I always seem to go head over toes, any tips or tricks for sitting down more on my punches or having solid balance?
Get your feet under your shoulders. Pay attention to where your body weight is at all times. Understand that the weight is constantly moving from one foot to the other and that movement is the impetus for every move you make. That is the foundation of proper balance. The guy that taught me that was a former pro heavyweight, had 40 odd fights, sparred Ali, Frazier, Liston, and Foreman. He would always say "feel your balance." It took me at least 15 years to really understand what that meant and how to teach it.
Scrap, Ive been teaching this girl, absolute novice. Once I convinced her to shadowbox with her eyes closed, she improved dramatically.
What worked for me in terms of balance was two things: A) Conditioning. Pretty self explanatory. The moment fatigue hits is when mistakes start happening. B) Toes. This content is protected There is more to it, but this is the best place to start with. I think Fouts explains it rather well. A good center of gravity goes a long way.
Have you got poor balance in general or just when punching? If its natural then you can try yoga, tai chi or dancing. If you don't fancy that try doing exercises at home such as walking heel/toe in a straight line, one leg stands or one leg raises. Try doing them with and without your eyes shut - this forces you to use your inner ear rather than your eyes for the horizon. A lot of websites also state it can be weaker muscles so get that posterior chain introduced into your work outs. If its only when you punch then its down to technique and you need a coach to watch you and correct you on the bag. Maybe you're swinging for the fences to "generate" power?
When you are doing your footwork drills- up and back, left and right, circling left and right- make sure you can see yourself in the mirror, preferably straight on and from the side, and watch. The biggest thing, don't let your right foot get behind your body.
It is harder to shift your weight from one foot to the other. You can use a wider stance to set traps or to subtly close distance if, and this is important, you widen your stance by sliding your front foot forward. If you do it by sliding your rear foot backwards, you are giving yourself troubles.
As a Child the 1st thing we learn stood up is walk. Its the 1st thing on balance we learn, all the answers are there, your walking Gait is your Balance.
