Hello all,
I started to train boxing about 2 months ago, and just for the fun of it, I thought I'd write down my experience, some thoughts/impressions and questions. Maybe other people who are thinking about starting will find it motivating and enlightening, and of course, if someone could help me answer the questions I would be very happy. (for the questions, please skip ahead to the end)
First a bit of background. I'm having a delayed 30 years crisis and that is why I started. I'm actually closer to 31, but better a late 30-year crisis than none at all. As for sports I did train judo and taijutsu for 5 years up until I was 18, so I have some background in a martial arts. Then I had 12 years of inactivity which I blame on work and college (I know, shame on me). But now I'm finally doing something about it, so that's good!
So here starts the story.
I've been thinking about training boxing on and off for years, and seeing friends around me becoming fatter and fatter, I decided that I did not like that fate. So battling my prejudice about only tough killers going to boxing gyms, I finally decided to go to my first class. The result was that I almost died, because I couldn't breath at the end of the session. The result was almost the same for sessions 2 and 3, and then things started to improve a bit. Around class 8 I am still out of breath, but at least I don't feel like dying any more.
What can I say?
I discovered that pretty much all boxers, although some look pretty scary, are actually very nice and helpful people! =) If I ask about something, most people seem to be happy to show me how I should do it and give me a bit of advice.
As for the training, compared with my martial arts background, is much more informal and (misunderstand me correctly) less serious. With that I mean that people encourage each other and can have a laugh in an informal atmosphere, and the training I did a decade ago, was much more formal, and there was an almost awkward sense of respect. I also like that we train with music in the background as it helps with the energy. What was also a positive thing for me, was that we almost instantly started with some very light and controlled sparring. A decade ago judo did include sparring, but only after you learned the basics. I guess this varies depending on where you train, but I definitely enjoy and learn better, when I can try out what I learn on a live target.
Another difference was mobility. In one of my martial arts, you had almost 75% of your weight on your rear foot, and I didn't realize it, but it had become a habit. So during my boxing sesions, one frequent complaint from my trainer is that I am standing too much to one side. This makes it difficult to move to the left. After a couple of sessions I finally on and off, started to stand in a more square stance, and suddenly my mobility in all directions really improve. It sounds so obvious when you say it, but the power of habit is strong!
What also surprised me is that there is no skipping. Our training is basically punching the heavy bag, _very light_ sparring, calisthenics, some endurance exercises (arms, stomach and legs), and learning the punches, punching each others gloves. Maybe skipping will come later?
Another worry I had was being punched in the head. It's happened twice and I did have a slight head ache after it happened, but I think it is not as serious as I thought it was. The reason is that today, I also had a light head ache, and all we did was a very intense punching session. My theory, is that I tense my shoulders and neck muscles while punching, and this gives me a tension head ache. When I think back about when I was punched in the head, I think I felt it was worse, than it was, and therefore I quickly tensed my shoulders and neck when I got hit, and that's why I had a head ache. Let's see if it gets better as I learn to relax. That reminds me of when I was training Judo. If you fall and you don't relax and go with the flow, it will hurt more, than if you relax while someone throwing you.
Finally I had a brief talk with the coach about at least trying one real amateur bout in my life, and he seemed to think that it was an excellent idea, and that many people just train for the fitness aspect and never try to compete. According to him you learn a lot by trying at least once and it seemed like he would be happy to see me try. So after my basics are good, I think I'll discuss it with him to see how much time and training I would have to go through, before it would be safe for me to try.
So that's it. I'm happy I found the strength of will and battled my prejudice to go to the gym. After my first 8 classes, I'm having a lot of fun and I feel like I get a good workout as well. And all this at a fraction of the cost of a gym membership in the fancy gyms in town.
Now for the questions!
It seems to me, that one of the most important things to learn, is how to relax. How important is strength training? Based on my workouts, it seems like endurance is more important than pure strength. And also, that learning to move efficiently and in a relaxed way (to conserve energy) is of great importance. Do you have any advice on how to "save energy" when punching/moving around?
Punching, how much force/impact does better technique add to a punch, and how much does strength add? From a competition point of view, wouldn't it make sense to focus on technique instead of super hard punches, and let the hard punches come when they come?
When do I need hand wraps? I bought a pair of gloves, and except from two small bruises on my pinkie fingers which seems to be related to the gloves being new rather than hard punches, I haven't experienced any "damage" to my hands (yet) without wraps. I tape my pinkie fingers and it seems to work out for now.
We do no skipping. Is this a serious error in the beginning, or would you suggest that I add it in my spare time once I have the basics down?
Head aches? Are they common in the beginning when you "tense up" before receiving a punch? How can I train away the reflex of tensing up when a punch is flying at my face?
Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the post. And for anyone who is considering starting boxing, I really recommend it. Try it atleast once! =)
Best regards,
Dan
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