Boxing is one of the most rewarding combat sports you can decide to learn. It’s the sweet science that always keeps giving. It teaches you how to hit without getting hit and how to use footwork to evade attacks or put yourself in a position to launch your attacks.
The physical benefits of learning how to box are just as numerous. Boxing gets you into excellent physical shape while improving your cardiovascular and muscular endurance. It also happens to be one of the most effective combat styles for self-defense.
Boxing isn’t something you learn overnight. It takes time to master many of the skills used in boxing, but you’ll be having so much fun you won’t realize how long you’ve been training. Years will feel like months since each boxing class gives you new skills to learn and look forward to.
Eight Experiences People Who Box Are Familiar With
Here are some things people who train in boxing are all too familiar with:
1) Buying And Cleaning Boxing Equipment Regularly
You’ll need to pick up some new gear heading into your first boxing class. Some things shouldn’t be shared, like a mouthpiece, comfortable training shorts, hand wraps or boxing gloves.
Boxing training is often high intensity, meaning you burn many calories and sweat a lot while training. This means your training equipment gets to soak up lots of sweat between cleanings. Remember to clean and air your equipment regularly to keep them fresh.
2) It’s Better To Spar With Advanced Students
It’s easy to be intimidated by the more skilled students in your boxing gym. You see them dominating more skilled boxers than yourself, so you figure it’s best to avoid them and train with less experienced guys.
Wrong!
Advanced boxing students are typically the best sparring partners since they know they can outbox you. They are less likely to get carried away during your sparring matches, and they might even give you pointers as you spar. The new student who started training about the same time you did has more to prove, which can lead to them getting overzealous during sparring sessions.
3) Roadwork Is Essential
Strong legs are one of the most valuable attributes a boxer can have. Boxing requires you to constantly move around a ring. Professional boxing fights often comprise 12 three-minute rounds, totaling 36 minutes of ring time.
Some people can’t even stand up that long without feeling exhausted. Boxing requires you to bounce around, move side to side, pivot, and adjust distance while throwing punches. That requires a level of lower body muscular endurance most people don’t have.
One of the most popular ways boxers improve their leg strength is by doing lots of running. This builds up the endurance boxers need to dance around the ring without getting tired. Boxers also work with jump ropes to build their leg strength and cardiovascular endurance.
4) Wraps Exist For A Reason
Most people put on their boxing gloves without wrapping their hands at some point when they first start training, and they quickly realize how vital hand wraps are. A properly thrown punch connects with the target with great force, putting lots of stress on your wrists.
Not wrapping up your wrists before training can lead to sore, sprained, or broken wrists. That’s typically enough to teach you that hand wraps are not optional when it comes to boxing.
5) Proper Hydration Makes Training Easier
As we mentioned earlier, boxing training can be pretty intense, meaning you lose a lot of water through sweating. The more hydrated you are before training, the less likely this water loss will affect your performance in the gym. Drink lots of water before training, and keep hydrating as you train.
6) You Can Only Learn So Much Without Sparring
This applies to boxing and all the other combat sports. It’s also a tricky subject since not all boxing practitioners want to fight competitively. You can improve in boxing without sparring and still get most of the benefits like improved cardio, muscle endurance, and strength.
However, there are things you’ll need to spar to learn, like timing, countering, and evading. These things require a feel you can only get through sparring. Sparring teaches you how to implement boxing techniques against a resisting opponent. This prepares you for self-defense and competitive boxing matches.
You don’t even have to spar heavily to get these benefits. Simply touching your opponents lightly with your punches as you spar is enough to teach you many of these lessons.
7) Getting Punched In The Face Isn’t The End Of The World
People who have never trained in any combat sports often fear getting hit in the face. It’s perfectly normal, but it’s an overblown fear. Getting punched in the face isn’t as bad as people who have never trained think. As your experience grows, you might even start to enjoy it as you look to land punches of your own on your opponent. It’s relatively common to see boxers smirk after getting hit because they’re having so much fun while boxing.
8) What You Put In Your Body Matters
Don’t expect your training sessions to go as smoothly as they usually do after a night of drinking or something along those lines. Alcohol dehydrates your body, so you’re going to get tired much quicker than you normally do. Other vices like smoking also hinder your training sessions since it reduces your lung capacity. Avoid such things to make the most out of your training sessions.
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