I have a lot of free time in my room at University and like to take breaks to stand up, I figured it would be more fun and productive to try and use those little breaks to learn something. Is there a way to learn (correctly) shadowboxing without prior boxing knowledge? I don't want to practice it in bad faith.
find a mirror and do the basics - find your stance, guard, move forward - backward - to sides, throw straight punches, head movement, etc. Google boxing fundamentals and start slowly. Always practice in front of the mirror to see your flaws. Of course, that way you can also develop bad habits, so the best thing would be to join a boxing club and learn fundamentals with a real coach. It's easier to learn new stuff properly than to change bad habits...
Don't hyperextend your elbow, pull your punches just a little bit. There's really a lot of not obvious stuff to learn so maybe do a few lessons to get started? But there's also not a lot of harm to be done by dancing around in your dorm room (unless you hit the sprinkler), it's good to be active.
Have fun, watch a youtube video and get a little better each time. Eventually you'll get better. Dmitry Pirog learned his first boxing techniques by watching Floyd and Leonard VHS tapes--so you will improve. I'd say focus on finding a good stance (search Kenny Weldon stance on youtube) and also the basic punches. Then try the routine below out: This content is protected