Inoue | Boxing Life

When we think of ‘The Monster’ Naoya Inoue, the first thing that comes to mind is his destructive power. In particular, his superb body shots that are truly exceptional in knocking out his opponents so far to date. But, how does Inoue get such devastating levels of punch power? Well it all comes down to his training and believe it or not, it’s not from lifting weights, but by doing very old school and traditional boxing training. In this blog, I will go over all the methods the Japanese boxing star uses to come in at top physical condition and develop his power. This should hopefully give you some ideas in terms of how you can train like Inoue in your boxing workouts. Old School Boxing Training Yes, sometimes the old school training is simply the way to help develop fighters to become the best. For Inoue, his trainers and coaches in fact really work on the fundamentals for the most part. This will include: Pad work - to practice defense, punch combinations, power shots and footwork. Punch Shield - for punch power technique, angles and footwork. Heavy Bag - for conditioning, combinations and punch power. Shadow Boxing - There is a lot of footage of Inoue doing quick explosive shadow boxing, much like with the rest of his training. Sparring - Unlike other top champions, Inoue actually shows himself sparring quite a lot which is unusual! However, by sparring often, he is more comfortable and better prepared to adapt to what comes against him come fight night in the ring. Now I’m not sure if you noticed from the above, but there's one word I used often and that is POWER! See Inoue working on this below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by 井上尚弥 𝐍𝐚𝐨𝐲𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐞 (@naoyainoue_410) This is definitely one of his biggest strengths, and by looking at training footage online he works on this area extremely hard. However, it isn't just power he works on, but Inoue's accuracy is also one of the best in the sport right now. The preciousness he has to land power shots is so good. By the time it comes to fight night, it is so natural to him and usually doesn't end well for his opponent. One thing I have noticed is he doesn’t work on too many reflex drills. Or there isn't much footage available of this. I imagine his defensive and reflexes are worked on mostly through pad work and sparring. Explosive Sprint Training Another aspect of Inoue’s training is the different types of sprints. This obviously helps to simulate boxing explosiveness and as a sharp shooting power puncher, this is key for Inoue. Stair / hill sprints - once again a very traditional way for fighters to work on explosive endurance, as Inoue is often seen running up stairs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 井上尚弥 𝐍𝐚𝐨𝐲𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐞 (@naoyainoue_410) Resisted sprints - another type of sprint Inoue works on is resistant sprints, in particular on the beach. Here his coach attached a resistance band around the Japanese world champion, as he has to push through the resistance of his trainer holding back. Here is great video by Boxing Science who looks at this training exercise in greater depth. https://youtu.be/HtDdV9Jl1mQ General Sprints - Inoue will often do normal flat grounded sprints too alongside his gym partners. Maybe this is to help build up his competitive and mental edge too. Normal Cardio run - As well as the above, typical Cardio work is also something the Inoue camp will do, no doubt to warm up or down from the sprints! Strength and Conditioning Once again Inoue doesn't do anything spectacular in terms of lifting weights or anything. As he is at a lighter weight category, boxing conditioning and body weight exercises are more than enough to help to develop his strength and conditioning. Sledgehammer workout - now instead of the old school chopping wood, Inoue uses the modern edition of the sledgehammer on the tire. Once again this exercise is to help develop POWER, making it an excellent workout option for him. This exercise helps to strengths the majority of your upper body. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 井上尚弥 𝐍𝐚𝐨𝐲𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐞 (@naoyainoue_410) Battle rope work - another great training technique he does is by using swinging battle ropes. This is primarily used for full body strength and conditioning. Boulder throwing - Not what you would expect from lower weight fighter like Inoue, but he is’ ‘The Monster’ after all! This is once again full body exercise and requires your whole body to generate the power to throw rock up in the air. *If you plan on trying this out, please be careful! Strategy and Precision Now I talked about this briefly above in terms of precision. However, a big part of the Naoya Inoue game is the strategy and game plans they have going into the fight. For the most part, the Inoue camp knows his power is ridiculously good, but that’s not just what he is all about. Inoue is in fact is a very calculated fighter who mainly tries to create openings through his sharp accurate jab and counter punches. If you watch any of his pad work drills or even himself on the heavy bag, he is always being taught to move his feet and head. Thus making him a very hard opponent to hit cleanly himself. Check out my YouTube video below on how Inoue and his team clearly prepared for his opponent Molony in his world title bout below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYbcluUNVOQ Inoue is definitely not just power punch slugger as you can see and as much as many people might believe that is the case...it’s not. I also recommend you watch this excellent video The Modern Martial Artist below to see how Inoue uses his training to set up KO punches in the ring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQm4mdXrGCI Final Thoughts In my opinion Inoue training and primary focus is his unbelievably punching power, and it is no wonder his team work on this relentlessly to get the most out of it. The one thing, I think any fighter can take from this is the old school training methods across the board to prove that they are enough to make you into a dangerous fighter. Inoue also trains to his advantages which of course is his power technique and accuracy. If you enjoyed this make sure to check out my Inoue Boxing Fighting Style blog. Or make sure to read training regime articles on Lomachenko or Canelo. See my Naoya Inoue training highlights video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN20QAVR2SQ Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or check out more boxing training advice by visiting the link here. 10 Exercises To Improve Your Reflexes For BoxingShadow Boxing Exercises For Home Or The Gym10 Exercises To Increase Your Punch Power For BoxingSimple Boxing Workout Routines For Home6 Key Boxing Defensive Techniques – Hit And Don’t Get Hit