Beginners Guide to Boxing (Fully Explained)
Let’s assume you have made a decision to enroll in boxing, one of the most popular combat sports in the world. But making such a decision opens another series of questions: What gear do you need to buy? How to find the right boxing school? What do the boxing classes look like?
In this article, we will bring you a detailed step-by-step guide to your beginning journey in boxing. You will discover all the answers related to what you need to start out. From training structure, the gear you need to buy, and finding a good gym, this article includes it all.
Without further ado, let’s dive right into it.
A brief history of boxing
Boxing falls into the group of one of the oldest sports in general. Its earliest origins go all the way back to Ancient Egypt, 3,000 years ago. Scientists have discovered many cage drawings showing two people “fighting” with their hands wrapped. However, boxing became an official sport in Ancient Greece. It debuted at the famous 23rd Olympian hosted in 688 BC, and it has been a part of the games ever since.
Over the centuries, the sport and rules of boxing would go through a lot of changes. This was up until the modern form emerged in the 19th century. In 1889, John Chambers created the famous “Queensberry” set of rules to standardize boxing as a sport. And the majority of these rules are still in place today.
In modern times, boxing remains the most popular combat sport in the world. It reached mainstream levels a long time ago and offers a lot of opportunities in terms of becoming a global star, earning money, and building a legacy.
Who should train in Boxing?
Boxing does not recognize any age, gender, racial, or other differences. It is great for people who want to develop advanced striking and self-defense skills and get in shape. It is also a sport where you can grow a career, earn a lot of money, become famous, win world titles, etc.
But what makes boxing so popular around the world is its simplicity and the fact that everyone can learn it.
Boxing as a system revolves around 5 different types of punches. The key is to learn how to mix those to create combos and combine combos with footwork and upper body movements. Regardless of talent or fitness level, you won’t have a hard time learning the basics, and people rarely get stuck on their journey.
Though “simple” compared to other martial arts, do not underestimate the power of boxing. It is often seen as one of the most effective systems for self-defense and real fighting.
Overall, boxing is an adaptable martial art. Some people train for fitness and to get in shape, while some want to achieve a high level of self-defense abilities, or maybe compete and pursue a career. It all comes down to your personal preferences and what you want to achieve.
How to find the right boxing gym?
Boxing is among the most popular martial arts, well spread all across the world. In fact, every town has at least one boxing school, so finding one to train in should not be a hard task. However, finding a good one is a tough challenge as not all schools will teach you the proper skills.
First, find all the boxing gyms in your area. Based on your location, there could be just one, or dozens of gyms. Check the reviews online and search for some testimonials. Next, see if some of your friends have trained there or know someone who did, and ask them to provide you with some insight information. A word to mouth marketing is crucial in martial arts.
Next, make a short list of 2 or 3 gyms you think are worth the try. Most modern schools include a trial class, so be sure to use this feature to experience the gym in person. Use the trial class to see if the gym has the right equipment, and check the quality of coaching staff, hygiene, and other things.
Once you feel confident you have found the right one, sign the paper and you are ready to go.
Preparing for your first boxing class
The day has come, and you finally need to prepare for your first boxing class. First, don’t be anxious. This moment might be special to you, but in the eyes of the coaches, you are just a regular newcomer, not a Mike Tyson walking through the doors.
Here is how you prepare for your first boxing class:
Sportswear
Boxing is a cardio-intense activity and you will sweat like crazy. So be sure to bring sports shorts and a shirt made out of materials such as 100% polyester that will keep your skin dry during the workout. These shirts cost a bit more than a regular cotton shirt but are worth the price. In some schools, students train barefoot, but there are the ones in which you must wear a pair of clean sneakers.
Have your last meal at least 3 hours before training
The last thing you need is to eat a lot of heavy food an hour before a boxing training session. We don’t even want to mention how badly that’s going to end up. Instead, have your last meal at least 2–3 hours before training, depending on which food you take and how big the portion is.
Show up 10 minutes earlier
As a newcomer, you don’t want to be late or show up just on time. No, show up at least 10 minutes ahead of training, so that you can small talk with your instructor.
They might give you some final information about the training, what the class is going to be like, and some other valuable info. This also indicates you are a disciplined person, and serious about your journey.
Water or other sports drink
Boxing is an intense workout where you will lose a lot of water through sweat. Drinking enough water before, and during the training session cools down the body, and prevents dehydration. Next, always focus on drinking a lot of water after each session as this helps the body recover in a more efficient way.
Boxing training For Beginners
Boxing training is adapted to each age group and level of experience. However, training is intense at all levels and will push your mind and body over the limits in each class.
This is notably true for beginners who are out of shape and might have a hard time keeping up with the classes. But do not give up easily. This is just a part of the learning process, and it would all become much easier once you improve your fitness after a few weeks.
Overall, training is a mix of different aerobic and anaerobic workouts. Aerobic workouts focus on the development of slow-twitch muscle fibers, the ones that consume less oxygen but do not increase muscle mass. Anaerobic focuses on fast twitch muscle fibers which build muscle mass and power but take away from endurance.
As a result, boxing training is structured as an ideal balance between aerobic and anaerobic segments. Or in other words, it focuses on functional strength. It enables you to maintain enough strength to perform at the optimum level over an extended period of time.
To achieve this, expect to do a lot of long runs and sprints, light and intense heavy bag workouts, rope jumps, and various other bodyweight workouts carried out in different ways.
What To Expect From Your First Boxing Class?
You might feel anxious, confused, and a bit ashamed if you have a hard time performing some basic techniques. But in the eyes of the instructor and other students, this is completely normal and we have all been there.
You are stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something for the first time in front of at least 20 other people in the same room. So yes, it’s normal to be anxious and you should ignore this feeling.
Just focus on listening to the instructor, and giving your best to follow the orders and perform the best you can. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone (unless you have problems with your ego), nor is anyone expecting anything from you.
Even if you feel exhausted, in pain, and maybe can’t do additional 5 push-ups, it’s alright. You gave it all and hit the breaking point, and that’s the whole point. Don’t feel ashamed because as long as you are giving it all, you are actually improving.
The class would start with a 10–15 minute warm-up session. You will do some dynamic stretching exercises, maybe some jogging around the facility, etc. The next segment is working on the heavy bag. You will do between 5 and 10 rounds, with each round being 3 minutes long. Expect to throw hundreds of punches.
However, the focus in the opening sessions is on doing it slowly, and with proper technique. The main goal is to learn the correct motion of each punching technique and stamp it into the muscle memory. The instructor will probably correct you more than a few times so be sure to keep your ego low and do not take anything personally. It’s just learning.
Surely, you won’t be swinging shots with full power, sparring, or doing other intense and dangerous workouts, that are reserved for senior students.
The last phase of the class includes some bodyweight exercises and light stretching to cool down.
Beginner Boxing Equipment
As a beginner, you should buy your own padded boxing gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguard. Most boxing schools have their own equipment such as gloves and maybe even wraps. However, these are usually soaked in sweat and you certainly don’t want to wear gear used by 20 other people.
Boxing gloves
Boxing gloves come in different sizes and finding the right one that suits your hands might be challenging. The size of the gloves ranges from 6oz all the way up to 16oz. As a beginner, you should focus on getting 16oz training gloves, because these offer the most padding protection. If you feel confident, you can also go with 12–14oz as these are also used by beginners. But 16oz is the “safest” option.
You can find a pair of branded boxing gloves for a price between $20 and $40.
Mouthguard
The mouthguard is one of the most important parts of equipment as it keeps your teeth in place. Beginners do not need to wear mouthguard until they start doing live drills and sparring sessions, which usually takes around 2–3 months of training. But be sure to always wear a mouthguard whenever you are doing anything that increases the risk of teeth damage.
It doesn’t matter if you are doing just a light live drill with your friend. Even a well-placed punch without huge power can cause damage to your teeth, dislocate or even break your jaw and cause other injuries.
There are different types of mouthguards. You can get the cheap ones in the store but these might not be a perfect fit. Or, there is a more expensive option to get a customized mouthguard at your dentist.
Handwraps
Handwraps are a crucial part of the gear responsible for protecting your hands. Punching the bag without hand wraps is dangerous and can easily result in a wrist injury.
The main purpose of the hand wraps is to keep the wrist in place and prevent any movement upon the impact. The combination of hand wraps and boxing gloves that offer extra wrist protection is the perfect combination for beginners.
Beginner Boxing Techniques
As a beginner, you will spend weeks drilling the same techniques and combinations. This can quickly become monotone, but remember, these are the crucial stages of learning. You must develop a proper boxing base and good habits before moving to advanced levels.
Following is a list of some of the key beginner boxing techniques.
Boxing stance
Learning how to stand in a proper boxing stance might seem easy when you are standing still. However, maintaining a proper stance while you are throwing punches, attacking, defending, and moving around is very hard to do. But as a beginner, just knowing how to stand in a boxing stance and throw basic combos is enough.
Tips:
- Place your lead foot in front with the toe being in the center line with the heel of the back foot. Knees should be slightly bent, feet shoulder-width apart, and back heel raised.
- Place your dominant hand in the back, lead hand in front, and elbows down to protect the body.
- The chin should be slightly down, and the eyes looking over the gloves.
Boxing footwork
Footwork is one of the most important aspects of boxing. As a beginner, you will focus on mastering the basic principles such as step-drag, and how to pivot.
This may take some time to learn and the crucial thing to remember is to always keep your feet down on the ground and to never cross your legs. There is no jumping around in boxing while you are pivoting and changing angles.
The Pivot technique is used both to avoid attacks and to create an angle and attack. The two basic pivot techniques are:
- Pivot off the front foot and let the body pivot over the back foot.
- Pivot off the back foot and let the body pivot over the front foot
- Start by practicing small pivots before increasing the angles
Step and drag is another beginner footwork technique, very simple to understand and use. If you want to move forward, step with your front leg and drag the back leg. If you want to move backward, step with your back leg and drag the front leg. Focus on maintaining a strong balance, and always end up with your feet at the same distance.
Basic punches
Boxing is a simple system as it all revolves around four different punching techniques: jab, hook, uppercut, and cross. As a beginner, you won’t have a hard time learning the correct motion of the punch. However, learning how to throw punches from a proper stance and use body rotation to generate force is a bit tricky and takes a bit of time.
Tips:
- Rotate your whole body when you are throwing a punch. The force of the punch travels all the way from the foot, rotation of the hips, arm, and fist.
- Always be in a proper stance to maintain stability and balance.
- Always bring the punching hand back to the defensive position.
- Do not drop or move away your non-punching hand. It should always stay in a defensive position protecting the chin and body.
Tips On How To Progress Faster in Boxing
Keep the ego low and embrace the struggles
Beginnings are hard, regardless of the sport. You will struggle with certain aspects of boxing, get stuck on your journey, feel beaten, and lose the motivation to train. But guess what, this is all normal. In the long run, it will only help you build strong mental resistance, confidence, and discipline.
Focus on mastering the basics
Building a strong base is the most important aspect of boxing. Having a proper base is crucial because you can’t transition to more complex levels without a good base. So whenever you get bored with repeating the same move dozens of times, remember why you are doing it in the first place. The sooner you perfect the fundamentals, the faster you will progress to the next stages of learning.
Build a strong relationship with your coach
Always listen to your instructor and give your best to what they are asking. Coaches love disciplined students who are always trying and giving their best. These students are easy to work with, and in most cases, progress faster. Showing up on time, trying your best, and asking for advice, all of this enables you to build a strong relationship with your coach in the long run.
Be consistent and dedicated
The key to succeeding, not just in boxing but in other sports as well, is consistency and dedication. If you are serious about your journey, you must show up at least 4–5 times a week, and not make any long breaks during the first 2 years of training. Taking two months off to “reset” will destroy your progress. In fact, progress is all about making small steps and you can only achieve this through dedication and consistency.
Final Thoughts
In modern times, people enroll in boxing to experience various benefits. Some train it to improve fitness, others to learn how to fight, while some people are serious and want to make a career out of it. Regardless of what your individual goals are, remember that beginnings are always hard, but at the same time, much easier if you look at all the struggles as a part of learning and growing.
Apart from teaching you how to fight and get in shape, boxing will improve your discipline, mental resistance, and confidence which will have a positive impact on your life outside the gym too.
