I got the Tekxyz Reflex Ball as a Christmas gift and have been fooling around with it between training sessions. Vasily Lomachenko brought attention to this method of hand eye coordination training along with a host of other interesting methods. I posted 2 videos using the ball and wanted to post my thoughts.
Pros: It does train your reflexes and forces you to follow the ball with your eyes and time its movements. It can create a cadence for training in rhythm which i think is important.
Cons: It does not help with stance or tucking your chin. In fact it makes you look up or down which is not helpful. It gets your eyes singularly focused on the ball. In sparring or in a fight you don’t want to become fixated on watching the target. The ball gets your eyes focused in one place which is not a great habit to have. As far as establishing range and defense there is not much to it.
Quirks: It becomes easy to get tangled in the string or to connect on the string rather than the ball. This upsets the rythmn and timing of training. I feel the double end bag/floor to ceiling bag accomplishes what this does but better. A good double end bag session will incorporate range, defense, timing, footwork and stamina. I know a lot of beginners steer clear of the double end bag but it is a must.
The Tekxyz Ball is good for light training or vacation training but im not sure it has a serious place in a boxer’s gym bag.
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