Any advice to start boxing?

[BLACKHORSE 6]

Have a listen to this interesting podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7sa...TUu5LKGnZ0sULQ

Basically, the sport of boxing has changed a lot over the decades, and likely not for the better.

I did a lot of martial arts in my teens and twenties, and did intramural boxing in college. If you get into boxing, be sure it’s at a legit place where the people know what they’re doing and give good instruction. I’d echo what others have said in this thread about head injuries, but would give you one caveat. Given that you’re 35 and the reasons listed for wanting to learn, you should never step into the boxing ring to fight. You should step into the ring to spar, which is very different from fighting. Guys sparring in the ring shouldn’t be swinging at full power, maybe punching at 40% power and it should be very controlled. Winners and losers will be determined by points, not through knockouts. Assuming you’re only stepping into the ring with opponents in your weight class and with a similar or higher experience level, the risk of injury should be fairly low.

Too many people in striking/contact martial arts are injuring themselves for no reason. I know because I was one of them. At the time I was on active duty in the Army, and I was really hard charging about everything I did, including karate which was my main hobby in those years. Truth is that because I wasn’t pursuing it professionally I shouldn’t have been getting hit as hard as I did. There were a few times when I hit people hard enough to really hurt them, which is something I regret now. I was lucky that I never got a concussion… just a knee that I dislocated twice and a deviated septum from a broken nose.

BJJ is awesome because you can practice the art at a very high level without getting injured or unjuring others, which striking arts like karate and boxing can’t say. If I could go back, I would focus on BJJ.

Sorry for the long post. Good luck.

[codecow]

One easy way to see if a gym is worth your time is if they have an amateur program and/or professionals that train out of there.

If you just want cardio you can get that at a lot of places, but since you want to learn to fight you need to find people who actually fight. They’ll be able to show you.

[Dr.Brian]

Originally Posted by ykhoja

I've been getting more and more interested in boxing as a sport lately and a method for self-defense.

Do you maybe have any tips to get started?

Look at before and after Mickey Rourke photos and think long and hard about boxing.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Dr.Brian

Look at before and after Mickey Rourke photos and think long and hard about boxing.

That’s not a fair analogy.

[NardinNut]

Originally Posted by ykhoja

I just want to thank everyone for all of their kind responses and warm welcome!

I never expected such an amount of replies. Thank you all!

To share a bit more on my reasoning, my main motivations are fitness and self defense.

I'm 35, a father of two young kids, and I want to take care of my health and feel that I can protect my family if God forbid something were to happen.

I won't lie, I'm also (for some weird reason) very curious about what it feels like to take a punch. Given all the advice against headshots, I'll just focus on working out and maybe some body shots but I'm not crazy about sparring nor competing.

I'm also curious about developing footwork and good technique.

I might try out BJJ after I give boxing a shot first. The reason why I'm starting with boxing is that I've heard a lot of advice against kicking in street fights because you risk slipping or tripping. And BJJ doesn't seem the best option if I'm facing multiple opponents or I'm on a concrete floor.

Don't get me wrong it's not like I have un upcoming Battle Royale planned out, but for now I'll choose to develop good punching technique to the solar plexus to end any an altercation as fast as possible.

I'm a big fan of the saying: "don't fear the person that practiced a thousand techniques once, but fear the person that practiced one technique a thousand times"

Thanks again all for your tips. I'll probably join a local boxing gym and work with a trainer to learn solid basics.

Sent from my SM-G998B using Tapatalk

I have some experience in fighting/SD techniques, along with real life experiences, so I’ll chime in on this thread. I’ve trained in various forms of martial arts and fighting techniques almost continuously since I was 7. I’ve done boxing, Shotokan, BJJ, Aikido, Shaolin kung fu, Muay Thai, and for the past half decade I’ve been doing Krav Maga. From my experience, the form you decide to train in comes down to what you are hoping to achieve. Based on your desire to learn a practical self defense technique to use in real world situations, hands down Krav Maga is the way to go. It is the most practical fighting form. It actually blends multiple techniques into a practical, often dirty, form of protecting yourself from single or multiple attackers.

The reality is that the best way to protect yourself is to not fight. Walk away. Fighting is idiotic and only the last resort. But if you have to, then fight dirty, fast, and vicious. Try to end the fight at the beginning. There are no rules in a street fight. There are no techniques. There is just adrenaline, fear, determination, and muscle memory. The fight will end up on the ground at some point, if not ended early. Krav Maga teaches how to deal with all scenarios and the practical way to win, dirty shots and all. It’s about surviving a bad situation, not rules or proper form. It’s why Krav Maga is banned in professional MMA fights.

As mentioned in other posts, it is very easy to injure yourself throwing a punch. That’s why Krav Maga teaches hammer punches and palm strikes in addition to normal punches. Also, most fights get in close where a punch isn’t practical, so learn to use your elbow, forehead, knee. When you end up on the ground you need to know how to protect yourself, reverse, and hammer punch the hell out of your opponent.

I can go on and on here. I think it’s a great idea to learn how to protect your family. However, the best way is to just avoid an escalation of a bad situation. Again, walk away. Pride being injured is better than actually being injured. As for practical techniques to deal with just about any real life situation, Krav Maga wins. Hope that helps.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by NardinNut

I have some experience in fighting/SD techniques, along with real life experiences, so I’ll chime in on this thread. I’ve trained in various forms of martial arts and fighting techniques almost continuously since I was 7. I’ve done boxing, Shotokan, BJJ, Aikido, Shaolin kung fu, Muay Thai, and for the past half decade I’ve been doing Krav Maga. From my experience, the form you decide to train in comes down to what you are hoping to achieve. Based on your desire to learn a practical self defense technique to use in real world situations, hands down Krav Maga is the way to go. It is the most practical fighting form. It actually blends multiple techniques into a practical, often dirty, form of protecting yourself from single or multiple attackers.

The reality is that the best way to protect yourself is to not fight. Walk away. Fighting is idiotic and only the last resort. But if you have to, then fight dirty, fast, and vicious. Try to end the fight at the beginning. There are no rules in a street fight. There are no techniques. There is just adrenaline, fear, determination, and muscle memory. The fight will end up on the ground at some point, if not ended early. Krav Maga teaches how to deal with all scenarios and the practical way to win, dirty shots and all. It’s about surviving a bad situation, not rules or proper form. It’s why Krav Maga is banned in professional MMA fights.

As mentioned in other posts, it is very easy to injure yourself throwing a punch. That’s why Krav Maga teaches hammer punches and palm strikes in addition to normal punches. Also, most fights get in close where a punch isn’t practical, so learn to use your elbow, forehead, knee. When you end up on the ground you need to know how to protect yourself, reverse, and hammer punch the hell out of your opponent.

I can go on and on here. I think it’s a great idea to learn how to protect your family. However, the best way is to just avoid an escalation of a bad situation. Again, walk away. Pride being injured is better than actually being injured. As for practical techniques to deal with just about any real life situation, Krav Maga wins. Hope that helps.

All great points regarding self-defense. When I was attacked in the Emergency Department in 2011, by the time I figured out that the attacker wasn't bluffing and was seriously trying to kill me, it was too late to mount a decent defense. He was a street fighter, and it was dirty and vicious from the first punch. It is very common for patients to feign an attack or make a half-hearted effort to hurt you, (57 healthcare workers are assaulted every day in the US, but thankfully, most don't result in permanent disability or death like mine did.) I wrongly assumed that he would take a swing and a miss like I'd experienced many times before.

[BLACKHORSE 6]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

All great points regarding self-defense. When I was attacked in the Emergency Department in 2011, by the time I figured out that the attacker wasn't bluffing and was seriously trying to kill me, it was too late to mount a decent defense. He was a street fighter, and it was dirty and vicious from the first punch. It is very common for patients to feign an attack or make a half-hearted effort to hurt you, (57 healthcare workers are assaulted every day in the US, but thankfully, most don't result in permanent disability or death like mine did.) I wrongly assumed that he would take a swing and a miss like I'd experienced many times before.

I hope the guy ended up in jail for a long time.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by BLACKHORSE 6

I hope the guy ended up in jail for a long time.

Because I had already placed a 72-hour hold on him when he attacked, he wasn't tried but rather was committed to a psychiatric hospital for 18 months. He's done well since hospitalization. (All public information, so I'm not breaking any confidences.)

[easternblockboxing]

1. Look into private boxing classes near you.

2. Consider adult group boxing classes to help one another get better

3. Join a club - attend often and gain association.

[easternblockboxing]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

All great points regarding self-defense. When I was attacked in the Emergency Department in 2011, by the time I figured out that the attacker wasn't bluffing and was seriously trying to kill me, it was too late to mount a decent defense. He was a street fighter, and it was dirty and vicious from the first punch. It is very common for patients to feign an attack or make a half-hearted effort to hurt you, (57 healthcare workers are assaulted every day in the US, but thankfully, most don't result in permanent disability or death like mine did.) I wrongly assumed that he would take a swing and a miss like I'd experienced many times before.

Im glad you are okay after a brutal attack by your patient. Its important to have some knowledge of physical self-defense in work areas where such situations may arise. Eastern Block Boxing partners with businesses in Los Angeles, where they go to the companies and train employees monthly in a fun, engaging way. This boxing gym with top boxing trainers takes on self-defense classes and group classes like it should.

[dba]

Any advice? Yes, don't start.