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Shadow boxing

Muay Thai

Shadow with kicks, knees and teeps, not just hands.

What coaches agree on

  • Shadow box against an imagined, reacting opponent — picture their strikes and openings — and rehearse the specific combinations you actually plan to use in sparring.
  • Start any new technique or combination slow and technically clean, and only add speed once the form is solid.
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Common mistakes

  • Letting the guard break down mid-strike — the off-hand drops or circles away from the face instead of snapping straight back, and the chin lifts — exactly when a counter would land.
  • Crossing the feet while stepping or angling off, which collapses the base and leaves you unable to strike or defend from that position.
  • Shadow boxing all-offense — throwing combination after combination without ever slipping, blocking, angling off, or countering, since nothing is hitting back.