Hello Warriors! Welcome to another day where we talk boxing!
So you’re anxious to start boxing. Wow! New experiences! The feeling of punching something that’s standing in your way! There’s some good things about being a boxer and then there’s some bad things about being a boxer. You’re probably wondering, what are the good and bad things about boxing?
Pros of boxing include getting you in better shape, teaching you discipline, relieving stress, and enhancing your muscular endurance. Cons of boxing include pricey club memberships, putting yourself at risk of severe injury, and could promote violence if you’re not careful.
Today I will address the good, the bad and the ugly aspects I learned about boxing so that you will understand what you’re getting yourself into if you decide it is what you want to do.
Pros of Boxing
According to PROS AND CONS OF BOXING, by Literacy in Our Lives, What Are the Pros and Cons of Boxing? by Punch Prime, The Pros and Cons of Professional Boxing, by superprof, bestboxinggloves.org, and livehealthy.chron.com, some of the good things about being a boxer include:
Boxing Teaches You to Become More Disciplined. Being a boxer is no easy task. Whether you’re training to make boxing your career, or even if you’re training in boxing for fitness purposes. In my experience at my local boxing club, 1 hour of boxing training requires an insane work ethic.
You Don’t Have to KO Your Opponent. While fun to watch as a fan, it might not be the best way to go if you’re in the ring with your opponent, for safety concerns. Boxing isn’t so much about showing off your raw power. It’s a much bigger mental game than anything else. Speed and smarts play a much bigger role. Brain over brawn!
You will Reduce Your Risk of Getting Injured. Because boxing training focuses on aerobics and resistance training, it’ll get you all loosened up and ready for action. There’s a lot of stretching involved, which will make you more durable and lower your chances of injuring yourself. So be sure to stretch before your boxing workout.
Boxing can Help You Get in Better Shape. Boxing is the ultimate total body and cardio workout. 1 hour of training as a boxer is the most intense training I ever did, in my personal experience. There is a lot of resistance training, core strength exercises, as well as cardio that will make you melt faster than an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.
Boxing can Make You More Agile, and You’ll Feel Lighter on Your Feet with All the Footwork You’ll be Doing. Same goes for the defensive and evasive moves to block and dodge punches from your opponent (it’s basically a game of keep-away). Being light and agile trumps being heavy and powerful in boxing. Sure, each weight class has their own distinct advantages, but the most important aspect of boxing is being fast and smart.
Your Endurance Will be Increased and Your Reflexes will Improve, Making You More Alert. You want fast reflexes in boxing. The last thing you want is to get punched, right? In my experience with boxing training, having fast reflexes is one of the things we’re taught in our hourly sessions. The defensive and evasive maneuvers help a lot.
You will Get Better at Self-Defense, in the Ring and on the Street. There are many defensive and evasive techniques that can be learned in boxing that will help you avoid getting hit in the ring and out on the street (if worst case scenario you find yourself in said situation) To learn more about how to improve your self-defense in boxing, check out my post on boxing self-defense here: How to Improve Your Defense for Boxing – Don’t Get Hit!
Boxing can be a Really Good Way to Relieve Stress. We all deal with stress sometimes. Pulling out your boxing gloves and punching away at a punching bag is really good with getting all that energy out of your system. If you’re ever coming down with stress or something else that’s bothering you, you’ll feel much better after a good training session. A boxing workout or any workout is a good load-off.
Boxing can Boost Your Confidence. Training to be a boxer gives you a higher fighting IQ, which can be used to fend off potential attackers if you find yourself in that situation. Having a high fighting IQ makes you more confident of what you’re capable of
Cons of Boxing
There comes a downside to everything once in a while. According to the same blogs from before, some of the setbacks about being a boxer can include the following:
The Sport Could Promote Violence in Society if You’re Not Careful. While boxing is a great sport to be investing in, there’s a time and setting for it. You can’t just be out on the street picking fights with strangers just because you’re a boxer. Save it for when you’re in the ring.
You are Putting Yourself at Risk of Injury, Especially in the Ring With an Opponent. Black eyes, broken teeth, broken and fractured jaws, concussions, and brain damage are very common injuries. There’s other injuries you’re at risk of getting, like dislocated joints and swollen hands if you’re not using proper form or if you don’t have your hands wrapped.
Depending on the Severity of Said Injuries, They Could Potentially Kill You. Studies have shown that a total of 488 people have died due to related injuries in the last 50 years! While the chances of the sport killing you are slim, it could still happen. As long as you take care of yourself and be responsible with your training, you’ll be just fine.
Memberships at a Boxing Gym can be Expensive. The price of a membership at my local boxing gym is around $70 per month for 4 classes per month (once a week), as well as an entry fee of over $100. However, they do offer drop-in sessions with a $20 fee. So if a membership is too over budget for you, talk to your local boxing gym and see if they offer drop-in sessions.
Closing Words
To sum it all up, boxing can be one of the most exciting things you’ll ever do, but you must also know about the dangers so that you can do it responsibly. If you agree to the terms and conditions, so to speak, you will have a safe and fun experience punching away at a heavy bag.
If you know of any other pros and cons to boxing, drop them in the comments below! Share your experience! And LET’S GO INTO BATTLE!