6 Boxing Mistakes to Avoid for Beginners
25th Mar 20
Boxing training is one of the most skilled forms of exercise in existence. But this skill comes with a problem, in that there are a lot of easy mistakes made, especially if you’re a beginner. Here are the top six boxing mistakes and how to avoid them…
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- Not Using Hand Wraps
- Arm Punching
- Lowering your Shoulder
- Losing your Stance
- Losing Focus & Timing
- Overtraining
Not Using Hand Wraps
Whether you’re training with sparring, bag work, or any other move involving punching, make sure that you’re taking precautions to keep your hands safe. Namely, that’s hand wraps.
Punching takes a huge toll on your hands, and if you use this move to its fullest potential without hand wraps, you’re going to sustain an injury. It’s one of the easiest things to avoid, all by using a little extra padding. Make sure you do it.
Arm Punching
Another huge mistake that a lot of boxing beginners make is arm punching. We don’t mean punching people’s arms, but using your arms to punch. A punch is made up of so much more than just your arms, so don’t rely on them to do all of the work for you.
Using your whole body in a punch offers a world of benefits. It means you’re using more muscles, burning more calories and even generating more power. All of these are vital to boxing workouts. Trust us. Move into your punches.
Lowering your Shoulder
Another thing you need to keep in mind is your defence. It’s a great habit to get into, and it’s the only way that you’re going to use boxing to its max. Don’t let your guard down when you’re on the attack with your punching technique.
The biggest issue we’re talking about is dropping your shoulder – it’s an easy thing to do. Your body often wants to lower your arm and put as much force into your punch as you can. The thing is, you need to keep your shoulder raised all the time, protecting your face from a swift counter. It’ll save you in the long run.
Losing your Stance
Moving further down the body, we also need to talk about footwork. A huge boxing mistake almost all beginners will make is not sticking to the correct stance. Your stance is the groundwork for every move you make.
With all of that said you need to keep it all the way through your stance. We have an article looking at the fundamentals of boxing stances but do make sure you keep this in mind throughout your full workout.
Losing Focus & Timing
Boxing mistakes aren’t always about the physical side of things. One of the biggest examples is making sure that you don’t lose your focus. Your head needs to be 100% in the game the whole time. As soon as you take your eye off the ball, you’re asking for trouble.
Losing focus opens you up to counterattacks, you miss more opportunities, and you don’t get as good a workout either. Keep your eye on the ball, and always pay attention to what you’re trying to do. Stay a few steps ahead of where you’re trying to be. Find weaknesses and calculate the bag. Do whatever you need to!
Overtraining
Finally, we have to talk about one fundamental fact, which is a risk with any kind of training. These are probably the biggest mistakes made in boxing, whether that’s by beginners or by professionals. Overtraining is one of the easiest ways to make things hard for yourself, land an injury, lose motivation, and generally make everything you’re doing a lot less worthwhile.
There are a lot of different signs to look out for with overtraining, but above all else, always remember the basics: always make sure you’re taking care of yourself and try to cap your workouts to every other day.
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All of these traps are easy to fall into, but it’s so important to bear them in mind to get the most out of your boxing training. Stay safe, enjoy your training, and find out more about boxing with our pro tips in our Learn area.
Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.
If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.
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