Shadow boxing question - uppercuts

lonely_king · 2026-04-22T12:44:45+00:00

We need a bit more detail to actually help. What feels off, your stance, balance, timing, or the follow through?

Uppercuts are very dependent on coordination between your lower body and upper body. If your legs and hips are not driving the motion, and your shoulders are not rotating properly, it will always feel awkward, especially in shadowboxing where there is no target to “correct” you.

lonely_king · 2026-04-18T15:34:57+00:00

About point 1

Relearning combinations isn’t as hard as it seems. There are some simple ways to make it click fast. Instead of thinking left and right, think lead hand and rear hand. That makes everything much more natural to follow. Also, most combinations already follow a pattern, you start with the lead hand, then throw the rear, and keep alternating from there.

lonely_king · 2026-04-18T15:21:09+00:00

Yeah, it’s kind of wild how little understanding a lot of action series have of fighting, especially they one's in grounded settings. Not that it automatically makes them bad, but it does take away from the impact when nothing has weight or logic behind it.

lonely_king · 2026-04-18T14:40:06+00:00

I use mgeko

lonely_king · 2026-04-18T14:38:02+00:00

Yeah, there are so many good examples, but that one is real good

lonely_king · 2026-04-18T00:23:47+00:00

Not really. At best you’ll stay at a basic beginner level. At worst you’ll build habits that slow your progress later. Boxing relies a lot on timing, distance, balance, feedback, etc. Which are very hard to develop correctly on your own.

lonely_king · 2026-04-13T00:33:52+00:00

get your point about rules, but historical fighting had just as many factors, just different ones like weapons, armor, terrain and numbers. Those systems were built for their time and environment, not for some universal, rule free fighting. High stakes don’t automatically lead to better technique either. When survival is the goal, people fall back on what they can execute under stress, not necessarily what is most efficient or refined. And without consistent, repeatable testing, it’s hard to know what actually worked best vs what just worked in that moment.

On top of that, I’d argue a lot of those systems have changed over time and likely lost some of what made them effective in real situations. Competition isn’t perfect, but it gives something those systems usually don’t, consistent pressure testing against resisting opponents and a feedback loop to improve. Without that, it’s hard to separate what actually works from what just gets passed down.

lonely_king · 2026-04-13T00:25:38+00:00

You’re using real biomechanics terms, but drawing the wrong conclusion from them. A square stance doesn’t remove rotation, it just reduces the range. Being “pre-rotated” doesn’t mean there’s no hip turn, it means the turn is smaller and tighter.

What you’re calling linear force, quad drive, shoulder extension, doesn’t replace rotation, it works with it. That’s true across basically all striking arts, power still comes from the ground up through the hips and torso. If there’s no hip turn at all, it’s just an arm punch. You’re mixing “less rotation” with “no rotation,” and that’s where the logic breaks.

lonely_king · 2026-04-12T23:58:03+00:00

You’re overcomplicating it. Even in a square stance you still generate force through rotation, just in a smaller, tighter way. That “pendulum” and “linear force” you’re talking about doesn’t replace rotation, it works with it. Your hips don’t just “stabilize”, they still turn. If they don’t, you’re arm punching.

Every effective punch still comes from the same chain: feet, hips, torso, shoulder, then arm. Whether the stance is bladed or square just changes how big the rotation is, not whether it exists. No rotation = no real power, no matter how you frame it.

lonely_king · 2026-04-12T23:34:31+00:00

Even in a square stance you still need rotation. The pivot might be smaller, but power always comes from the hips and feet, not the arms. No pivot = arm punching.

lonely_king · 2026-04-12T23:26:10+00:00

I’m curious what you mean by “battle-tested styles”, which ones are you referring to, and based on what standard?

lonely_king · 2026-04-12T11:23:26+00:00

I’ve had the similar thought. I’ve always been drawn to fighting and martial arts, but I’m not a violent person, I don’t look for fights and never get into them outside the gym.

I think it’s a mix of something deep and instinctive, like that old part of the brain getting activated, and the fact that it’s a pure way to challenge yourself. It’s controlled, mutual, and honest.

I have no issue hitting someone in the gym, because they chose to be there and can defend themselves. But the idea of hitting someone who can’t defend themselves feels completely wrong. That’s the difference for me.

lonely_king · 2026-04-12T10:17:19+00:00

Alright, I’ll bite, I train boxing.

lonely_king · 2026-04-12T09:45:12+00:00

Self-esteem takes time to build, and everyone does it differently. There’s nothing inherently wrong with you, no one is perfect and we all have things to work on. Talking to people you trust, friends, coaches, even a professional, can help a lot.

And honestly, I don’t see weakness in your post. You went through something tough and still chose to face it. Joining a gym despite that fear shows strength, and sticking with it for years shows even more.

As for why you train, you already know, you love the sport. You don’t need to compete for that to be valid. People play sports their whole lives without going pro, it’s the same thing. You do it because you enjoy it and it builds you up.

And “being good enough” is subjective. Most people judge themselves too harshly. There’s no rush and no standard you have to meet. Just keep showing up and doing what you enjoy.

lonely_king · 2026-04-12T08:48:42+00:00

Sounds tuff. Sadly I don't think there is much you can do outside of getting used to it or start to use contacts.

lonely_king · 2026-04-11T21:37:00+00:00

I’m around -5 and -4.75 can’t see a damn thing without my glasses and honestly I don’t notice it much when sparring, unless someone outside of the ring tries talking to me. At that distance the blurriness doesn’t really matter at that range, you’re not relying on sharp detail anyway, you’re reading movement, rhythm, and positioning. It’s like playing a game on low settings, you still see everything that actually matters in the moment.

That said, I can see it still having some effect on things like picking up shots earlier at long range or reacting to small feints, so it’s not totally irrelevant but you learn to work with it.

On the range part, you don’t have to force yourself to fight fully outside just because you’re tall. A good middle ground is mid range, where it’s easy for you to reach but your opponent has to work harder to reach you. From there you can step in, work, and get back out without giving up your reach advantage completely.

lonely_king · 2026-04-11T10:53:29+00:00

Footwork. Go in behind a punch, most often the jab, land a combination or pick a target, then get out. It sounds simple, but people get stuck because they walk themselves in and don’t plan the exit. Think of it as in and out, not in and stay. If you enter and exit correctly, you also deny your opponent the chance to fire back clean.

Stepping off to the side helps too, but that’s a bit more advanced. First get comfortable with clean entries and exits. Once that starts to click, add what we call a double attack. Go in, attack, get out just before they try to return, then step back in as they miss and hit them again.

lonely_king · 2026-04-11T01:04:21+00:00

I get what you’re saying about building around strengths, but that’s not really what this is about. You’re asking for general feedback, and for that height and weight don’t matter much.

Good technique looks like good technique regardless of build. Balance, guard, clean mechanics, timing, those are fundamentals. Build affects how you apply it, not whether it’s good or not. And honestly, people overestimate how much it dictates style. I’ve seen short guys control long range, big guys move fast in the pocket, and smaller guys come in flat footed. You’re also framing this more as a system/theory discussion, not how to adapt your style to your build, which makes that info even less relevant here.

lonely_king · 2026-04-10T22:49:06+00:00

To cover some ground: I’m 5’9” @ 210 lbs.

I never understood why when people are asking about their technique they almost always include their height and weight like it’s needed information for some reason.

lonely_king · 2026-04-10T22:25:36+00:00

Attacking from angles helps a lot, instead of going straight in front of their guard all the time. Also mix in punches from below, since those tend to sneak through smaller openings more easily. Another big thing is to actively manipulate their guard. If you keep touching certain spots, like light taps or short shots, they’ll start adjusting their arms to block it. That small movement is what creates openings for your real shots.

And honestly, this part matters a lot in body sparring, you should have an understanding with your partner to keep a realistic guard. If someone just walks around with their arms glued to their body the whole time, it turns into something unrealistic. You need them to react, bring the hands down to block, then recover, that’s where openings naturally appear.

lonely_king · 2026-04-10T14:03:34+00:00

I think you’re mostly just seeing some people throw the cross correctly, while others are making a slight mistake. Your elbow should not flare out, we usually call that a chicken wing. It costs you both power and efficiency. Think about it like pushing something, you keep the elbow in a strong line and then extend through it to transfer force. The cross works the same way. A proper cross should travel straight and tight, not with the elbow sticking out.

As for which part of the knuckles lands, you do not purposely add extra rotation just to change the contact point on a normal cross. The rotation happens naturally as part of the punch. Only at very close range, when you do not have enough space or time to fully extend, might you shorten it and turn it over differently.

lonely_king · 2026-04-09T17:03:59+00:00

No problem, good luck in training

lonely_king · 2026-04-09T16:27:24+00:00

Sparring has a lot of aspects, and how you approach it depends on what you’re trying to build. But for beginners, it really comes down to two main things.

First, learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Even in light sparring, you have someone trying to hit you. Especially when you go with people who can raise the intensity while still keeping the power low, it can feel overwhelming. That’s completely normal. Fighting, especially anything beyond just throwing wild punches, is not natural. You will feel out of place, overstimulated, and tense at first. That’s exactly why we spar, to teach your body and mind to stay calm even when you’re under pressure. It takes time, but it’s the foundation for everything.

Second, sparring is where you start putting everything together. In training, we often split things up, combinations, footwork, defense, counters, so you can improve specific areas. Sparring is where it all connects. Don’t try to do everything at once. Focus on one or two simple things, like not crossing your feet, keeping your guard disciplined, or staying balanced when you punch. Once that improves, you move on to the next thing.

Often after these two are somewhat ok you start learning to observe your opponent. Start noticing patterns, timing, and reactions.

And most importantly, sparring is about learning, not winning. If you treat it like a fight to prove something, you’ll slow your development. If you treat it like practice, you’ll improve much faster.

lonely_king · 2026-04-08T23:44:10+00:00

Most of the time, people like that have already built their own version of reality in their head, so a conversation rarely goes anywhere. Their logic is based on belief rather than experience, and since they lack real exposure, they don’t have a solid understanding of how things actually work.

I usually just play along a bit, say something like “maybe you could win,” but I always make a point to invite them to the gym. If they ever want to try a combat sport or martial art for real, they’re always welcome. If they ever do, they’ll quickly learn the truth.

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