Is there any benefit to punching or shadowboxing under water? I read this was one of Rocky Marciano's favourite exercises and he's famous for his devastating power. Has anyone else benefited from this exercise or made it part of their regular workouts?
Marciano was a naturally hard puncher. He was able to throw heavy leather for all 15 rounds because he trained like a man possessed.
His training camps were longer, he did more miles of roadwork, and he hit a custom-made 300lb heavybag for hours at a time. Shadowboxing underwater was just another way for him to get his body into super shape.
Van Damme did it in the movie "Kickboxer"..so it's gotta work :)
I didn't know Roy Jones and Marciano did that...pretty interesting.
LOL at "a few rounds on the bag." Marciano trained like an absolute madman, 24 x 7 x 365.
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/1047//stamina.html
very bad ass!
OH MY!!!
That's why, gentlemen, he retired undefeated.
I wonder where he found the motivation to dig that deep - a lot like Gable
I think Marciano said it was his mother that inspired him. I could be wrong.
"That's why, gentlemen, he retired undefeated."
Well, that...and the fact that he came along during a time when the best heavyweights were either old or were blown up light heavyweights (sometimes they were both.) Plus he retired very early--age 31, IIRC.
That being said, he was definitely a monster when it came to training. He was for sure one of the best conditioned champs ever.
Marciano would be a champion in any era.
He trained like a man possessed because he feared being anonymous and he didn't want to work in the shoe factory like his father.
That's why he was absolutely obsessed with money.
ttt
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I think the Ali picture was just a photo shoot opportunity, he didn't actually use underwater training as part of his general training.
IMHO punching underwater will not add any significant beneifit to ones boxing.
But if you feel like doing it...Jump right in.
TAKU
I read that Ali did that as hype at a photo shoot. He never did that before or after. That is what Dundee said.