How to Box in a Wheelchair
Find a training partner., Take a stance., Position yourself., Position your hand., Keep your chin down., Throw punches., Bring it on home., Make it your own.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find a training partner.
You can use these techniques to begin training with a heavy punching bag. However, a training partner who is knowledgeable in boxing can help to correct your form and teach you the various combinations and techniques that make up the art of boxing. Just be sure they have an open mind about teaching from a seated position and are willing to start off at a slow, beginner’s pace. -
Step 2: Take a stance.
The next thing to do is to decide whether you want to fight using an orthodox stance (left hand forward, right hand back) or a southpaw stance (opposite of the orthodox). While there are many different schools of thought on which way a boxer should position themselves according to which hand is dominant, the rule of thumb is that you want your dominant hand (usually the hand you write with) to be your rear hand, or power hand, and your opposite hand to be forward, otherwise known as your jab hand. For simplicity, this article will describe the following steps form an orthodox position. If you are choosing southpaw, simply do the opposite of what is described. , Position yourself at an angle in front of your training partner and lock your wheels. You want your front-left wheel to be slightly closer to your partner than the front-right wheel. Ideally, your body should be positioned slightly sideways, with your left hand forward and your right hand slightly farther away from your partner. You’ll know you have the right distance when you reach forward with your right hand and you can comfortably touch your training partner’s face and if you can reach them with the right hand, you can certainly reach them with the left. , This is another area in boxing which is open for debate. Sticking with textbook style boxing, you want to hold your hands, palms turned inward towards your face, up to about cheekbone level. Your hands should be far enough apart that your thumbs can just barely touch your ears, yet your elbows are close enough together that when your arms start to get tired you can comfortably rest your elbows on your chest and keep your hands up with minimal effort. , Whenever you are training, it is good practice to look at your trainer’s/opponent’s chest. First, this help you keep your chin down which protects your jaw from being hit (which helps keep you from getting knocked out).
Second, this takes any sort of staring contest you may be tempted to have with your opponent completely out of the picture (your opponent’s eyes are deceiving and he can use them to trick you, don’t let him). Third, you can see incoming punches better when you look at the chest. You will see your opponent’s shoulders start to move out of your peripheral vision before the punch comes out. , Standing boxers generate power by using their feet to shift their body weight and to rotate their hips into a punch (kind of like swinging a baseball bat or a golf club). Obviously, the feet have been taken out of the equation but you can still generate power by rotating your upper body, namely your shoulders. No matter what punch you are throwing, pick either your left or right shoulder and focus on moving it while you throw the punch.
Let’s say you’re focusing on your left shoulder. When you throw a jab with your left hand, think about pushing your left shoulder forward behind the punch. When you are throwing a right cross, think about pulling your left shoulder back, which will cause you to push your right shoulder forward without you actually thinking about your right shoulder. Lean forward into the punch (if you can) but do not over-extend as you could get off-balance and fall out of your chair. , Say you are throwing a right cross to your opponent’s face. Do not think about hitting your opponent’s face. Think about hitting through their face. Mike Tyson once said that he imagined all of his punches hitting through his opponent’s face and coming out the back of their head. This sounds gruesome but by punching through the target you generate more power. After you have made contact, focus on pulling your hand right back to your face just as quickly as you threw it out. This makes sure that you are back on the defensive as soon as possible and ready for any punch your opponent may throw in response. Also, by recoiling quickly you put a “snap” on the punch which sends more explosive power into your opponent than a dull “thudding” punch does. , Boxing is an art and art is about self-expression. Watch other boxers and other wheelchair athletes and think about ways you can adapt their techniques to use in your own chair. And most importantly, have fun! -
Step 3: Position yourself.
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Step 4: Position your hand.
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Step 5: Keep your chin down.
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Step 6: Throw punches.
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Step 7: Bring it on home.
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Step 8: Make it your own.
Detailed Guide
You can use these techniques to begin training with a heavy punching bag. However, a training partner who is knowledgeable in boxing can help to correct your form and teach you the various combinations and techniques that make up the art of boxing. Just be sure they have an open mind about teaching from a seated position and are willing to start off at a slow, beginner’s pace.
The next thing to do is to decide whether you want to fight using an orthodox stance (left hand forward, right hand back) or a southpaw stance (opposite of the orthodox). While there are many different schools of thought on which way a boxer should position themselves according to which hand is dominant, the rule of thumb is that you want your dominant hand (usually the hand you write with) to be your rear hand, or power hand, and your opposite hand to be forward, otherwise known as your jab hand. For simplicity, this article will describe the following steps form an orthodox position. If you are choosing southpaw, simply do the opposite of what is described. , Position yourself at an angle in front of your training partner and lock your wheels. You want your front-left wheel to be slightly closer to your partner than the front-right wheel. Ideally, your body should be positioned slightly sideways, with your left hand forward and your right hand slightly farther away from your partner. You’ll know you have the right distance when you reach forward with your right hand and you can comfortably touch your training partner’s face and if you can reach them with the right hand, you can certainly reach them with the left. , This is another area in boxing which is open for debate. Sticking with textbook style boxing, you want to hold your hands, palms turned inward towards your face, up to about cheekbone level. Your hands should be far enough apart that your thumbs can just barely touch your ears, yet your elbows are close enough together that when your arms start to get tired you can comfortably rest your elbows on your chest and keep your hands up with minimal effort. , Whenever you are training, it is good practice to look at your trainer’s/opponent’s chest. First, this help you keep your chin down which protects your jaw from being hit (which helps keep you from getting knocked out).
Second, this takes any sort of staring contest you may be tempted to have with your opponent completely out of the picture (your opponent’s eyes are deceiving and he can use them to trick you, don’t let him). Third, you can see incoming punches better when you look at the chest. You will see your opponent’s shoulders start to move out of your peripheral vision before the punch comes out. , Standing boxers generate power by using their feet to shift their body weight and to rotate their hips into a punch (kind of like swinging a baseball bat or a golf club). Obviously, the feet have been taken out of the equation but you can still generate power by rotating your upper body, namely your shoulders. No matter what punch you are throwing, pick either your left or right shoulder and focus on moving it while you throw the punch.
Let’s say you’re focusing on your left shoulder. When you throw a jab with your left hand, think about pushing your left shoulder forward behind the punch. When you are throwing a right cross, think about pulling your left shoulder back, which will cause you to push your right shoulder forward without you actually thinking about your right shoulder. Lean forward into the punch (if you can) but do not over-extend as you could get off-balance and fall out of your chair. , Say you are throwing a right cross to your opponent’s face. Do not think about hitting your opponent’s face. Think about hitting through their face. Mike Tyson once said that he imagined all of his punches hitting through his opponent’s face and coming out the back of their head. This sounds gruesome but by punching through the target you generate more power. After you have made contact, focus on pulling your hand right back to your face just as quickly as you threw it out. This makes sure that you are back on the defensive as soon as possible and ready for any punch your opponent may throw in response. Also, by recoiling quickly you put a “snap” on the punch which sends more explosive power into your opponent than a dull “thudding” punch does. , Boxing is an art and art is about self-expression. Watch other boxers and other wheelchair athletes and think about ways you can adapt their techniques to use in your own chair. And most importantly, have fun!
About the Author
Donald Kelly
Experienced content creator specializing in pet care guides and tutorials.
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