The most popular martial art, to no one’s surprise, is boxing. Few are the people who have never heard of the art of punching. Most people naturally think that it’s extremely demanding to learn. However, the opposite is true. Let’s examine whether the style of boxing is hard to learn.
Boxing is easy to learn and pick up because it involves intuitive means, primarily punching. As a result, most people will pick up the basics and even some of the more advanced skills in no time. Some martial arts are much more tough to learn, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and wrestling.
Eventually, notice how most people stay away from training in martial arts. They would love to see the results from it, as it’s an extremely beneficial activity. And yet, putting in the effort to learn—seems far-fetched.
The primary point of this article is to shed light on this wonderful fighting style. I’ve seen plenty of success with it because of its simplicity. After all, learning its basics—isn’t as difficult as you imagine. I’m sure you can see similar success as what I’ve seen with it.
Boxing provides countless mental and physical benefits, such as increased confidence and losing body fat. As a result, all its trainees are capable of setting themselves up for success by setting long-term goals. These long-term goals are why they wake up early and go train.
While one boxer gets up in the morning and goes to train because one wants to improve one’s physical shape, the other does the same since one wants to learn how to fight.
That’s what attracts so many new trainees, every single day.
Before we dive in, if you want to save money by self-teaching yourself boxing, ensure to follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
How long does boxing take to learn
Learning to box—isn’t as difficult and time-consuming as most people think. Although it’s a highly intensive martial art, you won’t find picking up the basics—too difficult. So, how long does boxing take, on average, to learn.
On average, learning the basics of boxing takes two months. However, the number may range for more/less dedicated boxers. It’s not uncommon to see a trainee pick up the basics in 2-weeks. Nonetheless, others will do the same in 4-months—if they don’t invest as much effort in training.
It’s all a matter of how dedicated you are, as the material stays the same. You’ll be learning the same principles, regardless of your dedication and consistency.
However, some do learn faster because they train up to three times a week, as they want to progress faster. Likewise, others pick up the basics in a couple of months for two reasons: it doesn’t come naturally to them, or they’re not as consistent and dedicated in their training.
The primary goal you should aim for is to study the basics as fast as possible. Then, results start to pour into your life, regardless of your skill level. Because once you’re over the basics phase, you’ll be starting to spar and enjoy training more.
But, of course, don’t rush the process. If it comes unintuitive to you, so be it. You’re about to learn a skill that’ll serve you for the rest of your life. As such, be patient and keep grinding.
If you want to learn about the best boxing head movements you must know, ensure to follow the link.
Is boxing simple?
All martial arts are complicated in their own way. For instance, Jeet Kune Do, which is the fighting style that Bruce Lee constructed, is one of the more complicated and hard to pick up martial arts. Let’s discuss boxing and its simplicity. Is it simple or complicated?
Boxing is a simple and easy-to-learn martial arts because it teaches punching techniques, highly intuitive movements. We all have the punching instinct inside of us, whether we want it or not. When picking up boxing, you’ll notice yourself already familiar with its basic movements and techniques.
Although you’ll need guidance at first, such as in everything in life, you’ll pick up the basic punches and footwork quickly. You’ll be learning to jab, hook, uppercut, and throw a fierce straight punch. Likewise, you’ll practice weight-shifting and proper footwork to ensure you’re capable of maximizing your punching power and speed.
If you want to learn effective methods to increase your punching speed, follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
Martial arts can be complicated to learn. Thus, if you want to participate in one of these and notice all the results and benefits from them, you must invest time and effort. Moreover, staying consistent is the most challenging part, as you’ll want to quit more than you’d like to admit.
Nonetheless, starting with a martial art, such as boxing—is extremely wise because of its simplicity. To put it simply, it won’t take long to learn the basics. Hence, staying consistent remains less challenging than in other, more complicated, martial arts.
Why boxing is difficult
Now, of course, it’s time to turn off the music and see why boxing is hard to learn. But, you said that it’s one of the easiest martial arts to learn. Well, it is. Nevertheless, it doesn’t change the fact that many novice trainees will quit because of one primary factor.
Boxing is difficult because it is a highly intensive exercise that constantly pushes your mental and physical boundaries. As a result, many new boxers will quit because they don’t want to go out of their comfort zones too often, as that’s what boxing does the best.
Imagine yourself fighting against someone you’re sure you can’t beat. It doesn’t matter if it’s because of your opponent’s size or one’s skill level; you’ll be certain you cannot win. Now, imagine your coach pairing you two to fight. How would you feel?
Such feelings are common in boxing training. While learning the basics is uncomplicated, the rest is difficult.
After you learn the basics and look ready to move on to the next level, you’ll be soon sparring against your fellow trainees. Likewise, you’ll be constantly under physical and mental pressure, so you can keep improving.
Most boxing gyms have 30 minutes of sparring at the end of each session. However, some have more, others less. The number doesn’t change the fact that you’ll be under immense physical and mental pressure.
But, that’s why it’s such an effective workout, both for the body and the soul. You’ll be entering a flow-state often, as you’ll have to use your undivided attention in sparring and training.
But, it’s worth it
Although boxing is demanding and takes some time and effort to learn, you’ll be reaping plenty of results in the long-term.
Here’s a study showing the basic of the basic results you’ll notice with consistent and dedicated training:
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 improve your life and quality-of-living, I encourage you to partake in any martial art, such as boxing, judo, wrestling, or even BJJ.
Beginner mistakes to avoid in boxing
Doing one of the following mistakes—may cause you to decrease your overall progression rate. Likewise, some of them can hurt your body, such as in overtraining. So, here’s a list of seven beginner mistakes to avoid in the art of punching.
- Training too often
- Lowering your guard
- Not sparring
- Neglecting footwork
- Not setting short-term milestones
- Focusing on your strong areas
- Being inflexible with your routine
Doing one of these too often—will lower your ability to continue training and see results. For example, if you train too typically, you’ll find yourself with an overtrained body, without anything you’ll be able to do about it. You’ll try to keep training, but your body will stop you.
If you want to avoid overtraining and understand how much to train weekly, follow the link to an article I wrote answering the issue.
Eventually, examine these mistakes one by one and ensure you’re not doing them. If you do, fix these common issues to ensure you’re progressing quickly and effectively, without causing long-term physical harm to yourself.
Final words
Boxing is one of the best martial arts in the entire globe. We can trace it back to 3000 BC, in Egypt. That’s contrary to what most people think, as they believe it was created in the last few decades; but, as you can understand, it’s untrue.
Learning boxing isn’t as complicated as other martial arts. However, you’ll find yourself constantly under immense physical and mental pressure. That’s because training constantly pushes your boundaries, regardless of your current skill level.
If you enjoyed reading this article, I encourage you to read more about the 7 best exercises for boxing training.