All of these exercises are done throughout the world of boxing whether your an amateur fighter, Semi Professional or indeed a Professional. Not only have boxers been known to do this sort of training, but there are now many sports incorporating them into their daily and weekly routine from Football to Boxing and MMA etc. The boxer goes through the best preparation there is in order to get himself physically and mentally ready for his upcoming fight and there is nothing left to chance in the build up. I will go through each category and explain what areas each exercise works on and what a boxer can gain from doing them. Here we go:

Running -

A boxer will do this as many as three times a day leading up to a fight and elite fighters are known to run in higher altitudes and rougher terrain in order to get more from this form of training. Running is a good way of gaining endurance and works each part of the legs and feet including the ankle, calf (Lower Part of the Leg), Hamstring (Underneath the top part of the Leg) and the Quadriceps (Top part of the Leg). This form of training will give the fighter more endurance and movement towards the latter part of the rounds and ultimately the bout.

Skipping -

Skipping is used to gain endurance and needs a lot of practice and concentration. Skipping is usually done with a leather rope that is more durable than the ones that you may see in a playground. The ropes can be very light which will allow the boxer to skip faster and for longer. Seeing a professional fighter skip is like poetry in motion, its a pleasure to watch and the reason why they are so good is because of the practice they put in. Skipping like running is an exercise that gets performed every session as a warm up. It works the Legs and Shoulders of a fighter and requires a lot of concentration.

Heavybag -

The Heavybag is a Bag which can be filled with sand or rags and sometimes water. The Heavybag is used to hone a punchers skills with regards to power. It comes in different weights for different punchers, so for example if a fighter is extremely powerful then it would be advised to use a 100Ibs + Bag whereas if a fighter is a lighter puncher then a 40Ibs bag would work fine. The Heavybag is weighted because a fighter working on his punching power doesn't want the bag to move and sway back and fourth thus letting a fighter move around the static object and concentrate on his punching. The Heavybag works a fighters arms from the shoulder to the biceps to the forearm and to the hand plus it can work a fighters oblique's (Side of the Abs)

Speedball -

The Speedball can be used to gain Hand Eye co-ordination in a fighter and is a popular sight in any boxing Gym. A fighter will use this to hone his skills on a smaller target and gain speed for his punches. The Speedball like the Heavybag can be filled with sand rags or water. The Speedball works a fighters arms also like the heavybag from the shoulders to the biceps to the forearms to the hands it also helps the fighters concentration to hit the smaller target .

Sparring -

Sparring is a vital part of training for any boxer and is used in most training sessions especially leading up to a fight. Sparring consists of two fighters with head guards and cups to protect themselves and lasts for as little as three two Minute rounds or sometimes up to fifteen three minute rounds. Sparring is used to work on different aspects of a fighters skills such as footwork, punching (jabs,hooks,body punching,straight punching etc) and movement and allows a fighter to work on different strategies. Sparring works a fighter completely because it is just like the real thing only the fighters wear head guards which is also the case in the amateur ranks. Sparring works everything

Shadow Boxing -

Shadow Boxing is used by a fighter to warm the muscles before engaging in any other training. A fighter usually does this in either a boxing ring or in front of a mirror which lets them see the shape of the punches they throw and what can be worked on. A fighter sometimes does this to improve their rhythm and to see how they would look if they were fighting a certain style of fighter. A trainer would usually make their fighters do this after they have stretched to ma ke sure that they had warmed up properly and maybe after they have finished their training session. Shadow boxing works the legs, arms and brain of a fighter.

Weights -

Weights are used solely to produce power. Boxing training is no different and a boxer will use weights in order to produce more power for a knockout punch or to add a little more power to their jab etc. Weights are used a lot more now than they ever were due to the technology getting better and better all the time. Weights are used for all the muscles in the arms, legs, neck and back

Hook and Jab Pads -

Hook and Jab pads are an essential part of a boxers training program as they let the fighter test his power and skills against two hand held pads which the trainer will use. The Pads are put onto the trainers hands and the trainer will then call out different combinations which the fighter will then execute. This is vital to a fighter when he steps into the ring to fight because he can pick which punch to throw at what time. Hook and Jab Pads work the fighter completely.

Uppercut Bag -

A uppercut Bag is similar to a heavybag but it specialises on using the uppercut which can't be really used on a normal bag because of the shape. The uppercut bag can be filled with sand, rags or water and secured to a bracket or the ceiling. The bag is used for fighters to improve their uppercuts and body punching. The Bag works the arms from the shoulders to the biceps and the forearms to the hands

Floor to Ceiling Ball -

This exercise is another vital part of a boxers training. The floor to ceiling ball is a punch Ball that is positioned in between two pieces of bungy rope. The two pieces of rope are attached to the ceiling and floor and the fighter then has to keep his eye on the ball and put combinations together. This requires a lot of concentration from the fighter and is a joy to watch when a fighter such as Roy Jones Jr is putting his punches together. The floor to ceiling ball requires a lot of concentration and works the arms and legs.