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Today we discuss the Self-Defense benefits from enrolling in a boxing class. If you are learning self-defense and are considering taking a boxing course to supplement what you’ve been learning, this article will be of particular interest to you.

First and foremost, find a good teacher! Ask people you know whom they would recommend. Watch a class by each prospective teacher. Do they take the time to work with students having issues, or are you left on your own to repeat bad technique over and over? Do they show equal attention to all the students, or have their favorites they spend more time with? Are there warm-ups before class? Do they make sure you are solid on the basics before showing you more advanced material?

A good boxing coach will show you proper ways to warm up, including stretching. Avoiding injury during your workouts is key. A common complaint is “but I don’t have time to warm up while being attacked!” That’s correct! But, you are not in a self defense situation now, you are performing demanding physical activities in class. If you are working out, practicing self-defense techniques, or taking a boxing class, then you owe it to yourself to prepare your body for what is coming.

Studying boxing will teach you the importance of your stance and how to move. These are the foundations not only in a self defense situation, but in any fighting style or sport. You can quickly gauge someone’s experience as a fighter by observing how they stand and move.

Boxing classes teach how the stance maintains balance. You don’t want to be out of balance after a punch or self defense move. Everything in boxing, karate, self defense, or any fighting style happens in split seconds. Being out of balance for even a brief period makes you very vulnerable to your opponent (not to mention embarrassed if you fall during class).

A course in boxing will reinforce what self-defense training preaches: keeping your hands in proper position. Hands must be up at all times (but not in front of your face. Your vision is obscured and you can be whacked in the head by your own hands if someone punches them). You must be ready to block a takedown, grab, punch, or kick.

Have you ever walked by the type of school that has the big glass windows in front? Watch the class for a few moments. If the teacher yells a command, and the students throw a punch, but keep their arms held out at full extension after the strike, waiting for the next command from the teacher, AVOID that school. The way you train determines the way you react in a self defense situation. Things happen very quickly, and you don’t have time to analyze what you will do next. If you don’t train to bring your hands back to a defensive position immediately, you will leave them out there, and you WILL get hit. Hard. If you need proof, turn on the television and watch a boxing or UFC MMA fight. The fighters quickly bring their hands back to position after every punch to prevent themselves from being hit by a counterstrike from their opponent.

Physical fitness is another major benefit of boxing classes. Your cardiovascular health will increase by leaps and bounds. Your entire body is used during boxing. Legs are moving constantly, abs are twisting as you throw punches, back, shoulders, biceps, and arms are worked non stop. Hitting the bags over 1000 times during an hour long class is not unusual. Using the speedbag for 10 minutes straight will make your traps burn. When class is over, you are dripping in sweat, and it’s clear you’ve had one of the best all around workouts possible.

Finally, sparring will definitely sharpen your self defense moves. Lets face it: anyone can throw punches at a heavy-bag. The bag doesn’t move, and it doesn’t hit you back! Put the gloves and headgear on, step into the ring, and your whole perception changes. It doesn’t matter if you never want to be in a boxing match. I recommend you spar at least a few times with your training buddy or coach. You will understand clearly what it is like to have someone trying to hit you. You will see just how fast things happen, which is why I stress over and over to my self defense students to train the techniques into muscle memory. They must happen automatically, without thinking. Trust me, sparring will quickly make a believer out of you.

How do you transition what you learn from boxing into a self-defense situation? After all, when you are boxing you have big pillows on your hand to protect your face and body with. On the street, you don’t. Well, stay tuned for a future article!