starting boxing lessons tomorrow, what should I know?

[AmadisSB]

I start my first boxing lesson tomorrow and I have no idea what to expect.

Im 6', 170lbs, in pretty ok shape. I have a heavy bag at home, so I kinda know about that aspect but is there anything I should read or do before hand?

If anyone with any boxing experience could help, that would be awesome. I was hoping to do this often enough to actually have some fights.

Thanks

[willw9]

Boxing is a sweet sport, and it will get you into serious shape. Work hard and have fun.

[Rearden]

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Boxing is a sweet sport, and it will get you into serious shape. Work hard and have fun.

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QFT

Also, hitting the heavy bag on your own might have created some "bad habits" with respect to your punching.... the instructor will hopefully be a nit about that kind of stuff.

[TresDeuce]

What are boxing lessons like? Do you just go to a gym and a coach comes round like in the movies? Or is it like a martial arts class kinda thing, or 1 on 1 coaching?

[RushnRocket]

[ QUOTE ]
What are boxing lessons like? Do you just go to a gym and a coach comes round like in the movies? Or is it like a martial arts class kinda thing, or 1 on 1 coaching?

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It all depends on what you want and how much you are willing to spend $$$. It can be like any scenario you described, it all depends on the price.
Certainly 1 on 1 time is ideal, at least in the beginning to get you to a good start, many people think they know what they are doing and most often it is completely wrong. (And bad habits can be difficult to break.)
After that it depends on the gym, there are places where you begin working out and trainers will come up and help you out. There are also places where they teach boxing like a karate class, its much cheaper because you get less individual attention.
The rest depends on your dedication to the sweet science.

[Blarg]

The main thing with a serious martial art like boxing is that you shouldn't use your valuable time there on conditioning if you don't have to. Use your hours out of class to get in great aerobic shape as possible, so your boxing class doesn't just turn into a general fitness class. You want your instructor spending his time refining your technique, not telling you to jump rope and then walking away.

But if you're not in really good shape, that's the way it could be for some time. So, value your training time properly.

If you have to think of only one muscle you want to really become top notch, for boxing, that would be shoulders. Endurance is key, so don't hesitate to train them many days per week. You're not going for size, but speed and endurance. Power will come later as part of speed, coordination, and skill; pure strength is not very important.

Bring a top notch body to class, and you will get a lot more out of it. By this, I mean bribe your instructor with hookers.

[TresDeuce]

I actually thought of posting for advice on starting boxing so this thread is really interesting, for me at least.

Rushnrocket, or anyone else with boxing experience, could you tell me the training goes with time. Say for example I get 1 on 1 coaching for x hours, would I then begin to spar with the other guys at the gym, and then start going to the gym to work out alone with a coach overseeing everything?

I'm really interested in learning to box, but it seems to be one of those sports you cant just "go and do", and I don't know anyone who boxes, so if you could give me any advice on anything I should know I would really appreciate it!

Thanks!

[TresDeuce]

Wow just realised I totally copied what OP said in my excitement, sorry OP, my bad etc.

[avfletch]

[ QUOTE ]
The main thing with a serious martial art like boxing is that you shouldn't use your valuable time there on conditioning if you don't have to. Use your hours out of class to get in great aerobic shape as possible, so your boxing class doesn't just turn into a general fitness class. You want your instructor spending his time refining your technique, not telling you to jump rope and then walking away.

But if you're not in really good shape, that's the way it could be for some time. So, value your training time properly.

If you have to think of only one muscle you want to really become top notch, for boxing, that would be shoulders. Endurance is key, so don't hesitate to train them many days per week. You're not going for size, but speed and endurance. Power will come later as part of speed, coordination, and skill; pure strength is not very important.

Bring a top notch body to class, and you will get a lot more out of it. By this, I mean bribe your instructor with hookers.

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT. I've trained and taught martial arts for years and by far the best thing you can do is work out outside of class so you maximise your input during the class. Don't overdo it the day before a class though, you want to be physically and mentally capable of doing as much as possible.

[Colt McCoy]

As mentioned several times already, bad habits are easy to learn and tough to unlearn. Try to throw every punch with perfect form in the beginning. Examples: learn to keep straight punches straight, to keep your elbow up when you throw a hook, and to "straighten your leg when you throw your uppercut. Learn to extend your punches and get your hands back quickly.

As Blarg said, conditioning is key. But there are other reasons to do conditioning work outside class besides not wasting class time on conditioning. In the beginning you want to be learning good form and habits. If you're using the heavy bag as a conditioning exercise, you're going to be wearing yourself out and probably not throwing punches with good form. So try to practice form in the gym and get your conditioning outside the gym at first. Later, once you've learned good form and habits, that will change.

I posted this in another thread: When I started out I was doing a lot of roadwork, which is a fairly traditional training method for boxers. Anyway, I was putting in like 30+ miles a week. I became dramatically better once I cut way back on my distance running and started doing a lot of shorter, faster runs instead. I'd sprint 3 minutes as hard as I could then walk a minute, just like fight rounds. Or I'd do 3:15 and take a :45 walk. It made a huge difference in my ability to finish rounds strong.

Another great conditioning exercise is shuttle runs with a medicine ball or light sandbag (or something similarly heavy).

Also, if you do any strength training, do athletic lifts like the clean & jerk, snatches, and swings. These movements are excellent for learning the coordination of tension and relaxation to properly transfer power up through the legs, hips and torso to your arms.

Don't neglect your hands. Learn to wrap them yourself and always make sure they're wrapped correctly. Work on strengthening them as well. Strong hands and the ability to relax them at the beginning of a punch then tighten your fist just before impact will make a huge difference in your speed and power.

Also as Blarg said, don't worry too much about power at the beginning. Learn good form and work on transfering power up through your legs, hips and torso rather than throwing arm punches and power will come, but for most people it takes time.

Don't neglect footwork. A lot of coaches and trainers don't pay nearly enough attention to footwork, which is VERY important. Learn the boxer's shuffle and practice it. It feels silly just shuffling around that way but a lot of fighters have terrible footwork and it shows. Learn to pivot on both your front and back foot, and learn to escape by shuffling sideways, never straight back. One thing you see in a lot of beginner fighters is they forget about their back foot and keep it planted when they move forward to throw a punch and end up overextended and awkward. Things like this are usually the result of not practicing footwork.