Day: March 16, 2022

For the longest time, boxing was a territory claimed by men. But times have changed. More women are choosing to box, and for a good number of reasons!

Here are 5 great reasons why women should start boxing.

1. Boxing increases self-confidence

Boxing is a great way to train up your confidence. It is incredibly demanding, and with the challenge comes great reward. Pushing your limits and seeing yourself improve over time can boost your confidence when you realise you’re capable of more than you imagined. Women boxers experience this on a whole other level. Because boxing is a male-dominated sport, women who choose to box will find an influx of confidence from breaking societal expectations and stepping outside of their own comfort zones to train. 

2. Women who box can protect themselves better

It’s always a good idea to learn some self-defence. Boxing is a sport that trains your strength, endurance, and fighting techniques. You’ll learn how to block punches, parry and get your own hits in. Women who box are more likely to be able to protect themselves when push comes to shove. You never know what may happen, and it’s always great to be prepared.

3. Training can give a great tone-up (and glow-up)

One of the main reasons women box is because it can help to knock off calories in a fun way. Long term training will get you toned muscles for a lean, healthy look. Unlike some forms of exercise, boxing puts many different muscle groups to work, helping you to get a full workout. You’ll also feel a lot stronger for whatever comes your way. Get ready for a total glow-up!

4. Boxing releases stress

Another great reason women should choose to box is because it’s simply a great way to relieve stress! Just like any other exercise, boxing releases endorphins and often gives a post-workout high. It is also therapeutic to be able to throw jabs and release any negative or pent-up energy from the day. With so many women taking up high-stress jobs in a variety of industries, boxing can be an amazing outlet to let it all out.

5. Women who box train their fighting spirit.

Boxing is a sport that builds mental discipline. Whether you’re a woman or a man, you will find that boxing instils a fighting spirit that nobody can take away. Boxing demands that you give your all during training and commit to those training consistently. In this way, women boxers build up a massive reserve of willpower. 

Boxing is also a competitive sport that pits opponents against each other. Unlike other areas of a woman’s life, women are not expected to “tone-down” during matches. Fire up your inner fighter and watch how it translates to massive willpower in other areas of life! 

Boxing’s a great well-rounded sport for mental and physical training. Challenge yourself and take the first step towards a better you with boxing! There are many reasons women have fallen in love with boxing once they tried it — and you will too!

Sparring is an important step for any boxer to improve their technique! Every boxer goes through plenty of sparring sessions before they ever get into the ring for a real fight.

Once you’ve mastered the basic techniques of boxing, sparring is encouraged to help you put what you’ve learnt into practice. Throwing a jab at an opponent feels very different from hitting a punching bag. Evading an opponent’s punches will require greater mobility when sparring. 

At The Ring, we want to help you step up to the challenge! Here’s a beginner guide to sparring.

Drill the Basics

First, you’ll need to be well-versed in the following:

• Throwing punches at a moving target
• Blocking punches while moving
• Evading punches while moving

Having a solid foundation in these areas can enable you to spar more effectively without getting seriously injured. These skills can be trained through offensive and defensive drills with a partner.

Get Ready for Sparring

You’ll also need to develop certain skills specific to sparring or fighting. Here are a couple of easy drills you can do with a partner to get ready for the ring.

1. Developing depth perception

One partner takes on the “leader” role. The other acts as the “follower”. The leading partner takes one to three steps while shifting in each direction – forward, backwards and side-to-side. This drill is about mirroring your partner by seeing and anticipating their moves – akin to dancing! Both partners can switch sides after a few rounds. There is no need to wear gloves for this drill.

2. Basic combinations

Partners ought to wear mouth guards, headgear and gloves for this drill. The two main techniques being used here is the jab and parrying the punches to get it away from the head. Practise combining these moves repeatedly with your partner. This will enable you to attack and defend more fluidly when sparring.

It’s Time to Spar!

Once you’ve built up a foundation on the above, it’s sparring time. Always remember to wear mouth guards, headgear and boxing gloves when sparring!

1. Choose the right partner

Ensure that you choose a suitable sparring partner. It is often advised that you spar with a coach as a beginner, since they will be in the best position to correct and guide you. Once you are more familiar with the basics, you may choose to spar with partners who are at a similar skill level as you.

2. Agree on the intensity and purpose

Before you begin, ensure that both partners are aligned on how the sparring session will go. If you’re both beginners, you may want to start out slow. You should also get into the ring with a goal in mind. For instance, you may be trying to train up your defence, and get your partner to focus on finding openings. Talking to your partner ahead of time can help both of you to gain more out of sparring.

3. Vary your techniques

Sparring is a great opportunity to try out different techniques. Switch it up and try different techniques you’ve drilled while boxing. If you’ve always wondered how a hook or right cross might play out, here’s your chance.

Sparring can seem intimidating when you’re just starting out. However, it’ll be the best thing you can do to improve your boxing techniques. Level up this year and challenge yourself to achieving this milestone with The Ring!