The goals of this module are

• to learn how to move fluently around a ring without the boxer tripping up his/her feet, falling, or becoming off balance and
• to understand how to use space as a boxer.

How it’s done

• Teach participants mainly how to move in a cross or t-shape (forward, backward, side to side movements) and be able to pivot off the balls of their feet to change directions quickly.
• Teach participants both stepping and shuffling styles making sure they do not make the mistakes of crossing their feet, bringing their feet to close together or taking to large of a step. Anyone of these mistakes can cause them to easily lose their balance and fall or be knocked down.

Mirror Me

1. Tell the participants to find a partner and get into boxing stances facing each other. Participants should be close enough to each other that if they extend their arms all the way, they would hit their partner.
2. Next, tell the partners to move robotically back and forth, doing the boxing shuffle. They must constantly stay the same distance from their partner. If their partner moves toward them, they must shuffle backward to keep the same distance.
3. Once they do this for a couple of minutes, have one partner in each group try to fake out the other partner by pretending to move forward and not, or moving quickly from one side to the other and then back. The idea is to try to get your partner out of position.
4. As a coach, every once in a while, blow your whistle and say freeze. Then see which groups are still in the correct position and which groups aren’t.