Have you ever wished you knew how to throw a badass punch? Boxing is the answer.
There are plenty of reasons to learn to box. First of all, it’s an excellent workout. Give your all in boxing class, and the sweat you lose will show you how hard you’re working. Punch after punch after punch, putting your entire body behind each one, you will get an amazing workout. Upper body strength and power increase, and your cardio strengthens as well. Those two-minute rounds seem much longer than two minutes when you’re in the middle of them, sweating like crazy, breathing hard, and realizing you’re only half-way through the round. You have to pull it out of yourself to continue until the bell rings, and this extra push is excellent for your conditioning and your muscle development.
In order for our muscles to stay strong, we need to work them. Boxing class is a fun and excellent way to do that. You’re learning a valuable skill so it’s easy to forget you’re doing something good for you. You work your upper body with every class – arms, shoulders, back. The punches involve your hips and legs as well, though a bit less than that shoulder action. Working hard for two-minute rounds gets your blood pumping and your lungs working, so you’re getting your cardio workout as well. If you want to work your lower body too, just work with the lower set of punches – aim for the belly rather than the chin. Since you can’t lean over and bend at the waist when you punch lower, you have to use your legs.
The excellent strengthening and conditioning is one great reason to learn boxing, but not the only reason. The skills you develop are essential in this physical world. It’s important that you know how to defend yourself in case of attack, and boxing is an easy answer for that. There are not a lot of self-defense sports – basically just boxing and the martial arts, the combat sports, fighting sports. Person-to-person combat has characterized our world for as long as people have inhabited it. Learning some boxing skills, even basic boxing skills, can prepare you for this scenario, even if that scenario never comes for you. In this physical world, it’s important to have some physical skills. It’s not enough to go through life hoping and praying no one ever attacks you. Physical personal attacks are far too common in this world, and you should be prepared for them.
Once you learn to throw a punch with the weight of your entire body behind it, your confidence blooms. You know you can take care of yourself if you have to, at least for a moment, and this reduces any fear or anxiety you may feel just walking down the street. When you know you know how to throw a hard punch, how and where to land it, and what to expect when you do – you develop a whole new level of self-confidence.
Pugilism isn’t just for meatheads. Learning to box will bring many desirable outcomes for you both physically and internally with your confidence levels.