We had a substitute instructor for our boxing class tonight, which definitely mixed up our routine. Normally we have a bunch of 30 second rounds and move from bag to bag after each round, which also means a different combination. So normally there is a lot of memorizing to make it through each round quickly. This class was run very differently. We were each doing the exact same combination just on different bags and for 60 seconds instead of 30 seconds. That in itself as a pretty big change, but then we also switched to a southpaw “left-handed” stance on each bag and did the same combination as a lefty. This was probably the most challenging part of the workout for me as it’s so hard to think of a jab as right-handed and a cross as left handed. On the bags, I don’t feel like it really showed how hard it was to me to reverse my thing and perform the combination correctly. The focus mitts, however, were a completely different beast. I normally recite the combination over and over again in my head while executing it, but when you’re in a reverse stance it’s not quite that easy.

As you can see, I was able to execute the combination relatively easily with my normal stance. When it came to switch stances, however, it took several attempts to feel confident with that same combination. Truthfully, my trainer had to take away my access to the wrong focus mitt to help me get it. This was also one of the first times we’ve gotten to use both knees and elbows with the focus mitt so that added another fun layer to our workout.

It was very fun to step outside of my comfort zone a little bit and I’m definitely sore from doing all the southpaw stance combinations. All in all, this was a top knot here workout.