym accessory made from high-density foam and encased in vinyl, it takes the shape of a box and depending on what your preferences are, you can have the box set at different heights. (20, 24 and 30 inches.)

We are happy to share with you that we supply anti-slip plyometric boxes. This means that regardless of what surface the box is on, and what movements you do whilst using it, it will not slip out of place. (However, slippage may occur if not wearing the appropriate footwear).

If the height of the non-slip plyometric box is too much for you, we also offer aerobic Yoga adjustable stepper boards. This is recommended for somebody in recovery from serious injury or illness or the elderly. It can also be used by any person who exercises at any level, as the number of exercises that can be done with it is almost limitless.

So are plyometrics good for boxing?

Are plyometrics good for boxing?

Are plyometrics good for boxing? The answer is yes. As boxing is a sport that requires explosive power in the legs for movement and to throw a punch, along with the chest to help generate even more power. Plyometric exercises are vital in cultivating the power needed for a powerful punch.

Below, we will share examples of two plyometric exercises you can do to help your punching power.

Drop Jumping

Drop jumping develops the explosive capabilities of the legs, doing this exercise will help you generate more punching power (as proper punch techniques start from your feet) whilst also helping you to move further if you want to close the distance in a short amount of time.

• Face the plyometric box and step up onto it
• Prepare yourself to jump down to the position you were in prior to standing on the box
• When you are ready jump down to your starting position
• As soon as you land, jump straight back up again.
• Repeat this until failure, this is one set

When doing drop jumping, remember:

• Minimise ground contact time – imagine the ground is a hot surface
• Keep your legs stiff on landing
• Minimise the flexion at the knee and hip on landing
• Land on the mid-foot under your hips
• Maximise the height you jump – jump as high as possible

Plyometric box push-ups

This exercise will focus on the explosive power of your chest area. You have two options for this, you can either do the press up with your feet on the box and hands on the floor (slightly more difficult) Or you can do it with your feet on the floor and hands on the box. (we recommend having the box against a wall if you choose this option.)

To execute this exercise you simply:

• Get into position
• Perform a pushup
• At the lowest point of the movement, press off the ground as quickly and as powerfully as possible
• Repeat this until failure to complete your set.
• For extra difficulty, you can clap after you perform the explosive push.

Plyometrics wherever you want

The simplicity of plyometrics and a plyometric box means that you can use it at home, it is a clutter-free accessory, and it doesn’t come with anything else but the box itself.

This simplicity in design means that if you aren’t able to make it to the gym, or just want to do a quick light exercise routine in the comfort of your own home, the box is there, available for you to use.

If you have other exercise equipment such as dumbbells or barbells, you can use them in conjunction with the box, by doing weighted box jumps, or seated squats.

As a piece of home equipment, it can be especially handy for those recovering from an injury in which the user is wearing a foot brace or a knee support brace. However, before using any exercise equipment to aid in the recovery of an injury, you should first speak to your doctor.

For those who are cleared to rehabilitate an injury, an exercise you can try would be bodyweight squats, using the box to sit on and push yourself up from.

You can also use the box as a platform to stretch your legs if you so choose. Its applications are only limited to your imagination.

Begin your plyometric journey today

Are plyometrics good for boxing? The answer is a resounding yes.

In this blog, we hope to have explained and addressed ‘Are plyometrics good for boxing?’ , and how it is accessible to anybody of any level and skill, whilst showing you various exercises, needed to use the box to the best of its ability. The team at Sporteq are always here to help. If you would like to contact us via email, click the link here.

You can call us at 0161 354 2579

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