Punch Like a Girl

   The Olympics have changed everything for those who knew nothing. Woman's sport, take a bow. Nowhere else was this more deserved than in the ring: Nicola Adams, asides from being culturally significant, was technically masterful, brilliantly aggressive, encompassing, for me, the words of Jack Handley: “boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other.” The latter point is a stubborn pill to swallow - probably born out of Lower Palaeolithic desire and an unnecessary need to protect woman, take that away from us and what else is there, save picking berries?

   Regardless of all that jazz, I have my very own Hilary Swank, which means that I feel not unlike Clint Eastwood...would feel if he had a hairless chest, enjoyed ALL of Prince's albums and moisturised regularly. We train three times a week. Here is a workout, modified for those without an Eastwood at hand:

Warm up: As per usual. Incorporate skipping, if possible and shadow boxing.

The Workout:

Heavy Bag Work

• 3 x 3 minute rounds, 1 minute rest between rounds, (concentrate on lateral movement and punch combinations).
• 4 x 1 minute rounds, 1 minute rest between rounds, (focus on power boxing; almost continually hit the bag; lead with hooks and crosses when possible).
• 5 x 30 seconds punch-outs, 1 minute rest between rounds, (non-stop punching – stand square to the bag; go flat-out; focus on speed not power).

Combo's For Dummies (hello double entendre):

• Jab, cross.
• Jab, jab, cross.
• Jab, cross, left-hook.
• Jab, cross, left-uppercut, cross.
• Cross, left-hook, cross.
• Jab, cross, left-hook to body, left-hook to head, cross. (Good for learning to shift your hips).

BUT REMEMBER: IT'S NOT WHAT PUNCHES YOU THROW, IT'S HOW YOU THROW THEM - USE YOUR HEADS, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WHY YOU'RE DOING IT.

A Few Things To Focus On:

• Keep your hands up and shoulders down. If there's tension in your neck and shoulders you will tire out quickly and lose fluidity with your shots.
• Strike the bag with your knuckles – there should be a straight line from your middle two knuckles, to your elbow, on impact.
• Don't cross your feet – don't let either foot step over your mid-line or you'll compromise balance.
• Plant your feet when punching – no bouncing whilst punching, in fact, no bouncing at all.
• Rotate your hips.
• Combinations rely on the transference of weight between your front and back foot. Practise the jab, cross, left hook, cross, and now have a think about where your weight should be moving.

Warm down: thoroughly with an emphasis on stretching out your trapezius and deltoid muscles.