Do you consider yourself to be an amateur boxer? Then you might have heard about focus mitt drills.
These drills are incredibly useful for improving the overall boxing skills of an individual. In fact, most professional boxers will swear by the benefits of focus mitt drills.
They help you improve punching techniques while enhancing your overall speed, reflexes and hand-body coordination. Not only that, but they also help trainers identify the boxers' strengths and weaknesses to quickly guide the development of their fighting prowess.
If you have just started out on your boxing journey, you might not know much about focus mitt drills. Not to worry, though, for here, we have compiled a list of the six best drills to do with focus mitts to help you get started. So, jump in!
6 Best Focus Mitt Drills For Boxers
Before you start punching away, it is important to note that focus mitt drills cannot be done on your own. You will need another person to wear the focus mitts, which sets it apart from punching bag routines.
Technically, you can ask any other boxer for help in this regard, but we suggest getting an experienced trainer. They will be able to guide you better and provide feedback on your technique. A trainer can also hold their ground better than inexperienced boxers.
Keeping that in mind, here are some essential focus mitt drills you need to try.
1. Jab Callout Drill
This is the most basic drill you can practice as an amateur boxer. The jab is possibly the first punching move that a boxer learns, and this drill aims to refine the technique to strengthen your weaker arm.
Your trainer will flash the mitt and make a verbal callout to jab, at which point you will need to punch it with your forward arm. They might make you move around the ring, which will help improve your footwork.
2. Jab-Cross Combination Drill
This is another fundamental drill that involves using a jab and cross combination. The procedure is the same as the previous drill, except your trainer will tell you to successively jab and cross in a one-two callout.
As before, your trainer will move around the training area to enhance your footwork. When throwing the punches, try not to break your defence. Otherwise, you will be open to counter-attacks from the opponent.
3. Eight-Count Drill
The eight-count drill is a modified version of the jab-cross combination drill that aims to improve your speed, accuracy and body movement. As you can guess by the name, it requires throwing eight successive punches within a short duration.
Your primary objective is to land all eight punches accurately on the mitt without compromising on power and speed. You must also check your head movement to remain focused on the target and avoid opening yourself up to counters.
4. Defence And Counter Mitt Drill
This drill emphasises building up your defence to avoid body shots and identify opportunities for counterattacks. In essence, the primary objective of this drill is to enhance your reflexes and spatial awareness, which will give you an advantage in a fight.
Typically, the mitt holder will attack you on both sides, and you will need to defend with your arms and elbows. Once you see an opening, follow up the attack of the mitt holder with a counter punch to the same side of the body.
5. Target Practice Mitt Drill
The target practice mitt drill helps to build up your punching accuracy and reflexes. Here’s when the trainer simply flashes up the mitt without making a verbal callout. Your goal is to punch the mitt as quickly and accurately as possible without breaking your defence.
6. Single Shot Power Drill
The single shot power drill is an advanced technique that aims to develop your shot power from all angles. Your trainer will hold the mitt at different angles, and your goal will be to deliver the strongest possible punch without compromising balance and accuracy. Because of this aspect, it helps improve your footwork too.
Boxing Training Made Easy With Focus Mitt Drills
If you want to flourish from an amateur to a professional boxer, these focus mitt drills will help you to a great extent. You should try to incorporate them into your daily training regimen. You will soon become competent enough to fight with professionals.
That said, you need to follow up on other training routines as well, such as punching bags, shadowboxing and so on, alongside this one. Doing so will help enhance your overall fight IQ and technique.
Well, that’s all we had to say for this brief guide. For all the boxing essentials you need, head to our MMA Factory store. And. for more boxing tips and tricks, check out our blog on the equipment you need for a home boxing workout.