Beginning your boxing journey may seem like a daunting task, however the truth is that boxing can be one of the simplest sports to get into, requiring very little in the way of equipment to get yourself started. Your exercises could be virtually equipment-free if you’re starting with something as simple as shadowboxing, or basic upgrades aren’t far behind with the addition of budget boxing bags or some well-made leather boxing gloves.

Boxing is a great sport for improving general fitness as well as your agility and coordination. Whichever direction you choose to take your boxing forging ahead, here are the basics of the exercises with which to begin your journey.

1. Set Your Stance

Before you begin with anything else when it comes to boxing it is best that you start by finessing your stance. Generally, your preferred stance will be the one with your dominant hand towards the back – either orthodox or southpaw, with your right hand and left hand toward the back respectively.

Assuming the orthodox stance, you’ll be standing a shoulder width apart with your left foot ahead of your right and your knees slightly bent. Raise your heels off the ground and have your fists raised to your face, with your elbows tucked to your sides. Your chin should be kept down whilst still looking up. Your weight should be equally distributed over both feet.

Whilst there is a fair amount of intricacy to maintaining proper boxing form, for beginners, it is most vital that you’re proceeding in a way which keeps you safe above all else.

2. Shadowboxing

Shadowboxing exercises will be your bread and butter starting out and are an excellent way to build the fundamentals of technique when it comes to boxing. Essentially, all that shadowboxing is is throwing punches into the air when you boil it down to its simplest form. Despite this, as with all boxing workouts, it’ll do wonders in terms of getting your blood pumping and toning your muscles.

This workout will largely be repeating routines of punches, jabs and footwork. Breaking up the routine with dodging or even other exercises such as burpees or push ups will help to keep it fresh as well inject a bit of resistance training into the mix. The most important part is to be consistent. Shadowboxing is also the safest way to wrap your head around proper form and to drill it into yourself with minimal risk of injury. After all there is no responding force which is stopping the force of your punches, at least not yet.

3. Working The Bag

As you progress and refine your technique through shadowboxing, you may soon come to find that you are ready for a punching bag. It is vital that you have a strong grasp on technique before you upgrade as well as the proper equipment including wraps and gloves, otherwise you may risk injury.

Punching bags come in many different forms, each with their own uses and benefits. Depending on your budget and what you’re looking to train, there are no wrong answers.

Free-standing punching bags are a great beginner choice as they are portable and don’t require any specialised mounting – a must for renters! However, they are lower to the ground and are generally more specialised for practicing kicking. Speed bags work well for practicing speed and refining your technique, whilst also taking up relatively little space. Full-sized hanging punching bags will do the best job of simulating an opponent but will easily take up the most space.

4. Exercises With A Partner

When it comes to bringing a partner into the ring, there are two ways to proceed. Either you run drills with a partner who is wearing boxing mitts, or you can get into proper sparring with an opponent. Either way, once again, it is vital that you have your head around proper technique to minimise danger, particularly if you’re sparring with an opponent. As you begin sparring it can be helpful to start out still doing routines, before pressing further forward to more freestyle sparring type.

As you enter the realm of sparring, it can be easy to feel your technique slip away as you come to grips with this suddenly more intense part of the sport. Continue to keep your head and arms up, and trust the work you have done. Entering into the world of sparring will be your first foray into elevating your boxing experience, and pressing forward eventually to point of competition or more serious fighting.

Final Round

Getting into boxing is one of the best sports you can pick up to improve many different aspects of your health. Using it for exercise can also be a quick path to developing further and letting yourself explore many other aspects of the sport. Whatever way you choose to proceed with your boxing experience, you’ll be sure to reap the rewards as you do.