The Best & Worst Boxing Training Methods (Ranked by Olympic Boxer)

October 01, 2025•8 min read

The Best and Worst Boxing Training Methods Ranked by an Olympic Medalist

As an Olympic bronze medalist and former undefeated professional boxer, I’ve tried just about every boxing training method out there. From heavy bag workouts to virtual reality sparring, I’ve experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to improving your skills in the sweet science.

In this in-depth blog post, I’m going to share my personal rankings and insights on 20 of the most common boxing training methods. I’ll break down the pros, cons, and ideal use cases for each one, so you can optimize your training regimen and avoid wasting time on ineffective drills.

By the end, you’ll know the absolute best and worst ways to train for boxing, according to an Olympic boxer. Let’s dive in!

The Worst Boxing Training Methods

1. Taking Punches from Your Coach

This training method has been going viral on social media, but it’s an absolute disaster waiting to happen. Letting your coach punch you in the head is not going to improve your punch resistance – it’s going to do the complete opposite. Your brain is getting rattled around your skull, which can lead to concussions and even worse, brain damage.

When you take repeated blows to the head, it’s going to slow down your reaction time, hand speed, and punching power. In other words, it’s going to make you worse at boxing, not better. This training method is an F-tier and should be avoided at all costs.

2. Shadow Boxing with Heavy Dumbbells

I’m a huge fan of regular shadow boxing, but using heavy dumbbells (6-8 lbs) while doing it is a recipe for disaster. The added weight absolutely destroys your boxing technique. When you punch out with a heavy dumbbell, you have to bring it back down, which ruins the natural flow of your movements.

Not only that, but shadow boxing with heavy weights also puts you at a high risk of injury, especially in your shoulders and lower back. This training method is another F-tier that you should avoid at all costs.

3. The Light Boxer

You may have seen this training device going viral on social media. It’s a machine that plays music and flashes lights, challenging you to punch the lights in time with the beat. While it may seem like a fun workout, the Light Boxer is not going to help you improve at boxing.

When you’re focused solely on hitting the lights as they flash, you’re not paying attention to your form and technique. This can ingrain bad habits that will actually make you worse at boxing. The Light Boxer is an F-tier training method that’s best left in the trash can.

4. The Cobra Bag

The Cobra Bag, also known as the Cobra Ball, is another training tool that looks flashy and impressive, but doesn’t actually help you get better at boxing. You can move around it a bit and work on some reaction speed, but ultimately, it’s just not a useful tool for improving your skills.

You’ll end up focusing too much on trying to hit it fast and look cool, rather than working on proper technique and fundamentals. The Cobra Bag is an F-tier training method that I would avoid.

The Best Boxing Training Methods

1. Mitt Work (Pad Work)

If you’ve trained boxing before, I’m sure you absolutely love mitt work. It was one of, if not my favorite way of training. But just because we all love it, doesn’t mean it’s automatically the best training method.

The key is working with a great coach who can really maximize the benefits of mitt work. When done correctly, mitt work can improve your technique, speed, power, reactions, head movement, and footwork. Your coach should be getting you moving around the ring and challenging you with different combinations and angles.

With the right trainer, mitt work is an A-tier training method that I highly recommend. It’s not quite at the top of the list, but it’s one of the best ways to improve your overall boxing skills.

2. Technical Sparring

When it comes to sparring, the best type is technical sparring. This is where you’re not just trying to beat up the person in front of you, but rather working on specific skills and techniques that you need to improve.

In technical sparring, you know that if you make a mistake, you won’t get hit too hard, because the focus is on learning, not fighting. This type of sparring is invaluable for improving your defense, offense, footwork, head movement, reactions, timing, and boxing IQ. If you have a great training partner to do technical sparring with, it’s an S-tier training method that I consider one of the absolute best ways to get better at boxing.

3. Traditional Shadow Boxing

Shadow boxing has been a staple of boxing training since the sport was invented. When done correctly, the benefits of shadow boxing are massive. It’s a great way to warm up and activate the specific muscles you’ll be using in your training session. It’s also excellent for dialing in your technique and visualizing game plans against specific opponents.

I used to visualize my upcoming opponents during my shadow boxing rounds, working on the specific movements and strategies I would need against their style. Shadow boxing is also a fantastic workout that you can do anywhere, without any equipment. After really thinking it through, I’ve decided to rank traditional shadow boxing as an S-tier training method – it’s one of the absolute best ways to improve at boxing.

4. The Double End Bag

When I started boxing at age 10, I remember being in awe watching the experienced fighters blasting the double end bag. It looked so impressive, but when I first tried it, I was absolutely terrible. The double end bag is challenging because it works on so many important skills like timing, speed, accuracy, footwork, and defense.

Over time, I got the hang of it and fell in love with training on the double end bag. It’s an excellent tool for developing hand-eye coordination, reflexes, and overall boxing technique. I consider the double end bag an A-tier training method that I highly recommend incorporating into your regimen.

For a detailed breakdown on how to effectively use the double end bag, check out my tutorial video.

5. The Heavy Bag

The heavy bag is a boxing staple that has been around since the beginning of the sport. At first glance, it might seem like you’re just mindlessly punching a bag, but the heavy bag is an incredibly versatile and valuable training tool.

If you’re focused on good form, technique, defense, footwork, and specific goals, the heavy bag is unparalleled. You can work on everything from punch combinations to head movement to power development. The heavy bag is an S-tier training method that I consider one of the absolute best ways to improve your boxing skills.

In fact, I once set the Guinness World Record for the most fully extended punches on a heavy bag in 24 hours – you can check out that journey here.

Other Effective Boxing Training Methods

The Body Shield

The body shield is another one of my favorite training tools, especially when working with a great coach. It allows you to work on power punches to the body, while also challenging your head movement, footwork, and reactions. With the right trainer guiding you, the body shield is an A-tier training method that I highly recommend.

VR Boxing

In recent years, virtual reality boxing games like Thrill of the Fight have become a fun and convenient way to get in a boxing workout from home. While VR boxing is an S-tier workout and an S-tier for fun, I only rank it as a C-tier for actually improving your boxing skills.

The key is to stay focused on good form and technique, rather than just trying to beat your opponent. If you train with proper mechanics in VR, it can be a great supplemental tool. But it shouldn’t replace more traditional boxing training methods.

Agility Ladder Drills

Footwork is the foundation of boxing, so training it should be a top priority. One of the best ways to improve your footwork is by using an agility ladder to do boxing-specific drills. This type of training is an S-tier method for developing the foot speed, coordination, and agility that are essential for success in the ring.

If you want to take your footwork to the next level, be sure to check out my Boxing Footwork Academy, where I provide step-by-step systems for mastering this critical skill.

The Verdict: The Best and Worst Boxing Training Methods

After evaluating 20 different boxing training methods, here are my final rankings:

The Absolute Best: Heavy Bag Training

When done with proper form, technique, and specific goals in mind, heavy bag training is the S-tier training method that I consider the absolute best way to improve your boxing skills. The versatility of the heavy bag allows you to work on everything from power development to defense to footwork.

The Absolute Worst: Taking Punches from Your Coach

Letting your coach punch you in the face is an F-tier training method that is an absolute disaster waiting to happen. It will slow down your reactions, hand speed, and punching power, while also putting your brain at serious risk of damage. This is a training method that should be avoided at all costs.

Remember, the key to effective boxing training is to always focus on proper form and technique, rather than just trying to look flashy or beat up your training partner. Incorporate a balanced regimen of the S-tier and A-tier methods I’ve outlined, and you’ll be well on your way to leveling up your boxing skills.

If you want to take your footwork to the next level, be sure to check out my Boxing Footwork Academy. And for a free video package on the “Ideal Punch Method” that can transform your technique, click here.

Keep training hard, and I’ll see you in the ring!