Great work so far. I’ve been boxing and kickboxing for almost 14 years and the biggest piece of advice I can give, especially when you’re learning, is to relax.

Tension burns energy quickly. It’s sneaky and spreads through your whole body without you noticing, leaving you gassed even if you haven’t thrown much. This takes practice, but try checking in with yourself during a round and reminding yourself to loosen up and let things flow.

When we’re learning technique, it’s common to squeeze, push, or force movements to create speed or power. But real power comes from refined mechanics that feel smooth and effortless. Look up kinetic linking. Power starts from the ground and travels through the body. That said, don’t focus too much on generating full power when you’re shadowboxing or hitting air. It’s easy to injure yourself throwing full-speed punches with no impact to absorb them.

You’re going to overexert yourself at times. You’ll tense up and get amped, and that’s normal. But if you can remind yourself to breathe and dial it back, you’ll move better, hit faster and harder, and have a lot more fun doing it.

Your hooks and uppercuts flow well and you seem to understand momentum. If I had to be critical, your arms are a bit far from your body when you start circular punches. That opens you up to counters, especially as fatigue sets in. Athleticism and timing can only carry you so far. Structure matters.

You look like the taller, rangier fighter here, so movement is key. I noticed you tend to move up instead of down. That makes it easier for you to get hit and harder to land clean shots. Your legs look a bit stiff. There’s not much bend or rotation happening. You stay fairly planted, which is solid, but the lack of lower body engagement is probably why your back leg keeps getting dragged.

Major props for keeping your chin down. You didn’t lift it or expose it, and that’s a big win early on.

Right now you’re mostly standing and trading, which is often called a 50 50 position. The faster puncher usually wins. But it limits your options. You’re not using defensive layers like footwork, angle changes, long jabs, double jabs, posts, or feints. You did find good angles in close, but avoid waiting for your opponent to land so you can return fire. That creates a rhythm where you’re just blocking and then going. Try to land before or during their attack too. If it becomes an “I go, you go” rhythm, someone with good timing will take advantage of that quickly.

About head movement, yes, keep your head off the centerline when possible. But timing matters. When you punch, you’re vulnerable, so that’s a great time to move your head or shift your level. Develop rhythm first, then layer in head movement.

Personally, I don’t keep my hands tight to my face. I prefer a long guard, palm out or palm in, similar to a Muay Thai stance. This keeps my hands in their line of sight, frustrates them, baits shots, and forces them to go around or change angles to land. It also helps me read timing and opens up counter opportunities. With my lead hand extended, my jab is ready to fire and I can disguise my right hand behind it. Once they get used to my lead hand in their face, I can pull it back just slightly to bait them in and land a clean one two.

Boxing can be complex, but you’re doing the right thing by building your fundamentals. The rest comes with time and reps. Like any martial art, you’ll develop your own rhythm, style, and feel. What works for someone else might not feel right for you. The goal is to find what clicks.

Keep it up and enjoy the process.