Teddy Atlas mentioned that Marciano once trained throwing punches under water for half an hour. He said this unorthodox training contributed to his crazy stamina. There was also an Ali documentary where somebody mentioned that he shadow boxed underwater. Considering both of them had insane endurance and heart, Both known for crazy late round rallies, is this a severely overlooked aspect of their training that contributed to their stamina and overall success? If so why on earth have no trainers really looked into it? Or was it just some thing they did to build on their mythos and aura, wowing reporters?
I see nothing wrong with some resistance training. That's all it is at the end of the day. If you're looking for proper punching technique then look elsewhere, but it sounds like a great workout.
I liked that scene in the movie Creed where Adonis was squatting with weights under water. I may try that.... But if you don’t hear from me again you’ll know how it ended
Wow Marciano could stay underwater for half an hour? And people still say he could be beaten... fools
Well swimming works every muscle in your body. It's both strength training as well as cardio. But punching underwater is a different sort of exercise that may not really benefit. I mean on the one hand you are working the muscles you use for punching, but on the other hand your punches may also get sloppy and awkward if you get used to shadow boxing under water. I think they meant the total amount of time he spent throwing punches underwater, not that he was some sort of real life Aquaman holding his breath for half an hour.
Ali was a superb showman. The underwater training & great photos were a con for Life magazine, a brilliant prank. Ali could not even swim. This content is protected
I can see it having an affect for sure. You have to put much more effort in to get some form speed in water, which uses more energy. It'd be good cardio, and if it's freezing cold water, then good resistance and breathing exercises. I imagine that having if it was a staple of your camp, then having to push your shots for however long over and over again would eventually mess up your muscle memory. I don't think it'd be worth messing with your technique. But I can see it having an extremely positive effect in a guy like Marciano, who didn't care for technique.
I wouldn't discourage using swimming and any other form of water training to improve stamina. It's the ultimate full body workout. Have you ever seen an Olympic swimmer or diver who isn't totally jacked?
It’s an interesting concept. The only kind of comparison I have from first hand experience, which may not be comparable at all is weighted pull ups. You develop way more explosive pull ups without weight added after a few sets with 20/30kg strapped to you. Again not sure if that comparison is viable, but could increase the explosiveness of ones punches
