What a Round of Shadow Boxing With the App Looks Like (Video)

Most people picture shadow boxing as a warm up: a minute of loose punches before the real work starts. This clip shows what it looks like when it is the real work. The Shadow Boxing App is a boxing workout app that runs a round for you: it keeps the clock, calls out punches, defenses and footwork, and you react. Here the boxer is in the middle of a session at the gym, between the heavy bags, doing a plain round of shadow boxing with the app screen overlaid on the video so you can see what he is hearing.

The video was filmed during the shoot for Round Zero, a photo series we made with photographer Guillaume Flandre and a boxer from the community. The same gym and the same orange wraps show up in the photos.

A few things to notice. The boxer never stands still: small steps, a shift of weight, a turn, then the punches. The hands come back to the guard after every combination instead of dropping. And the pace is steady rather than frantic, which is what a round should feel like if you want to last the whole session. If you are new to this, the guide to shadow boxing covers the basics, and the article on relaxed shadow boxing explains why the calm pace matters more than the speed.

You do not need a gym to do this. Enough floor to take a step in each direction is plenty, and the app does the rest. It is free to try, so download it and run a round before your next session.