Getting into Boxing and learning how to throw some quick jabs and roll under counter hooks can be the most rewarding experiences.
In this article, I’ll tell you how you can get started in Boxing as a pure beginner and share insights from my own experiences.
So what are the exact steps on how to get into Boxing? Here’s a short answer:
You can get into Boxing by finding a trustworthy gym in your local area. It’s essential to look for a gym whose Head Coach has a solid reputation. The knowledge and experience of a good Head Coach make all the difference to your learning.
Next up, I will detail what you should think about when first getting into Boxing and even if you want to make your way up to your first amateur fight.
Table of Contents
Getting Into Boxing For The First Time
Sometimes it can be daunting starting something new, especially when you’re thinking you might have to suffer getting bonked on the nose to do it.
But believe me, taking a punch is an optional part of the sport. So you, yes you, can get into Boxing training as a complete novice and learn many of the skills and receive all the fitness benefits by joining a class or finding a good Boxing coach.
Getting into Boxing will reward your confidence, physical agility and fitness, and overall sense of well-being.
Can You Teach Yourself How To Box?
Typically, you can only teach yourself the basics of Boxing. Most students need a coach to help beginners correct common technique mistakes. Without a coach, it can be challenging for beginners to teach themselves proper form that will allow them to build skills and avoid injuries.
Boxing is a unique sport with a heavy requirement for skill development. In contrast, most people assume that someone’s confidence, weight, or size makes them an excellent fighter, which isn’t always the case.
Many people enter a Boxing gym thinking that they can immediately use their confidence or street experience in the Boxing gym or ring.
And most of them are very wrong:
All too often are over-confident guys walking into a gym and picking out the most powerful or best fighter in the room, only to be swiftly brought back down to earth from their mantle as they get outclassed because of exemplary Boxing skills.
By developing fundamental skills with a proper coach, you can take that knowledge and work on drilling and practicing them independently.
Many Boxing strikes, footwork, and movement patterns can be practiced on your own on a freestanding punching bag or hanging heavy bag. But it’s key to know the proper form of what you are practicing, or you could be practicing how not to do something.
Can You Get Into Boxing With No Experience?
Boxing is a sport that can adapt to each individual’s goals or needs. Typically anyone can start Boxing with no prior experience necessary. Even if you don’t want to spar or fight someone else, the best way to start Boxing is to attend a class in your local area.
If you have a passion for learning the skills that make up great athletes like Floyd Mayweather or Mike Tyson, you have precisely what you need to begin Boxing.
Even if you don’t want to become a tremendous technical Boxer, you can still get into Boxing and get a lot out of it. The fitness benefits are commonly something that many people start for, but they soon fall in love with the learning process.
You can expect improvements in your confidence and mental well-being within as little as a couple of weeks and physical benefits within the first month.
If you’re ready to start Boxing as a complete beginner, a few options are available.
Sometimes you can begin at home, and other times getting yourself into a Boxing gym will be the best option. Let’s take a look.
How To Get Into Boxing At Home
With a structured online program, you can get into boxing in the comfort of your home. Many fundamental skills for Boxing can be learned through a guided video program at home. You can take the skills you learn at home to a Boxing gym when you’re ready.
You can use different kinds of online programs to learn Boxing at home. Still, most are video-based, with sometimes an accompanying ebook guide or other materials to help.
Let’s take a look at some of the options:
1. Boxing Fundamentals Course by Day One Martial Arts
My fellow martial arts friend and professional MMA fighter, Luke Howard, built his own Boxing Fundamentals Course that helps beginners get into boxing.
Luke created this course with a detailed 87-page instructional ebook and 24 guided video lessons to drill the fundamentals like perfect form in footwork, defense, striking, and much more.
It includes several bonuses like how to wrap your hands, tips to start sparring for the first time, holding pads for a partner, and much more.
Luke shares my beliefs that the fundamental movements in boxing are hugely important and will serve you for your whole boxing life.
This is a great place to start for any beginner and anyone who wants to get even better with their fundamentals which will help them to become a highly proficient boxer.
2. Learn Boxing For Free With YouTube Videos
A great way to learn Boxing at home while saving yourself some money is to use YouTube. Many influencers in Boxing will use YouTube to reach their fans and broaden to new audiences.
They do that by providing a ton of value and often sharing completely free videos on boxing for beginners and fundamentals.
Two great examples of this are Tony Jeffries and Shane Fazen on fightTIPS.
3. Learn Boxing Online With Udemy
Udemy is a popular option for video-based online training programs in Boxing. There are dozens of options for Boxing programs available on Udemy. Some are focused on different areas of Boxing like fundamentals, self-defense, and even “booty boxing.”
Out of all the options on Udemy, I recommend the Boxing Foundation Masterclass by Cornelius Carr.
Cornelius is a former British Super-Middleweight and World Middleweight Champion. He knows what he’s talking about through lived experience and his program covers all the proper fundamentals for a beginner:
- Introducing To Boxing Masterclass
- Stance, Guards & Movement
- The Jab
- The Cross
- The Hook
- The Uppercut
- Advanced Punch Techniques
- Defense
- Padwork
- Fighting In The Pocket
I would like to see more sections dedicated to footwork and movement in his program. Still, parts of this are learned in striking and defensive movements sections.
Click here to see all online Boxing programs available on Udemy.
4. Learn Boxing Online With Skillshare
Another standard option is to use the Skillshare platform to learn about Boxing at home. Currently, there is only one Boxing program available there. Still, with a Skillshare subscription, you gain access to thousands of online classes that you can take any time and use in all areas of your life, from fitness to productivity and business.
The Boxing course available on Skillshare is Start Boxing Today! by Daniel Young. For over ten years, he has been a passionate Boxer and has authored ebooks and audiobooks for Boxing beginners.
What’s particularly useful about this course is that you will learn answers to many of the frustrating questions you can have when starting Boxing for the first time. Take a look at the course contents:
- Introduction To Getting Started In Fitness Boxing
- History Of Boxing And What It Means To Me
- Picking Your First Boxing Gym
- What Boxing Gloves Should I Buy For My First Boxing Class?
- What Bag Should I Buy For My First Boxing Class?
- What Boxing Shoes Should I Buy For My First Boxing Class?
- What Clothing To Wear In The Gym
- What Hand Wraps Should I Buy For My First Boxing Class?
- Free Boxing Course Face Saver Head Gear
- What To Do Now After The Course? Future Of Boxing And Your Life
- Title Boxing Ali Hand Wrap Review
The main problem with this course is that while it covers common questions about getting started with Boxing, it doesn’t necessarily teach you how to Box. But it could help you find out how to find a Boxing gym in your local area if that’s what you want to do.
Click here to see all online Boxing programs available on Skillshare.
Getting Into Boxing Just For Fun
Boxing is a great way to get fit and have fun simultaneously. While working out, the physical benefits you’ll receive are often understated because you might not even realize you are doing a workout.
If you just want to have fun while learning a new skill, then Boxing is a perfect option. All you need is a bit of desire in Boxing or self-defense, and you can get the benefits as soon as you lace on the perfect boxing gloves.
My recommendation is to find either a reputable Boxing gym nearby or seek out a group fitness class that focuses on Boxing. Classes that often have names like BoxFIT, Boxercise, and others are potentially great ones to go for if your priority is on the fun aspect.
ClassPass has an extensive network of gyms across the globe, including Boxing gyms and fitness classes that are focused on Boxing skills. You can get a free one-month trial with ClassPass here.
When you want to learn how to become a genuinely proficient Boxer, seeking out a Boxing gym with a strong reputation is the right thing to do.
How Women Can Get Into Boxing
Typically, women can get into Boxing just as much as men. Boxing gyms often open their classes to both genders or have women-only and group lessons to help you feel confident getting started.
A great option to find local Boxing classes suitable for women is using ClassPass. Their network partners with gyms and group classes worldwide. You are likely to find a Boxing class near you.
Boxing classes on ClassPass are often group-based and incorporate a mix of fitness exercises with Boxing skills development, such as Rumble Boxing.
If you’re new to ClassPass, you can even get a free trial to try out a few local classes and see what you like the most. Click here to check out the ClassPass free trial.
You’ll also need a pair of boxing gloves that are suitable for women. Focus on finding a pair with wrist support and comfort to reduce any early injuries.
What You Need To Know Before Getting Into Boxing
Before getting started in Boxing, you should know a few key things to avoid common mistakes and how to keep improving with enjoying the sport. Sometimes Boxing can get very challenging, which is a great thing to expand your capacity for growth, but the following tips could help you save some time:
Try To Be Patient With Yourself
Boxing can be very technical and dependent on your ability to upgrade your skillset. Because of this, you could get very frustrated when the learning process doesn’t go your way or happen as quickly as you’d like.
There could be a particular movement pattern that you struggle to be able to perform, but try to relax and cut yourself a break when this happens.
I’ve personally spent a lot of time being frustrated about not being able to perform to the ability I think I can. Instead of allowing the process to unfold as needed, I’d try to force my way through it.
But like with learning any essential technical skill, it’s just a game of numbers. It might take you ten repetitions to perform a perfect strike or movement pattern in Boxing, or it could take 100 or even 1000 times before you get it right.
Relax. Breathe. And enjoy this process!
Listen To And Absorb As Much As You Can
It’s crucial to listen to your coaches and absorb as much of their knowledge as possible.
Spending one-on-one coaching time with a quality coach can help you overcome frustrating or difficult barriers as they break down the steps to help you learn them.
Ask your coaches lots of little questions. These questions help you break things down for yourself whenever you are getting stuck on a technical point. The more you ask, the more you’ll absorb, and the better questions you’ll have for next time to keep growing further.
One thing to keep in mind is to listen to the most appropriate sources of knowledge and wisdom.
Many Boxing students walk into a gym after having trained for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, and try to tell other students the best way of doing things.
What they are doing is telling you how they do things in their way. Sometimes, that can simply be the wrong way of doing things. Don’t learn other people’s bad habits; worry about ironing out your bad habits.
The Fundamentals Are Paramount
Boxing as a sport is based on various crucial footwork positioning and movement patterns that are just tweaked slightly for each situation. They are all based upon solid fundamentals.
It might feel good to learn and perform flashy twenty-punch combinations, and those require some fundamental skill level. But they can also be performed pretty poorly without good fundamental knowledge.
With good fundamental knowledge and experience (from drilling repeatedly), you can much more confidently learn and demonstrate more advanced movements and combinations.
Feel free to enjoy trying out new things, combinations, flashy movements, and counters. But never neglect your fundamentals. Train your basic footwork and striking patterns at least once a week to keep those twitch muscle fibers active for those movements.
It’s all too easy to get lazy at primary defense and get caught in sparring (if you decide to fight). Or struggle to pivot and move your feet according to the direction of your target. These are “basics” but extremely important.
How To Get Into Boxing Shape
The best way to get into Boxing shape is to simply attend classes in your local area or start an online program. To get into Boxing shape, you need to practice Boxing! Much of the fitness required for Boxing is developed during skill training because of the physical demand.
When you’re ready to increase your Boxing abilities even further, like being able to survive a five-round sparring match or perhaps even more, you can worry about strength and conditioning.
It’s common to hit a plateau as you progress in Boxing. Your fitness ability might not be reaching the demands of skills training.
When this happens, it’s a perfect time to consider a solid strength and conditioning program tailored explicitly to Boxing. For that, I’d highly recommend the Sweet Science of Fighting Underground, which is a membership with detailed programming and coaching/community to hit your goals:
James de Lacey and a team of professional sports coaches offer this entire Underground experience to help fighters like you perform at your peak.
Includes an online community with coaching, access to the physical training tracking app to keep you on schedule for bulking/cutting weight/strength performance, AND unlimited access to 26 programs designed to aid martial artists and fighters perform at their best.
- Training advice from qualified sports scientists and coaches
- Dozens of programs to match your goals
- Exclusive Discord community for support, coaching, and accountability
- Subscription-based isn't always preferable for some
- Membership parts are spread across different platforms
That sums up the best advice I have for getting into Boxing. If you have even a sliver of interest in the sport, whether for fun or to develop fundamental self-defense skills, you should jump in with both feet because you won’t regret it.
You don’t have to become a professional Boxer. You can get into the sport and see where it takes you. I can guarantee that you’ll feel electric after your first class!
