Here’s something I see the pros doing all the time but never any amateurs.
They warm up the jaw before they get in the ring. Loosening up the jaw will decrease the chance of injury to your jaw and even help you take punches better. It’s surprising to see that not many fighters do this!
It looks funny but here’s what you do:
How to Warm Up Your Jaw
Move the jaw around to loosen it up!
- open it wide and then close
- move it side to side
- move it in a circle one way, and then the other
You can do this while stretching or right before a sparring session or a fight. Start off slow and then a little faster if you like. Do it for at least a minute. Watch my video above to see how I do it.
Warm up your jaw to take punches better
and reduce the chance of injury.
Oscar de la hoya
I wondered why I see boxers do this just before the bell rings. I thought it was some kind of primal body langauge thing we do before fighting.
Thanks for another great guide Johnny. This is a bit off topic but it is a question about boxing. Is this work out good enough on the fitness side for my son who is 13 years olds? He believes he is fit enough to start actual fights in his age group but I am not sure if he is fit enough. The workout is as follow:
10 minutes speed bag
10 minutes double end
10 minutes jump rope with variety of jumping
3 minutes power and movement on heavy
3 minutes speed on heavy
3 minutes endurance on heavy
50 push ups
50 sit ups
I am sorry if this is a stupid question or something like that but i need confirmation. The bag drills are the ones on your site. Thank you for your time and keep it up!
That’s not a bad start. You can also check out my “EASY Boxing Workout” for more ideas. See how your son performs and go from there. If you don’t have training experience, you’ll need to learn some more routines from other trainers and test them on him.
I’m curious what is a good practical forearm workout to aid in wrist stability, grip and power punching. And i guess more importantly what are you’re thoughts on forearm strength for boxing
Forearm strength has some functional purposes but not all that important. You can do some wrist weights and stuff but good technique will have more to do with it than strength.
Hey Johnny, thanks for the guides as always!
I started boxing a year ago and starting to get really into it, training 3-4 times a week with a lot of cardio, shadowboxing and bodyweight exercises at home. Is there any other ways for me to train boxing outside the gym. Also, how fast should I be looking to be on roadwork if I’m an active in-and-out fighter?
hey mala if i may, you can always box outside the gym you can always gather up friends or buddies and show them how to box and train that way, set up a punching bad, buy a laundry bag and fill it up with sand (in a black trash bag) or whatever and you have a punching bag, i would say if your planning to compete, running at least 5 miles minimum without a problem will letr you know if you are ready to get after it
Everybody needs roadwork regardless if you’re an inside fighter or an outside fighter. One has to run forward and the other has to run backward. And course there will always be moments where both have to change directions and go back and forth. There’s no difference.
I usually do this, but didn’t do it last night.
And went home with a sore jaw.
Go figure.
itried watching the youtube player but a screen pops up and says “flash is vulnerable” and update so i go to the site and download the programs they ask, but still no action, what should i do? this will help me watch your videos on my computer, i understand you know alot about computers so you help would be great 🙂
Hopefully you’re not using Internet Explorer.
I’m using Firefox I’ll find a way though, what’s so bad about explorer?
I hear about people having problems with Internet Explorer that’s why.
Sorry if this sounds a stupid question but why does a looser jaw take hits better?
Also when you’re in the ring and anticipating a hit should you then clench your jaw or relax it?
Great site by the way Johnny, keep up the excellent work!
A looser muscle or joint is less likely to get injured because it’s more flexible and moves around better. This is why you “warm-up”.
hehe..,, i try
Its always nice to warm up the jaw. Relaxed muscle can take a punch and you won’t get injured. This is useful tip if you are too lazy to keep your arms up 😀 😀
this + neck exercises + keeping eyes on opponent + chin down & supported by shoulder due to rolling with punches = closest thing to improving a chin for a boxer. it’s so important to warm up that chin for the first 2 rounds. gold advice johnny, gold. i salute your coaching instincts, they remind me of the tiny little fundamental things that are like magic in the ring.
Big fan of the site dude. Last week when sparring I was a little tired and had my mouth open just as a left hook connected with my jaw. I have a good partner and he saw it and didn’t follow through with a lot of power but it felt so close to being broke. It’s OK now (after a few days) but had that hook had any real weight in it, I’d be typing this with pins in my jaw now.
How should I avoid this? Always Keep the jaw clenched with in range? (That’s my current plan). Would investing in some headgear help?
Your sage advice would be greatly appreciated!
Your mouth is not supposed to be open. Close it without being tense. Headgear is a minimum training standard!
What a beautiful webpage. You pay finesse to these small details, which is what makes this site so great. Respect, man,
Have you ever heard of boxers “warming up their nose” to prevent nose breaks?
Yes, I’ve heard of it and even seen it myself. This one Russian guy would rub his nose around with the heel of his palm before sparring or fighting.
My age is 24. I did 1 year training 3 years before. But because of some problem I did not continued that training. But now I wish to restart my practice. can I again restart it ? If I start than which type of workout I need to do?
Yes, you can restart anytime. Do the typical boxing workout and adjust it to your needs.
hey i am ash from india from a small town .iam greatly interested in boxing but there is no coach available neither i have that much money …….plz help me