Learn to box at home: Note these 6+2 boxing tips for beginners!

Boxing isn't just about getting on the defensive and dodging your opponent's punches. It's also about going on the offensive yourself, going forward and landing the right shot. Of course, it is important that you are familiar with the various hitting techniques and know exactly when you can land a hit. But this only works if you adopt the right posture and, above all, stand firmly on the ground. If you lose your balance or cross your feet, you no longer have a chance and the opponent can take advantage of your misfortune.

Keeping your balance in boxing requires you to keep your legs active. Move with flowing steps - no jumps as boxers sometimes do. Never lean forward - whether to the punching bag or an opponent.

• 1. Stand hip-width apart and slide your strong side foot back. The batting hand is then also at the back.
• 2. Make sure that your feet are not in line, otherwise you will not have the necessary stance. A little tip: You should be able to squat in your position.
• 3. You always keep this position (feet hip-width apart, offset forwards and backwards). Whether you're walking forward, backward, or sideways, your front foot always stays in front, and your back foot always stays behind. So you always pull the second foot directly behind you and never cross your legs.

Tip #1: Train the foot position intensively in all directions. Learn to maintain the posture even when changing direction. You need numerous repetitions so that the basic boxing position is 100% correct and you have a stable basis so that you don't lose your balance when dodging the opponent's punches.

There are different punching techniques and combinations of punches in boxing that you will learn over the course of the training. The most important punches include the jab, the hook and the upper cut.

the jab

You will execute the jab countless times, because with it you ensure distance to the opponent. If you are right-handed and stand on the left display, the jab is also referred to as a "left straight". The stroke is executed with the leading hand - quickly and precisely. The shot is made from behind cover, i.e. without gaining momentum. And just as quickly, your fist goes back into cover in front of your chin.

Tip #2: With the jab, the power for the punch does not come from the arm, but from the leg. So focus on pushing off slightly on your back leg and turning your hips in the direction of the punch as you hit. On the left, your jab is aimed straight at the opponent's face from the left, your hips rotate slightly to the right. As a southpaw, it's the other way around.

Another variant of the jab is the cross punch - a straight hit with the hitting hand that is used to "cross" the opponent's guard.

The hook

The hook is a punch that requires a lot of power because you're executing the movement from the side with the striking hand. That's why this punch is also called "sideways hook". Your fist, elbow and shoulder are at the same height, your arm is bent at a 90° angle and hits the opponent from the side.

Tip #3: While the elbow of your hitting hand provides some cover, the hook requires you to leave some of your cover exposed. Therefore, only use the grapple when you are certain of landing a hit on the opponent (when they open their cover).

The upper cut

The upper cut refers to the uppercut, also known as the uppercut. Since you are aiming your hitting hand at the opponent's chin with this hit, you are performing the upper cut from bottom to top. Your arm is open at a 90° angle upwards. You have to get a lot of strength from the middle of the body, since the upper cut is performed without much swinging movement and you sometimes have to get through the opponent's cover. The probability of landing a KO with a hard upper cut is very high. But you are standing at a short distance from the enemy and should therefore pay close attention to your own cover.

Tip #4: To generate the necessary strength to perform an upper cut, bend your knees slightly and lower your torso. If you bring your punching hand up under the opponent's chin, you push off or straighten your legs and upper body.

Tip #5: The most important requirement for dodging is mobility. You must never stand still and rigid - neither with your legs nor with your torso or your head. Dodge your opponent's blows by turning your upper body, as well as by stepping sideways or backwards (to create distance).

Boxing is always a combination of distance, speed and strength. Learn how to use and combine these three things in a variety of ways.

Unless a boxer lands a KO on the opponent, he must last 12 rounds in the ring. This requires a high level of stamina and fitness. You should therefore not only work on the power of your punches and your punching techniques, but also build up endurance. Good endurance training is, for example, jumping rope - the classic in boxing training. But make sure that you do not train slowly and long, but quickly and briefly. After all, as a boxer you are not a marathon runner, but a sprinter. So try to implement an interval training with short intensive units and small regeneration breaks.

Tip #6: Although in earlier times professional boxers trained their endurance through longer running units, today the focus is on varied running training. It's about being able to cope with short phases of high effort over a longer period of time. This is more like the physical demands of boxing. So don't run your 1000 m in one go, but divide the 1000 m into individual sprints.

In boxing, you need to be quick: you need to quickly dodge the opponent's punch, you need to get back into cover quickly after you've thrown a punch yourself. The most important prerequisite for training fast punches and punch combinations is mastering the technique. Your brain needs to know exactly what the next step is. That has to come automatically. You should be correspondingly confident in the individual basic techniques of boxing.

Tip #6+1: Mastering the punching techniques gives you a clear advantage when boxing faster: Thanks to the automatisms you have learned, your brain can remain completely relaxed. And relaxation is a good prerequisite for hitting fast. So if you want to train speed in boxing, execute the punches and punch combinations you have learned very quickly one after the other. You must not think about the execution of the shot, because that slows you down. Therefore, it is also important to first master the technique 100%.

Shadow boxing is ideal for learning boxing as a beginner, improving basic techniques and fine-tuning your footwork. You simply box freely in space - against your shadow. Practice different punch combinations and steps. The more often you train like this, the more confident you will become in boxing.

Tip #6+2: You can also stand in front of the mirror so that you can see exactly what your posture is like, your leg position and the execution of the punches. The advantage of mirror boxing is that you can see your mistakes immediately and correct them. Beginners in particular should heed this tip.

You should know which is your hitting hand and which is your leading hand. Then you stand up properly with your legs. It is best to first train the basic techniques such as jab and hook together with the footwork. Only later should you go to the punching bag.

Boxing is a very technical sport where you can only be successful if you are very focused and execute the right punches and steps. A corresponding number of errors are possible. However, a common rookie mistake is to put too much momentum into the shot - and that throws many off balance. Some shots, such as the upper cut, are performed without momentum. Another mistake made by many beginning boxers: they lock their arm through the punch so that the crook of the elbow is stretched to the maximum. This puts a lot of strain on the muscles and joints. You should therefore not stretch your arms completely.

If you really want to first learn the basic techniques and become familiar with the different movements of boxing, then theoretically you don't need any boxing equipment. Because you will not box against a punching bag or a real partner. If you want to buy a punching bag for your home gym, you should also buy boxing gloves. Never box without boxing gloves on the punching bag. The risk of injury would be far too high.

If you are a bit more advanced and want to train more intensively at home, you can buy a punching bag and boxing gloves. You should also buy boxing bandages that are easy on your wrists.