Author: Ringside Boxing

A Guide to Jump Rope Workouts for Boxing

 

If you’ve been around boxing for some time, then you’ve seen fighters jumping rope in the gym. And if you’re just getting started, someone’s probably told you to jump rope as a part of your training. Many of the boxing greats, Ali, Marciano, Tyson, Mayweather, all used the jump rope to get ready for their fights. It’s clear that the jump rope is a fundamental part of the boxing workout. But why?

Obviously, spending 5-10 minutes jumping rope is a great cardio workout, but it’s more than that. Jumping rope can be a great tool for improving your footwork and focusing your mind.Jumping rope before boxing workout

In today’s blog, we’re going to lay out a few reasons that jumping rope is a critical part of your boxing training program. We’ll also help you decide on the right rope for your needs. Finally, we’ll lay out a few jump rope techniques that will challenge and add variety to your routine. Continue reading “A Guide to Jump Rope Workouts for Boxing”

Get Outdoors: Taking your Training Outside

As the weather warms, many of us dream of spending more time outdoors. The seasonal thaw draws folks out into the world to jog, hike, bike, and play in the fresh air. The most obvious benefit associated with exercising outside is the simple change in environment. Getting outside breaks up the monotony of seeing the same walls and equipment day after day. But there are deeper benefits to sweating in the sunshine. Studies have shown that time spent outside makes you happier, decreases stress, and boosts creativity.

Outdoor training, shadow boxing on the roof

For boxers, MMA fighters, and other martial artists, it can feel be challenging to heed the call of the wild outdoors. So much of our training relies on equipment that is fixed inside the gym. From heavy bags to sparring rings, the life of a training fighter seems to be confined to the gym or dojo.

If you want to bust down those walls, though, and feel the sun on your back while you work out, here are some great ideas to get you started. Continue reading “Get Outdoors: Taking your Training Outside”

6 Ways Boxing Training Improves Mindfulness

 

mindfulness - a moment of quiet contemplation before stepping into the ring

Last week we focused on how training to box was good for the body. This week, let’s talk about how it improves the mind. Specifically, we’re going to talk about mindfulness: what is it, why it’s important, and how boxing training can help you get it.

If you’ve been paying attention to health and wellness news over the past few years, mindfulness has become an incredibly common recommendation. This focus on mindfulness comes in response to studies showing that living in a world of over-stimulation and constant distraction is not good for our mental health. Perpetual sensory overload affects our dopamine receptors, prevents us from properly focusing, and contributes to mood disorders like anxiety and depression. The act of seeking mindfulness helps to calm, center, and de-stress the brain. When successfully practiced, the pay off is significant. Psychologists say achieving mindfulness can help us better regulate our emotions and open ourselves up to long-term happiness. Continue reading “6 Ways Boxing Training Improves Mindfulness”

Boxing Training for Stronger Fitness

As far as elite-level athletes go, boxers and MMA fighters are some of the toughest, most adaptable in the world. When you go toe-to-toe with another combatant in the ring, you have to know how to respond to whatever might come at you. That means hours upon hours of training to gain power, speed, endurance, and strength, all of which leads to a level of fitness unlike any other: Boxing Fitness.hitting the heavy bag with blue boxing gloves as part of boxing fitness training

Therefore, we suggest that all kinds of athletes—and anyone looking for a great way to get more out of their exercise routines—should invest in some quality boxing gear and take on some boxing training to pump up their fitness performance. Here’s how you can get started with boxing strictly as exercise. Continue reading “Boxing Training for Stronger Fitness”

Ireland and the Sport of Boxing

Few sports are as synonymous with the nation of Ireland as boxing. Like the Tolkien-esque landscape, the malty red ale, and the rich folk music, boxing is a staple of the nation. Not only do Irish people love to watch big prize fights, they also love to participate—and dominate—in the sport. The nation has nabbed 31 Olympic medals overall, and over half of those wins (16) were earned by boxers, including two golds.

Michael Conlan holds Irish flag after defeating Tim Ibarra in 2017
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The Emerald Isle has a long association with the sport of boxing, producing heavyweight greats like Jimmy McLarnin and Steve Collins. Interestingly, however, it was Irish-American boxers who popularized the sport when they brought it back with them to Ireland. Though the modern form of boxing we practice today was born from U.K. prizefighting, Ireland didn’t really enter the ring, so to speak, until Irish immigrants began fighting stateside.

This is only a small part of the story, though. From the equipment we wear to our most fundamental boxing training techniques, boxing has changed a lot over the years. To understand how the sport took off there over 100 years ago, we should look at a brief history of boxing in Ireland. Continue reading “Ireland and the Sport of Boxing”

4 Signs You Might Be Competition-Ready

When athletes start to get serious about their boxing training, there are two questions that often come up: “how do I find a coach?” and “when will I be ready for a competition?”. We covered the first question with last week’s post on finding the right boxing coach to help you achieve your goals. This week we’ll be addressing that second question. If you’re starting to wonder how to gauge if you’re ready to sign up for a boxing competition and step in the ring for real, then please read on.Two fighters engaged in a bout at a sanctioned boxing competition Continue reading “4 Signs You Might Be Competition-Ready”

Find the Right Boxing Coach for your Skill Level and Goals

A boxer prepares to hit the mitts with his boxing coach

Top athletes have a combination of talent and inner drive that goes a long way toward making them great. Without some inherent talent and the discipline and determination to work on your craft, it’s next to impossible to become your best self and beat out the competition. At certain points, though, you need some help, and that’s where a coach comes in.

This is particularly true in boxing, a sport that demands peak physical fitness, refined technique, and lots and lots of toughness. Without a coach who knows what makes you tick, it’ll be easy to hit a wall. As you start your boxing training as a newbie or alter it to get to a new level, do yourself a favor and consult our tips for finding a boxing coach who suits your skill level and goals. Continue reading “Find the Right Boxing Coach for your Skill Level and Goals”

The Proper Way to Wrap Your Hands

Boxers will face more hand injuries than other single type of injury over the course of their career. Because there are so many small bones in your hand, it is absolutely imperative that you take every precaution available to protect them. Proper hand wrapping is the best method of preventing an injury that could keep you out of this great sport. We recognize the importance of protecting your hands and have provided the following instructions to teach you the proper method using a standard hand wrap.

Please keep in mind that this is a general guide and other methods do exist. We feel that the method below is a good starting point and covers all the basic points of proper hand protection. Continue reading “The Proper Way to Wrap Your Hands”

Understanding the Technology Behind Ringside’s Products

Ringside Apex boxing bag glove is punching right toward youHow many times have you been leaving the boxing gym and said, “Oh man, I forgot my himantes,” as you head out of the gym? Hopefully, never.

Himantes were the equivalent of gloves in Ancient Greek boxing. Fighters wore leather straps over their hands, wrapping strips of oxhide across the knuckles while leaving fingers free. These crude hand wraps protected one’s knuckles from abrasion and increased the effectiveness of strikes. That’s all well and good, but they provided practically no protection from impact force. Thankfully they bear next to zero resemblance to today’s high-tech products.

Fast forward to today, where gloves are engineered primarily as protective equipment, and it’s evident just how much boxing gear of all kinds has evolved. Before you hit the heavy bag or step in the ring, take a moment to understand the technology behind our products. Continue reading “Understanding the Technology Behind Ringside’s Products”

Sizing Matters: Getting the Right Size for your Boxing Equipment

A bxoer with gloves and headgear in the ring in front of US flagDetails matter. How many times have you heard a parent, teacher, boss, or coach utter some variation of that during your formative years? How many times have you found it to be true? “A Lot” is probably the answer to both questions, and elite athletes often have to be super focused on the details to succeed.

Former NBA star Bill Bradley offers one of the best examples of this phenomenon. While home training in Missouri one summer, Bradley noticed many of his jump shots were sailing just a tad long. He eventually insisted the basket he was practicing on was not the regulation ten-feet tall. Turns out, he was right. It was shorter by an inch.

The lesson here is that for athletes of all ages and ability levels, you need to have and practice with the right size equipment to get better. With a particular emphasis on getting properly sized gloves, here’s a look at why sizing matters when it comes to boxing equipment. Continue reading “Sizing Matters: Getting the Right Size for your Boxing Equipment”