I don’t have access to a punching bag or a gym that teaches boxing/martial arts. All I can really do is practice technique and “shadow box”. I set up a pair of shoes to represent where the opponent is. It’s all I can really do in my community rec room.
Shadowbox for the same reason you kick air as well as the bag. Control, balance, precision, AND working the retracting muscles and tendons so that your techniques are snappy, and you don't tweak something when you miss.
The honest drunk uncle that everyone knows not to mess with unless you come 100% ready. Regardless of ppls opinion of skill I guarantee any one of those critics won't just take him lightly. He's trained himself in various types of pain tolerance alone😂😂
TLDR: He said that if we shadowbox correctly, its useful. Its a visuallation tool, which is true. Long version I spy with my little eye, people who read the title, and went straight to the comments. Welcome to the comments section by the way, nice to have you. Couldn't wait 5 minutes, to make sure he was gonna said what you want to argue against it was actually said. Big sad 😢.
@@TheSlackerNamedJack Nice to have you too. oh i waited... my comment had at first the porpoise to diss, his clickbait. "Correct shadowboxing helps for training, stupid not so" would be just a boring title. I like Mike. ANd i am fine with that. But this is the way politics get worse and worse...
Why I shadowbox: - to warm up - to activate mind-muscle connection - to reexamine my execution and technique - to visualize - to train how to recover position when you are not hitting 100% effort in shadowboxing basically trains your balance if you do it correctly
For me, shadowboxing wasn't useful until I had sparring. Noobs will just replicate the shadowboxing they see pros doing (stop trying to do exactly what pros do! waste of time). Once I got more sparring experience, I learned what works for me, what doesn't, and what I need to be better at. Then you can draw from that and shadowbox effectively. Someone beating your angles? Shadowbox it out. Do your feet get tangled up when you have to circle out on the ropes? Shadowbox it out. Are they splitting your jab every time you enter? Shadowbox it out. Don't do just a bunch of slick dances to look cool on IG.
Benefits to shadow boxing! Helps endurance. Builds stamina. Improves technique. Helps to learn about opponent if you know their style. Helps to learn about your own body movements. Helps to develop footwork. I grew up sparring Welsh champions and my trainer was amateur undefeated in 100 fights. Dont know what this guys is talking about 😂😂
when i was in the military i didnt have a lot of time to do any real training so i shadow boxed. it kept me fresh enough to join a competitive mma team after a couple years in and i had to spar the coach to be able to join. so idk seems like it worked for me.
Totally disagree. Shadowboxing is very important. You're right, most people don't know how to do it.. But my coach used to give real instructions to us while we shadowboxed. He watched everything. if you were shadowboxing and you didn't move your head after a combo, you heard about it. If you crossed your feet, you heard about it. If you jabbed and your right hand dropped, you heard about it. If you don't get any feedback when you do anything in combat sports its bad. But if you have a coach who is giving you actionable advice while you shadowbox, hit the mitts, hit the heavy bag, spar, jump rope, etc. then it can all be very good. Depends on the level of coach you have and the level of coach you are.
I can agree with both opinions to a point, he's probably not necessarily wrong but I do believe there's a right and a wrong way to do things. Iron Mike would be my best counterpoint to his arguments because even when he's shadowboxing Tyson's speed and ferocity look just plain terrifying, I don't think he even knows how to turn down the intensity.
Well said. Beginners can't visualize something they have no experience with. Going to a room full of people just to fight an imaginary friend is absolutely wild. I moved to a small town recently where the most well rounded martial arts club is a Goju Ryu Karate dojo, and almost none of them have done any real contact sparring. They imagine so many scenarios where "this punch will end the fight" and like... No man, they are just gonna shoot on you and slam you on your ass. Telling them to do anything that involves imagining an opponent would be like telling them to imagine they can shoot lazer beams from their eyes to defend themselves.
Fuckin no? Jumping rope would give you some rounds of bouncing on your toes over and over, slowly strengthening your calves and making your feet more numb where you need. Shadow boxing gives you reps of just doing your techniques, hopefully actively visualizing someone like we learned. Just because you get just as tired, doesn’t make em the same at all.
Don't agree with you on this one, shadow boxing is my favourite way to warm up for class. Actually makes me feel co-ordinated, gets my feet moving correctly, gets my shape right. I often come into the gym after sitting in an office all day, I'm not ready to do anything with intensity, shadow boxing allows me to "come up through the gears" at my own pace, ready to start the real training. But I do remember being a newbly and feeling very akward. The worse is when a coach just gets you joggin round the room doing press ups and burpies ect..
It doesn’t matter if YOU LIKE it. What matters is its efficiency for majority of people, everything you just said that apparently “benefits” you, literally doesn’t. You want comfortable, soft and easy training which is why you’re opposed to actual USEFUL conditioning like burpees
Yeah, I use Shadow boxing as an active stretch after sitting at work all day as well. I use tips and kick evasions and long punches to kind of stretch all the muscles out. I don't like doing static stretching before exercising
@@ZeroBudgetGuide It works for alot of people, in boxing gyms all over the world. Later in the video, Mike spoke about alterative drills, throwing specific shots, throwing combinations, moving in and out, 2 stage combos, defensive movements. I go through all of those drills in my shadow time, 3x3 minutes rounds. I guess I'm just at a level now where I don't need a coach to tell me to do that stuff. I've definitely seen beginners doing all of the things Mike said, crazy head movements, wild punches, random movements ect... And I definitely get plenty of hard work done at training, but the clue in the name, "warm up". Plus it's boxing practice, not cross fit, if you want to talk about efficiency, then you can do your conditioning on your own time.
@@kingrobthegreat1i honestly think shadow boxing is the second most important training for striking. Besides actually sparring(which I count partner drills). I think for beginners it seems pointless, but once you’re decent it’s vital. Since you can improve on your own time.
I think what he's saying is that shadowboxing is not useful for learning how to fight. He's mostly referring to beginners. Thai fighters usually have a large number of fights in their live and often rematch multiple times against the same opponent. Therefore, they have the experience required to do proper shadowboxing and it can absolutely be valuable for them.
@@tokiliam6015 That's fair. The fact that Thai's fight almost every weekend is a big part of why they are so good. But look up a dude that was called the Elbow Hunter of A thousand stitches. He couldn't afford to train in his small village so he started shadow boxing a ton. Once he started winning fights in his 20's he moved to a real gym but still did a lot of shadowboxing. I also think shadowboxing in front of the mirror is the best way to learn the Thai roundhouse and turning your hips over. The bag can hide poor technique pretty easily.
@@anderschapman6459 The reason why they fight every weekend is because they either make 200-300 bucks. They came from poor areas in Thailand. But nowadays I have heard some gyms only let their fighters fight every 2 weeks.
It took me a while to figure out the visualization aspect of shadow boxing. When I got that part of it, it made an incredible difference. Like you say, it looks less cool but produces more results if you do it that way. Also something people don't talk about is how insanely difficult it can be to imagine an opponent over the course of a full round. It takes practice to get good at imagining and learning to imagine the things you need to work on
I've personally ended up with a rule of thumb of my own; I don't shadowbox anything I'm not planning on putting to test later during sparring. I shadowbox mostly to know how my body feels about a particular (short) combo or counter.
I think the most important thing is don’t only be offensive. Practice your defense. Remember basics win fights, so practicing head movement, footwork and checking help massively.
@@jestfullgremblim8002Ok I’ll elaborate as a boxer shadow boxing is vital, by shadow boxing you’re working on movement, combinations and most importantly form my guy, just think for a second imagine a boxer that never ever shadow boxed lol
@@JosiahCone are you answering my question? If so here's my answer to you: That was literally what they call "clickbait" Did you not see how he kept saying that shadow boxing was indeed good but it was most people that used it wrong? Furthermore, isn't it actually true that most people do it super wrong? Further furthermore (lol), didn't he give actual valid reasoning for EVERYTHING stated on the video? If he just said "Punching sucks, it's overrated, don't do it" and did not give any explanation, then yeah say whatever you want, but if he gives valid explanations, then what are you gonna say? Can't say that it's crazy if he's right lol, and if he DOES give *valid* explanations, then that means that he *is* right. You get what i mean? But once again, he was not saying that shadowboxing is useless and this and that, he just puts those things one his titles to attract as many clicks as possible, and it works. It's an ongoing joke on this channel, just like "Leg Muscles" hahaha So that's that. I hope you were actually trying to answer my question and i didn't just write all this to someone that was not even speaking to me. But even if that was the case, most of this is important for you anyways
@jestfullgremblim8002 Definitely a well thought out comment that I appreciate on these threads. Rare to find. I did have in mind that what he's saying applies to people who shadowbox wrong-I see it all of the time too. Just a more salient video, that wouldn't have to include, even for Mike's sense of humor, some very loaded statements, that instead focuses on correct training is better advertising IMO. I don't hate the video, I get Mike's point.
@@_Sp4c3y_he is correct a little. Beginners shouldn’t waste their time shadow boxing. As you become more advanced to can fully utilize it. Shadow boxing is not a waste of time
I don’t make my fundamentals class shadowbox. The intermediate class learns footwork drills and gets homework to do on their own. After a few weeks of that it gets layered with offence and defence. Then they start shadowboxing after all that.
Next mike will probably say practicing my walk out to pick the coolest song for that fight I’m never going to have is a waste of training time as well.
I don't agree at all Maybe its my "context" of experience that makes it useful but i have experimented with periods of: Sparring only Sparring + shadow Sparring + heavy bag Sparring plus shadow is when I get better. Sparring only and sparring + bag I get WORSE at fighting. And i can tell you exactly why. When the only time you strike is when theres a target in front of you, you will gradually stop throwing crisp strikes and you will start over committing. You will be so focused on the target you will move in the middle of a strike as your opponent moves. Hundreds of random strikes and foot movements conditions this out of you. Punching air is in fact part of striking, you use air punches to establish rythm and gain control of the fight. You also need to be able to not throw your shoulder out every time your target moves. While visualizing a real fight or practicing a specific sequence of techniques are highly valuable you do NOT need either to get the benefits that come from the sheer volume of movements. Even stepping in random directions all over the place gives you greater command over your body, you have to be off balance and unco-ordinated before you can be on balance and co-ordinated. You make a good point generally that "just shadow box" with no further instruction in a class with an instructor could be lazy / a waste of time ( I actually think group classes at a set time with an instructor demonstrating techniques is an absolutely terrible way to learn how to strike/fight but thats a topic for another time) but if the students are ever going to be real strikers they are going to need to shadow box. Do you know of any elite strikers that dont shadow box? There are literally elite fighters who dont spar but i have never heard of one who doesnt shadow box. Rant over
Context is everything. Same applies to weapons. Someone who is only used to swinging weapons around doing forms falls apart as soon they go up against anyone else. Thats why so many aikido struggle, they dont understand the context and look at the application.
While “shadow boxing “ I close my eyes and visualize an opponent as my self.” I allow my mind to flow between 2 different perspectives it hard to get to that point but that’s about the only use I use shadow boxing for , I’m trying to find mistakes within myself
Yeah, when you get in a real fight that don't matter everybody got different body types I think big belly guys are hard to fight so you have to switch your fighting style everybody not made like bob that's what I learn from fighting
This video had me in tears. We've all been there when the coach says "Everyone shadow box" and you're thinking "I only know a 1 ,2 hook and a kick... what am I doing? that guy over there looks like he's boxing his inner demons I'm gonna copy him.. how much longer do I have to do this? maybe I should stretch for a minute" WE'VE ALL BEENTHERE.
Shadowboxing is a critical piece of the foundation of forming proper striking technique. Literally every trainer, mentor, and coach who is knowledgeable of the sport and worth there salt has instilled this practice into there fighters. Simply it makes there fighters better fighters. It's not about fighting a imaginary version of yourself. Its about muscle memory and memorizing the technique and the "feel" of the punches. Also you can do it literally anywhere, gym free, any place anytime. Plus you don't put miles on your hands. Shadowboxing is a major cornerstone of striking martial arts Any "coach" who disagrees is not experienced and should not be coaching fighters .
I saw a video with Joe Lewis, the karate legend, describing how to shadowbox properly. It has to be an exercise in visualization down to the most minute detail and each movement must have a distinct purpose.
In taiji classes that still paid lip-service to martial training, instructors would say "doing solo form allows you to visualize an opponent and work slowly to be precise". Reminded me of that kind of wish-ful thinking advice when you said that shadow boxing is fantasy fighting. No matter how mild or how. tough the training, there is no substitute for sound body mechanics and training with a variety of partners. Imagining an opponent [for the vast majority of practitioners] is like imagining that your revolver has ammunition when it doesn't.
I need to say, that revolver analogy is spot on. Imagining that your gun is loaded will still help you with stuff like gripping and safety practice, but those things can be practiced individually either way (which is Mike's point on this video. Why do a half-assed shadow box when you can drill your techniques?) And if you imagine that you are actually shooting, hitting the mark (or missing it) and experiencing recoil without actualy having a lot of experience, then you would be setting yourself up for failure. Just like imagining that your punch landed or missed without knowing how fights or matches actually go. Yeah you might learn about some additional plan for when you miss, but what if that plan is unrealistic? Your analogy is amazing
My boxing coach told me jump rope, speed bag, and shadow boxing were all just stuff boxers did when they did not want to run or hit the heavy bag. He told me if I wanted to beat someone up those two were what counted and the heavy bag counted most of all.
@@OfficialNicewrong lol running is so good , especially when you get better at it and it goes from hell each kilometer you do to a rather enjoyable long jog
@@danielr.y5261 you maybe ran wrong ? Like ,it only maybe hurts my knees if I start to get lazy and land with the leg basically straight and that destroys your knee because it absorbs the impact rather than your muscle ,aside from that ,I personally feel better about my joint when running than walking ,walking idk kinda triggers pain and ache under my feet and my knees feel stiff af
It's "rooms full of strangers." Both statements have correct syntax: "I've taught [a room/rooms] full of strangers." However, you're stating that you have taught multiple rooms (indirect object) each with multiple strangers (direct object). The alternative (i.e., "a room") suggests that all of the strangers you had taught were all in the same room.
The holy trinity: Shadowbox Skip rope Heavy bag Tips on proper shadow boxing: Practice proper form/tecnique Practice attack AND defense Practice feints AND maneuvers you would do after feints i.e. : simple combos or disengage. Keep up the good work coach
Any exercise/warmup could be a complete waste of time if not incorporated with other things. And if you're doing a 1-1-2 a million times up and down the mat. I would definitely consider that a form of shadow boxing.
Okay im glad my shadow boxing hasnt been a complete waste of time. The only thing i didnt know was that the primary fuction was visulasation. Now i know.
I get bored shadow boxing I like to hit the bag to warm up But its good to shadow box to work in defence with counters or to cool down at the end of class
I won an amateur tournament with just shadowboxing as prep! It wasn't ideal by any means but the visualisation and repetition genuinely did get me better! Was working away no access to classes
@@Lovellyoungwolf I mean, I 100% agree with Mike. On almost everything. It's just that his click-baits are my kind of memes. So I have to click. I have to show RESPECT for the meme. And for Icy. Respect all around!
@@Lovellyoungwolfnot trolling, did you watch the whole video? He did say that shadow boxing is fine, but people do it wrong. It would be like me saying that Karate sucks, not because the art itself is bad; i mean, it has punching, kicking, takedowns, etc, but people practice and teach it in a way that makes it almost useless
Mike, I could not agree with you more!!! I have been saying the same thing for a very long time. It is also painful to watch newbies shadow boxing and how inadequate they feel. Repetition is the mother of skill and as such, I take combinations (that suit your style and athleticism) and then, I chunk them in smaller pieces. Once you begin to own it, you can add layers of complexity. My shadow boxing time is in a way “study time”. Mike, I love your teaching style full of passion along with deep, deep understanding of the arts. Keep it up brother.
Get too good at shadowboxing and your mind start going all Laurence Fishburne and John Lenon shades on you, making it real like you're inside the matrix. Ever see a guy get KO'ed while shadowboxing you know you've found yourself a master.
It helps with controlling your body and activating the right muscles to throw the techniques, Hitting a bag will tire your muscles out and cause injury if you go hit one full blast too early in the session, That's why we shadow box in the beginning of training and as a cool down at the end, Punching foward and punching backward can only be done by shadow boxing when you're training alone, I do agree you can waste shadow boxing by not using proper form and intensity, Foot work is also practiced in Shadow boxing
Hey it's a warmup and it's better than jogging around the room. Also if the coach doesn't know all the students it tells him at a glance if someone is lacking basic skills.
Oh look. One coach who thinks he knows better then the majority of experts just to attract attention to himself. Guess thats one part of youtube that never changes.
They all have purpose, and that’s growth.. Some months the heavy bag gets better, others it’s the speed bag or skipping, but all these are great tools for conditioning, growth and to remain interested.. I couldn’t imagine training only the heavy bag for years.. Shadow boxing can be beautiful, especially in slow motion, imagination, it’s your practice time, enjoy 🙏🏻❤️
Ok but there can be better and worse tools for “growth”. The speed bag for example is genuinely useless considering if I wanted my shoulders stronger there’s plenty of more efficiently ways to do that like push-ups, pull-ups, or just throwing punches. Not everything you can do in the gym is worth your time.
@@pieguymcduck8600 the speed bag has little to do with your shoulders being stronger. huh? It has everything to do with, speed, hand eye coordination, and timing. All very useful things.
@@pieguymcduck8600 I never looked at the speed bag and thought let’s build my shoulders, more of a play and get better toy.. I love to spend time on the speed bag, time varies on it.. No regrets.. I do exercise because I love it, trust me after 30 years there isn’t much growth, but it’s habit.. Sure from a science point of view there are things better, but I like playing, so speed bag is awesome..
Genuinely seems the complaint here is about doing it badly, shadowboxing has helped me a lot not just as an exercise but as a way to drill techniques, learn to be more precise, and generally get better at form with the mindset of performing those same techniques appropriately in a fight, and you know testing them in sparring to learn their effectiveness and contexts better. Also are we going to ignore shadowboxing done for at a high heart rate burns insane calories and serves as a decent full body workout?
LOL you've just contradicted yourself with this whole argument at the end! The fact that "shadowboxing" is just that, "Shadowboxing" you're not fighting for real! "It's your imagination" next thing you know in hard2hurt videos: "BREATHING IS USELESS" LOL Am I supposed to stop breathing now!!??🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤣🤣🤣🤣that's the premise of the titles of the videos 😂 there's millions of reasons to train "shadowboxing" and different preferences. You can do in it as a form* of entertainment, see your limitations etc It doesn't have to be serious. Ngl I've been watching your videos; I enjoy your outlooks and take in several situations etc, and most of them make sense; in the end, you train however you want.
The person was right that it won’t help your speed but it will help your endurance with keeping your hands up I do a round with 3 lbs dumbbells and the main reason is to burn my arms out in the upper position so I keep a focus on either being tight with my guard or holding a long guard. Hands low defeats the purpose.
Every other video on this channel is a controversial topic where he says how proven things are wrong. It's his YT business model to attract views and engagement.
You basically need to do it with a plan on what you want to work on. Maybe one round of practicing your defence, another focusing on flowing combos. Shadow boxing is more effective than bag work, because in a fight most of the time you are hitting air and shadowboxing. Put on 16oz gloves and shadowbox, it will condition you to keep pace and keep your guard up. I recommend people to check out chez cantered on UA-cam, he trains a lot of shadowboxing.
Not at all. Shadowboxing, especially in front of a mirror, helps the boxing flow and you can see what you look like to your opponent. You think of things like "What would I throw if I were fighting me?" and adjust the defense. It also helps with the toughest challenge in all combat sports, remaining relaxed while still being intense and moving.
Kata better than shadowboxing...? Man when i first started as a kid I got my a$$ kicked in a street fight and i was doing Kata all the time which had zero effect on my actual ability to street fight a big dude who banged my head on the concrete. So i left TMA and learned BJJ. I also used visualization when i couldnt afford class and i came back even better. It really has to do with how well you visualize to have an effective Shadow drill. I tend to spar with the same 3 guys and ones a giant, so when I shadow i imagine him, his height, what landed and what didnt, and programming into my routine punch extensions length (long punches) as well as where he usually leaves openings. I also "find" new combos in Shadow -like noticed I have a real nice Switch kick (left) kick right after driving forth a rear Knee from Orthadox -i took that into sparring and it landed. You can find some of your own body's natural inclinations when shadowing. I agree that mindless shadowing or just trying to look pretty shadowing often dont mean much. But to me, heavy bag is the most overused and I see guys wasting weeks, months just hammering away and reinforcing short punch habits etc over and over again.
Why the actual fuck you wanted to fight with kata on the street? :D Kata is just the series of movements, a "toolkit" When you sparring you will apply it for the situation, but you are not going to use the perfect Kata movements
@@quercusroburx I wasnt fighting with Kata on the street. I was in TMA school and KATA was there version of a training tool. My entire point was Kata is useless but shadowboxing is not when used properly.
Shadow boxing is definitely helpful for perfecting technique in any fight you know the dude is going to try to punch you all you really need to do is better your reflexes and technique so you can move out of the way and punch back when the time comes
I usually shadowbox with a mirror. Less hypothetical that way. For example I see the mirror jab then I slip, hook while his head is off center and so on. That way I can train exactly half offense and half defense. I’m always countering my reflection.
I remember getting so frustrated about this starting out. "The most important thing you can do is shadowbox and visualize your opponent!!!" Visualize him doing WHAT
I shadowbox atleast 6 rounds a day for 2 decades. I personally think its more important than hitting the bag. I dont think you should visualize an opponent. Just practice combos. You feel the kinetic chain when you get it right and you known its right. You learn to move in with your feet and throw a combo and then move your head or feet and get away. You can practice the same combo over ajd over. Practice throwing a jab and then duck right after as you come forward and then throw a right hand. Practice throwing your jab in different ways while being elusive. You can learn so much.
I completely disagree man. Shadow boxing is the best way to develop your own rhythm and style. I think shadowboxing is one of the best ways to just purely train footwork. I’ve watched video of many Muay Thai coaches saying shadowboxing is the best way to train footwork
I don't necessarily use shadowboxing to practice the strikes themselves, I use it to emulate the movement patterns in which I can use each strike, and how to transition between them in different scenarios. I might shadowbox retreating straight right hands, and then work on transitioning into an aggressive advance with a rear leg kick after I visualize the connection, I find that these things pop out in my sparring and DEFINITELY came out in my only kickboxing match thus far. I agree static throwing of strikes even in combinations feels like a waste.
@@pieguymcduck8600 when you get older you realize that we do things that are a waswite of time , some sooner than others , i train for kyoksuhin fights and not swimming but the swimmong is good for my muscles but i don't have to rain to be a swimming champ , meaning , you need to know why you are doing stuff abd if you ask your coach and he can't tell you why you're doing it yor're wasiting your time at that moment .
Shadowboxing is one of the most effective ways to excel. You have to practice the movements and form involved. Although a lot of people do it wrong (medium speed) it is one of the most important exercises. You should use it to drill your entries, exits, form, technique, defense, head movement etc. I tell my students to either shadow box extremely slow so they can perfect the technique and really fast (full speed) so they can add it to their muscle memory bank and that is the way they'll be using it in real time. You're a bullshido master for the title of this video though
I must admit that I do not agree with this individual's assessment of the value of shadow boxing for a real fighter. I have boxed as an amateur since the age of 14. I, initially, trained at Bobby Gleasons boxing gymnasium in the Bronx, New York. I was surrounded by top professional boxers and I was tutored by well-known many professional trainers (Freddie Brown, Victor Valle, Mike Capriano and many other lesser known trainers). This is a professional boxing gymnasium that had many alumni such as Jake LaMotta, Dick Tiger, Joey Archer, Pete Toro, & Muhammad Ali. Anyway, it does take time to develop genuine boxing skills. As one trainer said to me, "you train a boxer the same way you train a dancer". It is important to learn the basic skills first as well as the rationale behind each part of a move (Such as proper stance, balance, footwork, proper punching dynamics, the various methods of defence). Realistically, it takes a significant amount of time in order to absorb the physical dynamics inherent in such a demanding sport such as boxing. Unfortunately, there are many novices who simply "don't get it". Shadow boxing should allow a boxer to understand how he may "educate his body and mind" to work together in what is essentially a "stand-up" fist fight. Shadow boxing ,initially, allows for memorization, understanding and absorption of the basic mechanics of relevant body movement as it relates to fistic combat. Ideally, this repetitive physical effort should lead to an evolution of all of the relevant athletic capabilities relative to this particular method of hand to hand combat. But, all of this all takes time. Shadow boxing is, in my humble opinion, a superb form of physical training. Lastly, a good trainer is one who thoroughly communicates all of the athletic principles thoroughly and is ever watchful and honest with his charges.
Shadow boxing is like sparring, you work on things your coach has told you, you dont simulate a real fight because its not, theres no target, you miss everytime and have to bring your hand back, versus hitting something and your hand bounces back. Shadow boxing is like homework when your at home not in the gym, do the combo you learned over and over until It's proper then work on speed, then tomorrow in the gym hit the bag, then in sparring. professionals that shadow box are warming up and putting on a show..ITS NOT REAL!! So dont imagine a real opponent, spar real people.
If your tactics hinge on making contact every time, they’re fundamentally flawed. Training with the belief that you’ll always land your strikes leads to bad habits like poor balance and improper commitment, creating unrealistic striking tempos against a fully resisting opponent. The real value of shadow boxing and other forms of training lies in preparing to miss. Top fighters practice missing to enhance their balance and recovery on powerful strikes. Your fighting system needs this kind of training to be truly effective. I’m not sure if I’m completely disagreeing with you, but your response smacks of blind faith and ignorance. It’s dogmatic thinking at its worst. And let’s be clear: pulling your hand back every time you miss to guard your opposite temple (assuming that’s what you mean) is a tactical blunder. It limits both your power and your effective defense. Techniques like long guards, posting, cross guard, rolling out, clinching, combined with footwork, are far superior. Always gluing your hand to your temple makes you predictable, which is never good. If your coach insists otherwise, they’re not giving you the best advice. Every guard leaves something open. Mastering full-power strikes with the understanding that you can’t always rely on pulling your hand back in time for defense is the next level of fighting.
@@g8trg8tr30 I think we're on the same side here, I wasn't trying to right a novel lol But blind faith? Ignorance? I don't know what I said to offend you I never said you should always make contact? Then I wouldn't recommend sparring if I believed that.. my critique was don't imagine a real opponent like Mike was saying just work on form, speed and footwork. if you're trying to imagine hitting someone that is wrong because THERE IS NO ONE THERE! Shadow boxing is like sparring in the way you work on a certain aspect, it's not like sparring in the way that there is an opponent to hit or hit back, when it comes time to hit a target your accuracy will not be there if your practicing hitting imaginary target Let me clarify, shadowboxing is my favorite training, you can do it anywhere, we don't all own gyms like Mike, so I didn't like him trashing Shadow boxing, but it must also be combined with hitting the bags and real life sparring to be effective. Pretending you have an opponent in front of you won't solve shadowboxing into a complete training form, and it doesn't mean everyone else is doing it wrong and wasting time. Trust me I can box, I did strictly boxing so I'm not speaking for MMA maybe they do things differently.
@@Lobo-Perezright, it’s not about “fighting an invisible opponent” but it is about linking logical offensive and defensive strategies together. Aka you swing for a hard left hook; your hand ends up on the opposite side because you actually followed through so you chain it together with a weave or whatever as you regain your guard and keep your feet under you. Agreed fighting an invisible opponent is silly. But it’s not silly to link your offense into your defense and vice versa and imo you should be training to miss full power full speed committed strikes. Also dude, you know that when people practice way too much on the pads and bag then you make them miss the pad or whatever they’ll overthrow themselves and stumble around like crazy to catch their balance cause they’re too used to needing contact to remain balanced.
You miss the point of shadowboxing. As a boxing coach with over two decades of experience, shadowboxing is used as a teaching method so that boxers can stand in front of the mirror and see themselves and understand what is their stance how is their form and what mistakes are they making. It is not pointless at all and is a good teaching tool.
Shadowboxing at my gym is just confusing since I'm super beginner but the only instruction anyone gets is basically "Imagine you were fighting a guy" I don't know how, that's why I'm here. Not sure if normal experience or bad gym. The only thing I was taught before shadowboxing is the most basic punch.
In the beginning, shadowboxing should just be techniques and drills. The basics. Get the coordination down. Do a whole round of just jabs if you want. Once you start sparring more, you'll be able to visualize the flow better. Shadowboxing isn't something you just "know" you have to build it.
Nah no way the title is real 🤨🤨 Edit: yeah so a pretty good dive into what shadowboxing is supposed to be and how it's actually approached. But that title is taking an inch and stretching that to a kilometer (bite me you savages). BAD shadowboxing is worthless, good shadowboxing is intentional and the next best thing to sparring imo. It's where you practice rhythm, it's where you focus on being defensively responsible, it's where you practice the stance and balance that you've destroyed recklessly slamming the bag way too much and so on. It's where you learn to string everything together unless you've got sparring partners at your beck and call, and MMA fighters don't reach even a percentage of that understanding, just like MMA fighters think that a stiff jab is the be all end all of jabs and that jabs only exist to setup other punches; In reality there's several different jabs, some not even meant to hurt but help control your opponent and you should be learning the how and why of using them, because the jab is a utility punch.
Shadow boxing is at its most useful, whenever you're already sparing and fighting. If you're shadowboxing at the beginning you are potentially drilling bad exercise.
Unless you are smart and have experience, I don't think there's much merit in shadowboxing. The smarter you are and more experience you have the more beneficial it becomes though
I started shadowboxing regularly on the road in my hotel room when I got my new job. I wasn't able to train at the gym much. I focused on simple technique. My sparring partners and coaches saw improvements in my speed, balance, and certain techniques. I noticed my response to attacks/counters was diminished. Its not ideal but wasn't useless. Also, certain bad habits can develop without a coach watching.
if a student is not perfomorming a good shadow boxing his master should be the one to blame. thailand golden age fighters always tell the importance of shadowboxing and how the "master" must correct the erractic behavior of theyrs students, instead of removing shadow boxing spend some time with begginer correting their form, moviemetn... If you are an shadow-boxing atheist that is ok but don't it is a "waste of time" when is is one of me most important fundaments in martial arts.
Every video Mike makes really underscores how deeply he understands the pedagogy and psychology of skill building. This is a guy who is a truly professional teacher.
@pieguymcduck8600 We don't emphasize punching or kicking. Mainly focus on the movements and the angles of your feet towards the inside and outside of your opponent, rolling with your punches or kicks. realizing that punching and kicking doesn't matter right now. That comes when we pull the pads out or we spar. The same thing we do when we are practicing, take downs Double and single legs for our grappling almost like a kata
As a TMA guy (mostly) I've always put Shadowboxing at the end of the training session. During the session you've put reps in on some technical aspect of fighting, done a few (slow & controlled) spars with different people practicing the techniques for the day, and you've used up most of your tank. Shadowboxing at the end lets an individual tattoo those techniques into their body, blast out what's left of their cardio, and maybe remind them that they can work on & hone these skills on their own, whenever they want. Maybe they put some "cursive" on their combos that silly; if they're having fun they'll keep coming back and getting better. P.S. "Rooms full of Strangers" is the correct pluralism.
I was horrendous until I started shadow boxing. Did it a little for the first month, then stopped because I thought it wasn't advanced. Sparring was too fast, heavy bag and drills only focus on one thing, when I shadow boxed and took it really serious was the only time I felt it all coming together and then I made shocking almost over night progress, all my sparring partners commented on it. It's now something I swear by.
Go to DrinkLMNT.com/hard2hurt for a free sample pack with any purchase!
As for in a gym training scenario, it seems to make more sense to pair up partners, one with mits, one gloves, with a basic combo, then switch them.
I need to top back up. I'm down to mint chocolate and lemon Habanero and those are kind of situational flavors
My current boxing coach cycles around and makes it very clear when he's watching you in shadowboxing or bag work rounds.
I don’t have access to a punching bag or a gym that teaches boxing/martial arts. All I can really do is practice technique and “shadow box”. I set up a pair of shoes to represent where the opponent is. It’s all I can really do in my community rec room.
Good video.
How else am I supposed to fight a dark version of myself then?
White people problems
YESSSSS!!! 😂😂😂
Noup. Its like a chees master. Remember figths.
Shadow wrestling
dark… like African American ?! 😅
If I don't shadowbox, what am I supposed to do while waiting in line for the cashier??
Full on hard spar with a grandma on a queue.
Kata
beat up everyone in front of you, don't be a "beta male" 🤣
listen to mike and sensei seth podcast lol
I work on headstand...
Helpful hint: close your eyes while shadowboxing to improve your visualization. Especially on a crowded mat.
If you visualize hard enough, sometimes the punches will sometimes feel like they land, crazy what the mind is capable of.
@@FirstnameLastname-le9hq sometimes your mind comes in clutch and adds the yelps of pain and sounds of your imaginary coach getting mad at you
It felt so realistic when i closed my eyes that some of the people i train with have blackeyes once im done 😂
this man is EVVILLLL lol
😂
Shadowbox for the same reason you kick air as well as the bag.
Control, balance, precision, AND working the retracting muscles and tendons
so that your techniques are snappy, and you don't tweak something when you miss.
11:32
Ok, this is pretty much what I had in mind, and practise. 😎👍
yep
also endurance, you get tired faster hitting the air than hitting a bag
Kata...
@@k4zeta otosan kazuya.😀
Thank goodness. I keep getting ko'ed by my shadow self.
I was gonna say I always end up on the ground begging for my life when I shadowbox.
My imaginary giant praying mantis keeps kicking my ass! Now I can go home without bruises all over
Little fu*** moves quick.
@@Murf181 I know that reference Baki! lmao
tell him to go easy lol
mike is the honest drunk uncle of martial arts
The honest drunk uncle that everyone knows not to mess with unless you come 100% ready.
Regardless of ppls opinion of skill I guarantee any one of those critics won't just take him lightly. He's trained himself in various types of pain tolerance alone😂😂
I'm glad someone finally said it
He is the edgy uncle of martial arts you can take on a party...there are levels to this.
Mike the drunken uncle but this uncle isn't full of shit😂
"Drunkle Mike, how do I execute a perfect hat toss?"
I shadow box all the time in preparation for Ghost Apocalypse 2026. You should too, Mike.
This guy’s onto something
To be fair, I got really fast with my punches.
I stopped shadow boxing and lost that speed, never could get it back?
@@kylethedalek the ghosts won’t cut you any slack homie. Get back at it.
This man's playing Elden Ring, while everyone else is playing checkers...
@@hahasasquatchvods5125 they call me Hard2Haunt
So From Muhammed Ali to the Gypsi King everyone did it wrong.
THX Mike.
Fury lost to Ngannou so yeah
yeah they all wrong, this guy knows more about boxing than Tyson, Ali, all of them...how? cause he's on UA-cam!
@@jonjon2663 yep I never heard or seen the guy until on a Wonderboy vid on which he grandstanded to get his own opinion up front.
TLDR:
He said that if we shadowbox correctly, its useful. Its a visuallation tool, which is true.
Long version
I spy with my little eye, people who read the title, and went straight to the comments. Welcome to the comments section by the way, nice to have you.
Couldn't wait 5 minutes, to make sure he was gonna said what you want to argue against it was actually said. Big sad 😢.
@@TheSlackerNamedJack Nice to have you too.
oh i waited... my comment had at first the porpoise to diss, his clickbait.
"Correct shadowboxing helps for training, stupid not so" would be just a boring title.
I like Mike. ANd i am fine with that. But this is the way politics get worse and worse...
Shadowboxing is scary. There's no telling how a shadow will react. I'm scared, man!
Hehe
Zoinkies!!! Here's a Scooby Snack!!!
lol
@@rcarfang2 thanks raggy , ree hee hee hee hee
It's all fun and games until your house is haunted with actual Shadow People.....👻 😨 😂
Why I shadowbox:
- to warm up
- to activate mind-muscle connection
- to reexamine my execution and technique
- to visualize
- to train how to recover position when you are not hitting
100% effort in shadowboxing basically trains your balance if you do it correctly
And great cardio workout to boot.
For me, shadowboxing wasn't useful until I had sparring. Noobs will just replicate the shadowboxing they see pros doing (stop trying to do exactly what pros do! waste of time). Once I got more sparring experience, I learned what works for me, what doesn't, and what I need to be better at. Then you can draw from that and shadowbox effectively. Someone beating your angles? Shadowbox it out. Do your feet get tangled up when you have to circle out on the ropes? Shadowbox it out. Are they splitting your jab every time you enter? Shadowbox it out. Don't do just a bunch of slick dances to look cool on IG.
Benefits to shadow boxing!
Helps endurance.
Builds stamina.
Improves technique.
Helps to learn about opponent if you know their style.
Helps to learn about your own body movements.
Helps to develop footwork.
I grew up sparring Welsh champions and my trainer was amateur undefeated in 100 fights.
Dont know what this guys is talking about 😂😂
when i was in the military i didnt have a lot of time to do any real training so i shadow boxed. it kept me fresh enough to join a competitive mma team after a couple years in and i had to spar the coach to be able to join. so idk seems like it worked for me.
It works for everybody. I don't know what this guy is talking about
Yeah total BS on this one!
shadowboxing is one of the best exercise to keep your skills scharp
Shadow boxing does work
@@scottyg5403totally agree
This is bullsh!!! . Tell that to Floyd , Tyson , Cus Dmato . Another social media dud trying to act like the smartest guy alive .
Totally disagree. Shadowboxing is very important. You're right, most people don't know how to do it.. But my coach used to give real instructions to us while we shadowboxed. He watched everything. if you were shadowboxing and you didn't move your head after a combo, you heard about it. If you crossed your feet, you heard about it. If you jabbed and your right hand dropped, you heard about it. If you don't get any feedback when you do anything in combat sports its bad. But if you have a coach who is giving you actionable advice while you shadowbox, hit the mitts, hit the heavy bag, spar, jump rope, etc. then it can all be very good. Depends on the level of coach you have and the level of coach you are.
that's good coach , i hte those stpd coches who won't learn anything and not improve sht , the fighters become as stpd as them .
I can agree with both opinions to a point, he's probably not necessarily wrong but I do believe there's a right and a wrong way to do things.
Iron Mike would be my best counterpoint to his arguments because even when he's shadowboxing Tyson's speed and ferocity look just plain terrifying, I don't think he even knows how to turn down the intensity.
That’s because he doesn’t know how to do it, Sugar Ray Robinson did it regularly and I love it and it works
Ditched it lonnggg ago for VR boxing.
Literally it’s only function. Replaces the 5 minutes or whatever I would habitually shadow box
What if you have to fight a ghost?!
Good question
If there's something strange
In your neighborhood
Who you gonna call?
@@niko-zx1kushadow boxer !
Exorcise.
Well said. Beginners can't visualize something they have no experience with. Going to a room full of people just to fight an imaginary friend is absolutely wild. I moved to a small town recently where the most well rounded martial arts club is a Goju Ryu Karate dojo, and almost none of them have done any real contact sparring. They imagine so many scenarios where "this punch will end the fight" and like... No man, they are just gonna shoot on you and slam you on your ass. Telling them to do anything that involves imagining an opponent would be like telling them to imagine they can shoot lazer beams from their eyes to defend themselves.
I'll have you know my Space Ripper Stingy Eyes are extremely effective in my imaginary self defense scenarios. Check yourself!
Actually, from Nidan on, they can do the laser thing. IF they practice sanchin-kata enough.
That a jojo reference 😂@@FirstnameLastname-le9hq
I just shadowbox to warmup. The equivalent of jumping rope.
Fuckin no? Jumping rope would give you some rounds of bouncing on your toes over and over, slowly strengthening your calves and making your feet more numb where you need. Shadow boxing gives you reps of just doing your techniques, hopefully actively visualizing someone like we learned. Just because you get just as tired, doesn’t make em the same at all.
@@pieguymcduck8600 Bro a warmup is not training. You do it for like 5min before the actual training.
@@pieguymcduck8600 light cardio is light cardio bro. For the purposes of warming up they are the same
Shadowboxing can help practicing your coordination on something specific you ca' pick
no way. Jump roping is awesome.
Don't agree with you on this one, shadow boxing is my favourite way to warm up for class. Actually makes me feel co-ordinated, gets my feet moving correctly, gets my shape right. I often come into the gym after sitting in an office all day, I'm not ready to do anything with intensity, shadow boxing allows me to "come up through the gears" at my own pace, ready to start the real training. But I do remember being a newbly and feeling very akward. The worse is when a coach just gets you joggin round the room doing press ups and burpies ect..
It doesn’t matter if YOU LIKE it. What matters is its efficiency for majority of people, everything you just said that apparently “benefits” you, literally doesn’t. You want comfortable, soft and easy training which is why you’re opposed to actual USEFUL conditioning like burpees
@@ZeroBudgetGuidewtf😂 that’s literally what it’s about if it works for u or not and clearly by the likes he has a tonn of people feel the same way too
Yeah, I use Shadow boxing as an active stretch after sitting at work all day as well. I use tips and kick evasions and long punches to kind of stretch all the muscles out. I don't like doing static stretching before exercising
@@ZeroBudgetGuide It works for alot of people, in boxing gyms all over the world. Later in the video, Mike spoke about alterative drills, throwing specific shots, throwing combinations, moving in and out, 2 stage combos, defensive movements. I go through all of those drills in my shadow time, 3x3 minutes rounds.
I guess I'm just at a level now where I don't need a coach to tell me to do that stuff. I've definitely seen beginners doing all of the things Mike said, crazy head movements, wild punches, random movements ect...
And I definitely get plenty of hard work done at training, but the clue in the name, "warm up". Plus it's boxing practice, not cross fit, if you want to talk about efficiency, then you can do your conditioning on your own time.
@@kingrobthegreat1i honestly think shadow boxing is the second most important training for striking. Besides actually sparring(which I count partner drills). I think for beginners it seems pointless, but once you’re decent it’s vital. Since you can improve on your own time.
So many great golden age Thai fighters preach shadow boxing. Alex P seems to shadow box a lot too in his warm ups. This is kinda crazy lol.
I think what he's saying is that shadowboxing is not useful for learning how to fight. He's mostly referring to beginners. Thai fighters usually have a large number of fights in their live and often rematch multiple times against the same opponent. Therefore, they have the experience required to do proper shadowboxing and it can absolutely be valuable for them.
@@tokiliam6015 That's fair. The fact that Thai's fight almost every weekend is a big part of why they are so good. But look up a dude that was called the Elbow Hunter of A thousand stitches. He couldn't afford to train in his small village so he started shadow boxing a ton. Once he started winning fights in his 20's he moved to a real gym but still did a lot of shadowboxing. I also think shadowboxing in front of the mirror is the best way to learn the Thai roundhouse and turning your hips over. The bag can hide poor technique pretty easily.
To be fair, I got really fast with my punches.
I stopped shadow boxing and lost that speed, never could get it back?
Yeah this is actually a really stupid take in my opinion. It got the click tho...
@@anderschapman6459 The reason why they fight every weekend is because they either make 200-300 bucks. They came from poor areas in Thailand. But nowadays I have heard some gyms only let their fighters fight every 2 weeks.
It took me a while to figure out the visualization aspect of shadow boxing. When I got that part of it, it made an incredible difference. Like you say, it looks less cool but produces more results if you do it that way. Also something people don't talk about is how insanely difficult it can be to imagine an opponent over the course of a full round. It takes practice to get good at imagining and learning to imagine the things you need to work on
I've personally ended up with a rule of thumb of my own; I don't shadowbox anything I'm not planning on putting to test later during sparring. I shadowbox mostly to know how my body feels about a particular (short) combo or counter.
I think the most important thing is don’t only be offensive. Practice your defense. Remember basics win fights, so practicing head movement, footwork and checking help massively.
I practice getting my ass beat in shadow boxing, like that episode of SpongeBob where Patrick beats himself up
This guy is now a bullshido master.
What? Would you care to elaborate? This is an interesting take
@@jestfullgremblim8002Ok I’ll elaborate as a boxer shadow boxing is vital, by shadow boxing you’re working on movement, combinations and most importantly form my guy, just think for a second imagine a boxer that never ever shadow boxed lol
Its pretty crazy to call shadowboxing overrated. Or to say don't do it at all.
@@JosiahCone are you answering my question? If so here's my answer to you:
That was literally what they call "clickbait"
Did you not see how he kept saying that shadow boxing was indeed good but it was most people that used it wrong? Furthermore, isn't it actually true that most people do it super wrong?
Further furthermore (lol), didn't he give actual valid reasoning for EVERYTHING stated on the video? If he just said "Punching sucks, it's overrated, don't do it" and did not give any explanation, then yeah say whatever you want, but if he gives valid explanations, then what are you gonna say? Can't say that it's crazy if he's right lol, and if he DOES give *valid* explanations, then that means that he *is* right. You get what i mean? But once again, he was not saying that shadowboxing is useless and this and that, he just puts those things one his titles to attract as many clicks as possible, and it works. It's an ongoing joke on this channel, just like "Leg Muscles" hahaha
So that's that. I hope you were actually trying to answer my question and i didn't just write all this to someone that was not even speaking to me. But even if that was the case, most of this is important for you anyways
@jestfullgremblim8002 Definitely a well thought out comment that I appreciate on these threads. Rare to find. I did have in mind that what he's saying applies to people who shadowbox wrong-I see it all of the time too. Just a more salient video, that wouldn't have to include, even for Mike's sense of humor, some very loaded statements, that instead focuses on correct training is better advertising IMO. I don't hate the video, I get Mike's point.
Shadow boxing creates muscle memory.
This guy is a clown my coach trained 50 world champions in different combat sports and he likes shadow boxing
@@_Sp4c3y_he is correct a little. Beginners shouldn’t waste their time shadow boxing. As you become more advanced to can fully utilize it. Shadow boxing is not a waste of time
Pad drills / heavy bag work does that too, plus added benefits.
@@DanaNotWhite Well I can see your point but that’s totally different than “shadow boxing is useless”
Yea but gotta remember you can create BAD habits with muscle memory too
As a boxer, guys, guys
He’s drunk or something
It does work
That’s why it’s been around since the 1920’s
I don’t make my fundamentals class shadowbox. The intermediate class learns footwork drills and gets homework to do on their own. After a few weeks of that it gets layered with offence and defence. Then they start shadowboxing after all that.
simple question to debunk this . why would't you practise your techniqe ? do it on the bag and off .
Kata better than Shadow Boxing? You've spent too much time around Seth, Enkamp, and Wonderboy.
In all fairness, who you gonna listen to? The professional kickboxer/MMA fighter or Bill Bur's twin?
@@barrettokarate hahaha
@@barrettokarate all 3 cause they all have something to teach but use what works for you .
in kata we sometimes or actually should visualize a aponent tough cause it is shadow boxing but you don't have to .
@@crisalcantara7671 I think the correct way to do kata is to vizualize opponents + know application of techniques.
Next mike will probably say practicing my walk out to pick the coolest song for that fight I’m never going to have is a waste of training time as well.
No that's awesome man carry on
@@hard2hurtthanks for all the tips and awesome videos.
I don't agree at all
Maybe its my "context" of experience that makes it useful but i have experimented with periods of:
Sparring only
Sparring + shadow
Sparring + heavy bag
Sparring plus shadow is when I get better. Sparring only and sparring + bag I get WORSE at fighting. And i can tell you exactly why.
When the only time you strike is when theres a target in front of you, you will gradually stop throwing crisp strikes and you will start over committing. You will be so focused on the target you will move in the middle of a strike as your opponent moves.
Hundreds of random strikes and foot movements conditions this out of you.
Punching air is in fact part of striking, you use air punches to establish rythm and gain control of the fight. You also need to be able to not throw your shoulder out every time your target moves.
While visualizing a real fight or practicing a specific sequence of techniques are highly valuable you do NOT need either to get the benefits that come from the sheer volume of movements. Even stepping in random directions all over the place gives you greater command over your body, you have to be off balance and unco-ordinated before you can be on balance and co-ordinated.
You make a good point generally that "just shadow box" with no further instruction in a class with an instructor could be lazy / a waste of time ( I actually think group classes at a set time with an instructor demonstrating techniques is an absolutely terrible way to learn how to strike/fight but thats a topic for another time) but if the students are ever going to be real strikers they are going to need to shadow box. Do you know of any elite strikers that dont shadow box? There are literally elite fighters who dont spar but i have never heard of one who doesnt shadow box.
Rant over
one question , what are you training for .
To be a lethal weapon duh😂
@@crisalcantara7671 striking skill
@@0n344 good 🫡
Agreed. This is the same reason that dryfire works for professional shooters.
Context is everything. Same applies to weapons. Someone who is only used to swinging weapons around doing forms falls apart as soon they go up against anyone else. Thats why so many aikido struggle, they dont understand the context and look at the application.
Shadow boxing is useless for me because I knock everyone out in one shot... in my head.
While “shadow boxing “ I close my eyes and visualize an opponent as my self.” I allow my mind to flow between 2 different perspectives it hard to get to that point but that’s about the only use I use shadow boxing for , I’m trying to find mistakes within myself
i do the baki shadow boxing. fought mike tyson last night.
Oh yeah?
Have you beaten a praying mantis tho?
@@Fraco_Oniisama nah not yet. im not ready.
@@ilovefighting348 Understandable, those things be crazy.
Did you win?
Mike aint schizo enough, he doesnt get shadow boxing, he doesnt hallucinate that vividly. Pshhh bad form man bad form
Personally, I think speed bag is pretty useless for fighting applications as well.
Thank you 💯
That's reflex training. And for form.
I've heard it's good for hand trapping but I dunno
Probably. But I enjoy it every now and then.
Yeah, when you get in a real fight that don't matter everybody got different body types I think big belly guys are hard to fight so you have to switch your fighting style everybody not made like bob that's what I learn from fighting
This video had me in tears. We've all been there when the coach says "Everyone shadow box" and you're thinking "I only know a 1 ,2 hook and a kick... what am I doing? that guy over there looks like he's boxing his inner demons I'm gonna copy him.. how much longer do I have to do this? maybe I should stretch for a minute" WE'VE ALL BEENTHERE.
Not many people admitting it though
Real
Shadowboxing is a critical piece of the foundation of forming proper striking technique.
Literally every trainer, mentor, and coach who is knowledgeable of the sport and worth there salt has instilled this practice into there fighters. Simply it makes there fighters better fighters.
It's not about fighting a imaginary version of yourself. Its about muscle memory and memorizing the technique and the "feel" of the punches.
Also you can do it literally anywhere, gym free, any place anytime.
Plus you don't put miles on your hands.
Shadowboxing is a major cornerstone of striking martial arts
Any "coach" who disagrees is not experienced and should not be coaching fighters .
I saw a video with Joe Lewis, the karate legend, describing how to shadowbox properly. It has to be an exercise in visualization down to the most minute detail and each movement must have a distinct purpose.
Karate has a whole set of basic drills you can do though. I kind of think just doing those is better than shadowboxing.
In taiji classes that still paid lip-service to martial training, instructors would say "doing solo form allows you to visualize an opponent and work slowly to be precise". Reminded me of that kind of wish-ful thinking advice when you said that shadow boxing is fantasy fighting. No matter how mild or how. tough the training, there is no substitute for sound body mechanics and training with a variety of partners. Imagining an opponent [for the vast majority of practitioners] is like imagining that your revolver has ammunition when it doesn't.
I need to say, that revolver analogy is spot on.
Imagining that your gun is loaded will still help you with stuff like gripping and safety practice, but those things can be practiced individually either way (which is Mike's point on this video. Why do a half-assed shadow box when you can drill your techniques?) And if you imagine that you are actually shooting, hitting the mark (or missing it) and experiencing recoil without actualy having a lot of experience, then you would be setting yourself up for failure. Just like imagining that your punch landed or missed without knowing how fights or matches actually go.
Yeah you might learn about some additional plan for when you miss, but what if that plan is unrealistic? Your analogy is amazing
but Shane Fazen says I should shadowbox everywhere I go...
I'm visualizing myself in a Saenchai short ok, let me throw my maybe one, maybe two, maybe three.
My boxing coach told me jump rope, speed bag, and shadow boxing were all just stuff boxers did when they did not want to run or hit the heavy bag. He told me if I wanted to beat someone up those two were what counted and the heavy bag counted most of all.
Id rather run than jump rope
Running is one of the worst forms of cardio for you, really no reason you should be excessively running either unless you need to shed weight.
@@OfficialNicewrong lol running is so good , especially when you get better at it and it goes from hell each kilometer you do to a rather enjoyable long jog
@@fabioooh Running gave me 60y/o knees by the time I was 25. I rather work on my cardio swimming or cycling.
@@danielr.y5261 you maybe ran wrong ? Like ,it only maybe hurts my knees if I start to get lazy and land with the leg basically straight and that destroys your knee because it absorbs the impact rather than your muscle ,aside from that ,I personally feel better about my joint when running than walking ,walking idk kinda triggers pain and ache under my feet and my knees feel stiff af
It's "rooms full of strangers."
Both statements have correct syntax: "I've taught [a room/rooms] full of strangers." However, you're stating that you have taught multiple rooms (indirect object) each with multiple strangers (direct object). The alternative (i.e., "a room") suggests that all of the strangers you had taught were all in the same room.
The holy trinity:
Shadowbox
Skip rope
Heavy bag
Tips on proper shadow boxing:
Practice proper form/tecnique
Practice attack AND defense
Practice feints AND maneuvers you would do after feints i.e. : simple combos or disengage.
Keep up the good work coach
I channel my schizophrenic aunt when i shadow box. I don't want to know what the shadow will do. It catches me off guard every time.
Any exercise/warmup could be a complete waste of time if not incorporated with other things. And if you're doing a 1-1-2 a million times up and down the mat. I would definitely consider that a form of shadow boxing.
Okay im glad my shadow boxing hasnt been a complete waste of time. The only thing i didnt know was that the primary fuction was visulasation. Now i know.
I get bored shadow boxing
I like to hit the bag to warm up
But its good to shadow box to work in defence with counters or to cool down at the end of class
I won an amateur tournament with just shadowboxing as prep! It wasn't ideal by any means but the visualisation and repetition genuinely did get me better! Was working away no access to classes
I will NEVER, EVER, NOT CLICK on Icy Mike's clickbait title. Never change. ❤
Yea I feel like I fell for it lol. Like, I actually listen to this and was like wtf is he talking about?
@@Lovellyoungwolf I mean, I 100% agree with Mike. On almost everything. It's just that his click-baits are my kind of memes. So I have to click. I have to show RESPECT for the meme. And for Icy. Respect all around!
@@jackgrimble9418 yeah, I think he's trolling on this one though. All fun lol 😂
@@Lovellyoungwolfnot trolling, did you watch the whole video? He did say that shadow boxing is fine, but people do it wrong. It would be like me saying that Karate sucks, not because the art itself is bad; i mean, it has punching, kicking, takedowns, etc, but people practice and teach it in a way that makes it almost useless
Mike, I could not agree with you more!!! I have been saying the same thing for a very long time. It is also painful to watch newbies shadow boxing and how inadequate they feel. Repetition is the mother of skill and as such, I take combinations (that suit your style and athleticism) and then, I chunk them in smaller pieces. Once you begin to own it, you can add layers of complexity. My shadow boxing time is in a way “study time”. Mike, I love your teaching style full of passion along with deep, deep understanding of the arts. Keep it up brother.
Get too good at shadowboxing and your mind start going all Laurence Fishburne and John Lenon shades on you, making it real like you're inside the matrix.
Ever see a guy get KO'ed while shadowboxing you know you've found yourself a master.
It helps with controlling your body and activating the right muscles to throw the techniques, Hitting a bag will tire your muscles out and cause injury if you go hit one full blast too early in the session, That's why we shadow box in the beginning of training and as a cool down at the end, Punching foward and punching backward can only be done by shadow boxing when you're training alone, I do agree you can waste shadow boxing by not using proper form and intensity, Foot work is also practiced in Shadow boxing
I visualize opponents when I shadowbox but I keep losing and getting whacked. Demoralizing. :(
Shadow boxing is the absolute best for shoulder development and keeping your hands up, but shadow boxing is also great for shoulder rehab.
Hey it's a warmup and it's better than jogging around the room. Also if the coach doesn't know all the students it tells him at a glance if someone is lacking basic skills.
Yeah I just use it to get loose which is basically the same as kata. Might as well get light reps in before heavy reps. Same for weight training.
Oh look. One coach who thinks he knows better then the majority of experts just to attract attention to himself. Guess thats one part of youtube that never changes.
They all have purpose, and that’s growth.. Some months the heavy bag gets better, others it’s the speed bag or skipping, but all these are great tools for conditioning, growth and to remain interested..
I couldn’t imagine training only the heavy bag for years..
Shadow boxing can be beautiful, especially in slow motion, imagination, it’s your practice time, enjoy 🙏🏻❤️
Ok but there can be better and worse tools for “growth”. The speed bag for example is genuinely useless considering if I wanted my shoulders stronger there’s plenty of more efficiently ways to do that like push-ups, pull-ups, or just throwing punches. Not everything you can do in the gym is worth your time.
@@pieguymcduck8600 the speed bag has little to do with your shoulders being stronger. huh? It has everything to do with, speed, hand eye coordination, and timing. All very useful things.
@@pieguymcduck8600 I never looked at the speed bag and thought let’s build my shoulders, more of a play and get better toy.. I love to spend time on the speed bag, time varies on it.. No regrets.. I do exercise because I love it, trust me after 30 years there isn’t much growth, but it’s habit.. Sure from a science point of view there are things better, but I like playing, so speed bag is awesome..
Genuinely seems the complaint here is about doing it badly, shadowboxing has helped me a lot not just as an exercise but as a way to drill techniques, learn to be more precise, and generally get better at form with the mindset of performing those same techniques appropriately in a fight, and you know testing them in sparring to learn their effectiveness and contexts better. Also are we going to ignore shadowboxing done for at a high heart rate burns insane calories and serves as a decent full body workout?
LOL you've just contradicted yourself with this whole argument at the end!
The fact that "shadowboxing" is just that, "Shadowboxing" you're not fighting for real! "It's your imagination" next thing you know in hard2hurt videos: "BREATHING IS USELESS"
LOL Am I supposed to stop breathing now!!??🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤣🤣🤣🤣that's the premise of the titles of the videos 😂 there's millions of reasons to train "shadowboxing" and different preferences. You can do in it as a form* of entertainment, see your limitations etc
It doesn't have to be serious.
Ngl I've been watching your videos; I enjoy your outlooks and take in several situations etc, and most of them make sense; in the end, you train however you want.
its a youtuber who sold product ..
Many rounds of proper Shadow boxing is one of the best ways to learn and improve footwork
I like to shadowbox with 4lb weights in between rounds on heavy bag. Seems to help my punch speed esp jabs
It doesn’t. Weights don’t make you punch faster, it’s just a feeling due to contrast. It’s really good for shoulder endurance though
@@ZeroBudgetGuide if you could edit your comment to say how smart I am that'd be great
The person was right that it won’t help your speed but it will help your endurance with keeping your hands up I do a round with 3 lbs dumbbells and the main reason is to burn my arms out in the upper position so I keep a focus on either being tight with my guard or holding a long guard. Hands low defeats the purpose.
@@tarettime9392 i agree with gym videos that guy is smart asf
As a Karate based kickboxer, I support Mike's opinion on kata being better than shadowboxing. No I'm not biased why do you ask?
Jack Dempsey would disagree with you
So would every boxing coach and champion ever.
Jack Dempsey would fly straight to Myrtle Beach and challenge Mike to fifteen rounds in the gym
Every other video on this channel is a controversial topic where he says how proven things are wrong. It's his YT business model to attract views and engagement.
He said shadowboxing is a waste of time, then gave a really good lesson on how to shadow box..
You basically need to do it with a plan on what you want to work on. Maybe one round of practicing your defence, another focusing on flowing combos.
Shadow boxing is more effective than bag work, because in a fight most of the time you are hitting air and shadowboxing.
Put on 16oz gloves and shadowbox, it will condition you to keep pace and keep your guard up.
I recommend people to check out chez cantered on UA-cam, he trains a lot of shadowboxing.
Really good recommendation. Chez Cantere's channel is a gem.
Not at all. Shadowboxing, especially in front of a mirror, helps the boxing flow and you can see what you look like to your opponent. You think of things like "What would I throw if I were fighting me?" and adjust the defense. It also helps with the toughest challenge in all combat sports, remaining relaxed while still being intense and moving.
Kata better than shadowboxing...? Man when i first started as a kid I got my a$$ kicked in a street fight and i was doing Kata all the time which had zero effect on my actual ability to street fight a big dude who banged my head on the concrete. So i left TMA and learned BJJ. I also used visualization when i couldnt afford class and i came back even better. It really has to do with how well you visualize to have an effective Shadow drill. I tend to spar with the same 3 guys and ones a giant, so when I shadow i imagine him, his height, what landed and what didnt, and programming into my routine punch extensions length (long punches) as well as where he usually leaves openings. I also "find" new combos in Shadow -like noticed I have a real nice Switch kick (left) kick right after driving forth a rear Knee from Orthadox -i took that into sparring and it landed. You can find some of your own body's natural inclinations when shadowing.
I agree that mindless shadowing or just trying to look pretty shadowing often dont mean much. But to me, heavy bag is the most overused and I see guys wasting weeks, months just hammering away and reinforcing short punch habits etc over and over again.
Why the actual fuck you wanted to fight with kata on the street? :D Kata is just the series of movements, a "toolkit" When you sparring you will apply it for the situation, but you are not going to use the perfect Kata movements
@@quercusroburx I wasnt fighting with Kata on the street. I was in TMA school and KATA was there version of a training tool. My entire point was Kata is useless but shadowboxing is not when used properly.
Since Mike has declared Kata to be better than shadowboxing, this means Karate is the best martial art of all time.
Shadow boxing is definitely helpful for perfecting technique in any fight you know the dude is going to try to punch you all you really need to do is better your reflexes and technique so you can move out of the way and punch back when the time comes
I usually shadowbox with a mirror. Less hypothetical that way. For example I see the mirror jab then I slip, hook while his head is off center and so on. That way I can train exactly half offense and half defense. I’m always countering my reflection.
the tittle itself is crazy...i would not have this man as my coach.
I remember getting so frustrated about this starting out. "The most important thing you can do is shadowbox and visualize your opponent!!!" Visualize him doing WHAT
I shadowbox atleast 6 rounds a day for 2 decades. I personally think its more important than hitting the bag. I dont think you should visualize an opponent. Just practice combos. You feel the kinetic chain when you get it right and you known its right. You learn to move in with your feet and throw a combo and then move your head or feet and get away. You can practice the same combo over ajd over. Practice throwing a jab and then duck right after as you come forward and then throw a right hand. Practice throwing your jab in different ways while being elusive. You can learn so much.
Visualize him moving around you, punching, kicking you
I completely disagree man. Shadow boxing is the best way to develop your own rhythm and style. I think shadowboxing is one of the best ways to just purely train footwork. I’ve watched video of many Muay Thai coaches saying shadowboxing is the best way to train footwork
I don't necessarily use shadowboxing to practice the strikes themselves, I use it to emulate the movement patterns in which I can use each strike, and how to transition between them in different scenarios. I might shadowbox retreating straight right hands, and then work on transitioning into an aggressive advance with a rear leg kick after I visualize the connection, I find that these things pop out in my sparring and DEFINITELY came out in my only kickboxing match thus far. I agree static throwing of strikes even in combinations feels like a waste.
Well yeah, it is a waste of time if you’re doing it wrong. Try not to.
Yeah, people don’t always know when they’re doin shit wrong
@@pieguymcduck8600 when you get older you realize that we do things that are a waswite of time , some sooner than others , i train for kyoksuhin fights and not swimming but the swimmong is good for my muscles but i don't have to rain to be a swimming champ , meaning , you need to know why you are doing stuff abd if you ask your coach and he can't tell you why you're doing it yor're wasiting your time at that moment .
@@crisalcantara7671 what’d I just say
I knew from the title that this would be a video instructional on how to shadowbox well, and probably a good one
Shadow boxing is NOT a waste of time.....sorry Mike
Shadowboxing is one of the most effective ways to excel. You have to practice the movements and form involved. Although a lot of people do it wrong (medium speed) it is one of the most important exercises. You should use it to drill your entries, exits, form, technique, defense, head movement etc. I tell my students to either shadow box extremely slow so they can perfect the technique and really fast (full speed) so they can add it to their muscle memory bank and that is the way they'll be using it in real time. You're a bullshido master for the title of this video though
Thought u closed down the gym ?!??!
Why’s that?
I must admit that I do not agree with this individual's assessment of the value of shadow boxing for a real fighter. I have boxed as an amateur since the age of 14. I, initially, trained at Bobby Gleasons boxing gymnasium in the Bronx, New York. I was surrounded by top professional boxers and I was tutored by well-known many professional trainers (Freddie Brown, Victor Valle, Mike Capriano and many other lesser known trainers). This is a professional boxing gymnasium that had many alumni such as Jake LaMotta, Dick Tiger, Joey Archer, Pete Toro, & Muhammad Ali. Anyway, it does take time to develop genuine boxing skills. As one trainer said to me, "you train a boxer the same way you train a dancer". It is important to learn the basic skills first as well as the rationale behind each part of a move (Such as proper stance, balance, footwork, proper punching dynamics, the various methods of defence). Realistically, it takes a significant amount of time in order to absorb the physical dynamics inherent in such a demanding sport such as boxing. Unfortunately, there are many novices who simply "don't get it". Shadow boxing should allow a boxer to understand how he may "educate his body and mind" to work together in what is essentially a "stand-up" fist fight. Shadow boxing ,initially, allows for memorization, understanding and absorption of the basic mechanics of relevant body movement as it relates to fistic combat. Ideally, this repetitive physical effort should lead to an evolution of all of the relevant athletic capabilities relative to this particular method of hand to hand combat. But, all of this all takes time. Shadow boxing is, in my humble opinion, a superb form of physical training. Lastly, a good trainer is one who thoroughly communicates all of the athletic principles thoroughly and is ever watchful and honest with his charges.
Shadowboxing is just cooler looking kata.
it's really nothing like kata
Except when Ronda Rousey does it...
Shadow boxing is like sparring, you work on things your coach has told you, you dont simulate a real fight because its not, theres no target, you miss everytime and have to bring your hand back, versus hitting something and your hand bounces back. Shadow boxing is like homework when your at home not in the gym, do the combo you learned over and over until It's proper then work on speed, then tomorrow in the gym hit the bag, then in sparring. professionals that shadow box are warming up and putting on a show..ITS NOT REAL!! So dont imagine a real opponent, spar real people.
If your tactics hinge on making contact every time, they’re fundamentally flawed. Training with the belief that you’ll always land your strikes leads to bad habits like poor balance and improper commitment, creating unrealistic striking tempos against a fully resisting opponent.
The real value of shadow boxing and other forms of training lies in preparing to miss. Top fighters practice missing to enhance their balance and recovery on powerful strikes. Your fighting system needs this kind of training to be truly effective.
I’m not sure if I’m completely disagreeing with you, but your response smacks of blind faith and ignorance. It’s dogmatic thinking at its worst.
And let’s be clear: pulling your hand back every time you miss to guard your opposite temple (assuming that’s what you mean) is a tactical blunder. It limits both your power and your effective defense. Techniques like long guards, posting, cross guard, rolling out, clinching, combined with footwork, are far superior. Always gluing your hand to your temple makes you predictable, which is never good. If your coach insists otherwise, they’re not giving you the best advice. Every guard leaves something open. Mastering full-power strikes with the understanding that you can’t always rely on pulling your hand back in time for defense is the next level of fighting.
@@g8trg8tr30 I think we're on the same side here, I wasn't trying to right a novel lol
But blind faith? Ignorance?
I don't know what I said to offend you
I never said you should always make contact? Then I wouldn't recommend sparring if I believed that.. my critique was don't imagine a real opponent like Mike was saying just work on form, speed and footwork. if you're trying to imagine hitting someone that is wrong because THERE IS NO ONE THERE!
Shadow boxing is like sparring in the way you work on a certain aspect, it's not like sparring in the way that there is an opponent to hit or hit back, when it comes time to hit a target your accuracy will not be there if your practicing hitting imaginary target
Let me clarify, shadowboxing is my favorite training, you can do it anywhere, we don't all own gyms like Mike, so I didn't like him trashing Shadow boxing, but it must also be combined with hitting the bags and real life sparring to be effective.
Pretending you have an opponent in front of you won't solve shadowboxing into a complete training form, and it doesn't mean everyone else is doing it wrong and wasting time.
Trust me I can box, I did strictly boxing so I'm not speaking for MMA maybe they do things differently.
@@Lobo-Perezright, it’s not about “fighting an invisible opponent” but it is about linking logical offensive and defensive strategies together.
Aka you swing for a hard left hook; your hand ends up on the opposite side because you actually followed through so you chain it together with a weave or whatever as you regain your guard and keep your feet under you.
Agreed fighting an invisible opponent is silly. But it’s not silly to link your offense into your defense and vice versa and imo you should be training to miss full power full speed committed strikes.
Also dude, you know that when people practice way too much on the pads and bag then you make them miss the pad or whatever they’ll overthrow themselves and stumble around like crazy to catch their balance cause they’re too used to needing contact to remain balanced.
You miss the point of shadowboxing. As a boxing coach with over two decades of experience, shadowboxing is used as a teaching method so that boxers can stand in front of the mirror and see themselves and understand what is their stance how is their form and what mistakes are they making. It is not pointless at all and is a good teaching tool.
Shadowboxing at my gym is just confusing since I'm super beginner but the only instruction anyone gets is basically
"Imagine you were fighting a guy"
I don't know how, that's why I'm here.
Not sure if normal experience or bad gym. The only thing I was taught before shadowboxing is the most basic punch.
In the beginning, shadowboxing should just be techniques and drills. The basics. Get the coordination down. Do a whole round of just jabs if you want. Once you start sparring more, you'll be able to visualize the flow better. Shadowboxing isn't something you just "know" you have to build it.
Nah no way the title is real 🤨🤨
Edit: yeah so a pretty good dive into what shadowboxing is supposed to be and how it's actually approached. But that title is taking an inch and stretching that to a kilometer (bite me you savages).
BAD shadowboxing is worthless, good shadowboxing is intentional and the next best thing to sparring imo. It's where you practice rhythm, it's where you focus on being defensively responsible, it's where you practice the stance and balance that you've destroyed recklessly slamming the bag way too much and so on. It's where you learn to string everything together unless you've got sparring partners at your beck and call, and MMA fighters don't reach even a percentage of that understanding, just like MMA fighters think that a stiff jab is the be all end all of jabs and that jabs only exist to setup other punches; In reality there's several different jabs, some not even meant to hurt but help control your opponent and you should be learning the how and why of using them, because the jab is a utility punch.
My shadow boxing has been amazing at preparing me to fight, because I've never had to actually fight.
(Sparring doesn't count lol)
Shadow boxing is at its most useful, whenever you're already sparing and fighting. If you're shadowboxing at the beginning you are potentially drilling bad exercise.
OK, so what should I do then?
The thing i said and demonstrated in the video?
Unless you are smart and have experience, I don't think there's much merit in shadowboxing. The smarter you are and more experience you have the more beneficial it becomes though
I started shadowboxing regularly on the road in my hotel room when I got my new job. I wasn't able to train at the gym much. I focused on simple technique. My sparring partners and coaches saw improvements in my speed, balance, and certain techniques. I noticed my response to attacks/counters was diminished. Its not ideal but wasn't useless. Also, certain bad habits can develop without a coach watching.
if a student is not perfomorming a good shadow boxing his master should be the one to blame. thailand golden age fighters always tell the importance of shadowboxing and how the "master" must correct the erractic behavior of theyrs students, instead of removing shadow boxing spend some time with begginer correting their form, moviemetn...
If you are an shadow-boxing atheist that is ok but don't it is a "waste of time" when is is one of me most important fundaments in martial arts.
Now that a single viewpoint has validated my decision not to shadowbox i will never question my assumption again. Thank you Iceman Mickey!
Every video Mike makes really underscores how deeply he understands the pedagogy and psychology of skill building. This is a guy who is a truly professional teacher.
We use shadow boxing to focus on footwork and foot movements and pad work for punchs and kicks
How so? Do they tell you “Focus on footwork” while you shadow box? Do they make it so you can only use footwork? What’s different that causes this?
@pieguymcduck8600 We don't emphasize punching or kicking. Mainly focus on the movements and the angles of your feet towards the inside and outside of your opponent, rolling with your punches or kicks. realizing that punching and kicking doesn't matter right now. That comes when we pull the pads out or we spar. The same thing we do when we are practicing, take downs Double and single legs for our grappling almost like a kata
@@Wolfstrikekombatives oh dope, that’s Above and beyond what I was hopin you’d say
As a TMA guy (mostly) I've always put Shadowboxing at the end of the training session. During the session you've put reps in on some technical aspect of fighting, done a few (slow & controlled) spars with different people practicing the techniques for the day, and you've used up most of your tank. Shadowboxing at the end lets an individual tattoo those techniques into their body, blast out what's left of their cardio, and maybe remind them that they can work on & hone these skills on their own, whenever they want. Maybe they put some "cursive" on their combos that silly; if they're having fun they'll keep coming back and getting better.
P.S. "Rooms full of Strangers" is the correct pluralism.
Multiple rooms=Rooms full
Single room filled repeatedly=room fulls
You've done both so both do in fact work.
Thank you
Nice click bait, got me. Now, never to watch any of your videos again.
I was horrendous until I started shadow boxing. Did it a little for the first month, then stopped because I thought it wasn't advanced. Sparring was too fast, heavy bag and drills only focus on one thing, when I shadow boxed and took it really serious was the only time I felt it all coming together and then I made shocking almost over night progress, all my sparring partners commented on it. It's now something I swear by.
It's not a bad warmup. I've kinda started replacing shadowboxing with vr boxing lol