Boxing for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide

Introduction

This guide will help you as a boxing beginner bring structure and clarity to the challenge of learning how to box. Whether your goals are fitness, self-defence or to compete, you will be able to get a great grounding by taking the time to work through this guide.

The boxing for beginners guide consists of the following sections:

• Boxing for Beginners – The 10 Key Skills
• The Boxing Training Session
• Beginner Boxing Drills
• The Boxing Beginner Home Gym
• Beginner Boxing – The Right Mindset

In writing this guide, I’ve used my many years of boxing coaching experience to hit the right level. I could easily swamp you with a ton of boxing skills and boxing techniques, but that would defeat the object of the guide – I want you to have the right amount of information so that you can begin your boxing journey.

My primary focus is boxing for beginners at home, but this is specifically on the basis of having no access to a boxing coach and having some kind of home boxing gym or training space. This guide will also help you if your ultimate aim is to join a boxing gym.

But here’s a key thing. I don’t know what your aims and goals are. What I do know is that regardless of your goals, the best way to train is to train as a fighter. Simply put, the benefits are so much greater if you train like a fighter, learning proper technique to get the most of the time you spend training.

So, I will make recommendations in this guide on the basis that you are going to train as a fighter. It doesn’t matter to me whether you intend to fight or not, I will train you as a fighter.

Boxing for Beginners – The 10 Key Skills

Introduction

What are the 10 skills that I focus on when working with boxing beginners? It’s a really important question. The last thing you should do when learning how to box is to try and run before you can walk. In fact, there is so much information out there that I believe that one of the biggest challenges a beginner boxer faces is to know what skills to focus on.

I’ve broken boxing down into 61 individual skills across 5 categories. To demonstrate this I created the boxing skills web:

Out of this array of boxing skills, the 10 that I believe are vital for boxing beginners to learn are:

• Boxing Footwork Skills
  • The Boxing Stance
  • Moving In and Out
  • Boxing Side Steps
  • The Boxing Pivot
• Punching Skills
  • The Jab
  • The Cross/Straight Back Hand
• Feinting in Boxing
• Ducking
• Defensive Skills
  • Blocking a jab
  • Double Arm Block

So why do I think that boxing beginners should focus on these 10 skills?

The boxing footwork skills, when combined, give you a reasonable level of mobility in all directions. Including the boxing pivot means that you can add a host of angles to the 4 directions of movement.

When it comes to punching, the straight punches are the ones that we use most in boxing. More than that though, if you master rotation involved in throwing the two straight punches then you will have a much better chance later on of mastering the more complex hook punches and even more complex uppercut punches.

There are a host of head movement skills that a boxer learns, but as boxing beginners we can stick with the simple duck. The duck is not only a defensive skill, but it also doubles the amount of punches you can throw. By combining a duck with the jab or the right cross, you have two body punches to go with the two head punches.

The two blocking skills are the most simple defensive moves that we can execute. If you are learning how to throw punches it stands to reason that you should learn at least a couple of ways of defending punches.

I should also add here that your focus as beginner boxer should be long range, hence the straight punches that we are learning. There are 5 ranges in boxing, boxing beginners should focus on 3 of those ranges; out of range, edge of range and long range. This video gives a quick description of the ranges in boxing:

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Beginner Skill #1 – The Boxing Stance

About the Boxing Stance

For boxing beginners, the boxing stance is the most critical skill to master. If you do not grasp the basics of the boxing stance, and maintain the boxing stance effectively, no other boxing skills that you attempt will be as good as they can be.

The need for balance, mobility and a sound body shape in boxing is critical.  If you understand the boxing stance, and understand why it is so important, then you will be able to more easily develop the footwork, punches and defensive actions necessary to constitute an effective boxing style.

There are two types of boxing stance – orthodox and southpaw.

An orthodox boxer is someone who is naturally right-handed and holds the left hand and left leg in front, closer to the opponent.

Conversely, a southpaw boxer is someone who is naturally left-handed and leads with the right hand and right leg.

As a boxing beginner, don’t get caught up in the notion that it feels more comfortable as a right-hander using the southpaw stance.  As a rule of thumb, if you’re right-handed you are orthodox, if you’re left-handed you are southpaw.

This video goes into some deeper detail of the boxing stance. As with all beginner boxers, understand the steps you need to take to get into the boxing stance (and avoid the common faults that I describe below the video):

Mechanics of the Boxing Stance

1. Your feet should be a little more than shoulder width apart, with the front foot being at an angle of 45 degrees to the imaginary line drawn from the toe on the front foot to the heel on the back foot.  By ensuring that your feet are slightly offset and a comfortable distance apart, you provide the best possible base upon which to build good balance.
2. Remain on the balls of both feet.  Never allow the back foot to go flat otherwise you’ll have the mobility of an anvil.  Ensure your knees are bent slightly and relaxed, again maximising your mobility.
3. As an orthodox boxer, your right shoulder and left shoulder should align to point in the general direction of the opponent.  This minimises the target area for the opponent and also offers more leverage when throwing your punches.
4. Bring your hands up to cheek level, turning the palms of your hands very slightly toward you.  This will have the effect of drawing your elbows in to provide protection for your body.  Make a fist with your hands, but don’t ‘clench’ that fist, stay relaxed – a common problem for boxing beginners is being too tense, so anything we can do to avoid that is a positive.
5. Rest your chin on your chest, again without tensing up.  Effectively, you look ‘through’ your eyebrows.  By doing this, your chin will remain as well protected as it can be behind that lead shoulder.
6. Ensure that your body weight remains central or on your back leg.  Don’t fall into the habit of allowing your bodyweight to ‘lean’ over your front leg.  A simple way to nail this is to not allow your nose to go past the line of your front knee. We can vary the weight distribution across the boxing stance, but that’s not something to be concerned with as a beginner.

Common Faults with the Boxing Stance

Common faults that boxing beginners make when establishing the boxing stance:

1. Turning the shoulders ‘square on’, thereby offering the opponent a much greater target to hit.
2. Losing the imaginary line from the toe on the front foot to the heel on the back foot, thereby messing up your balance.
3. Going flat-footed, thereby messing up your ability to be mobile.
4. Allowing your chin to rise above the height of your raised hands, thereby increasing the chances of being smacked in the mouth.
5. Allowing your body weight to transfer over your front leg, thereby being ‘front-heavy’ and adding your body weight to incoming punches.

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Beginner Skill #2 – Moving In and Out

About Moving In and Out

Boxing footwork involves using your feet to move in given directions, including moving forward and backward or more commonly described as ‘moving in and out’.

Boxing footwork in the main involves some relatively simple physical movements in order to enable movement in and out of range.

So much of boxing relates to understanding your position in relation to your opponent, and we define this as “range”.

You can consider from the outset that you will be ‘in range’ (both for your punches to land but also for the opponent’s punches to land on you) or ‘out of range’.  When the boxer is in range, this can be broken down further into short, medium and long range.

Having briefly explained range, we should also understand that successful boxing relies on the ability to be ‘on the edge of range’, meaning that you are only very slightly beyond the range of your opponent’s punches.

Being at ‘edge of range’ means that you are able, with a short explosive movement of the feet, to get within range, land effective shots and move out again before the inevitable response from the opponent.

Being on the edge of range and providing that threat of mobility is a method of applying pressure to an opponent and enabling control of the boxing fight.

Mechanics of Moving In

1. From the boxing stance, the first action is a push from the back foot.
2. The front foot lifts very slightly from the floor, allowing the power generated from the push from the back foot to propel the body and therefore the front foot forward.
3. Allow the back foot to follow its course, catching up with the front foot.
4. The entire movement should be no more than 6 to 8 centimetres, and the boxer should retain the stance throughout.

Mechanics of Moving Out

1. From the boxing stance, the first action is a push from the front foot.
2. The back foot lifts very slightly from the floor, allowing the power generated from the push from the front foot to propel the body and therefore the back foot backward.
3. Allow the front foot to follow its course, catching up with the back foot.
4. The entire movement should be no more than 6 to 8 centimetres, and the boxer should retain the stance throughout.

Common Faults When Moving In and Out

There are a number of common beginner boxer faults that can occur when developing the boxing footwork skills to move in and out:

1. Often, you might ‘step and drag’.  When moving forward, the front foot will step and the back foot will be dragged forward (vice versa when moving backward).  This method of movement does not allow the speed required for the purposes of not getting beaten up.
2. The distance between your two feet should remain roughly the same during the movement.  This is a further reason why aiming to move only 6 to 8 centimetres is desirable.  When your boxing stance significantly narrows during movement, you are off-balance and less able to attack effectively or of more concern to defend effectively.
3. The boxer will flatten one or both feet, hindering the freedom of movement required for effective boxing.
4. The front foot may point toward the opponent rather than retaining the 45-degree angle to the imaginary line, this cause problems with the balance.
5. As covered with the boxing stance, it is during movement that you may be likely to lose the line from the toe on the front foot to the heel on the back foot.  This again has the effect of taking the boxer off-balance.

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Beginner Skill #3 – Boxing Side Steps

About Boxing Side Steps

It’s a very simple fact that all top boxers possess great footwork and balance.  The ability to remain highly mobile whilst under full control and in total balance offers the boxer the ability to maximize the opportunities to land effective shots.

Moving from side to side, also referred to as side-stepping, is a key skill to master as it plays such a massive role during offensive and defensive actions.

Side-stepping allows the boxer to cut off the ring, maximising pressure on the opponent.  The side step also allows new angles for attack to be opened.

When mixed with ducking and slipping punches, the side step provides excellent defensive options.

Footwork, side-stepping and moving in and out, is a primary element of controlling the opponent inside a boxing ring.  The side step is a key tactical skill that must become second nature.

Mechanics of Side Step to the Right

1. From the boxing stance, the first action is a push from the front foot.  The push should be ‘sharp’, and aimed at providing the drive to thrust the body to the right.
2. The back foot lifts very slightly from the floor, allowing the power generated from the push from the front foot to shift the body in a straight line to the right.  The back foot should ‘glide’ as opposed to stepping.
3. Allow the front foot to follow its course, catching up with the back foot in order to restore the stance.

Mechanics of Side Step to the Left

1. From the boxing stance, the first action is a push from the back foot.  The push should be ‘sharp’, and aimed at providing the drive to thrust the body to the left.
2. The front foot lifts very slightly from the floor, allowing the power generated from the push from the back foot to shift the body in a straight line to the left.  The front foot should ‘glide’ as opposed to stepping.
3. Allow the back foot to follow its course, catching up with the front foot in order to restore the stance.

Common Faults with Side Steps

As a beginner boxer, you need to watch our for the following common faults:

1. The boxer ‘steps and drags’ rather than using a sharp ‘push and glide’.  For example, when sidestepping to the right, the back foot (right leg) will step across and the front foot is dragged across to the right.  This approach does not offer the same speed capability as the push and glide.
2. The boxer may sometimes become flat-footed.  This again will result in a very ‘clunky’, almost robotic action.  Remain on the balls of your feet and stay relaxed.
3. The legs may ‘cross’.  For example, when moving right, the front leg (left) will step across to the right, thus ‘crossing’ the line from the back foot.  Following this the back leg will also step across.  The same problem can occur when sidestepping either left or right, and it’s a bad mistake to make.

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Beginner Skill #4 – The Boxing Pivot

About the Boxing Pivot

The pivot is one of those often-overlooked aspects of boxing.

The main reason that the boxing pivot is overlooked is that on the face of it the pivot is not what you would describe as a ‘glamorous’ skill.

The pivot doesn’t for instance offer the potential for an explosive end to a contest, as does a short range left hook.

Nor does the pivot catch the eye in the same way that evading an attack by using deft slips and ducks can.

The thing is though, the pivot provides huge benefits for both offensive and defensive work, and actually it’s quite a simple skill to master once you understand the basic mechanics.

Mechanics of the Boxing Pivot Left

1. From the boxing stance, push from the back foot (right) and allow the front foot to spin on its ball.
2. The objective is to shift your baseline (the line from the toe on the front foot to the heel on the back foot) through 45 degrees.  Your front foot rotates on the spot enabling your back foot to move across to the left.  Your stance is retained throughout the pivot.

Mechanics of the Boxing Pivot Right

1. From the boxing stance position, spin the front foot on the spot and allow the back foot to lift.
2. The same shift of 45 degrees takes place, only this time to the right.  Don’t be tempted to allow your body weight to go over the front leg, your weight should remain central or on the back leg.

Common Faults with the Boxing Pivot

1. Don’t allow your body weight to transfer ‘over’ your front leg. So, don’t lean forward at any point during the pivot.
2. Make sure that your front foot actually spins, on the ball of the foot.

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Beginner Skill #5 – The Jab

About the Jab

The boxing jab is the boxer’s most important punch.

The jab allows the boxer to control an opponent, be it on the attack or on the defensive.  The jab provides a main method of commencing an attack and is consistently proven as a fight winner.

Few things are more demoralizing to an opponent as being continually popped in the face with a fast, accurate and well-timed jab.

Whilst we can talk about a fast and accurate jab, it’s surprising how many boxers allow bad habits to creep in when using the jab.

If the jab is thrown correctly it’s a winner.  On the other hand, if it isn’t used well then it’s a key ‘chink in the armour’ that will more often than not lead to a flattened nose and an abject feeling of defeat.

Mechanics of the Jab

1. From the stance, the first action is a push from the front foot. This push rotates the hips and upper-body slightly so that the hips and shoulders align with the opponent.
2. As the rotation is taking place, the lead arm accelerates toward the opponent, ensuring that the lead arm elbow follows the same line as the fist i.e. there is no lateral movement of the elbow.
3. As the lead arm is moving towards the target it accelerates.  As the fist approaches the target (having covered about 75% of the distance to the target) it rotates inwards, so that the palm is facing down towards the floor.  At the last moment, the fist clenches and ‘snaps’ on to the target.
4. The fist returns along the same line as before, returning to the ‘home’ position as per the stance.

Common Faults with the Jab

1. There is an urge to try and hit too hard.  The desire to throw the punch hard often results in the boxer’s weight transferring to the front leg.  This has the effect of impairing the balance and making you very vulnerable to counter-attack.  Remember, the jab will often be thrown as you move forward; so throwing the weight onto the front leg is very high risk.
2. The punch is ‘telegraphed’, or tell-tale movement before the punch begins its journey.  These movements include the elbow lifting or ‘flaring’ to the side or the fist dropping slightly, both of which are dead giveaways.
3. The boxer allows the punch to become an upper-body movement.  Ensure that the rotation of the upper-body is generated by the push from the front leg.

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Beginner Skill #6 – The Straight Back Hand/Right Cross

About the Straight Back Hand

As an orthodox boxer, the right cross is the straight shot that carries the power.  The right cross very often follows on from the jab but can just as easily be thrown in isolation with the same results.

The reason that the right cross carries power is due to the amount of rotation of the hips via drive from the legs.  However, if the right cross is not thrown correctly, it leaves the boxer vulnerable to attack and can result in a significant reduction in the boxer’s confidence in the shot, something I’ve witnessed regularly over the years.

The right cross is part of the ‘bread and butter’ of boxing.  The ability to ‘soften up’ a target at long range makes the task of delivering a wider range of combinations (incorporating hooks and uppercuts) much easier.

Mechanics of the Straight Back Hand

1. From the boxing stance the first action is a push from the back foot, which generates the power to rotate the hips.  As previously mentioned, there is a significant rotation of the hips around the vertical, central axis.  If you think of the stance being held on the face of a clock on the floor, the left hip would be in the starting position at 11 o’clock, whilst the right hip would be in the starting position at 5 o’clock.  Following rotation, the right hip will arrive at 2 o’clock and the left hip would arrive at 8 o’clock.
2. As the rotation is taking place, the lead leg (left) is bent slightly at the knee.  This bending of the knee enables the hips to rotate as required.  The rotation takes place around the central axis as described in the video.
3. As the rotation is taking place, the right hand accelerates toward the target along a straight line, seeking to follow a line through the opponent’s gloves and onto the target.
4. As the fist approaches the target (having covered about 75% of the distance), it rotates inwards so that the palm is facing down towards the floor.  At the last moment, the fist clenches and ‘snaps’ on to the target.
5. The fist returns along the same line as before, returning to the ‘home’ position as per the stance.

Common Faults with the Straight Back Hand

1. Rather than a push from the back foot that ‘drives’ power through the leg and into the hips, the boxer may often ‘spin’ the back foot.  This results in a significant reduction in the potential power delivered by the shot.
2. The punch is ‘telegraphed’, or tell-tale movement takes place before the punch begins its journey.  The most common giveaway on the cross is a ‘drawback’, the result of trying to hit too hard.  When the shot is telegraphed, it is very unlikely to land cleanly.
3. The boxer allows the punch to become an upper-body movement.  Ensure that the rotation of the upper-body is generated by the drive from the back leg and that you don’t end up with an arm shot.
4. The boxer ‘bends’ the body off the central axis.  Again this will reduce the power of the shot.
5. The final common fault is that often the left hand will drop from the ‘home’ position close to the cheek.  I’m sure there’s no need for me to point out why this is a bad thing.

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Beginner Skill #7 – Feinting in Boxing

About Feinting in Boxing

Some people might consider me including feinting as a beginner boxing skill is unusual. I have a little saying that I use a lot in the boxing gym – “Boxing is a pressure business, if you are not punching you should be feinting and if you are not feinting you should be punching.”

The sooner that you get used to making feinting a core part of your boxing style, the better because it is a fantastic way of building pressure and triggering the opponent.

There are 3 basic types of feint in boxing:

• Hand feint
• Foot feint
• Body feint

The video below provides a good introduction to feinting in boxing.

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Beginner Skill #8 – Ducking in Boxing

About Ducking

There are two main reasons why a boxer ducks during a fight.  The first most obvious reason is as a boxing defense to avoid an opponent’s punches.

The second reason is to engage the opponent with body shots otherwise you may ‘punch down’ to the body and this has its problems.

Ducking is one of the most simple boxing techniques to learn, and when executed correctly and at the right time opens up many avenues for attack as well reducing the risk of taking head shots.

When ducking, be it ducking punches or ducking to let loose body shots, it is very important to observe the simple mechanics to avoid introducing the common faults.

When bad habits sneak into the technique of ducking, the penalty paid can be severe.  To get an idea of what could happen when the ducking technique is not executed properly, check out the common faults.

Mechanics of Ducking

The mechanics of ducking in boxing are simple.  As with all boxing techniques, efficiency is key, and the ducking technique is no different.

1. From the boxing stance, bend both legs at the knees, ensuring that you keep your back straight.
2. The bending of the knees should almost be a ‘drop’ allowing the duck to happen at the required speed.
3. Drop only enough for an oncoming punch to ‘graze’ the top of your head.  This brings us back to our point about the efficiency of the technique.
4. Return to the starting position as quickly as the knees ‘dropped’ at the start of the technique.  At full speed, ducking should be performed as quickly as a punch is thrown.

Common Faults with Ducking

Some basic errors are often made when ducking punches or ducking to throw body shots:

1. Bending at the waist rather than dropping at the knees.  This bend of the waist results in the upper body moving forward and downward thus restricting the vision.  If you can’t see punches coming then you are less able to prevent them hitting you.  Moving down and forward also offers a great opportunity for the opponent to land punches, in particular a shot like the uppercut – not good.
2. Dropping too low, wasting energy and reducing the likelihood of landing counter punches.
3. I mentioned earlier about punching down to the opponent’s body rather than ducking.  This is particularly risky when throwing straight shots by punching down to an opponent’s body rather than ducking means that your hand is away from the guard position for marginally longer than it needs to be.  OK, it’s only a split second, but it’s long enough.

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Beginner Skill #9 – Blocking a Jab

About Blocking the Jab

Using a block to an incoming jab is the ultimate defensive ‘reactive’ skill and opens up the world of counterpunching. It is the first reactive defense that I teach to beginner boxers – it’s pretty straightforward and is very effective.

When you use the duck, or indeed the slip or rolls, you do so proactively. I teach beginners that those defences are done in the expectation that punches are coming – they are proactive defences.

Blocking a punch however is a reactive defence.  It is a direct response to a specific action by the opponent, in this case an incoming jab.

Understanding the difference between proactive defences and reactive defences is key for the boxing beginner. The block is a simple and efficient defence and can be used quickly enough when you ‘see’ a punch coming – it’s a great platform for counter punching.

So why is blocking the jab of an opponent such a good platform for counterpunching?

Here are a few reasons:

• It’s an efficient defensive action using little energy.
• It’s an assertive defence, providing the dominant position to go on the attack.
• Having blocked an opponent’s jab, it stands to reason that you are in range to respond successfully with your own punch.
  

Mechanics of Blocking the Jab

The description here assumes an orthodox versus an orthodox.  It is the back hand (right hand) that blocks the incoming jab.

The mechanics of blocking an incoming jab are:

1. The first move is a push from the back foot.  This push from the back foot provides the drive to rotate the hips and upper body in a counter-clockwise direction.
2. The back hand (right hand) moves between 3 and 5 inches and at the same time the wrist rotates 90 degrees in a clockwise direction.
3. The palm opens to ‘catch’ the incoming jab.
4. After blocking the shot, the hand returns instantly to the ‘home’ position.

Common Faults with Blocking the Jab

The key faults that occur when a boxer attempts to block an opponent’s jab are:

1. Don’t ‘reach’ for the incoming punch.  Ensure that your hand moves no more than 3 to 5 inches away from the ‘home’ position otherwise a large gap will be left in your own defence.
2. Don’t let the block become an ‘arm only’ action.  If the initial drive is not provided by the back foot pushing (thereby rotating the upper body), then it is highly likely that the arm will not be strong enough to keep out the jab.  Basically, the opponent’s jab will pile through your defence and straight into your face, adding insult to injury.
3. This block is a platform for counterpunching, so make sure you punch back!   A BIG mistake is to successfully block the punch but not take advantage by throwing your own shot.  This is an opportunity wasted and against a high standard of opponent opportunities don’t come along that often.
4. Don’t delay throwing your counterpunch – it must be instant.  Your own jab should land whilst your opponent’s jab is still in the palm of your hand…yes, really that fast.  The opening created when the opponent punches is very brief so fire instantly.

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Beginner Skill #10 – Double Arm Block

About the Double Arm Block

This defensive action is one of the most common boxing techniques that you see used during a boxing match.  There is of course a very simple reason for the regularity with which boxers use this defense – it works.

Good boxers, generally speaking, don’t like to complicate things.

The double arm block, also known as ‘covering-up’, is more than a simple boxing defense.  It is actually a very effective tool for moving into range with relative safety and smashing home big shots.

Don’t be fooled into believing that the double arm block or covering up is almost an act of surrender, nor should it be used as something to ‘hide behind’.

When used alongside other boxing techniques, such as the defensive inside fighting blocks, and the full range of punches you can quite easily dominate any opponent no matter their strength or level of aggression.

If you want a really strong and effective boxing defense, make sure that you understand how and why we use the double arm block.  It’s not a passive, weak defense.  On the contrary, the double arm block is one of the core reactive boxing techniques in any situation where you need to advance quickly and safely.

Mechanics of the Double Arm Block

The mechanics of the double arm block are simple, so it’s an ideal defence for the beginner boxer to learn:

1. From the boxing stance and on sight of an incoming shot, bring the arms together, turning the palms inwards towards your face and raising the fists to only about the level of the eyebrows.
2. When the shot has been blocked, return the hands to the guard position.

Common Faults with the Double Arm Block

When performing this boxing technique, there are 4 main faults to avoid:

1. Do not raise your arms too high.  The only effect of this will be to expose your body to attack, and against a skilled body puncher that could mean the end of the fight.
2. Do not use ‘weak arms’.  It is vital that when you block you ‘tense’ your arms to absorb the strength of the incoming shot.  Otherwise the punch will simply drive through your defence and smash into your head.
3. Do not cover your head, close your eyes and/or look down at the ground.  This means that you cannot see your opponent and that is likely to lead you to getting a solid beating.  Having visibility of the threat is an absolute must.
4. Make sure that you throw punches back.  If you block an opponent’s shots then you are in range and can strike back.  Blocking punches and not firing back is a terrible waste of opportunity.

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Boxing Skills – The Bigger Picture

So there we have 10 skills that should form the basis of your boxing beginner journey. You need to learn the individual skills and then you need to learn how to combine and connect the skills – we’ll cover this in beginner boxing drills.

The key is that you don’t rush this. Understanding these boxing skills is simple, performing them consistently well is not. It requires focused work and repetition.

But what might come next after these skills?

Let’s focus on punches. As a beginner, once you feel you have a good grasp of the two straight punches (the jab and the right cross), the next punch to learn would be the left hook. The left hook is a really natural follow on from the right cross – it’s one of the standard boxing combinations:

You’ll notice in this video that we introduce another body move (or head movement); the inside slip. This skill adds extra power to your left hook, but importantly it’s an example of how we combine skills…you’ll get more of this in the beginner boxer drills.

That’s another punch added to your armoury, but we can also work with some variations of the simple straight punches that you have learned. For example, there are 7 types of boxing jab that you can play around with:

I’m a big believer in the basics done well. At the same time, I’m quite happy for beginner boxers who are on their learning journey understanding how we can vary the type of punches that they can use.

We can take a similar approach to the power right cross. This video describes 3 variations of the right cross that can vary the angle of the punch, from bolt straight to slightly angled. The variation is subtle, but again there is no harm in you as a beginner boxer trying this stuff:

The only reason I’ve included these additions and variations is to give you an indicator of how big this world of learning how to box is. I covered the 61 skills in the Boxing Skills Web, and as a beginner I’m recommending you focus on the 10 skills that we have laid out. Just think thought of how many months and years of learning and mastery you can enjoy here.

The next thing to do is to think about how you can lay down your beginner boxing training session.

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The Boxing Training Session

Introduction

A boxing training session needs to do two things. First, it needs to be structured to ensure that the technical skills of boxing are continually improved. Second, it needs to ensure that you can build the endurance and strength to maintain the skills for the duration of a fight.

Regardless of your goals when it comes to learning how to box, be it simply for fitness or for competition, you should train like a fighter. The thing is, to build good skills capability and a good level of fitness there is not as big a time commitment as you might think.

As a boxing beginner, if you can fit in 3 sessions per week, each session lasting just under an hour, that is enough training to get you a solid level of fitness and a continual improvement of your skills. Enhance that with a couple of running sessions per week (or bike work/cross trainer work) and you will be surprised at the level of fitness you can attain.

So, what does our boxing training session look like? Well, let’s stick with a good time-proven basic 7 phase structure:

1. Warm Up
2. Boxing Drills
3. Shadow Boxing
4. Heavy Bag
5. Jumping Rope
6. Strength and Conditioning
7. Warm Down

The structure is important. Phases 2, 3 and 4 have a round-based structure. As a beginner, just start with 3 x 2 minute rounds with 30 second rest periods.

Phase 1 – The Warm Up

The boxing warm up is all about preparing your body and mind for the training session and is a vital part of your boxing training session. All training sessions should start with a warm up of some kind. Here are some of the reasons why the warm up is key to your success:

• Increases your heart rate and blood flow
• Improves the transport of oxygen and blood flow to your muscles
• Increases muscle temperature
• Reduces muscle stiffness
• Improves economy of movement in the muscles
• Reduces the risk of injury during the nearly part of your training session
• Enables the proper mental preparation for your training session.

This video offers a sample boxing training session warm up, ideal for a beginner boxer.

Phase 2 – Boxing Drills

Boxing drills are vital, regardless of whether you are a boxing beginner or a seasoned operator. Boxing drills are so important that I’ve included a specific section below so that we can really expand upon your options.

Phase 3 – Shadow Boxing

Introduction

Shadow boxing.  It seems such a fundamental part of a fighter’s life.  We all see boxers do it.  My own personal favourite to watch shadow boxing was the one and only Muhammad Ali.  His style for me perfectly captured the essence of shadow boxing.

When shadow boxing Ali incorporated rhythm, fluidity, speed, relaxed power and wonderful footwork.  He effortlessly joined up boxing skills to produce a mesmerising display of shadow boxing that the world just had to stand and watch.

So, what is shadow boxing, how do we do it and how can we maximize the benefits that shadow boxing provides?

As long as boxing has existed (since the time of the ancient Greeks), boxers have built in shadow boxing to their training regime.

In brief and at its most simple, shadow boxing is boxing without a physical opponent present.

Shadow boxing empowers you to try out many of the skills of boxing before using those skills on a heavy bag or indeed a live opponent.

In fact, you could argue that shadow boxing is as much a workout for the brain as a workout the body.Shadow boxing is generally undertaken towards the start of the session, after the warm-up but before the ‘heavier impacts’ of sparring, punch pads or heavy bag work.

Having said this, all boxers will occupy any spare moments with a burst of shadow boxing.

Some people consider shadow boxing to be part of a warm-up, but I absolutely do not.

Shadow boxing is a very important aspect of training in it’s own right and should not be sacrificed for the more ‘exciting’ impact work.

My own approach with shadow boxing is to apply a round-based structure just as I would with any other boxing training elements.

So, when shadow boxing we work within the round/rest period structure and we don’t just mindlessly go through the motions in order to pass the time.

7 Steps to Great Shadow Boxing

1. When shadow boxing, your emphasis should be on movement; flowing, varied and slick bits of footwork and body movement. By all means use mirrors when shadow boxing as they are fantastically helpful (you see what an opponent would see), but don’t become a slave to the mirrors.  Whatever floor-space that you have during shadow boxing, make use of it.
2. Visualize an opponent and place a target.  I mentioned that there is no physical opponent present when shadow boxing.  Well, your job is to put that physical opponent in there.  Don’t get sloppy, be sure to imagine your range in relation to the opponent and make sure that the imaginary opponent is a threat.  There is no use shadow boxing with an imaginary opponent who is no more dangerous than your average bunny rabbit.
3. When shadow boxing, accelerate your shots onto a target, snapping back the head of the ‘opponent’.  By thinking about the speed and acceleration of your punch, then you will improve your punching speed and ultimately improve your punching power.  This is especially important when throwing hooks and uppercuts.
4. Related to the previous point, when shadow boxing don’t allow your punches to go through the target before eventually finding their way back to the guard position. This is a terribly bad habit. Think about it, when your fist hits a solid object it does not continue to travel for feet beyond that object.  Your fist pretty much stops and the force generated is passed into the object.  So let’s train for that situation of hitting the target. If during shadow boxing you don’t ‘hit a target’, then you are effectively training to miss the target.
5. To make improvements to your hand speed during shadow boxing, why not grab a 1lb or 2lb weight in each hand.  Use these weights for a round then dispense with them for the next round.  You should feel an instant improvement in hand speed.  Make this a regular part of your shadow boxing and these improvements in punching speed will be for the long term.
6. ‘Theme’ your rounds of shadow boxing.  For example, in round 1, visualize an opponent who is looking to put a lot of pressure on you, constantly attacking with reckless abandon.  Use lots of side-steps, pivots and long range hooks and long range uppercuts to build an effective fighting retreat.  In the next round, turn the tables and you chase down your opponent.  Check out the Dealing with Counter Punching article for an idea of approach here.
7. Watch other boxers, both on TV (or the boxing fan’s best friend YouTube) and if you are at a gym the boxers there. Try to spot some of the skills that they use. Try to spot the subtle bits; pivots, hand-defences and footwork, and look to use some of those for a round. Basically, mimic your favourite boxers.

One final point, don’t ever take shadow boxing for granted.  It is one of the finest aspects of a boxing training session.

Make the most of shadow boxing and really use it to become the boxer that you deserve to be.

Shadow boxing will never be as effective as sparring, but it should without question form a fundamental part of your boxing training session.

Phase 4 – Heavy Bag

Introduction

Just before we get going I need to offer a real and serious warning. The majority of heavy bags by definition are packed quite tightly. This means that they are fairly solid objects.

Before you begin hitting a heavy bag there is a crucial rule that you should never, ever forget – protect your hands.

I hate to see boxers hit a bag without hand protection.  Even if your average boxer is just passing by the bag it’s very difficult it seems for them to resist the urge to pop off a quick combination.

Many promising careers have been extinguished because of a boxer succumbing to hand injuries; so looking after your hands should be one of your highest priorities.

Kick boxers may toughen their shins for perfectly sensible reasons.  MMA fighters and other martial artists may take the view that they need to toughen their hands.

Boxers, in my opinion, punch much harder than the combatants in either of those sports.  Consequently the forces travelling through the hands are much greater and require key measures to be taken to protect against those forces – make sure wraps and gloves are worn at all times…no exceptions.

The Heavy Bag – 5 Beginner Tips for Success

Rule #1 – Avoid excessive swinging of the bag

To be fair this is something that real novices tend to look to achieve.  More experienced boxers simply don’t need to do so.  The bag swinging all over the place is not a sign that you are hitting hard. It is a sign that you possess a rudimentary understanding of the principles of kinetic energy and momentum.

Excessive swinging is the result of constantly hitting the bag as it moves away so that the swinging becomes more and more pronounced. You need to be able to time your shots to stop the bag dead as it swings back toward you after your first salvo of punches, which leads me neatly onto the 2nd rule.

Rule #2 – Develop your timing and range-finding

This comes in the form of 2 types of action. Firstly, if the bag is swinging you should often aim to maintain a consistent distance between you and it. For example, maintain long-range by coinciding your movement in and out with the swing of the bag.

You should at all times be able to land long range punches, from the jab to the right cross and any of the other long-range punches. In the absence of regular sparring this is a fantastic way to get your feel for range.

To develop your timing on the heavy bag, and by that I mean your punch timing, stay relaxed and look to control the swing of the bag by landing crisp punches both as the bag swings towards you.

Look to hit occasionally as the bag swings away from you (accepting the point of Rule #1).  If you land a shot as an object is coming toward you (in this instance there heavy bag, but other times it could be a very aggressive opponent) you massively increase the power of the punch by adding the opponent’s mass to the shot.

If the heavy bag is moving away, generating the same level of power is more difficult but is no less something that you should aim for. To nail this you need to carefully time your footwork with your punch and the movement of the bag.

Be aware, as a fighter you need never be more than a few centimeters out of range so developing that sense down to the millimetre pays dividends.

Rule #3 – Don’t Push

Pushing a bag (or opponent) is a really bad habit to develop as a boxing beginner. As you become more experienced, we do work with some concepts of non-punching contact with the heavy bag, but that’s not something to tackle as a beginner.

If you constantly push the heavy bag then this is very likely to transfer into your sparring and fighting. Of course pushing an opponent is a foul (even in the professional ranks and especially in the amateur ranks) and the referee will intervene.  But there is a potential result that is far worse than a telling off by the referee.

If you push an opponent, your arms move away from the guard position.  This is potentially catastrophic in terms of defense and leaves you wide open to left and right hooks, the chosen weapons of the knockout artist.

A boxer takes risks; it’s part of the business.  What is not part of the business is exposing yourself to unnecessary risk.  Pushing the opponent and exposing your chin definitely constitutes unnecessary risk.

Rule #4 – Don’t Lean

Under no circumstances ever should you depend upon a bag, an opponent or indeed the ropes of the ring to keep you on your feet.

If you lean on a heavy bag you are relying on that bag to stay where it is in order for you to maintain your balance. If that bag suddenly disappeared then you would go stumbling forward like a drunken fool.

Stand on your own feet; rely on YOU to maintain YOUR balance.

This is different from standing at close range and using the double arm block and other defensive blocks to maintain physical contact with the bag or opponent. That is the art of infighting and is the realm of really experienced and clever boxers.

Ensure that at all times you can defend and attack and are not reliant on the opponent to assist them in achieving this.

Rule #5 – Maintain your discipline

The final rule is simple; maintain discipline throughout the round. This is not only the principle of maintaining your form through the execution of the skills, but it is also the principle of working through to the end of the round.

Don’t fall into the trap of hammering the bag for 30 seconds and then standing around panting like a dog for the next 2 minutes. This is a big problem with boxing beginners and totally counter-productive.

Work all the way through the round and then take your rest. This will toughen you both physically and mentally and is one of the keys to successful boxing.

So there you have it, 5 simple rules to help you succeed when working the heavy bag during your boxing training.

The heavy bag is such a fantastic piece of equipment that has genuinely stood the test of time in what is the toughest of sports. Work it well and work it hard and you will reap the rewards.

Phase 5 – Jumping Rope

Jumping rope is a fundamental part of the training session, it’s something fighters have been doing for generations and it’s something that you as a beginner should include in your session.

The benefits of building jumping rope (or skipping) speak for themselves:

• Hands and feet co-ordination. The importance of co-ordinating footwork with punching is critical to successful boxing. Skipping is a wonderful method of doing this. Timing, rhythm, balance…you name it, skipping helps with it.
• Aerobic fitness/anaerobic fitness – cardiovascular dreamland. Skipping is wonderfully versatile in terms of configuration of activity, allowing low intensity work over a prolonged period (for endurance development) to high intensity sprinting work to focus on recovery rates.
• Excellent muscle tone benefits, particularly in the calves, thighs, buttocks, chest and shoulders.
• As you have probably noticed, being on the balls of your feet is very important in boxing, not only for effective movement, but also for generating the leverage needed for throwing real power shots. Skipping is excellent training for ensuring that you develop that capability to remain on the balls of your feet for the duration of a round.

Phase 6 – Strength & Conditioning

There are pretty much endless ways to help build strength and conditioning for boxing. The main reason I believe we need to have dedicated periods focused on building strength and conditioning is simple.

You need to ensure that all the skills you learn are sustainable for the duration of a fight. You can be the most skilful fighter in the room, that amounts to nothing if you can’t keep those skills going for more than 30 seconds.

So as you begin the process of learning how to box, get used to the idea of putting in the hard yards of building solid strength and endurance.

As a boxing beginner where should you start? I think that the boxing ‘ton up’ is as good a place as any. It’s simple, needs no equipment and works all the main muscle groups that we need – legs, trunk and shoulders/chest.

So what is the ton up? What is this activity that should a key part of your boxing training session?

The ton up is 10 exercises performed with 10 repetitions of each exercise – 100 exercises in total, hence the name ton up. The simplest type of ton up follows the sequence of legs, trunk, chest/shoulders. It might look something like this:

1. Burpees
2. Trunk curls
3. Press ups
4. Squat jumps
5. V sit ups
6. Snake press ups
7. Star jumps
8. Russian twists
9. Star dorsal raises
10. Squat thrusts

This simplest of strength and conditioning circuits can form the basis of a dazzling array of routines. You could break it into individual rounds, you could go with a target circuit (as many reps in a certain time period) or you could use a totally different set of exercises.

The point is that as a beginner boxer you can use this simple circuit as a platform to build more intense and focused routines as you become fitter and stronger.

Phase 7 – Warm Down

Do not underestimate the benefits of the warm down. In simple terms, the warm down is a set of static stretching exercises working down from the top of your body through the various muscle groups, to finish at the bottom of your body.

Here are some of the key benefits to a boxer doing a good warm down:

• After a tough training session, it is important that the rate at which your body returns to a natural operating state is a steady rate. This is particularly important when you work out in a cooler environment, and is a key reason why on the video you see that I add a layer of clothing in the form of the tracksuit top
• The warm down gives you some ‘down time’ to reflect on the hard work that you’ve done during the session. The ‘feel good’ hormones are rushing around your body and it is important to take some time to really enjoy them.
• The warm down lets you massively improve the flexibility of your body. Flexibility is a key aspect of the ‘punch power’ formula. Flexibility (also described as suppleness) increases your range of movement throughout your entire body. Increased range of movement equals increased leverage. Increased leverage = increased punching power potential. Remember this when patiently working though your warm down.
• Finally, but no less importantly, if you are flexible then you are much less likely to pick up the kind of injuries that really get in the way of good fitness. If you tear a muscle, depending upon the location and severity of the tear you are looking at several weeks of inactivity. Lengthy spells of inactivity and fitness are not two phrases that go hand in hand.
  

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Beginner Boxing Drills

Introduction

Boxing drills are a critical part of every boxer’s training regime, regardless of whether they are a beginner or a seasoned operator. There Are lots of ways of running boxing drills, but in essence they are systematic training by multiple repetitions. In other words, practice makes perfect.

Let’s consider an observation about people who work in professions that may require, from time to time, that they face very stressful situations, for example police officers, soldiers, fire fighters, medics, pilots and so on.

These people, when recounting an act of particular bravery (usually in a very self-effacing way it has to be said) or a time when they kept their cool in situations that would make most of us shrivel up blow away regularly use the phrase “the training took over”.

Why did the training take over?

The training took over because a proportion of their time in training was devoted to drills. Their brain had built up all the shortcuts needed to react in the right way regardless of the stress levels of the situation.

The same is true of boxing training.

There is no mystery here, and as the great golfer Gary Player once said, “The harder you practice, the luckier you get.”

In this section I am going to lay out some simple introductory skills in 2 areas:

• Beginner boxing footwork
• Beginner boxing combinations

There is some overlap on the combinations drills because boxing combinations are about more than just punching. The point is that these drills will give you a good starter to think about how to lay down your drills.

Before you start, I have a boxing footwork drill pattern for you. This can be laid out in duct tape in any spare space you have. It’s ideal if you can lay this out in front of a mirror, but not essential, it will work anywhere:

Bear in mind, every one of the skills we covered in the 10 boxing skills section constitutes a drill. Execute the skill for 1 minute, quality repetition avoiding the common faults – that’s a boxing drill. It’s a simple boxing drill, but simple is great. You will gain real benefits from simply drilling the individual skills.

This section is about combining some of those boxing skills.

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Beginner Boxing Footwork Drills

In this section there are 2 videos that contain beginner boxer level footwork drills. There is some punching in there (straight punches), but feel free to only take those on when you feel ready.

This first video is purely about boxing footwork, and we cover some diagonal movement. The cool thing about this is that we cover the simple movement in and out, but then we evolve that to a more sharp and realistic execution. I’m using a mat in the video, you have your footwork drill pattern to use.

In this next video we cover in and out movement, side steps and diagonals. We also touch upon some slips to add to your beginner boxers skill set and importantly we add in some simple punching sequences – the one-two.

Beginner Boxing Combinations

When it comes to boxing combinations, I like to get boxers to think a little differently. It’s good to start this different thinking from the beginner level.

We build these beginner combinations around the one-two, the jab and the right cross. The thing about the one-two is that fights can be won with these two most basic punches. It stands to reason that right from the beginner level you should strive to make them the very best quality that you can.

Boxing combinations are not just about punching though, you need to incorporate other skills.

The video below covers 5 beginner boxing combinations. One of the combinations includes a skill that you we haven’t included, but it’s simple enough and I’m sure you’ll master it pretty easily.

That movement in and out with the one two is incredibly important in boxing. We call it the phased attack, or the pendulum step. It’s a technique that you should be working from the beginner stage off your boxing journey.

Working the pendulum step with the one-two can be mixed in with the side steps and pivots to give you a wide range of options as a beginner boxer. At the heart of these boxing combinations is simplicity, and that’s a principle that you as a beginner should grab – do the basics well. In my view, 95% of what the best fighters do are the basics, they just do them very well.

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The Boxing Beginner Home Gym

Introduction

Boxing has always been a sport that has very few barriers to participation.

Barriers in other sports can be social, geographical or financial.  There continues to be many excellent boxing clubs and gyms that provide the space, the equipment and coaching resource to allow people full access to the sport.

These gyms are most often ‘pay as you play’ and as such do not demand that a contract be signed.  This is why people from all backgrounds can easily access boxing as a sport and is indeed why the sport remains very popular today.

Whilst there are many gyms available, there may be any number of reasons why you might enjoy the option of having a functional boxing gym in your home.

Many people tell me that they are simply too far away from a boxing gym to make it viable to make the journey, so a boxing training set up at home is their only option.

Alternatively you might like to get involved in a boxing gym, but would like to get yourself in shape and learn some of the basics before taking the step of signing up at a gym. You can certainly build up a degree of confidence by developing an understanding of the skills and fitness methods in your own home.

It may be in fact that you are already involved in boxing (or any other combat sports), and would like the additional facilities at home to use at your discretion.

If you have the space available, be it in a garage, basement, spare room or attic, then you can establish yourself a functional gym where you can increase your fitness levels and learn and develop the technical skills of boxing.

I am going to describe a couple of set ups for your home boxing gym.

The starter set up is very simple, basically it set up that doesn’t require a piece of punching equipment like a heavy bag.

The striker set up takes that next step where you have a heavy bag. Once you start punching heavy objects there are some things that you need to take into account.

Starter Set Up

The starter set up is about you as a beginner boxer going for a spartan set up. You might not have the facilities to have a heavy bag, and that’s fine. You can do a huge amount of skills development and fitness work without hitting equipment, so don’t view the absence of a heavy bag as a barrier.

Mirror

A full length mirror is ideal, so that you can see your whole body as you do your work. A mirror is a fantastic self-coaching tool, both for boxing drills and for shadow boxing.

Duct Tape

A roll of duct tape can be used to lay down the boxing footwork drill pattern. Laying the drill pattern down in front of your mirror is ideal. I’ve actually had people send me pictures where they have their training space in their apartment and they lay the pattern down under a rug. When they want to train they simply move the rug away.

Exercise Mat

If you are training in your garage or basement, you do not want to be sitting on a cold, concrete floor. Having a simple exercise mat will make things more comfortable. It won’t make it easier, just more comfortable.

Round Timer

Structure in your boxing training session is vital. We work primarily in round structures – for example 3 rounds of 2 minutes each round with 30 second reset periods. There are huge range of timer apps out there, so be sure to have one of them available to give your boxing training session the structure it needs.

Skipping Rope

In terms of the options available for skipping, we have 2 main choices – the leather rope with wooden or steel handles and the plastic rope.

Skipping ropes that are made from conventional rope are not particularly well suited to boxers as they don’t have the weight to allow high speed skipping, basically the revolution of the rope can’t keep up with your ability to jump.

The traditional choice would be the leather skipping rope.  Leather ropes are hard wearing and provide enough weight to really ramp up the revolutions. This is my personal choice. When I am ordering skipping ropes for the boxing club, I always choose leather.

The next type of rope is the plastic skipping rope.  These ropes are quite common and are a cheaper alternative to the leather rope.

The plastic rope is not as hardwearing as the leather option, and doesn’t have ball bearings in the handle like the leather rope (these ball-bearings reduce the risk of the rope warping during use).

Many boxers do favour the plastic rope as it can offer good speed and it’s light.

A skipping rope is a cheap enough commodity to allow you to own both, but in terms of what the best option is, I’d go with the slightly more expensive leather option.

Striker Set Up

If you have space in your home boxing gym, then you may be thinking about a piece of striking equipment. There are lots of choices here, but they all have one thing in common – you are now hitting a heavy object and therefore you need to think about hand protection.

So, this section is to give you some tips as a beginner boxer on choosing a heavy bag and thinking about what to wear on your hands.

Heavy Bag

Aside from a boxing ring, the presence of heavy bags is for many what defines a boxing gym.

Working on a heavy bag brings you all kinds of benefits as a boxer.

The bag allows you to use different styles and techniques, either moving side to side and pinging long-range shots, or stepping in close and using crunching short and mid-range hooks and uppercuts.

The heavy bag can be used to improve speed, strength and endurance by configuring the rounds, punching rate and punching style accordingly.  It’s also a great way to relieve the stress at the end of a hard day.

As an additional bonus you don’t need much floor space for using a heavy bag, as you need never be any more than a few inches out of punching range.

The heavy bag itself is generally hung from a wall-mounted bracket or from an available crossbeam or rafter.  Obviously, if you are going to use a wall bracket, it needs to be fixed very securely to the wall using the recommended fixings.

In terms of the type of heavy bag, you should ensure that the leather hide is hard-wearing and that the weight is substantial enough to not move too dramatically from a single power shot. I also recommend that you do not choose a heavy bag that has fabric hanging straps, go with riveted eyes with chains.

Hand Wraps

Take notice of this golden rule; never, ever hit a punch bag without appropriate hand protection.

Don’t even be tempted to have a little pop as you walk past.  The damage that you can do to the hands if you don’t have them well wrapped and protected with boxing gloves is immense.

I’m not talking about nasty little cuts and abrasions here, I’m talking about disintegrated knuckles and shattered metacarpals where the damage is so grave that the hand is permanently disfigured and will never function to full potential again.

There is a range of options available when it comes to hand protection, none of which are going to break the bank so there’s no excuse for avoiding pain and problems.

These days there are a couple of main and practical options for hand protection – hand wraps or gel-filled under-gloves. I’m going to focus on hand wraps mainly because they are the de facto standard for competition and you can actually wear them under old-fashioned boxing bag mitts.

Hand wraps are tightly woven fabric and are available in a range of colours.

Wraps include a loop or ‘partial glove’ at one end (to provide the anchor point to wrap the hands) and a Velcro fastener at the other end.

Here’s a video that gives some tips on applying your wraps.

Boxing Gloves

There are literally 1000s of different pairs of boxing gloves available out there. There appear to be very few limitations in terms of the shape, style, weight, size and colour and in fact the options are so many and varied that many people become utterly confused when it comes to making the right purchase for their needs.

What types of boxing gloves are available now and for what are they used?

To answer this very straightforward question I am going to provide you with 6 very simple statements.

Statement #1

Boxing gloves are used for exchanging punches with a fellow boxer, either during sparring or during a boxing match.

Statement #2

Boxing gloves are used when working with punching equipment such as the heavy punch bag or punch pads.

Statement #3

All of those gloves available on the market can be used on punching equipment.  There are boxing gloves that are traditionally used on punching equipment, and these are referred to as boxing bag gloves or bag mitts, but you need to understand that all boxing gloves available can be used on punching equipment.

Statement #4

Only a certain type of boxing gloves may be used during sparring. These boxing gloves are known as sparring boxing gloves.

Statement #5

Only certain types of boxing gloves may be used during an amateur boxing match. These boxing gloves are known as amateur boxing gloves or competition gloves.

Statement #6

Only certain types of boxing gloves may be used during a professional boxing match. These boxing gloves are known as pro boxing gloves.

When choosing bag gloves, I tend to go with a pair from one of the main suppliers such as Everlast, RDX, Title, Cleto Reyes, Lonsdale etc.  These companies have been designing and manufacturing boxing gloves for many years and I’ve yet to find a pair with any particular design deficiency.

This said, there is a considerable personal preference aspect in terms of the ‘feel’ of the boxing glove and as such there is some trial and error involved.  I for instance dislike those bag gloves that for some reason have the thumb removed, I just don’t get it and would therefore not buy a pair.

There is one issue upon which I will not compromise, regardless of the type of boxing gloves that I am buying. I will always opt for the gloves being made from leather. The internal filling can vary, but the main body of the glove must be leather for me. My experience is that imitation leather options simply split along the seams following what has to be said is fairly limited use.

Finally, having bought a pair of boxing bag gloves, it’s vital that you give yourself time to settle in with them.  Aim to complete at least about 50 rounds of bag work before you decide whether they are for you. This should help avoid you becoming involved in a very expensive boxing glove merry-go-round.

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Beginner Boxing – The Right Mindset

Having got through all of the technical aspects of setting up your boxing for beginners regime, I think it’s important to cover some stuff about mindset. It’s mindset and attitude that often makes the difference in terms of maintaining boxing training for the long term.

Growth Mindset or Fixed Mindset?

I’m a big believer in growth mindset

The theory goes that a student can be of growth mindset or fixed mindset.

The growth mindset in simple terms means that when students believe that they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger.

The student with a growth mindset put in extra time and extra effort and this leads to higher achievement.

The growth mindset student possesses the tendency to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, see effort as the path to mastery, learn from criticism and find lessons and inspiration in the success of others.

The student with the fixed mindset on the other hand believes that intelligence is static – what you have is all you are going to have.

The fixed mindset student avoids challenges, gives up easily, views effort as fruitless, ignores useful negative feedback and feels threatened by the success of others.

The fixed mindset student may plateau early and consequently achieve less than their full potential.

The growth mindset works.

As a boxing coach, my most cherished students are those who work tirelessly to get better at what they do.

They are the boxers who refuse to give up on practicing a skill because it feels awkward.

They are the boxers who recognize that they can always improve and dispel negative thoughts.

They are the boxers who ultimately prevail, often overtaking and out-performing boxers who appear to possess more ‘raw’ talent.

Visualize the improvements that you can and will make.

The formula is simple:

Hard work + disciplined execution + time = Success.

Even if you believe you have a jab that is as good as it can be, always self-coach and examine your jab through critical eyes to make it even better.

You can always get better.

Forget the Ego

You can never know it all.

This is a fact.

In keeping with the concept of the growth mindset, accept that there is always much more to learn and that you can continue to learn ad infinitum.

Even after a lifetime in boxing I am constantly looking for new ways of doing things, new ways of getting a message across, new ways of  ‘climbing that hill’.

Ego will tell you that you can take a punch and therefore you may take a casual approach to learning effective defense – big mistake.

Ego will tell you that you have the best right cross this side of Coyote Creek and therefore you will stop seeking minor improvements to make it better – big mistake.

Ego will tell you that the skinny opponent cannot carry the same power as you, therefore you can find yourself dumped firmly on the seat of your pants.

Be humble whilst building your self-confidence through learning and preparation, it will pay off.

Deal with Your Slumps

We all have off days – this is just life.

There will be days where you have a mind fog, where you feel sluggish and your legs feel like lead.

Persevere.

When you are attempting to combine 2 skills and you are all at sea, feeling awkward, un-coordinated and clumsy, understand that this is all part of mastery.

Persevere.

Carry on, work the boxing drills through and get to the end of your session.

Be prepared to fail, sleep on it, and then be prepared to fail again the next day.

Giving yourself credit for getting through a training session when you are genuinely struggling is even more important than giving yourself credit when you feel top of your game.

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Your Next Step

As a beginner boxer, you have a huge amount of information to process here. I would urge that you don’t look to move onto the more complex concepts too soon.

As I said earlier, if you master straight punches then you are in a better position to master the more complex hook punches and even more complex uppercut punches.

However, if you want to further your learning, here’s some stuff to consider:

1. If you are working with a partner, you can improve your range appreciation by working the tag boxing drill
2. If you want to take the step of going to a boxing gym, here are my 3 rules for how to thrive
3. If you want to go into some more advanced thinking on your boxing combinations, check out this video
4. If you want to push on with your heavy bag work, check out this link
5. Most important thing, for a reminder on avoiding the boxing beginner mistakes that I see all the time, check out this link

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A Final Word

If you want to get a more in-depth view of beginner boxing, download my book The Beginner Boxer Toolkit. You’ll also get a series of follow up drills, helpful videos and fantastic offers.

If you have any thoughts, or any questions, post them below. I’d love to get your views on how to make this guide better.

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