18 Beginner Boxing Tips to Get Started

Boxing seems to be a not-so-complicated sport, but believe me, it is more than just throwing punches. It requires coordination, balance, endurance, strength, well-performed boxing punches, and proper footwork. Plus, it is not just about attacking the opponent but mainly about defense.

Hence, you should train your body and your mind as well. But with the right type of workouts and continuous practice, you can get good results.

Here are some essential boxing tips for beginners.

1. Throw light but sharp punches 👊

An unfortunate mistake of beginners is that they want to hit the bag with full strength. They want to focus on the knockout punch.

If you want to punch with power, you will only use the strength of your arm and shoulder muscles, which seems to be OK, but instead, you should use your body to throw the punch. That way, you will be able to strike much bigger. For a power punch, your body should be relaxed. Try punching with tight muscles and with loosening muscles. You will feel the difference.

Also, if all your punches are at the level of the maximum, you will not have any energy to train long. Your boxing training time will not be long enough. If you get out of breath after 1 minute, that will get you nowhere.

Watch the video below to learn why your body is so important.

2. Shorter punch combinations

As you are a beginner, there is no need to do complex boxing combinations. 3-4 punch combos will do. As you get better, you can add more punches to your combos. It is better to be good at 4-5 combination types than doing a lot of badly-performed ones. And, throw a jab between.

🤜 Related: Basic boxing combos

3. Drink lots of water 🥛

No matter if you hit the bag at home or spare with an opponent, always drink plenty of water. Proper boxing training for beginners is tough, and you sweat like mad, so you have to refill yourself to be hydrated. If you are dehydrated, you will not have the energy to train.

4. Learning boxing 💡

If you go to a boxing gym, get in touch with others, and ask for advice. Watch how the best boxers train and “steal” their best boxing moves. Also, there are tons of materials online from which you can learn. The more tricks and techniques you know, the better since you will see and understand your weaknesses. But, the internet is also full of boxing training tips.

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5. Correct breathing technique 💨

Do not hold your breath! Do not forget you should exhale when you punch. While boxing, the right breathing method is crucial to have the energy for the whole workout. Plus, you can handle the body shots reaching you better as well. If you are totally out of breath, inform your trainer and have time to calm down.

Check out the how-to video and see the sharp exhale he makes.

6. Keep your head up

Many beginners look on the floor while they punch the bag or spare. Big mistake! How do you know where your opponent is and what he is doing if you cannot see him?

7. Get harder workouts gradually 🏃‍♀️

As with all other sports, you should start slowly and gradually increase the length and hardness of your training. If you push yourself to the limit from the first days, you will get tired fast, both mentally and physically. Your body and mind need time to get used to this type of workout. You do not want to quit after a month, do you?

Conditioning workout is really important, particularly cardio. For strength, I don’t recommend lifting weight, do bodyweight training instead. And do core exercises to improve your stability. Healthy eating is also important besides beginner’s boxing drills.

8. Proper boxing stance 🦵

No matter if you hit the punching bag or fight with someone, always keep the proper boxing stances. This state will help you to throw more powerful punches and support the defense. Also, it provides better stability, flexibility, mobility, and balance. Here is a useful discussion on the topic.

9. Hands high and elbows down

If you watch a boxing match, you can see fighters lowering their arms, but since you are a beginner, you should not do that yet. Always keep your hands high and your elbows low, close to your body. Keep this position even if you punch a heavy bag. Also, keep your chin down.

Watch the video to learn the proper position.

10. Keep hitting 👊

If you spare with someone or punch a heavy bag, keep hitting no matter what. Your contestant should know you are not quieter. Don’t forget to protect your head. Keep your fists high.

11. Be focused

In the ring, there is no time to lose your focus. Your opponent waits for that one second when you do not focus on knocking you out. When you hit the bag, imagine you are fighting with someone and keep concentrating as if you are in a real fight.

12. Throw body punches

Do not only practice for hitting the head. Body shots are vital. Hit the body of your opponent from every angle. As it is said,

Hit the body and the head will follow!

13. Keep your opponent wondering what your next punch will be

If you always throw the same punches and combos, your opponent will quickly find a way to protect himself and find your weaknesses. So, keep them guessing. This way, he will also get tired of mind sooner or later and lose focus.

14. Footwork drills 🦶

Good boxing footwork is vital for defensive and offensive reasons. It is as essential as the correct ways to punch. During sparring or heavy bag training, always move but keep the proper boxing stance. Have your ever seen fighters standing in front of each other during the who match? I guess you haven’t. It is a critical boxing technique.

Here are ten useful the footwork boxing tips

15. Enjoy your training

I have tried several sports in my life, but none of them makes me so excited as boxing. I know I’m not going to be a fighter, but boxing exercises have helped me to release stress and boost my endurance. As with everything, do not take it too seriously unless you want to be the next Tyson. Of course, you should give your best while training, but do not make it boring. Boxing for beginners is a bit hard at the beginning, but the more you practice, the more you will enjoy it.

16. Essential boxing equipment for home 🥊

To learn the boxing basics, you don’t need any equipment at all. I mean, you start with shadowboxing to get familiar with footwork, stance, and punches. Just do it in front of a mirror. That’s the best way to get used to martial art. For conditioning running, jumping rope, and bodyweight exercises (push-ups, sit-ups pull-ups) will do.

The next step is to get boxing gear for home for your boxing workout routine. A free-standing or hanging heavy bag will do to practice the learned boxing techniques for beginners, plus to develop punching power. Other punching bags worth considering are the speed bag or double end bag that helps improve hand-eye coordination, hand speed, rhythm, and other defensive and offensive boxing skills. There are different types of punching bags, but most of them are for advanced fighters.

To protect your hand and knuckles, you should also invest in hand wrap and gloves.

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17. Always wear boxing gloves 🥊

The joints and small bones of the hand and wrist are very vulnerable to huge impacts. So, always use gloves and wrap your hands before hitting the bag to prevent injury. That is particularly important if you do a beginner boxing workout for developing punching power. Hitting the heavy bag is dangerous, so spend time with hand protection.

Anyway, I always wear gloves no matter what type of training I do since that is how it goes in the boxing ring.

18. Get a boxing coach

Well, not everyone wants to be the next Mike Tyson, most of us do boxing to get better in shape or develop self-confidence. The best way to learn boxing is to get a membership to a boxing gym where they teach you the basics and get inspired by others. If you can’t afford to join a gym, there are tons of sources online from which you can learn and get boxing tips. A good example is expertboxing.com, where Johnny offers the best boxing tips for beginner boxers. A good start in boxing requires a leader.

These are just a few boxing tips for beginners, but maybe they are the most important ones. As you develop both mentally and physically, and the various techniques come naturally, you will be able to pick more professional technical skills. Just keep in mind that boxing for beginners is like any other sport; you should practice, practice, and practice. If you want to practice at home, look around on this website to find reviews of at-home equipment.

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