Use the methods in this article to increase your boxing reaction time!
With a fast reaction time, you’ll land all of your punches as soon as you see an opening or you’ll dodge all of your opponent’s power punches.
You can even take some of these exercises to train whenever and wherever you want!
Keep reading for easy ways to increase your boxing reaction time.
How To Increase Your Boxing Reaction Time
Here are six ways you can increase your reaction time in boxing:
- Stay Loose And Relaxed
- Train On The Double-End Bag
- Play Shoulder Tag With A Partner
- Play With The Reflex Ball
- Use A Tennis Ball To Increase Your Reaction Time
- Look At Your Opponent’s Shoulder Line
Stay Loose And Relaxed
First, stay loose and relaxed when boxing.
You might think that you need to stay tight and clench your fists all the time for maximum power and defense.
If you want to save your energy and be ready for your opponent’s moves, do the opposite.
Relax your body in order to be ready to switch from offense to defense and vice-versa.
Staying tense can sometimes signal your moves to your opponent. For example, some boxers clench their faces before throwing a power punch.
Train On The Double-End Bag
Next, spend time training on the double-end bag.
The bag’s unpredictable movements will help you stay loose and balanced.
When you hit the bag, you must be ready to switch from offense to defense in a split second.
Once you dodge or block the bag, you’ve got to be ready to switch back from defense to offense.
You can also train on the reflex bag, which is similar to the double-end bag, but more predictable.
It’s a small punching bag attached to a long coiled neck and solid base. As you hit the bag, the coiled neck lets it rock back and forth.
These tools teach you another important idea: the harder you hit, the faster the bag will come back to hit you.
Play Shoulder Tag With A Partner
Next, play shoulder tag with a partner if you want to increase your reaction time.
This is an easy and safe game that you can play with anybody, whether it’s your favorite sparring partner or your family at home.
The game is simple: stand in front of your opponent and try to touch her shoulders while she tries to touch yours.
You’re allowed to use any of your defensive moves: blocking and parrying with your hands, or slipping, pulling, and rolling to dodge strikes.
Along with increasing your reaction time, this game has the benefit of simulating sparring without the pressure.
If you get nervous standing in front of your opponent or if you flinch whenever your opponent strikes you, this exercise is great for getting used to these movements.
Other boxing partner drills you can do include:
- Tire Drill
- Catch And Counter Drill
- Combination Drill
Play With The Reflex Ball
Next, play with the reflex ball to increase your reaction time.
The reflex ball is a ball attached to a headband or hat by an elastic band.
As you punch it, the band’s elasticity will force the ball to come back to your face.
Your goal is to keep hitting it so it doesn’t hit you in the face.
This exercise is great because it trains your reaction time and hand-eye coordination in a fun way. It forces you to keep your eye on the target and to not blink.
Also, you can take it anywhere and train with it whenever you have a free minute!
Use A Tennis Ball To Increase Your Reaction Time
Next, use a tennis ball to increase your reaction time.
This humble tool is great for increasing your reaction time and hand-eye coordination.
Start by holding the tennis ball in your left hand and then jab. As you throw your cross, let go of the ball and catch it with your right hand.
Try it in reverse: as you throw your jab, let go of the ball again to catch it with your left hand.
Mix it up with your hooks and uppercuts as well!
Look At Your Opponent’s Shoulder Line
Lastly, look at your opponent’s shoulder line if you want to increase your reaction time.
This has less to do with training reflexes and more about learning how to predict what your opponent will do next.
When you look at your opponent’s shoulder line, you’ll be able to see his whole body and to see punches coming easier.
Even if you move at the same speed, you’ll be better able to predict your opponent’s move and react accordingly.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many ways to increase your reaction time.
Try new ways and see what you come up with! Keep it fun and loose!
After you’ve become a master of these training methods, you’ll increase your punch accuracy and decrease your chances of getting hit!
If you’re having trouble deciding what boxing equipment to get, check out these articles: