This week guest writer, Samir Dewan, who's been boxing for 8 months at a gym in Clapham. He gave Ellie Clifford an insight into the world of boxing.
Boxing is a sport that involves fighting, with your fists. Padded gloves are used to hit targets, whether that be punching bags or during sparring.
Classes involve fitness, strength and conditioning, target work, and bag work - involving punching a punching bag which is working on conditioning and technique. To get you moving quickly they also get you to practice footwork drills, and technical training makes sure you know how to move and punch efficiently.
Boxing isn't about just throwing your arms. It's is a full body sport. You need to have the twists in your legs and the springs in your hips to actually throw a decent punch.
Getting Started
Starting out, the first time I tried this was in January 2018. I'd joined a gym in Croydon for the first session and the first thing we did was some endurance training around the ring and some strength and conditioning. It was so intense I blacked out before I could even finish the session. It's not easy, but the first thing you need to learn is you need to be FIT. It's tiring throwing punches and ducking for three minutes. Even when you aren't hitting anyone.
At Clapham, they really work on your fitness. The first thing they teach you is what you need to do in order to box. Then they start you off with things like the jab-cross or one and two. That's a punch with your lead hand that's straight followed by a punch with a back hand thats straight.
Your lead arm is used a lot like a fencing sword. It's used to gauge distance, and irritate the opponent, not necessarily damage them - which i didn't know until i started. At beginner level you learn how to jab - and you need to know that - Wladimir Klitschko dominated because he knew how to jab cross really really well.
Your cross is your back hand straight. It makes you think about your hips and punch with all your weight.
What is it about boxing?
I love boxing. It gets you really fit in ways other sports don't. You're constantly learning - there's something functional to everything you do. For example, skipping makes you lighter - it helps you with your hips and legs and weight distribution. Everything is a physical task that's working to make you better.
A lot of boxing is about thinking. You have a guard, and your opponent does. every time you move you're giving up something to try and gain the advantage. That's why you see so many people develop different strategies at the top of the game.
I would definitely recommend boxing, even if its for fitness rather than fighting. Boxing makes you athletic, makes you engaged, makes you think about what you're doing. It makes me feel more comfortable with my body, and there's something really satisfying about hitting a good punch!
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