So you’re keen on getting into boxing, wow! New experiences! The rush of adrenaline flowing through your body when you throw a punch! You are taking the first step to doing something you’ll never forget.
But Before you Start…
What are some Things you Should Know?
What are you Asking Yourself Right Now About Your Decision to Give Boxing a Try?
I can speak from experience on this, as I am currently a beginner boxer myself. I will give you tips based on what I know and what I learned from my trainers at my local boxing club.
When you’re a beginner boxer like me, there are multiple things you have to consider:
- Is Boxing right for me?
- What is good Boxing technique?
- How do I keep myself hydrated?
- Protect your hands
- Tighten up your stomach!
- Breathe!
- Know the basic stance
- Be better than you were the day before
- Ask questions, learn as much as you can
Ask Yourself, is Boxing Right for Me?
Boxing is a very physically demanding sport that requires the use of not just your body, but also your mind. Boxing is not for everybody. If you are willing to work hard and enjoy yourself at the same time, then boxing is for you.
Stay Hydrated
In my experience boxing, you are going to be moving around. Very fast. A lot. You’re basically getting a workout in and of itself. In the form of total body and cardio. So you’re going to need to drink lots of water. Keep a water jug handy at all times. If you don’t have a water jug, utilize the drinking fountain as much as possible.
You can have water, Gatorade, Powerade, or any other kind of sports drink with you to stay hydrated. Although I would recommend water be your go-to fluid to stay hydrated.
Form/Technique is Everything
Like all exercises you do in the gym, maintaining proper form in boxing is a must. Boxing doesn’t mean just go up to a guy and throw a haymaker to knock them out. You need to get in your stance and stay there every time you punch the bag or your trainer’s punch mitts. Remember to watch the extension of your arms when you punch. If you don’t control it, you will throw your arm out and injure yourself.
When punching with your rear hand, remember to turn your body and pivot your rear foot to where they are facing forward, towards your target. You can read more about my tips on different punches here: What are the Different Punches in Boxing?
Protect your Hands
Because your hands will take the most amount of contact with brute force, they will require protection. So before you slip your hands in your gloves, you need to wrap your hands first. I wrote a tutorial blog post on how to wrap your hands for boxing, you can find it here: How to Wrap Your Hands for Boxing
The wraps are there to provide padded protection to your knuckles and to keep your wrist secure under your gloves. My trainer told me there was once a guy who was boxing without wraps under his gloves and his hands turned purple afterwards. And there was one time when I threw a punch at a punching bag without wraps and I sprained my wrist because my punch was off the mark. So you have to protect your hands at all times.
Don’t Forget about that Stomach!
One of the most important things to remember about training as a boxer is you have to keep your stomach tight at all times. Doing so will keep you stable and will give you more control when you’re punching. If your stomach is not tight, your back will start to overcompensate and you will experience pain.
I used to feel that a lot when I was younger because I didn’t know how to engage my core and tighten my stomach. But once you find where the muscle is in your body and you learn how to engage it, it will get much easier for you.
Remember to Breathe!
It is super important that you control your breathing while training at a high intensity like boxing, just like you would with other forms of exercise. It is still taking me time to master this, but I do know that your stamina will increase the more you do it.
Breathing is super important because if you don’t breathe properly or don’t breathe at all, you will start to get tired and start using more momentum, and you will be gasping for air quickly. (I still struggle with this myself, but I am not giving up on it!) So you have to remember to breathe.
Stance
A boxing stance isn’t just having your hands in front of your face, there is more to a proper boxing stance.
- Keep your body at a 45 degree angle towards the side of your dominant hand
- Align your lead toes with your rear heel
- Set your feet to slightly wider than shoulder width apart, at the same 45 degree angle as your body
- Knees slightly bent, but don’t lock them
- Weight on the balls of your feet (this will make it easier for you to move quickly)
- Hands up at all times, with your dominant hand in the rear
- Tighten up that stomach!
- Maintain eye contact with your target
Make Today’s Best Tomorrow’s Worst
This is a phrase I was told in high school. I think it is a superb phrase to keep in mind if your goal is to get better every single day. If boxing is something you are really passionate about and it’s something you really want to do, living by this philosophy will develop a relentless work ethic that can be the difference maker between a beginner and a champion.
There is Always More to Learn
There might come a time when you think you learned everything there is to know about the sport of boxing, to where there will be nothing left to learn. I assure you, regardless of your level of experience in boxing, you will always be learning new things. From new moves, new combos, new mindsets of new opponents, and more. Even my trainers and leaders have told me that they have been doing what they do for years and they are still learning a lot to this day.
Stay Positive!
It is always important that you maintain a positive mindset. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, we humans make them. If you end up making mistakes like you try to punch your target and you miss, or if you end up getting punched by your opponent, don’t beat yourself up over it. Just brush it off like it never happened, focus on your next move, and move on.
Closing Words
That’s about all the tips I have for you today. Again, I am not an expert by any means. I am a beginner who is on a fitness journey, and I am telling you what I know and what I was taught by my trainers. So I am speaking one beginner to another. If you have any other boxing tips for beginners, drop them below! I’m always open to learning more about the fundamentals of boxing! Happy training!