Boxing training

Boxing training is a training method that has been often called by medical doctors, boxing trainers and writers alike, one of the most spartan forms of sports training.

A boxer's training depends largely on the point in their career at which she or he is situated. If the boxer is just a beginner, it consists of learning how to hit the punching bag, the speed bag and the crazy bag as well as doing shadowboxing in front of a mirror, skipping, sit ups, push ups, back pull ups, pull ups and jogging every day, as well as an occasional practice bout inside the ring might be enough.

But for the amateur or professional boxer preparing for a competition or bout, that training might also include getting up at 5 am to jog, flying to a far away place to get isolated during 2 or more months before the fight, dieting, doing the same gym routine as a beginner, only that twice every day, getting to the fight city two weeks before the fight to get used to the location's climate, and, in the most extreme cases, stopping to eat anything solid before the official weigh-in ceremony or bingeing on a lot of food after it. In some very extreme cases, boxers have been forced to stop eating solid food up to three days before the weigh-in ceremony, in order to make weight for the fight. Sometimes, if a boxer doesn't make the weight agreed for on the first weight-in, he or she might go to a sauna or to jog with a jacket to sweat and lose the extra pounds. While fighters often go sightseeing in the places they go to for fights, they usually prefer to leave most sightseeing activities to the day after the fight, where they usually still have one full day free before returning home. They prefer to wait until then, because the days before the fight they want to keep training to keep the good shape and make sure they will have the right weight during the weight-in.

These methods are used to keep them in a good physical condition and to prevent them from getting hurt or killed during fights. In the last 30 years, new training methods, along with rules by the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO, new technology and medical reforms have helped diminish boxing fight casualties.

Basic boxing training equipment includes:

• Heavy Bag Gloves: Created to prevent the hands from getting hurt while hitting the heavy bag, these gloves are lighter than boxing gloves, reducing the risk of wrist injury while hitting the Heavy bag.
• Boxing Gloves: Contrary to popular belief, these were designed to protect the boxer's hands, not the opponent's head. But because they are used in real boxing fights, they are also essential in practice fights.
• Boxing headgear: Used to protect boxers from soft tissue damage, (bruises, cuts, etc), during sparring - also used in competition in amateur boxing. Head gear offers no protection from the effects of hard punches, (stunning, knockdowns, KOs). It is important that boxers are aware of this otherwise headgear can produce a false sense of security leading a boxer to take punches rather than defend himself or herself.
• Mouthpiece: (Sometimes known as gumshield or mouthguard). Used to protect the inside of the cheeks and lips from getting cut by the teeth when a hard punch to the face is received. The mouthguard also helps to lock the top and bottom jaws together preventing painful damage to the jaw joint capsule when a boxer is struck by a hook. Important that it is worn in both sparring and competition.
• Skipping rope: Used to improve footwork and agility, and for aerobic fitness.
• Focus Pads: Worn on the trainers hands for boxer to strike and practice combinations.
• The Heavy Bag: Used to teach young boxers where exactly to hit an opponent and for all kinds of boxers to practice their combinations.
• The Speed Bag: Used to improve hand speed and hand-eye coordination.
• The Crazy Bag: The Crazy Bag is hooked up by two thin ropes to the gym's ceiling and floor, and because of that, it moves around easily, giving the boxer good equipment for target practice and timing.
• The Medicine Ball: Usually used by trainers to throw at the boxer's stomach, so that they can learn to take a body punch well.
• The Mirror: Used by boxers to do shadow boxing.
• The Ring: When boxers are training, used to stage practice bouts.