Hello Warriors! One question I asked myself growing up was, can boxing teach self-defense, or is it all about attacking? And I see that it is a common question among others.
Boxing can indeed teach self-defense, as some of the most important things the sport teaches are speed and reflexes. You’re basically playing a game of keep-away with your opponent, and your hands are always up protecting yourself in some way or another. Other components come into play as well, most notably movement of your head, body, and feet. If you can use all 3 together, your opponent will have a hard time punching you.
I’m still a beginner learning a lot about boxing, so I am not an expert. I’m telling you what I learned. Read on to learn more!
Situations Outside the Ring
Boxing can help your self-defense in situations outside of boxing, like if you’re out for a walk and suddenly a stranger challenges you to a fight and there’s no way out of it. You don’t really have to fight back and knock him out. However, you do need to protect yourself so that he doesn’t knock you out. According to Is Boxing Good for Self-Defense? by the Train to Fight Back blog shows a video on how movement of the head can help you not get punched. Here is the video: How To Win A Street Fight With Head Movement, Learn Simple (But Awesome) Street Fighting Techniques
According to the Train to Fight Back blog, knocking out an attacker with one punch can be useful to help you escape a street fight. They also say that boxing is faster, more accurate, and more powerful than other martial arts. I agree with this claim, since I have gotten an amazing experience out of training as a boxer. A better experience than I got out of Taekwondo.
The Is Boxing Good for Self-Defense? Boxing for Real-Life Combats by the Fight Gear Guide blog has some pointers on the pros and cons about the self-defense you can get out of boxing. According to the blog, boxers do get trained with moves that help in real-life fights. Boxers have to know the basic defensive moves, like dodging, weaving, and blocking. Knowing these defensive moves will be the difference between a black eye or being unscathed.
If you’re faced with multiple attackers, delivering a knockdown punch is the best way to go. If you anticipate the situation like that, chances of you escaping the fight unharmed will increase.
Setbacks
The Fight Gear Guide blog continues with some of the negative sides of boxing and self-defense. There are no takedowns in boxing. So if your attacker is skilled in takedowns, do everything you can to stay standing. Also clinch fighting is another weakness to even the most advanced fighters. So you want to try to keep your distance from your attacker as much as possible.
You don’t have time to gear up for a fight in the street. You won’t have time to wrap your hands, slip your gloves on, and stick your mouthpiece in your mouth. In a street fight, your fists, face, and every other part of your body is completely unprotected. So if you’re somehow stuck in a street fight with no protective gear and you’re a novice fighter, you could get seriously hurt.
Other Things to Consider
According to Is Boxing Good for Self-Defense? The Ultimate Answers by the MMA Channel, it talks about some other things to consider about using boxing for self-defense purposes. One of them is blocking strikes from your attacker. Blocking is a common defensive technique used in boxing to keep your opponent from punching you. It is super important in boxing to keep your hands up at all times to protect your face and body. Otherwise, you’re going to get hit.
According to the MMA Channel blog, flexing and engaging your muscles will help protect your bones and your organs from damage. It is also recommended that you stay light on your feet, as if you’re standing on your tippy-toes. This will make you faster and more agile, and your attacker will have a hard time landing punches on you.
Another big thing that MMA Channel says is that boxing teaches you to become disciplined. And to not go looking for a fight. A friend of mine told me that it is never a good idea to pick fights. It is simply a waste of time and energy. It’s not worth it. Now, if a stranger picks a fight with you and there’s no way out, that’s another story.
One thing I’ve mentioned before on my blog is that boxing is a mental game. You’re trying to know your opponent better than he knows himself, so to speak. In other words, you’re trying to guess your opponent’s next move before he can execute it onto you.
My Experience
In my experience at Title Boxing, I feel that I am indeed learning to improve my self-defense to a higher degree than what I did when I was doing Taekwondo. Especially considering that boxing is more physically demanding than Taekwondo, and it’s not even close. I feel a lot stronger and more confident than when I did as a teenager. No question about it.
With all the different moves and techniques I’m learning in my experience boxing, I feel much more confident and disciplined. And I’m not the kind of person who would go around the streets going, “let’s go smear some geeks!” That’s not me. I’m too mature for that nonsense. However, if I find myself in a worst case scenario like I talked about earlier, I feel more prepared.
Closing Words
So the answer to the big question, can boxing be good for self-defense? The answer is yes. It is one of the key techniques you will be taught if you are training for the first time. In boxing, self-defense is, in my opinion, more important than attacking and unleashing all your power. What are your opinions on this topic? Do you know of any other self-defense techniques that you can learn from boxing? Drop what you think in the comments! I’d love to hear your input! Let’s do this together!