Page 9 - Frank Sasso Boxing Footwork

Trust me on this one, I’ve been on both sides of this statement. As a young up
and comer sparring far more experienced men I would find myself with
thoughts of dread, doubt and anger mid-round as I was repeatedly getting
tagged by my sparring partner, every single time I tried to back them up

against the corner of the ropes they’d disappear! My mind was fatigued trying
to compute why I couldn’t catch them and my legs were beginning to run out
of gas as I hadn’t put in the time performing footwork drills and roadwork
like they had to build up the necessary endurance.

Now, after years of drills, road work, time in the ring and time spent studying
the greats of boxing I’m the unhittable ghost. Sparring an individual that pays
no attention to developing their footwork is like boxing in 3D while your

opponent is only 2D. That’s right, footwork adds a whole other dimension to
the game.

Your opponent only sees straight lines – moving directly forward to attack
and moving directly backwards to defend and retreat. You see much, much
more.

Your Footwork Will Allow You To Optimize Your Energy Expenditure

Firstly, it should come as no surprise, getting hit (particularly to the body)
will sap the life out of you, efficient footwork means you’ll take far less

damage and thus be able to optimize your energy expenditure while
increasing the volume of punches being thrown per round.

Secondly, when sparring a particularly aggressive opponent (the Mexican
constant forward pressure style of fighting) it can be absolutely exhausting
being on your back foot for multiple rounds – instead of moving backwards
in a straight line opting to use your slick footwork to cut angles will allow
you to save a large amount of your gas tank while frustrating your overly

aggressive adversary.

You’ll Have Superior Leg Endurance From Performing Your Drills

It’s all well and good that your punching and upper body endurance are on
point, but in those deep dark later rounds of a bout if your leg endurance isn’t
up to scratch you’ll find your defensive footwork becomes sloppy and you
lack the energy to really sit down on your punches to do damage.

Although you may find a few of the drills repetitive and not overly fun to
perform they’ll be forging the leg endurance that may be the difference