Alright so today I tried out these Jimmy Smith footwork drills everyone’s hyping about. My boxing coach kept yelling “Move your feet!” last sparring session so figured it’s time.
What I Actually Did
First I cleared space in my garage – kicked the kids’ bikes and laundry baskets into a corner. Started real simple: Jimmy says just bounce on your toes for 3 minutes straight. Sounds easy but my calves were burning after 90 seconds.
- Ladder part: Used masking tape to make a ladder pattern on concrete. Did sideways hops through it trying not to trip. Felt super awkward like Bambi on ice.
- Shadowboxing circles: Pretended to throw jabs while shuffling clockwise. Kept drifting toward the washer machine and had to restart like four times.
- Defense drill: Hung an old t-shirt from the ceiling as a target. Practiced ducking and darting out after each combo. Whacked my elbow on the freezer – got a sweet purple bruise now.
Where I Messed Up
The pivot moves were brutal. Jimmy makes it look smooth but when I tried shifting from jabs to hooks my feet got tangled worse than headphone cords. Sweat poured into my eyes and messed up my timing bad.
Breakthrough Moment
Around the 30-minute mark something clicked during the sidestep drill. Started feeling light on my toes like skipping rope. Actually slipped under that hanging t-shirt without ducking too low. Felt awesome even though I almost toppled over right after.
Overall took me about an hour with all the screwups. My ankles feel like overcooked spaghetti now but I’m keeping at it. Gonna try again tomorrow before the garage gets reclaimed by kiddo toys.