| How to Box Posted: 01 Dec 2020 04:00 PM PST Boxing is one of the most physically demanding sports. It requires a blend of power and quickness, plus excellent overall physical conditioning. If you'd like to start boxing, it's important to develop a good workout strategy in order to develop your strength and cardio system. You'll also need to pick up the basics of boxing, including learning some standard footwork plus offensive punches and defensive moves. If you're a boxing novice, try joining a boxing gym where you can train and spar with more experienced boxers and boxing coaches. [Edit]Learning Boxing Fundamentals - Develop a stable stance for effective defense. A strong, comfortable stance will enable you to unleash powerful punches and swiftly evade blows from your opponent. Always keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your weight evenly balanced on both feet.[1] Most of your weight should be on your back foot.
- Keep your elbows in and your hands up, with your left under your cheek and your right under your chin. Keep your chin down at all times.
- If you're a right-handed fighter, the proper stance is to have your left foot in front of you, pointing away from your opponent at a 45° angle. Your left heel should line up with your right toe. If you're left-handed, reverse the stance and lead with your right foot.
- Stand on your toes and keep moving to practice your footwork. Good footwork in the ring will help you evade your opponents and move in quickly for a strike. Focus on making quick movements in the ring, pivoting and sliding with the balls of your feet when necessary. Avoid putting weight on your heels when moving into the boxing ring. This will move your center of gravity backwards ad make it easier for your opponent to knock you down.[2]
- Keep your spine straight when you're moving around in the ring. Keep your upper body relaxed so it won't restrict your legs' movement.
- Also, never cross-step (put one foot in front of the other when you step forward). This can put you in an unbalanced, indefensible position.
- Tape your hands every time you spar. Wrapping your hands will protect them from being cut or seriously bruised while you box. Hook your thumb and pull the tape down and wrap it around your wrist 3 times. Then pull the tape up and wrap it around your hands 3 times.[3]
- Bring the tape back down under the pad of your thumb and make "X" shapes in the gaps between your fingers. Do this starting with your pinky and ring fingers. Pull the tape through each gap, then twist it across the bottom of your hand along the upper pads.
- Cross the tape over the back of your hand from right to left and then go underneath. Repeat the process for the other gaps.
- When you've completed that, wrap around your thumb once and then around the back of your hand. Wrap your thumb again and then pull the tape across your palm. From here, wrap your knuckles 3 times and end by wrapping your wrist once.
[Edit]Developing Offensive Punches - Practice punching on a bag to develop proper form. Whether shadow-boxing or using a speed bag or heavy bag, new boxers must concentrate on using proper form when unleashing a blow. Using proper form means that you'll need to develop a good sense of balance so that you're not thrown off balance by throwing a punch. Also, practice keeping your hands in front of your face and returning to this defensive position after throwing a punch.[4]
- Before punching, keep your hands close to your face and your elbows tight against your body.
- Put your weight into the punches you throw, and follow through with each punch. This will help you land punches effectively and accurately on your opponent's head or torso.
- Jab at your opponent to keep them at a distance. Jabbing is a basic punch which you'll usually do with your weaker front hand. The jab is a short punch. To jab, drive your fist straight into your opponent's face or torso.[5]
- To maximize the effectiveness of the jab, professional boxers twist their arm and wrist just before making contact with their opponent.
- Throw a cross punch to counter punch a jab. As opposed to a jab, which is thrown straight in front of the body, deliver a cross punch by jabbing your dominant hand in a slightly upward motion across your body. If your opponent throws a left jab at you, they'll leave themself open for your right hook. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet, and aim your punch across your body towards the right side of your opponent's torso or face.[6]
- Use the cross on its own to counter a jab, or put the jab and cross together for a 1-2 combo.
- The shoulder helps power the cross punch. Also pay attention to your feet when throwing a cross. As you throw the punch, move your body weight from your rear foot up to your front foot.
- Throw a hook when you have time for a slower, powerful punch. The hook can be delivered to the head or body of the opponent. Lean your body to the side that you plan to hit from, and circle your arm around to punch the opponent in the unprotected side of their head or body. The hook is often used in combination with other punches. [7]
- The hook's sweeping delivery is its chief drawback, as it can leave you susceptible to a counterpunch. So, if you and your opponent are exchanging swift jabs back and forth, this isn't the time to wind up for a hook.
- Use an uppercut to seriously damage your opponent. The uppercut is an upward blow unleashed by either hand that is highly effective when in close quarters. Throw an uppercut when you're close to your opponent's body. To uppercut, lower your arm to about waist-height, then swing it upward in an explosive burst. Aim to his your opponent squarely on their chin.[8]
- Don't try to throw an uppercut form more than away, or you may miss and leave yourself open to a counter-attack to your body.
- Combine punches to hit an opponent multiple times in a row. After they become adept at delivering a variety of punches, fighters usually develop combinations, in which they release a devastating flurry of blows on their opponent. The first combination most boxers learn is the 1-2 combo (a jab followed by a cross). Try putting together different combos of your own. Rely on building combos around punches that you feel good throwing.[9]
- Another effective combo adds a hook to the 1-2 combo. If you're right-handed, this would be a left jab followed by a right cross and ending with a left hook.
[Edit]Picking up Defensive Moves - Learn to take a punch to increase your longevity in the ring. Boxing isn't all about throwing punches. Minimizing your opponent's blows is a vital part of the game, too. To take a punch, relax your body and keep eye contact with your opponent. This will help you figure out where they are planning to land their next punch. If your opponent is aiming their punches for your body, tighten up your core muscles and absorb the punches.[10]
- Develop an effective boxing defense by mixing together various methods of deflecting, blocking, and dodging your opponent's punches.
- Parry your opponent's punches by knocking them away. After keeping your gloves up and chin down, the parry is probably the most basic defensive technique in boxing. To parry, hold your hands at the level of your face and, when your opponent throws a punch, move your hand to strike your opponent's gloves and misdirect the punch.[11]
- You'll need to move fast to parry quick punches like jabs and crosses.
- Slip punches to dodge a punch altogether. The slip is performed by sharply rotating your hips and shoulders as your rival throws a punch aimed at your head. Also turn your chin sharply in the same direction that you're turning your body. This will cause your opponent to miss their target (your head) altogether. It's more difficult to slip punches directed at your body, since it presents a larger target. Instead, try to block blows aimed at your body.[12]
- Slipping a punch works best if your opponent throws a punch from at least away.
- Block punches that your opponent throws at you. When blocking a punch, do not try moving your entire body out of the way to avoid the punch. Instead, absorb the impact with your gloves. Start with your gloves held defensively in front of your face, and move one or both gloves to defend an area of your body that your opponent is trying to punch.[13]
- Be aware that blocking punches will gradually tire out your hands, and may reduce the effectiveness of your punches.
- Bob and weave to present a difficult target to your opponent. The bob is executed by bending the legs to avoid a high blow (e.g., a hook to the head). Bobbing is almost like ducking, although you'll keep your head up and your eyes on your opponent. Follow up the bob with a weave to evade your opponent. To weave, arch your body just out of range of your opponent's extended glove and straighten back up.[14]
- While the bob and the weave are technically separate defensive moves, they're commonly paired together.
- After weaving, strike out at your opponent with a jab.
- To get better at bobbing and weaving, do exercises that will improve your balance and your leg strength, like jump squats, sprinting, and skipping rope.[15]
- Roll your body to deflect your opponent's punches. When you roll with punches, you won't dodge them altogether. Instead, you'll move your body away from your opponent's glove to reduce the force of each punch. Press your gloves to your forehead, hold your elbows in against your body, and keep your chin against your chest.[16] When your opponent throws punches at you, roll your hips and torso to the right or left to deflect hits.
- So, if your opponent swings at you with a right jab, swing your upper body to the left. While the jab will still strike you, its force will be much weaker than if you hadn't rolled away from the blow.
- Rolling provides little protection against side-body blows but is an effective defense against a barrage of punches, as your gloves and forearms absorb most of the impact.
[Edit]Committing to a Comprehensive Training Regimen - Start training at least 3 months before you begin boxing. Some boxing experts suggest that beginners train for 3 to 6 months before ever entering a ring. This allows fledgling fighters to reach peak physical condition and perfect basic techniques before engaging in their first match. You can put together your own training regimen, or join a gym which focuses on developing boxers.[17]
- Most physical-conditioning programs for boxers can be broken down into 3 categories: cardiovascular, core exercises, and weight training.
- Work on cardiovascular exercises to develop high endurance. Boxers need to not only have great endurance capabilities but also must summon short bursts of power at key moments in a bout. To meet these physical requirements, boxers will vary their cardio training programs. Try to do at least 30 minutes of cardio training every day that you work out. Cardio can include things like jumping rope, running (indoors or outdoors), cycling, swimming, and training on stair-climbing machines.[18]
- For example, boxers will vary the pace of their endurance-building runs to include brief, all-out sprints. This simulates the physical demands and chaos of fighting.[19]
- Long-distance running will help you build endurance, and it will also help you recover more quickly between rounds in a boxing match.[20]
- Fatigued fighters tend to drop their hands and leave their heads exposed. They also can't produce the energy to effectively counterpunch in late rounds of a bout.
- Weight train to build your upper-body muscles. Weightlifting helps new boxers build strength and punching power. Your chest, shoulders, and arms are of particular importance. The key in weight training for boxers is to develop the strength needed for explosive punches. This means doing 6 to 8 reps of each exercise with the heaviest weight you can handle. Do 3 sets of each and vary the exercises so your muscles don't plateau. Alternate days between core and weight training.
- Upper-chest exercises include the flat bench press and dumbbell flies.
- Target your shoulder muscles with dumbbell military presses and lateral raises.
- Biceps curls and triceps kickbacks help build upper arm strength needed to increase punching power.
- Perform core exercises to build up overall strength and dexterity. Boxers generate much of their power from the core of the body. Some of the most effective exercises include chin-ups and pull-ups, crunches, squats, and thrusts. Do 3 sets of each with 1-minute breaks in between exercises. Chin-ups and pull-ups should be done until you can't do any more. Do 20 reps of the other exercises.
- By performing exercises that involve many muscle groups, a prizefighter can build a powerful core that forces all parts of the body to work cohesively.
- To get out of the corner, be sure to block. Then bob and weave your way back to the center of the ring.
- Rolling is a technique often used by former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali.
- Spar with experienced fighters in order to learn new tricks and improve your skills. You may take a beating, but sparring against a superior fighter will help you learn how to box.
- Learn how to evade opponents when you spar. For example, if you're facing a right-handed rival, move to your right. If you're facing a lefty, move to your left. This keeps a greater distance between you and your opponent's strong hand.
- Stay in the center of the ring when you're sparring with a boxing partner. Don't get trapped along the ropes or in a corner.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Gloves
- Boxing trunks
- Headgear
- Mouth guard
- Heavy bag
- Hand tape
- Boxing boots
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Prune a Christmas Cactus Posted: 01 Dec 2020 08:00 AM PST Named after the time of year that they bloom in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas cactus plants are beautiful and easy to maintain in the right conditions. The simple process of pruning can help grow a fuller, bushier plant, or decrease the size of your existing plant. With the proper preparation and pruning technique, you'll be able to unlock the full potential of your Christmas cactus plant. [Edit]Removing the Stems - Take 1-2 segments from the plant if you want it to grow more fully. If you are pruning your plant to allow further growth, you don't need to take much off the ends. In fact, you can remove up to ⅓ of your Christmas cactus if you want to reduce its size.[1]
- Take longer cuttings if you want to propagate. To grow another plant from your cutting, take Y-shaped cuttings from the mother plant.[2] Make sure the cuttings are around 3-4 segments long. These cuttings can be planted in different pots to grow as many new plants as you want.
- Wait until your cactus has bloomed before pruning. After blooming, your Christmas cactus will be entering a growth period and putting out new leaves. This is the best time to prune as it allows the cactus to branch out and grow more stems.[3]
- If you are unable to prune it right away, you can continue to prune until late Spring.[4]
- Twist the plant at the gap between segments. Each segment is a rectangular shape with a joint at the end. The stem should easily break at this point as it is the weakest part of the plant. Make sure you twist quickly to avoid damaging the plant.
- If it doesn't easily break, try using your thumbnail to separate the stem at the juncture.[5]
- If twisting seems too harsh on the plant, you can trim it using garden clippers in the same place instead.
- Collect the longer pieces of trimmed stems. Cuttings larger than two sections can be used to grow new cactus plants, a process known as propagating.[6] Discard any cuttings that are too short.
[Edit]Rooting Your Cactus - Dry your cuttings for 2 days. This helps the cut edge to heal slightly and avoids stem rot which occurs when there is excess moisture in the plant.[7] The cutting can be left to dry for up to 4 days.
- Prepare smaller pots using soil mix with good drainage. A mixture of moist peat and sand soil will provide enough nutrients for your growing plant. It will also allow proper soil drainage which is very important for cactus growth.[8] You can also layer pumice on the bottom of your pot for additional drainage.
- Insert each segment into the soil. Make sure the cutting is about an inch deep to allow it to absorb enough moisture and nutrients.[9]If needed, you can place multiple cuttings per pot at this stage of the process.
- Place your pot in a cool area with indirect sunlight. While it can easily adapt to low light conditions, your Christmas cactus will thrive in bright, indirect light. Avoid direct sunlight as this can easily burn the cactus leaves.[10]
- Water your cuttings sparingly to prevent rot.[11]
- Transplant your cuttings into a larger pot. After 2-3 weeks, your cutting will show growth at its tips. These are usually red in colour and a sign you can now transplant it into a bigger pot[12] Fill this with a loose mixture of potting soil. Alternatively, you can use the same soil as the mother plant.[13]
- Don't worry if your plant wilts at the beginning. This is normal and will subside once the plant gets used to its new home.
- At this point, your plant can be exposed to more indirect sunlight.
- Water your Christmas cactus frequently. Once your cutting has developed roots and new growth, it can retain water just as well as an adult plant. Ensure that the soil remains moist and care for your plant in the same way you would a mature cactus.[14]
- Test the soil to see if it needs watering. Once the top layer of the soil feels dry to the touch, it is time to water again.
- Repot your cactus every 3-4 years. Christmas cactus plants like to live in tight pots so don't need to be repotted very often.[15] Repotting should be done after blooming in late winter or early spring.
- These cuttings can make great gifts for your friends to grow their own Christmas cacti.
- Christmas cacti grow well between - , and require about 50-60% humidity in the air, so it's best to ensure your home meets these requirements.[16]
[Edit]Warnings - When handling sharp garden tools, wear gloves and be careful not to cut yourself.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Fix Baggy Knees in Pants Posted: 01 Dec 2020 12:00 AM PST It can be a real bummer when you notice baggy knees on your favorite pair of pants, but don't shell out money for a new pair just yet! Whether you're dealing with jeans, joggers, or leggings, there are a number of simple tricks you can try to snap those baggy knees back into place. If baggy knees are a persistent problem, try wearing pants in a different style, cut, or material to see if that helps. - Spray the knees with fabric softener and wash the jeans to shrink them. Mix 1/4 cup (60 ml) of liquid fabric softener and 3/4 cup (177 ml) of hot water in a spray bottle and spritz it on the knees of your pants. Then, pop your jeans in the washer and run a hot cycle.[1]
- Turn them inside-out and dry them for 20 minutes for a quick fix. Set your dryer to tumble dry on regular heat. Then, turn your jeans inside-out and toss them in the dryer with a few fluffy towels or a just-washed load of clothes for 20 minutes to shrink the knees.[2]
- Avoid putting jeans in the dryer by themselves since they won't tumble properly.
- Wash the jeans in cold water to shrink the knees when you get home. If your jeans are dirty, wash them using the cold water setting to shrink the knees back into place. To preserve their shape even more, avoid washing your jeans after every wear.[3]
- Washing jeans in hot water is great if you want to shrink them all over, but use cool water if you just want to shrink a troublesome spot.[4]
- Washing denim too frequently makes jeans lose their shape. Try washing them after every 3-4 wears instead.
- Air-dry jeans after washing them unless you need to shrink them a lot. Popping dry jeans in the dryer for a few minutes is great for a quick refresh, but don't put freshly-washed jeans in there. The cold-water wash already shrunk the baggy knees back into place, so just lay them out flat and let them air-dry to preserve their shape.[5]
- If you want to shrink your pants all over, feel free to dry them in your dryer! Don't do this too often, though, since the dryer wears out denim.
- Once they're dry, fold your jeans and store them flat instead of hanging them up. Hanging jeans can stretch out the material.
- Put on a belt or tuck your pant legs into boots to improve the fit. If the issue is fit, tucking your pant legs into the tops of your boots can smooth the material and prevent bunching in the knee area. If you don't happen to be wearing boots today, putting on a belt can also pull the fabric taut.[6]
- Hitch your pant legs up a bit before you sit down at home or work. If the knees of your jeans are starting to look baggy, pinch the legs and pull them up a few inches right before you sit down. Keep your back straight and don't cross your legs so the baggy knees won't get any worse during the day.[7]
- Get up and move around often since sitting for long periods can make baggy knees worse.
- Try a more relaxed fit or style if baggy knees are a persistent problem. If your skinny jeans tend to get baggy in the knees, they might be too tight in the knee area to begin with. Avoid skinnies and try a straight-leg style or relaxed cut instead.[8]
- If your denim doesn't have any stretch to it at all, that could also be the problem, especially if you sit at a desk most of the day! Try a stretchy pair and see if that helps.
[Edit]Leggings and Joggers - Dampen the knees with vinegar and iron the fabric for a quick fix. Pour distilled white vinegar into a spray bottle and lightly mist the knees of your joggers or leggings. Straighten the material out on a hard surface and iron it like you normally would to get rid of bags and creases.[9]
- Don't soak the knees of your pants in vinegar! A light spritz is all you need to dampen the material. Don't worry—the vinegar scent fades quickly.
- If you don't have any vinegar on hand, plain water also works.
- If the fabric is delicate, spread a towel over the material before ironing it.
- Wet the knees and blast them with hot air from a blow dryer in a pinch. If you don't have time to iron your pants, drape them over a hanger and spritz the knee areas with water until they're damp. Set your blow dryer to HIGH and hit them with the hot stream of air for a few minutes until the material feels dry.[10]
- This works for any area that you want to shrink.
- Wash pants in hot water when you have time to snap the material back. Hot water is safe for pants made out of nylon, spandex, cotton, and polyester blends. Put your pants in the washing machine, set it to the hottest cycle possible, and let the cycle run like normal.[11]
- If your leggings are 100% spandex or Lycra, heat probably won't shrink them much since the material is tightly woven.[12]
- Always check the care tag for special instructions before washing pants.
- Pop just-washed pants in the dryer for 10-30 minutes to reshape them. Heat can shrink pants too much, so set the dryer to "regular" and tumble-dry your pants in 10- to 15-minute intervals. Try them on after each interval and stop drying them once they fit the way you want them to.[13]
- If the pants are still damp, lay them flat and let them air-dry the rest of the way.
- To avoid damaging your pants, avoid drying them for longer than 30 minutes.
[Edit]References |
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