Boxing footwork, unsurprisingly, involves using the feet to move in a range of directions.
The most obvious of the directions to move is forward and backward, more commonly described as 'moving in and out'.
Boxing footwork mainly involves some relatively simple physical movements in order to enable movement in and out of range.
A key aspect of boxing relates to understanding your position in relation to your opponent, and we define this as "range.
"As a boxer, you can consider that you will be 'in range' (both for your shots to go and for the opponent's shots to land on you) or 'out of range'.
When you are in range, this can be broken down further into short, medium and long range.
Having offered a short explanation of range, we should also understand that successful boxing relies on the ability to be 'on the edge of range', meaning that you are only very slightly beyond the range of your opponent's punches.
This means that you as a boxer are able, with short explosive movements of the feet, to get within range land effective shots and move out again before the punches come reeling back from the opponent.
Being on the edge of range and providing that constant threat of mobility is a method of applying pressure to an opponent and enabling control of the contest.
The Mechanics Of Moving And Out Moving In The mechanics of moving in:

1. From the boxing stance, push from the back foot.
   
2. The front foot lifts very slightly from the floor, allowing the power generated from the push from the back foot to propel the body and therefore the front foot forward.
   
3. Allow the back foot to follow it's course, catching up with the front foot.
   
4. The entire movement should be no more than 6 to 8 centimetres, and the boxer should retain the stance throughout.
   

Moving Out The mechanics of moving out:

1. From the boxing stance, push from the front foot.
   
2. The back foot lifts very slightly from the floor, allowing the power generated from the push from the front foot to propel the body and therefore the back foot backward.
   
3. Allow the front foot to follow it's course, catching up with the back foot.
   
4. The entire movement should be no more than 6 to 8 centimetres, and the boxer should retain the stance throughout.
   

Common Faults When Moving In And Out There are a number of common problems that can occur when moving in and out:

1. Often, the boxer will 'step and drag'.
   When moving forward, the front foot will step and the back foot will be dragged forward (vice versa when moving backward).
   This method of movement does not allow the movement to be carried out at the required speed for the purposes of not hitting and not getting hit!
2. The distance between the two feet should remain roughly the same during the movement.
   This is a further reason why aiming to move only 6 to 8 centimetres is desirable.
   When the stance significantly narrows during movement, then the boxer is off-balance and less able to attack effectively or of more concern to defend effectively.
   
3. The boxer will flatten one or both feet, hindering the freedom of movement required for effective boxing.
   
4. The front foot will often point toward the opponent rather than retaining the 45 degree angle to the imaginary line, this cause problems with the balance.
   This is a common but should be identified and resolved without delay!
5. Remember that it is during movement that as a boxer you are most likely to lose the line from the toe on the front foot to the heel on the back foot.
   When this line is lost (with the back foot being exactly in line with the front foot), it causes severe issues with balance.
   

And that's it, simple boxing tips that work.
What we are looking at here, as with other key skills, is something that is in essence simple and straightforward.
Remember though that practice makes perfect.
Try mixing this boxing footwork with the boxing jab.
Developing the ability to make the feet and the hands work together as one has to be the ultimate goal!