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
SOURCE

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”

The Science Behind your Coach’s Training Regime

NOTE: This article was edited on 2/18/19 to include more information about Velocity Based Training (VBT) and common devices used to measure movement speed for use with VBT.

If you’ve been following this blog for a while then you know that boxing training constitutes more than just physical strength. We’ve discussed speed, movement, endurance, and mental preparation.

Now, we’re going to take a look at the science that supports the training that goes into boxing. If you understand the physical principles involved, then you will be able to better identify ways to maximize strength, speed, and your overall boxing prowess every time you put on your headgear and step into the ring.

Hitting the heavy bag to improve strength and mobility Continue reading “The Science Behind your Coach’s Training Regime”

Foam Rolling for Boxers – Improving Post-Fight Recovery

Dr Robyn Love of Love Chiropractic
Dr. Robyn Love of Love Chiropractic

GUEST POST: To talk to you this week, we reached out to a local expert on the topic of using foam rollers and massage balls to recover after a fight or workout. Foam rolling and other forms of trigger point therapy are growing in popularity throughout the sports world. As Dr. Love shows, they are incredibly effective for treating some of the unique stresses of boxing and mma. You can reach Dr. Love at Love Chiropractic, the practice she shares with her husband, Dr. Adam Love. 

When you’re in the ring or shadowboxing, maintaining a proper fighting stance keeps you ready to react, allows for fluidity of movement, and maximizes proper transference of force. However, holding that body position can also lead to fatigue and tightness in muscles throughout the body, especially in the legs and shoulders. After a hard workout or an intense competition, this tightness and fatigue can turn to pain or reduced mobility if left un-addressed.

To help reverse these issues, athletes in many sports have turned to foam-rolling and other forms self-myofascial release. In fact, focusing on release of trigger points or adhesions (small areas of tension in the muscle or fascia surrounding the muscle that impede smooth movement) has been shown to be incredibly important to reducing muscle soreness, improving flexibility and enhancing range of motion following exercise—especially high intensity workouts. An October 2018 study just showed that self-myofascial release is beneficial in reducing fatigue-induced losses of power and velocity.

Read on to learn about two of the main types of self-myofascial release exercises: foam rolling and massage ball releases. I’ve highlighted three exercises in each category that will work the most common areas of tightness in boxers and MMA fighters. Continue reading “Foam Rolling for Boxers – Improving Post-Fight Recovery”