total beginner

[mattko]

hi im matt
im very interested in starting to learn boxing but not really sure where to begin
im of average fitness so i know i need to start and run alot is there any other exercises i can do to help gain fitness and stamina, also what if any supplements can i take eg creatine or protein drinks.
i have a 90pound bag to hit but this hurt my wrists the first time i hit it so is there any exercise i can do to strengthen my wrists
sorry about all the daft questions that you have prob answered a million times but hey everyone gotta start somewhere

thanks
matt

[satori]

hey! yeah welcome to the forum! i dunno much :P and most of the stuff i learned is from this site but the best thing u could do is find urself a boxing gym. they'll teach u how to punch proper and stuff and with ur hands hurtin its ok ur hands just arnt used to it. if u look through the previous pages ul find people asking the samew questions ul proberbly find teh same answers im giving u :Pand yeah if u look back theres a lot of great stuff i look back through teh old posts al the time ist good and congrats on startin!

satori

[athlete.not.fighter]

i don't know if you have wraps but they provide the support you need. if you don't have some you can get them at most sporting goods stores i think. you can even get them at a super wal-mart. they're about $4. don't worry if you don't know how to wrap them because i think there's a description on this site and i think there's directions in the package. if you keep hitting the bag you'll learn to stabalize your wrists and i guess they get stronger. just in the begining don't go nuts and hurt them. i did, not seriously though, i think everyone does cause they're excited.
also, about conditioning, you might want to skip some rope. you can get a speed rope (which just means it's made of plastic so it goes faster) at wal-mart. i think they're $6. so together that makes $10. not bad. just don't get frustrated. it gets to be fun and kinda relaxing the better you get at it. there's a good description of rope-skipping workouts at prcticalfightingconcepts.com.
i wouldn't worry about suppliments, but i am not very knowlegable on suppliments so that's just me. i used to take protein and amino acid chains and it really helped with my recovery time but i don't think it was worth the money. i didn't buy any again so that speaks for itself.
i think the best place to start if you have the money is with someone who knows what they're doing and can show you, like a trainer. but if you don't have the money there's nothing wrong with teaching yourself. go to the library or a used book store and find a book on boxing techs. then practice them and ask these guys questions as they pop up because they're always happy to answer mine. but then go back and read them again because there always seems to be details you'll miss. at least that's how it is for me; this is how i taught myself to box. well mostly, i went to a kickboxing jiu jitsu gym every once in a while and learned something everytime i went. but mostly from books and sites like this one. but again if you have the money i think the best place to start would be with a trainer. some of the guys on this site were talking about a site called rossboxing.com i think. i liked some of the workouts he had so that may be a good source for you.
also about your wrists, try tightening your fists. it may help them to keep from buckling.
i hope that helps and i hope i didn't tell you anything you knew already. if i did sorry about that.

[mattko]

thanks for the help guys I'm taking it all on board . Ive got wraps and a speed rope now so hopefully ill get a bit quicker at the rope and just keep hittin that bag
cheers
Matt

[Von Milash]

The great thing about boxing gyms is that you can go every day for as long as you want (vs once/week for most martial arts classes) and if the guys are good to the kids like they are at my gym, they'll work with you on something new every time you go.

I don't think there's any true way to hit a heavy bag. You just hit it. I've seen some guys hammer it and some guys work on form and footwork. And like ANF said, get handwraps to protect yourself and some bag gloves to soften the blows. After that, work drills slowly at first to develop feeling and work from there.

[athlete.not.fighter]

i was just reading all of lightweight's saying that nobody here knows what they're talking about and i can't say i know a lot but i guess i know what i know. so, i just wanted to clarify that you buy 108 inch wraps at wal-mart. boxers actually use the extra long mexican style wraps. i guess you get those at boxing gyms, online, and i saw those in a dicks once. me and my sparring buddies mostly use those free fingered 4oz gloves and it really isn't feesable to fit 180 inches or what ever it is into them. so sorry about that. i just wanted to make sure i don't look like an idiot.