Although you’re fighting alone in the ring, boxing is a team sport. You might think to yourself, how can such an individualistic martial art be a team sport, such as basketball or soccer? Well, your crew are your teammates, including your coach, managers, agent, and medical members.
boxing without a coach is possible, since you can learn from others’ mistakes and successes and implement them into your game. However, if you desire to box professionally, you must have a coach. The benefits of having a coach by your side—are one-sided, such as not forming bad habits and having accountability.
But, not having a trainer by your side—will also mean that you’ll establish bad habits frequently. Of course, all boxers have some bad habits they’re unaware of. But, without someone looking at you from the sidelines, your chances of getting into the elite level—are tiny.
It all depends on your goals; if, for instance, you want to become an elite boxer, you must have a coach. And yea, I used the word must, deliberately. Having someone watching you from outside the ring and making sure you’re doing everything right, including eating clean and waking up early—is precious.
But, if your goal is to improve yourself to practicing martial arts, you might not need to hire a coach. That’s because you’re not trying to become an elite boxer without any flaws in his game. But rather, you’re trying to improve your mental and physical selves, which is tough, yet rewarding.
If you want to learn about the mental benefits of boxing, do follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
Can I box without a trainer?
I’d like to first mention, before answering this question, that it all depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If, for example, you want to become an elite boxer, then the answer for is distinct from that of a person who simply wants to improve himself. Let’s see whether a trainer is mandatory in the sport of boxing.
You can box without a trainer, but it’ll be impossible to reach great success without one. If you desire to become a professional boxer, you must have someone that tells you what you’re doing right and wrong. Likewise, you need to have someone you can learn everything from, an inspiration per se.
Of course, a coach will always be beneficial, regardless of your goal. Even if you’re trying to improve your physical shape or grow your confidence and self-esteem, you’ll still benefit from someone ensuring you’re doing the work. That’s one of the benefits of a trainer, he’ll also serve as an accountability partner.
Research studies display that publicly committing your goals to someone gives you a 65% chance of completing them, at least. However, having a specific accountability partner increases that success rate to 95%. So as much as you feel like you’d rather continue on your journey alone, it’s beneficial to have that accountability partner around. (Source)
As you can see, you’re much more likely to wake up early in the morning and do the hard work—if you have someone checking on you every single day. You’re actually 95% likely to do so, which is fantastic odds. So, having a trainer by your side is always beneficial, even if you’re not trying to get into the pro scene.
Before we continue, if you want to read about the best boxers in history, so you’ll be capable of learning from the pinnacle of fighters, do follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
The benefits of having a boxing coach
Now that we understand why having a solid coach on your side—is invaluable, let’s break down some benefits to having one. If you still are yet to be convinced, I hope you’ll be able to understand the power of having such a crew member on your team.
Boxing is a team sport, whether you want to acknowledge that or not. You can’t learn everything by yourself, the same way you can’t play soccer in a team without a coach. That’s why I encourage you to take a deep look at why having a trainer—will change your entire career.
#1 – Forming good habits
The first benefit of having a coach—is forming good habits. Mostly, the person training you—should know more about techniques and approaches to the game—more than yourself. You can currently be able to beat him, that doesn’t matter.
A qualified trainer will know plenty about the art of boxing. As a result, he’ll be capable of teaching you various new techniques that’ll all help you become a much better boxer.
And, of course, the opposite is true.
#2 – Avoiding bad habits
The second benefit to having a coach—is not establishing bad habits. Regardless of what you currently think of having a trainer, you’re most likely forming plenty of habits that won’t serve you while fighting in the ring.
For instance, many inexperienced boxers drop their left hand after a jab. Or, they may do the same after a right hook. While that’s not the end of the world, having someone from the sidelines watch you and give you notes to improve upon—will amp up your game up a notch.
I’m convinced your boxing game includes various of these bad habits, even if you’re unaware of them. If you desire to ensure you’re not making many mistakes, do be sure to hire a coach!
#3 – Having accountability
As we previously have saw, having an accountability partner—will improve your likelihood of executing by up to 30%. In our case, you’re more prone to eating clean, waking up early, and training more often.
If you desire to reach the elite levels, you’ll have a difficult time doing it alone. Do you think Mike Tyson woke up every day at 4am because he felt like it? No way. He did so because he knew what was waiting for him on the other side, legacy.
He also had a trainer who ensure he was doing all that. For that reason, Tyson became one of the best and most known boxers in the entire history of the sport.
I know how difficult it can get to wake up early in the morning and go for a 5-mile run. Trust me, I’ve been there, and I’m still experiencing these difficulties. That helped me realized the importance of having someone whom you can’t control and wants the best for you.
#4 – Learning from the best
The last benefit we’ll discuss—is learning from the best. It’s vital that you have someone you can mimic and learn from. Of course, we don’t want to copy someone else’s style.
Nevertheless, having someone teach you the game—is crucial for your long-term progression. You don’t just get into your martial arts gym and start hitting the heavy bag. You won’t learn if you do that.
That’s why you always keep on learning new techniques and fighting approaches. Of course, your coach can also teach you how to prepare mentally for your next match, which can be as important as preparing physically.
Can you train boxing on your own?
Thus far, we have understood the benefits of having a coach by your side. If you want to take your boxing game up a notch—you can’t be alone. You must have someone teach you the art, so you’ll be capable of improving and progressing, while learning from your mistakes.
You can definitely train boxing on your own. However, it’ll be difficult to take your skills to the professional game, as you’ll need someone to teach you what you’re doing wrong or right. That’s why you see all professional boxers having an elite coach by their side. Without a trainer, you have no chance in the pro scene.
Again, the coin has two sides; if you simply like boxing and want to keep training in it, you don’t have to have a trainer 24/7 by your side. Most of us don’t desire getting a championship belt, as it’s not one of our goals.
For those with high ambitions, however, having a coach—is a must. You can’t show up to your boxing gym every single day without someone teaching you more techniques. If you simply show up, you’ll find it difficult to constantly progress and fix your mistakes.
Final words
Having someone by your side, cheering for you, is sometimes all we need to make it. I’m not suggesting you hire a coach with all your spare money to help you wake up in the morning; no, not at all.
But, if you want to achieve greatness in any sport, you must have someone who already made it—teach you. Regardless of your current position, if you desire turning pro, you must think about constantly progressing, learning and fixing your mistakes.
And, let me tell you something, you can’t do it on your own.
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