This is my boxing for beginners route map. There are 10 skills that the beginner boxer can work to build a solid and reliable style. At the same time, it’s easy to get carried away and for the beginner boxer to try and run before learning to walk. For this reason I also cover some skills that the beginner boxer should avoid.
Boxing for Beginners – Stance Ready
The boxing stance is the most important skill for boxing beginners to master. The boxing stance provides the platform for everything that follows. If there are problems with the boxing stance, nothing else will work. You can’t build a house on bad foundations, you can’t build a boxing style on a bad stance. This is my number 1 boxing for beginners skill.
North, South, East and West
Boxing is a dynamic sport. We can’t afford to become boxing robots, standing still and pounding away. We need to be mobile, to be able to shift position before and after punching, making full use the space.
Good mobility for me is an aspect that marks out great boxing, so the second set of boxing for beginners skills to master has to be movement in four directions – forwards and backwards and left and right.
Pivots for Versatility
Movement in four directions is the basic boxing for beginners capability. There is however a skill that can really open up new dimensions for mobility – the boxing pivot. The pivot is one of the most subtle and versatile footwork skills that we use as a boxer. The pivot is the first step to open up angles, and using angles makes you dynamic, both in offensive and defensive actions.
You can work 45° pivots to start, both left and right. Any boxing for beginners program should involve the pivot in addition to the basic footwork skills.
Boxing for Beginners – Start Punching!
The jab and the cross (straight backhand) are the meat and drink of the boxing game. These are the punches that are used most, in fact, a fight can be won with just these two punches.
Boxing for beginners involves mastering the clean execution of these punches. Good acceleration, good rotation, no telegraphing, all of these faults should be avoided from the start. It’s more difficult to fix bad habits later than to avoid them in the first place. Build your punching capabilities around these two punches, it’s the ideal start for the boxing beginner.
They Hit Back!
When you land a punch, it’s 99% likely that the opponent will aim to hit you straight back. They are unlikely to go asleep, break down in tears or complain that you hit them. So, plan for that outcome.
Boxing beginners should work a couple of simple blocks, the block to the jab and the double arm block. These blocking skills are simple to master for the beginner boxer. They are also really good skills to help with the flinch reflex, turning it into a positive. These are the first two boxing for beginners defences to master.
Where’s Your Head At?
Whilst blocks and parries are reactive defences, I like to think of head movement defences as proactive. By proactive, I mean you should do these head movement skills in the anticipation that punchers will be coming your way.
The first boxing for beginners head movement skills I recommend are the duck and the layback. These head movement skills are not only simple but they can provide a great basis for the boxing beginner to begin learning about counterpunching.
Another aspect of boxing defence is head movement. The duck is simple and effective (plus it enables the straight punches to be used to the body) and the layback is a great way to begin the learning about counterpunching.
Adding a further dimension, boxing is a pressure business. If you are not punching you should be feinting and if you are not feinting you should be punching. The boxing beginner should learn the basics of feinting, and learn them early in the journey. Feints can become an instinctive part of the boxing style and will pay back big time in the long run.
Boxing skills to AVOID!
So we have covered the 10 skills that boxing beginners should master, but what about those that we should avoid?
Boxing beginners should stay away from hooks and uppercuts. These are technically challenging punches, especially the uppercut. But here’s the thing. By learning to execute the straight punches well, the beginner boxer will have mastered the concepts of rotation, balance and weight distribution. These concepts will help the beginner boxer to master hooks and uppercuts when the time comes.
Fancy footwork. I’m convinced that many people think that good footwork is about dancing around like Muhammad Ali. I actually don’t. I think that good boxing footwork is about balance and control, the feet providing a sound platform for attack and defence. As a boxing beginner, build the sound and solid boxing stance, the Ali Shuffle is going to be of limited value.
So there you have it. Boxing for beginners is about mastering the fundamentals and avoiding the unnecessary. At elite level, 90% of what the top performers do all the basics, they just do them very well.
I would love to get your thoughts on this below.
Cheers
Fran
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Good stuff Fran. Teaching the catch-jab-counter jab is one of the beginner staples that I teach. Bernard Hopkins explained it well some years back in Ring Magazine, as being like a “catcher’s mitt”. (as in baseball). I teach beginners to stiffen their wrist as they catch the jab so they are, in effect, jamming the incoming jab.
Ah great minds Pug. That’s one of our first principles too, and always aim to respond with your own shot in response. I like the way of describing the wrist action…may pinch that 🙂
hi fran , sound advice , hope you enjoyed your birthday.
didnt realize you were a youngster !
😂 Youngster…that will do. Thanks Dunstan