Women's Advanced - Technical Session

Mobilisation (5 minutes)

• Neck rolls: 10 each direction
• Shoulder circles: 10 forward, 10 back
• Thoracic rotation: 10 each side
• Hip circles: 10 each direction
• Wrist rotations: 10 each direction
• Bodyweight squats: 10 reps
• Lateral lunges: 5 each side

Warm-Up Drills (8 minutes)

Technical shadow boxing (4 mins)

2 x 1.5-minute rounds. Full range of punches and defence. This group knows what they are doing. The warm-up should reflect that. Jab, cross, hook, uppercut, slips, rolls, footwork. At pace.

Combination speed drill (4 mins)

In front of the mirrors. Coach calls increasingly complex combinations:
- "1-2-3." Throw.
- "1-2-3-2." Throw.
- "1-2-body 3-2-3." Throw.
- "Double 1-2-3-body 3." Throw.

No hesitation. Hear the call, throw the combination. This primes the neural pathways for the complex pad work to come.

Main Session (38 minutes)

Complex Pad Combinations (14 mins)

Pairs. The combinations in this block are deliberately more complex than anything in the beginner or intermediate sessions. These members can handle them.

Combination 1: 1-2-slip-2-3-body hook (4 mins)

Jab, cross, slip the return jab from the pad holder, cross, hook, lead hook to the body. Six actions: four punches, one defensive movement, one body shot.

Pad holder feeds: present jab pad, present cross pad, throw a light jab (worker slips), present cross pad, present hook pad (head height), present hook pad (body height).

3-minute rounds, swap.

"This combination integrates defence into offence. The slip in the middle is not a pause. It is part of the flow. Punch, defend, punch."

Combination 2: Double jab-rear uppercut-lead hook-cross-body hook (5 mins)

Double jab, rear uppercut, lead hook, cross, lead hook to the body. Six punches with level changes and direction changes.

Pad holder feeds the sequence: lead pad twice (double jab), pad low (rear uppercut), rear pad sideways at head (lead hook), lead pad high (cross), rear pad at body (body hook).

3-minute rounds, swap.

"This is a six-punch combination with two level changes. If you can throw this cleanly and fluently, you are operating at a very high level."

Combination 3: Feint body-2-3-slip-3-2 (5 mins)

Feint to the body (drop the level, do not punch), cross, hook, slip the return, hook, cross. The feint opens the head, the cross-hook lands, the slip avoids the counter, and the final hook-cross finishes.

3-minute rounds, swap.

Defensive Integration Pad Work (10 mins)

Pairs. The pad holder becomes an active participant. After the worker throws a combination, the pad holder throws a return punch (slow, controlled) and the worker must defend, then counter.

Drill 1: Throw 1-2, pad holder returns jab, worker slips and throws cross (4 mins)

The worker throws jab-cross. The pad holder immediately throws a light jab. The worker slips and counters with a cross to the presented pad.

This is the rhythm of real boxing: offence, defence, counter-offence. The worker cannot relax after their combination because something is coming back.

2-minute rounds, swap.

Drill 2: Throw 1-2-3, pad holder returns hook, worker rolls and throws hook (3 mins)

The worker throws jab-cross-hook. The pad holder returns a slow hook. The worker rolls under and throws a lead hook.

2-minute rounds, swap.

Drill 3: Freestyle call and respond with returns (3 mins)

Pad holder calls a combination. Worker throws. Pad holder returns a punch of their choice. Worker must read the return, defend, and counter.

This is unscripted and demands high-level reading and reacting.

2-minute rounds, swap.

"You are not just hitting pads any more. You are boxing. The pad holder is an opponent who hits back."

Application Under Resistance (8 mins)

Pairs with body protector.

Drill 1: Combination under pressure (4 mins)

One member wears the body protector and pushes forward, applying physical pressure. The other member must maintain position and throw clean combinations despite being pushed backward.

The body protector wearer does not throw punches. They apply forward pressure with their chest and shoulders. The worker must use footwork to maintain space and still execute technique.

2-minute rounds, swap.

"In sparring and in competition, your opponent will pressure you. Your job is to maintain your technique when someone is in your face. This drill replicates that pressure."

Drill 2: Backed up, pivot and throw (4 mins)

Same setup, but now when the worker is pushed toward the wall or ropes, they must pivot and throw a combination from a new angle before the pressure resumes.

This builds the ring craft of escaping pressure while maintaining offensive output.

2-minute rounds, swap.

Heavy Bag Application (6 mins)

3 x 1.5-minute rounds. 30 seconds rest.

• Round 1: complex combination of choice from the pad work. Repeat it on the bag until it flows automatically.
• Round 2: combination then defensive movement (throw, slip, throw). Build the offence-defence integration.
• Round 3: full freestyle. Everything they worked on today. Maximum technical quality.

Conditioning Finish (6 minutes)

• 30-second combination burst on the bag (complex combinations, maximum output), 15 seconds rest x 4
• 20 press-ups
• 20 bicycle crunches
• 30-second plank
• 20 squat jumps

Cool Down and Reflection (3 minutes)

Shoulder stretch: 15 seconds each. Chest stretch: 15 seconds. Hip flexor stretch: 15 seconds each. Forearm stretch: 15 seconds each. Deep breathing: 30 seconds.

"This session was no different from an advanced adult session. Because you are no different from advanced adult boxers. The combinations were complex, the defensive work was demanding, and the resistance drills tested your composure. That is the level you are operating at. Own it."

Coaching Notes

• This session is explicitly pitched at the level of the advanced adult classes. The fact that it is in the women's class does not reduce the standard. These members have earned this level of work through months of training.
• If new members attend who are not at this level, scale their work back (simpler combinations, no defensive returns from the pad holder) but do not scale the session down for the group.
• The defensive integration pad work is the distinguishing feature of this session. It separates advanced work from intermediate work. The pad holder must be skilled enough to throw controlled returns and feed combinations simultaneously.
• For members approaching sparring readiness, this session is the final technical step. If they can execute complex combinations, defend returns, and maintain technique under pressure, they are ready to spar.
• Pair by skill level. The pad work demands a high-quality pad holder. If one member is significantly less experienced, pair them with the coach.
• The application under resistance section is physically demanding. Monitor members for signs of fatigue that compromise safety.
• After this session, explicitly acknowledge to the group that their level is advanced: "You are training at the same level as the advanced evening class. That is not flattery. That is fact." Recognition of progress matters.