Newbie to knockout: Learn the basics of boxing

Take the getting hit part out of boxing and it’s the perfect thing for the human body and mind.

So says Michael Olajide Jr – and he would know. A former champ whose middleweight career was cut short due to an eye injury, Michael is a pioneer of boxing for fitness and has trained everyone from supermodel Adriana Lima to Hugh Jackman. Now he’s putting a hybrid twist on his signature workouts for Centr Fusion, a 6-week workout program designed to challenge the body and calm the mind.

Whether you're mixing it up with Fusion's BoxHIIT hybrid or keeping it old-school, if you want the cardio-boosting, core-strengthening, body-toning benefits of boxing, technique is key. We asked Michael to give us a lowdown on the basics so you can start boxing your body into shape.

Know your stances

In boxing, your stance determines your balance and the power you’re able to drive through your upper body. Watch the video and let Michael guide you through the 3 essential stances to give you a strong foundation for his workouts:

• Pyramid stance

• Orthodox stance

• Southpaw stance

Perfect your punches

Ready to fight for your goal? You’ll need to know the three basic punches before you can shadowbox like a pro. Watch the video to nail your technique with Michael.

• Uppercut

• Straight punches

• Hooks

Learn your speeds

You’ve locked in your stances and your punches are a knockout. But can you string it all together? Moderating your training speed and rhythm will help you get into the flow, keep your form and coordination on point, then lift the intensity to reap the cardio rewards.

Hit play and Michael will talk you through the 3 speeds in his workouts.

• Demo speed

• Exercise speed

• Fight speed