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Hold dumbbells while you practice. Jump rope every day. Spar with an opponent and focus on defense rather than attack.

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One of the things that kills your defense is getting tired and dropping your hands down, which leaves you unprotected. The best way to train so that you don’t get tired as fast is to perform all of these defensive techniques while you hold light dumbbells. Your arms will build strength in the muscles that keep your hands up. You can also throw punches while you hold the dumbbells to build up strength behind your punches. Jumping rope is great for overall cardio conditioning and for increasing the dexterity of your feet. It helps you build good footwork and improve your speed in the ring. Switch up the jump rope exercises you do by jumping on both feet, then a few jumps on your left foot, and a few on your right foot.  Push yourself to get more jumps without stopping. You can also incorporate more complex moves like butt kickers, high knees, or skips into your jump rope routine. Sparring is important to implementing all of the defensive techniques you’ve learned. Don’t try to beat your opponent during sparring, but try to be effective with your defense. It’s also important to spar with as many different people as you can to get used to defending against various fighting styles.