I have said it so many times already and I will never stop - learning how to box is difficult. It is not natural. Doesn't matter who you are, how athletic you are, how much you are into boxing as a fan, whether you've trained in other martial arts, anything, you will not just pick up boxing the first time you do it. Or the second, the third, etc. There are definitely some people who click more on some things earlier than others for sure, but it is a brand new way to move your body that is at least slightly different than how you have moved it for all of the years you've been alive. And even a slight difference can make all the difference.
So if you are brand new, pretty new, or maybe think you are not getting it as fast as you would like, here are some tips. These are written from the perspective of a new member at our particular boxing club but would be true in any boxing/kickboxing class format:
21 Days
As soon as you join, figure out what days and times you will be able to come each week. You may have a work and life schedule that fluctuates but you need to lock down a plan for your boxing workouts and stick to it. Especially in the beginning. They say that it takes 21 days to make a habit so that first month is critical.
Just as important as setting your schedule is sticking to it. No excuses. Another thing I will never stop saying is that no one ever "finds" time for their workouts. You have to MAKE the time. But what if your schedule is really crazy? I would bet you that I know someone with an even crazier schedule who still manages to train 3+ times a week, every week. They do this because they prioritize their training. They don't wake up every morning and are always 100% gung-ho to go exercise. Sometimes they are definitely not feeling it. But they fight the feeling of not feeling because they know how important their physical and mental well-being are.
If you join our club (or any gym) and DON'T make it back in to class soon, I can almost guarantee you that you will never be able to consistently come. I haven't really seen anyone succeed this way. So make sure to schedule your next class ASAP and show up. Set the tone for yourself early.
Early Bird Catches the Worm
You don't have to come to an early class (although that is often the best way to stick to a schedule) but whatever class you do come to, arrive a little early for it. Especially if you need help wrapping your hands or have any questions for the coach or even other members. You also have plenty of time to hear any announcements and basically get your mind right for boxing. Another little thing that can make a surprisingly big difference. Once you become more seasoned and get into a groove, this becomes less important but in the beginning, it will help.
Stay Close to Home
Oftentimes, when someone takes their first class with us, they are more likely to stand on the edge of the bag stand, in a spot where the least amount of people might be able to see them. This makes total sense and I would do the same thing. The problem is that it also means they are farthest from the coach/instructor and may not be able to see them as well. As coaches, it is very important that we move around and make eye contact with everyone but even if we do a great job of this, we tend to spend most of our time in the middle of the floor. I can't tell you how many times I have seen someone fairly new, getting lost in the combination and standing as far away from me as possible, sometimes not even facing me.
This is, hopefully obviously, not a good way to learn. If you are new to boxing, find a bag or spot near the coach and make sure you are focused on them. Don't worry about other people looking at you. They won't anyway. Everyone is generally focused on their own heavy bag or partner or whatever to pay a lot of attention to anyone else that is not working directly with them. It will make things so much easier.
Don't Worry About the Combos (Or Anything)
At our club, we have people of all levels in the same class. We also work on different things every week. Could be something very basic, could be something advanced. Conventional wisdom suggests that this is a harder way for new boxers to learn but what we've found is that people learn faster this way ultimately, although it can be quite overwhelming at first.
It is hard to learn how to throw a punch and what each punch is called, let alone throw them in different combinations that can change quickly. I don't expect anyone to be able to follow along with the combinations on the first day, week or even month. And I would advise any new boxer to not worry about being able to follow along with them either. Concentrate as much as you can on the individual strikes and movements and the combos will come, believe me. I have written a couple of blog posts on how to better learn combinations if you are interested, but even still, give it time and don't be discouraged!
Today, You Are A Boxer
It doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter if you just started boxing, how good you are at it, whether or not you plan to box competitively, if you boxing is not your main thing, if you are president of your bridge club, or if you even like boxing, when you are doing any kind of boxing training, yes, you ARE a boxer. You may be plenty of other things but you are also a boxer.
Most people don't see it like that though. They don't consider themselves boxers. They think you have to be really good and really serious and compete in boxing to be a boxer. I can see why they would think this but it's not true. More importantly, this mindset will not help you get the most out of your boxing workout. And if you came to a boxing workout, you might as well get the most out of it, right?
What difference does it make if you think of yourself as a boxer or not, though? It might seem completely trivial but the mindset in which you approach your training can be everything. Believing that you are a boxer, even if a brand new, terrible boxer, will make you much more receptive to coaching and getting better whereas telling yourself the opposite will have the opposite effect, giving yourself an excuse to not try.
Ask Me, Ask Me, Ask Me...
When I first got serious about combat sports, I wasn't very good at all. But I wanted to learn and hopefully get good some day. After training sessions, I would often ask the coaches questions about something I either didn't fully understand or something that I struggled with. Even if other people were already asking them questions, I would get in line. I don't know if this was annoying to the instructors but I figured I was paying for the classes, I was showing up to the classes, I was working hard, so I might as well learn as much as possible.
Years later, at the end of all of the classes that I teach now, I always tell people to come to me with any questions they might have or if anything felt awkward or challenging to them. Or if they just want to know what they can get better at. Very rarely does anyone take me up on that offer. But they really should! I love questions. I am in this business purely because I like helping other people learn, get better, get stronger, get healthier, etc. This is not a money-making endeavor for me. And remember, I used to ask questions of my coaches all the time! So I am never going to get annoyed by someone asking me anything. In fact, I will probably like you better if you ask.
Doesn't have to be at the end of class either. You can ask before classes or text or email me at our leisure!
Don't Get Derailed
I have seen this happen a lot. For new boxers or even people who have been doing it for a while. They try to start off with good habits - stick to a class schedule and stand consistent - until the first curveball is thrown. Maybe they can't make their normal Thursday night class because they have to stay late at work or are out of town or whatever. And that little crack turns into a bigger crack and suddenly, they find themselves unable to make any classes due to life events. They tell themselves that it's just because of their schedule and all of these events that keep popping up. They want to come to classes but life has other plans.
In 99.999% of the cases, this is a lie. As I mentioned earlier, almost everyone can make classes and generally stick to a schedule. You just have to prioritize and make the time. Will there be some times that you can't do it? Of course, but you can't let that derail you. You can't let yourself off the hook. If you can't come Thursday, find a way to come Friday. If you are gone for a whole week, just make sure you get back to it the following week. There is a reason you started boxing. You owe it to yourself to see it through. Maybe you eventually discover that you just don't like boxing and that is okay but if you don't train consistently for at least a month, you are not really giving it and yourself a chance. If you miss a single class you had planned to go to and get back to your consistent schedule, you are also not giving boxing or yourself a chance.
Lots of Resources
For our club in particular, we have a TON of videos and blog posts to check out for extra learning when you are not at the club. In this particular case, I will acknowledge that no one actually has time to watch and read them all. But you can search pretty easily for something you might be interested in.
Each week here, we have a different focus point when spend extra time working on. At the time I write this, we have almost 400 videos and will continue to have different ones every week, with no exact repeats, covering every aspect of boxing. You can see the YouTube playlist right here:
Scroll through, see if anything sticks out to you as something you are interested in and/or struggling with. Also, don't forget about asking us if you ever have a question about anything ever.
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