Most dedicated martial artists will tell you that although training can be tough, it’s pretty fun; even addicting at times. The more you start to understand your craft, the more time you spend thinking about it. Making the time to come into the gym is the most direct route to improve skills, but there are a ton of at-home drills for when you can’t make it to the gym or just want some extra practice! Todays drills are designed to improve your head movement from the comfort of your home.
Whether training for self-defense, competition, fun or just to improve fitness, head movement is a cornerstone of striking defense. Nobody wants to get punched in the face, so at Precision Boxing and MMA, we train all of our Poughkeepsie martial arts students to be elusive by making their head a moving target. One of the most effective tools to practice head movement Is the maze bag. This simple tool is very affordable, and easy to make at home! All you need is a sock, some rope and a tennis/baseball sized ball. Put the ball into the sock, tie it to a ceiling beam or a tree branch and you’ve got yourself a maze bag. Begin by moving your feet forward and back as the bag swings towards you; imagining the bag to be a punch that you back up to avoid. From here, you can start working your slips; move your head to one side as the bag comes towards you, then to the other side. You can also practice moving your feet to get out of the way from punches. After all, where your feet go, your head will follow! Once you get comfortable with the bags rhythm, start shadowboxing, remembering to move your head after every few punches to get out of the way of the bag. If you get hit, don’t get frustrated. Everyone will get tapped by the bag every now and then, and it’s a soft material that won’t hurt you. This is an incredible tool for anyone looking to improve their boxing, kickboxing or self defense skills. Check out the video below of Poughkeepsie mixed martial arts coach Brian McLaughlin giving his tips and tricks on the maze bag!
Want to come train with the best martial arts coaches in the Hudson Valley? Come check out Precision Boxing and MMA, the premiere martial arts academy of Dutchess County. Give us a call at (845)392-8495 to get started today!
About the Author
Oliver Swanson is an avid martial arts practitioner living in the Hudson Valley. He coaches boxing classes in Poughkeepsie throughout the week and works as a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. When he’s off the mats he loves to play music and spend time with his dogs Vivian and Max.
