There’s a boxing gym down the street from my apartment and I’d like to get in shape. Boxing looks like a good way to do it, but I’m a little worried about the whole getting-whacked-in-the-noggin thing. How dangerous is boxing for fitness? Will my brains be mush in five years? Will my nose be all crooked? Will I bleed profusely every day I go to work out?
I assume the answer is no to those questions but really - what are the dangers, and how significant are they? Also, are there other things I should know about boxing before I try (like that it’s super-expensive or something)?
If you’re doing it for fitness it’s not really going to be much more dangerous than anything else you do for fitness. It’s competing that’s dangerous. And that’s more of an accumulated-injuries thing than a huge risk every time you step into the ring (although there is a risk, it probably isn’t much greater than, say, rollerblading.) In the big picture, sitting around on the couch is probably more dangerous.
Talk to me about this. What portion of people end up competing? Is it a majority? Or is it a brazen few hardcore amateurs?
I guess the point of the question is - will I feel pressure to compete?
Depends on your personality, age, ability, objectives etc. Large clubs/gyms often have their own competitions and smaller ones commonly also enter into local fixtures. In my experience most young, male fighters will feel the need to enter into at least a couple of these. There’s something about fighting a stranger rather than someone in your own club. Both the fact that it’s new and the fact that you are both in there to win rather than just training.
For most people that’s basically the extent of their competition, with maybe being talked into one fight a year afterwards. Personally after a couple of fights at the end of my first year (one rather mediocre win, one loss) I never felt the urge to do so again.
In my my experience people also tend not to stick with ‘recreational’ boxing very long, compared to other martial arts. A couple of years is a long time in most clubs. In my case boxing became boring after about 18 months because I’d essentially learned all the techniques. Although I could certainly have improved a lot it was through repetitive drills and sparring, and if you’re not fighting it’s hard to stay motivated. So in that respect there’s some pressure to fight if you are going to stick with it. YMMV.
It depends on the gym and it depends on you. I worked out at an MMA gym that had an extensive program as one of the options. Some guys came in with plans to compete in boxing competitions, some could go either way, and others were there just to work out and have fun. When a competition was coming up they would announce it an encourage people to participate, but I never got any indication that they wanted anyone to do something they were uncomfortable with.
Some clubs are more fitness oriented, others have more hard core fighters. Talk to the trainers, tell them you may not ever step in the ring and gauge their response. Try a class or two and chat with some of the other students.
If the person instructing you is properly trained (check out his certifications) there is no more danger, than a normal work out. At one of the Bally’s I go to they have a personal trainer who is a former Golden Gloves winner and he does an excellent job training people from kids to the elderly. He goes by your skill level and shape.
Boxing for fitness is simply a “gimick” (I use the word in a good way) to keep you interested in doing your exercises. You’re not their to learn how to injure or beat the heck out of anyone. You’re really not even there to learn how to box, although you will, it’s just another way to get you motovated to exercise.