I want to make my feet and step-in faster, and also give myself a more solid base for punching. What are some good ways to do this? I want to strengthen my calves and ankles in particular.
do squats and lunges as in weighlifting do jumping squats as in conditioning excercise run up and down the stairs run backwards, run forwards, run side to side skip rope give alot of rest to your legs as well between exercise days hmmm...think that these are pretty basic, I am sure you can find alot more online if you want to have that spring in your legs, get in the habit of keeping your knees slightly bent and moving from that position with quick movements while maitaining balance, just doing this by itself helps alot
Calves and ankles will definitely benefit from the jump rope as will your ability to step in and out as well as side to side better. Practice the moves you want to do while you are jumping rope.
choose a challenging distance and squat right down on your ankles.... then walk like a duck youll look like a tool but believe me you will feel the burn! Then bunny hop back or sprint back! Repeat! Theres so many exercises for this its impossible to list them all!
^ Is there any video of this duck walk around the web? I vaguely remember what hands are doing during this walk. Definitely want to try this.
Olympic weightlifting movements will do the trick, as will sprinting (especially uphill). Cleans, clean pulls and front squats should be done frequently, and as far as your roadwork goes you should ditch long distance running (if that is what you're doing) for shorter sprints up a hill.
What kind of idiot would post a video of themselves duckwalking lol?? Self-respect prevents us. You can put your hands on your hips or your head.