THIS is the start of a series of blogs that are going to cover why you should get into boxing and how you can do it. I get loads of emails from fans often asking the same questions which boil down to: “How do I get started with boxing?” Motivations are different from person to person – some people tell me about their background being tough, being a huge fan, or wanting to lose weight.
A lot of people think they aren’t fit enough to take it up, but we all have to start somewhere and your club will be accommodating to help you get there in no time. Whatever your motivation, boxing is an incredible sport to participate in and it will change your life.
I’m going to assume if you are reading this you are interested in starting out and thinking about putting a pair of gloves for the first time. So what are the benefits of the sport they call the sweet science?
- Health and Physical Fitness. There is plenty of research out there showing healthy people live longer and have a better quality of life. Boxing is a great way to get your cardiovascular system working and get into shape and maintain it. It is a well rounded workout with variety in the activities from bag work, body weight exercises, jogging, skipping, and sparring when you feel ready.
- Skill Acquisition. The whole point of boxing is to learn a new skill. This sport is called the “sweet science” for a reason – it’s a skilful art. To an untrained observer it might just look like a fight but boxers are not just swinging for each other hoping to hurt their opponent. The best boxers learn about timing and learning their opponents style quickly in order to adapt their own offensive strategy. This sport requires plenty of movement and co-ordination. If you don’t have the best co-ordination at first that’s not a reason to be put off. You will develop those skills as you persevere and continue to train; we will cover this when we talk about ‘growth’ vs ‘fixed’ mindset in a later post.
- Psychology. Boxing is great for mental health and well being. You will start to get a boost in confidence as you start to see improvements that have come from your hard work. Many people develop a sense of humility through sparring and learning what it’s like to take an impact. Finally discipline can be developed too. Again you might not have the best discipline when you start out but if it’s something you want to develop you are on the right track.
- Social. I think this angle is often overlooked when people think about getting into boxing but it’s a highly social sport. I’ve made life long friendships through this sport and I expect you will too. Whilst it is an individual sport, if you get involved with a club it’s very much a team effort. It’s why we call ourselves “Team Machine”. On the night it’s an individual performance, however in the build up it’s a team effort. If you are out on a jog with others on the team there will be someone there who pushes you a bit more, or someone else you can help make an extra bit of effort.
If you are thinking about getting started in boxing these are some great reasons to take part. In the next blog I’m going to outline how to find a local club and what to look for. Stay tuned to this blog for all the advice you’re going to need on starting out!
