While professional boxers go against an opponent, working with a partner is a highly motivating and effective tool when working out. During a Mayweather Boxing + Fitness class, one of the rounds on the heavy bag will feature partner work. This is an opportunity to motivate and learn from your partner, take a little break when your partner is working and work even harder when it’s your turn. There are several different drills that you can use when partnering up on the heavy bags that keep the class exciting and effective.
A simple partner drill that is one of trainers’ favorites is when one partner holds the bag while the other partner throws jab crosses. This is a great drill because it allows the partner holding the bag to really motivate and give attention to their partner, while taking a few seconds to recover. When partners switch, they should be fresh and ready to give their full effort on the drill. This high intensity interval setup is proven to help establish a better cardio base, improve your stamina, endurance and strength. In order to keep this partner drill fresh and exciting, the jab crosses can be substituted with body shots, power hooks or uppercuts. This is a great way to continue to work on fundamental punches but in a different format, as to prevent it from getting boring or mundane.
Another great partner drill is when both partners are working on the heavy bag at the same time. Working so closely on the same bag as your partner is highly motivating and creates a sense of healthy competition amongst members. An example of this could be one partner is throwing jab crosses, while the other throws power hooks for 30 seconds before switching roles. Throwing punches at the same time as your partner creates an increased difficulty level due to the swinging of the heavy bag. As the heavy bag moves due to both you and your partner hitting with different angles and power, it requires you to activate your core and stay light on your feet. This simulates fighting an actual competitor more than if you were on a heavy bag solo and is a great way to challenge yourself on the bags.
Particularly for HIIT or Championship classes when you want to spike your heart rate, certain partner drills can be highly effective. While one partner throws punches on the heavy bag, the other partner can perform a strength or cardio bodyweight exercise such as burpees, push-ups or squat jumps. Depending on what day of the week it is, the exercise can be tailored to work a specific body group, such as static squat holds against the bag for lower body day on Wednesday. For these types of partner drills, it is best to switch after the partner on the floor completes a set amount of repetitions. That way, the partner on the heavy bag is relying on their partner to finish their reps and creates a sense of teamwork and accomplishment amongst partners.
Utilizing partner drills on the heavy bags is a great way to cement the sense of teamwork and comradery in a boxing class and push yourself to the limits. Working by yourself can become mundane and routine, and partner drills allows boxers to feel inspired to work harder and push themselves to new limits. While you can’t spar in a Mayweather Boxing + Fitness class, partner drills are a great way to replicate the feeling of working with another person and reacting to someone else’s movements.
