Boxing is one of the best martial arts worldwide. Not only does it teach effective fighting techniques, primarily boxing, but it also provides countless mental and physical benefits. These can be highly beneficial to your self-improvement in life.
The primary tip I can give you to progress faster as a novice boxer—is to keep training. Likewise, it’ll be best if you don’t obsess over progressing and learning—as it may cause negative mental symptoms, such as comparing yourself to everyone.
The following list is the tips that’ll make you a better boxer. We’ll discuss them in-depth in this article, so make to sure read along.
- Believe in boxing, know that it can change your life
- Perfect the basic punches (Jab, hook, straight punch)
- Remain humble, a life-long student
- Have a growth mindset
- Don’t be afraid of sparring
- Set up your punches with intention
- Notice the smallest changes in yourself
- Define long and short-term goals
- Keep your guard up
- Appreciate yourself for all the hard work
- Know the mental and physical benefits of boxing
- Work on your defense more often
- Create more force through footwork and weight shifting
- Results will inevitably come if you stay consistent
- Have a purpose
If you want to improve as a beginner, you’ll be surprised that most of your work is on your mindset, not on the training itself.
This article includes both technical and mindset tips. As a result, you’ll be able to enjoy both worlds without prioritizing one or the other.
What most people don’t understand is that the mental and the physical are inner-connected. When one improves, so does the other. For instance, when you love yourself and have a higher self-esteem, you’re more likely to invest time into exercising.
The opposite applies as well; if you constantly involve yourself in physical exercise, your mental side is more likely to grow. You’ll appreciate your hard work you’re putting into yourself. And, as a result, you’re more likely to improve in both aspects.
Before we dive into the tips themselves, I want to encourage you to read more about the true cost of boxing classes. If you want to start training in martial arts, I recommend reading this article.
#15 – Believe in boxing, know that it can change your life
When you’re first starting to box, you’ll notice you’re more excited than ever to start your training. That’s what I like to call: beginner’s motivation. However, as we all have experienced at some point in our lives, motivation fades—and quickly.
But, if you believe in the change it can bring to your personal life, you’ll be much more likely to continue training, even when it’s difficult.
Inevitably, hard times will come. That’s when you’re most likely to give up this endeavor. Frankly, it’s the same in every area of life. You’re most excited at first, but then, it all seems to fade. That’s when most people quit.
Know that boxing can change your life. It’ll improve both your physical and mental selves—by pushing your boundaries time and time again. As a result, you’ll begin to notice how different you get. Personally, I can’t imagine myself without martial arts.
Read more about the mental benefits of boxing—by following the link to an article of mine on the topic.
#14 – Perfect the basic punches (Jab, hook, straight punch)
Before moving to the more advanced techniques and combinations, you must perfect the basic punches. Many novice boxers move on to the more advanced parts of training without even learning the strikes.
This will cause issues in the future. Such issues may be that your ability to execute various combinations—will be lower than the average. And, because of that, you may find yourself lacking once you’re advanced.
As a result, it’ll be best if you invest more time on the basic techniques instead of on moving the more complex ones
#13 – Remain humble, a life-long student
Our egos can really get out of control. In fact, they’re capable of taking control over our minds to the point that we think there’s nothing else to learn. That’s a false premise, however.
We can always learn and progress more. Especially in the art of boxing, where the knowledge is infinite, there’s no such thing as mastering the art. You’ll never throw 10 perfect punches in a row. And, until reaching that point, there’s no point in leaving your role as a student.
If you want to constantly progress in your boxing journey, you must accept the fact that you’ll always be a student. Indeed, a life-long student. Even the greatest masters in any martial arts know that for a fact. They’re always on the hunt for new knowledge. Likewise, they always seem to find it.
But, if you let your ego take control, you’ll remain stuck in the same dark place. That place is what you want to avoid. Staying in the same place—should be your worst nightmare. So, keep your head down and keep learning.
If you want to learn why boxing is one of the most dangerous sports, be sure to follow the link to learn why.
#12 – Have a growth mindset
The next tip is a mindset tip. To see success with it, you must be willing to change. You must be willing to have your entire view of the world change constantly.
We see the world through lenses we created. As a result, we think we know everything until that layer of glass shatters. Only then will we see the world differently.
For those unwilling to change, they switch their layer of glass with concrete. As a result, breaking through it—becomes impossible.
Nonetheless, if you’re willing to change, you’ll do anything to improve both your mental and physical selves. Thus, it won’t be difficult to have a growth mindset, which advises on having the willingness and courage to change.
If you’re not actively seeking to improve, you simply won’t. That is the way it works. However, you can adopt a growth mindset, constantly helping you to seek new ways to grow. Additionally, it’ll force you to adopt a new set of glasses to view the world differently.
Don’t get fixated on the unimportant. Contrary to what most people believe, growing and improving—can be more enjoyable than staying in the comfort zone.
#11 – Don’t be afraid of sparring
Novice boxers often look at sparring the same way a child looks at a spider. They think it’s the end of the world. However, you must always seek to view the world beneficially.
When you wear your optimistic glasses, you’ll understand that there’s so much to take from sparring. It’s the perfect platform to ensure you step out of your comfort zone. How scary it is to fight against another person. So, you’re not just fighting against an object—but against another human being.
That’s why novice boxers avoid sparring at all costs. They’ll make excuses on why they can’t spar. However, deep down, they’re scared of what can happen.
Those who look at their fear directly in their eyes—are also those who gain the most from their training. They progress the most because they realize the benefits and results that may or may not come from sparring.
When you win your first fight, you’ll be so happy and fulfilled. Then, you’ll be extremely confident to tackle everyday life. You’ll feel much more capable and confident in yourself – that’s all because you sparred the other day.
If you want to know what the benefits of boxing are, ensure to follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
#10 – Set up your punches with intention
The next tip is to be as deliberate as possible with your strikes. What you may not currently do—is want to cause massive damage. You may have never fought against another person, and let’s hope that stays the same.
Nonetheless, when you’re truly worried about yourself, you’ll be completely brutal when it comes to throwing hits. You’ll be going full force, 100%. That’s what you should also do in the training.
I know that it’s a safe environment. And still, when the time to hit a punching bag comes, don’t slack off in hopes for a less sweaty future. You’ll sweat no matter what; so it’ll be better if you’re also fulfilled and proud of yourself at the end of the workout, too.
When you set up your punches with intention, you’ll be generating more force than ever. As a result, you’ll work on your technique effectively—while also learning your true physical and mental limits.
If you want to learn more about how to increase your punching power, ensure to follow the link to an article of mine explaining how you can do so.
#9 – Notice the smallest changes in yourself
At first, you’ll start to train and invest plenty of effort. As previously discussed, you’ll also be excited and eager to the following workout. That feeling will fade, tho.
I’ve had the honor to have my first Muay-Thai lesson today. I can tell you how excited I am for the next workout that I’ll do. With time, however, I’m confident that everything I’ll be left with—is my will power to stay as consistent and dedicated as possible.
When you notice the smallest results, even learning a new technique, you’ll be grateful for the progress that you’ve made. That will release some happy hormones straight to your mind. These hormones, including dopamine and endorphin, will be key to staying consistent.
If you work on your mental health outside training, you’ll notice these happy feelings in a more direct way. As a result, it’s much more likely you’ll keep up with the training schedule.
This is all it takes to stay consistent, appreciating the little changes you find in yourself.
#8 – Define long and short-term goals
If you have just started training, find what excites you. That can be anything from learning to fight to losing weight. As long as you begin obsessing over your goals, you’ll be improving rapidly.
Setting goals—is an act most don’t do in any area in their lives. They simply slack and follow the natural flow of life. However, why do that if you can set up your future self for success.
Wherever you want to go, you’ll be heading. However, when you don’t even know the destination, how can you expect your body to follow? Frankly, you really can’t.
Set up short and long-term goals. That will also help you in finding your purpose, which we’ll discuss in the upcoming sections. While you’ll start obsessing over your long-term goal, or your purpose, you’ll be getting hits of happy hormones from when you achieve your short term pursuits.
If you want to some ideas for boxing long-term goals, be sure to follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
#7 – Keep your guard up
The next tip will discuss a technical aspect in boxing. Following it—will bring you more control in your fighting life, as unexpected as it may be.
Keeping your guard up, especially in the beginning, will prevent you from getting hit in the face over and over again. That’s why you see elite fighters constantly ensuring their faces are secured. And still, you’ll also some boxers not having their guard up; they do that because they’re confident in their abilities and reaction time.
Some of the boxers that don’t follow this principle—use different techniques that are designed to not have your guard up. One of them is the Philly shell, which is known as the stance Floyd Mayweather uses.
Keeping your guard up also prevents you from getting sucked into offense. You’ll be constantly looking to defend yourself, inevitably increasing your defense.
Overall, there’s no losing from making it a habit you know you’re capable of doing. As a result, there’s no better way to ensure you keep the most beautiful part about yourself safe and clean.
Learn more about whether boxing is a safe martial art—by following the link.
#6 – Appreciate yourself for all the hard work
Today, most people’s self-esteem—is on the ropes, literally. They think that the world keeps judging them and criticizing them. However, the majority of people think about themselves before others. So, they don’t even care about you.
However, once you appreciate yourself for all the hard work you have put into your boxing training, you’ll slowly make being grateful a habit. Being grateful is one of the key aspects to having a solid foundation for your mental health journey.
Improving your mental health takes deliberate work and practice. In some days, you’ll be wondering how people can even like you. In other, nevertheless, you’ll be on the top of the world.
Appreciating the effort that you have put into your boxing journey, will only better your grasp in your mental health journey. As a result, making a habit out of being grateful—is something I would recommend to any boxer.
#5 – Know the mental and physical benefits of boxing
Knowing what to expect from training—will help you stay more consistent. That said, obsessing over the results—will have the opposite desired effect. Of course, obsessing over achieving your purpose, which can be anything from learning to fight to losing weight to improving your mental health, is healthy.
In your boxing journey, you’ll be improving both your mental and physical selves. If you know what’s coming your way, you’ll never want to not attend boxing training. In fact, you’ll be as eager as you first start to stay as consistent as possible with your training routine.
Here are some examples of potential benefits you may experience if you remain consistent with your routine:
- Better physical shape
- Improved endurance
- Less body fat
- Increased muscle mass
- Overall better mood
- Lower aggression and violence levels
- Reduced stress
- Improved confidence
- Having a more attractive body
- Respecting yourself
- Loving yourself
- Appreciating yourself
- Learning self-defense
- Knowing how to fight brutally
This extended list are benefits that immediately came into my mind. I’ve been writing about boxing for such a long time now that I remember all the crucial benefits by heart.
However, I likely have missed countless other results that may attract you more than others. This list are the benefits that have attracted me, as these are what have helped me improve and change as a person.
But, while research into the benefits of boxing is still in its infancy, current findings are beginning to show that this popular stress-relieving activity can improve your strength, speed, coordination, and aerobic capacity, and pay dividends for your mental well-being and confidence, too.
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If you want to learn more about the benefits of martial arts, as a general group, follow the link to where I dive into greater detail than in here.
#4 – Work on your defense more often
Offense is cool. Punching is fun. To an outsider, there is nothing enjoyable in learning how to receive a punch. However, for those wanting to improve faster than their boxing peers, working on your defensive game more often—is key.
Even if you’re the best boxer ever, you’ll be getting hit in the face countless times. In fact, you’ll be receiving more punches the better you become, as you’ll begin facing more experienced boxers. That’s even more accurate in competition, where other boxers give it their best.
While working on your defense may be boring, especially to an outsider looking, such endeavors are crucial to your overall improvement. Such defensive means can be anything from footwork, head movements, and even blocks. As long as you learn how to receive a punch, you’ll be solid.
Some head movements you may want to consider learning are the following:
- Slip & Pull
- Duck
- Pull back
- Slip & Counter
These are some of the primary ones that may make you an overall better boxer. These are especially crucial in competitions and in real self-defense situations. If you can throw a fierce punch but can’t get punched, you have done nothing by learning boxing.
#3 – Create more force through footwork and weight shifting
This tip closely correlates to the previous one. If you want to throw much more powerful punches while bettering your defensive game, ensure you learn footwork and weight shifting. These will help you both in your offense and defensive game.
Imagine throwing a punch without intently wanting to cause as much damage as possible. That’ll be odd, especially in a spar/competition/self-defense scenario. Because of that, in the training itself, work on shifting your weight in such a way that’ll generate more momentum when throwing a punch.
This can be an act of moving a slight portion of your weight to the front leg. As a result, your hips will move a bit and generate more force to the punch itself. So, you have just increased the force of your punches by plenty.
Of course, footwork is also a key component in increasing your punching power and defensive game. As long as you keep that in mind during training, you’ll notice how your mindset begins to change and start to focus on some of these minor improvements.
Eventually, they add up and become extremely beneficial. It’s not uncommon to see boxers improve their punching power by a long-shot just from these acts alone.
#2 – Results will inevitably come if you stay consistent
This may the most crucial tip. This, surprisingly, isn’t as much about technical skills but about your mindset.
To put it simply, you must believe in yourself and in your ability to generate positive outcomes. If you don’t, your mind will subconsciously act against you.
Nonetheless, if you have trust in your abilities to see positive results from consistent and dedicated boxing training, you’re much more likely to experience said results.
Eventually, this is all it takes to see true success in life. You must act against your natural instincts of putting yourself down. Today, most people have the urge of keeping themselves in their comfort zones, as they don’t want to experience rejection or discomfort.
But this is where you grow, exclusively. You grow outside your comfort zone. So, stop wasting your precious thoughts on thinking you’re not good enough. Instead, began to praise and putting more trust in yourself and your ability to handle your current self.
#1 – Have a purpose
Having a purpose is the first step you must take to achieve great feats in your life. If you don’t have one, you also won’t have a reason to wake up early in the morning to box. Do you think it’s different from all other areas in your life? It really is not.
In boxing, a purpose is essentially a long-term goal. This goal will be your guiding light in an extremely distracted world. Every time you’ll think of bailing on your boxing training, you’ll end up thinking about what you’ll be missing.
This long-term goal can be countless things. Here are some examples right from the top of my head:
- Losing weight
- Gaining muscle
- Increasing confidence
- Loving yourself
- Learning to fight
- Knowing self-defense
- Becoming a professional boxer
- Bettering your self-esteem
- Reducing stress and aggression levels
As you can see, the list is plenty and goes even longer. However, don’t be overwhelmed by the many options in front of you.
Take some undistracted time and think about your future self. How would you want your future self to be? Would you want to be more focused and mindful? Or would you want to have the perfect body? That is, of course, up to you to decide.
Having a solid purpose you obsess about will help you wake up early in the morning specifically to train. Therefore, it’ll help you progress and keep up with your training for extended periods.
If you want to learn more about the mental benefits of boxing, hold up! I wrote an entire article on that topic, and I encourage you to check it out.
Final words
Boxing is one of the best martial arts worldwide. As a result, more and more people begin training in it, as it teaches practical fighting techniques, primarily punching.
However, it does something greater than that, it improves its trainees’ physical and mental health. Thus, it’s more than just valuable or beneficial to train in it. In fact, you can improve yourself so drastically that you won’t recognize yourself in a few months from now.
It’s your time to control over your future. Future you wants you to put all that hard work into training and bettering yourself. Although, you must be willing to step out of your comfort zone and change your self and your habits.
You’d even have to change the way you view the world. That is something many people will never do in their entire lifetimes.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you’ll also enjoy reading about the reasons why boxing is dangerous.