How To Survive Boxing Class

For the past five months, I’ve had the awesome opportunity to take a boxing class called Pink Gloves Boxing at my college. Let me tell you, I couldn’t be happier with my experiences! Sure, I’m a pretty tough girl (despite what my blog title might imply) so when the going gets rough, I don’t back down. I’ve graduated from Tier I and am now off to Tier II. Over the last few months, I’ve come together with many different girls: some who never even dreamed they’d be wrapping their hands and putting on boxing gloves; some who thought they were ‘too weak’ for boxing and wouldn’t last a minute against a punching bag, but just wanted to try it out anyway; and some who asked themselves what they had gotten into when they set foot inside the room. Like any other physically demanding sport, boxing comes with potential risks for participants. Things may not always go as expected, which may have you questioning what exactly you signed up for. To help you keep your head (because let’s face it, decapitated isn’t a good look on you) I’ve compiled a list tips for surviving boxing class that can counter the butterflies in your stomach (unless you really like boxing so the butterflies are a good thing!)

1. Wear proper shoes that won’t have you yanking them off after class is over. Appropriate footwear is essential to having a successful workout session, no matter what fitness class you participate in. For my boxing class, a pair of sneakers with good traction is ideal because we did a lot of exercises such as ‘mountain climbers’ that require that you don’t slide your feet all over the place! Make sure you’re also wearing shoes that don’t hurt the bottoms of your feet. I’m flat-footed so I need sneakers with the necessary adjustments to ensure that I’m not cringing at every step I take after a workout. You will be on your feet the entire class because there is significant footwork that goes along with boxing.
2. Bring water bottles with a straw. No, just a regular old water bottle will not suffice – what were you even thinking!? Just kidding (kind of). Having water with you is absolutely necessary regardless of what you put it in – recyclable water bottle, reusable water bottle, canteen, plastic container that once housed your leftover meatloaf – you name it! But pro tip: use a straw! You’ll have boxing gloves on and you might not want to take them off mid-workout. I mean, have you ever tried to unscrew a cap without fingers? I really like the water bottles from PINK. They hold 24 ounces, come with their ever-so convenient straw for easy sipping and they’re super cute! You can check those out here.  And here we all thought that straws were just good for sipping lemonade on a hot summer day. Turns out they’re a pretty badass way to help you drink water from your meatloaf container easier.
3. Become an expert at hand wraps. Your hand wraps are your ultimate protection against injury – well, that and proper punching technique! Pink Gloves Boxing taught students how to properly wrap their hands to avoid injury. It was literally Day 2 of class so it must be super important, right? There are many different techniques for wrapping your hand, and, in fact, some boxers even develop their own style of hand wrapping. Some well-seasoned boxers, might I add. For now, follow the hand wrapping instructions as set by your instructor. Become so good at it that you could actually teach boxing newbies how to wrap their own hands (I could literally wrap mine in my sleep). There will not be a single day when you will not have to wrap your hands during boxing, so make sure you do yourself a favor and learn how to.
4. Stop looking at what everyone else is doing. Who cares that some girl in your class can do a crazy hook-jab-punch combo at gear 5 and you can only barely wrap your head around it at gear 1? Who cares that the girl next to you has flawless form when doing push-ups but macaroni bends better than you do? Stop. Looking. At. What. Other. People. Are. Doing. If you’re too busy getting hung up on the idea that you’re slow compared to everyone else or everyone else is so good and you’re just eh, then you aren’t allowing yourself the proper environment (or attitude) needed to learn and grow. Go at your own pace. If you need to slow things down to really understand them, then you do you and let other people do them. What good are you doing yourself if you sacrifice form for speed just because you think you have something to prove?
5. Get to know your fabulous fellow boxers. A huge part of Pink Gloves Boxing was an emphasis on community. Yes, you learn at your own pace, but you learn in the midst of a group of people who are there to do the same things you’re there to do. If you weren’t lucky enough to successfully force  persuade your friends to take a boxing class with you, then try to buddy up with some of the new people you’ve met. Friends make it possible for you to get through even the hairiest of times. Find someone you can make conversation with while you wrap your hands, or someone you can laugh off your boxing blunders with. Getting to know new people will make the experience even more fun and worthwhile and will show you that even though you might’ve come alone, you won’t leave alone.
6. Put 110% into your workout. Make everything count! Crappy at push-ups? Keep going and try. Keep trying and you will be able to get a little bit better each time. I say this out of personal experience! Instructor told you to punch as fast as you can for 20 seconds but you’re cheaping out and going hard for the first 10 seconds and then slowing it down out of laziness afterward? Tsk, tsk, tsk. You’re only cheating yourself. Make sure you do everything with purpose because that’s the only way you’ll really get something out of the class. Everyone who took the class with me said they enjoyed every minute of it. That’s because we all put our best foot (and our non-dominant foot) forward (excuse my sad attempt at making a boxing related joke). You won’t feel as satisfied if you don’t really work for it. You won’t feel as satisfied knowing you didn’t sweat that day.
7. Don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes (and then laugh them off). You will probably screw up in front of the instructor while practicing and he or she will notice and you will know that he or she noticed. The first step toward fixing a mistake is admitting that you’ve made one. Sidenote: I can’t even tell if I’m so inspirational as hell that I just made that up off the top of my head or I heard it somewhere and I just think that I made it up. Anyway, what good will come out of crying over spilled milk, or a jab that should have been a straight? Being able to pick yourself back up regardless of the blunder is what will help you get through the day. Bonus points if you can laugh it off afterward. So what if everyone saw you get nailed in the head because you didn’t duck in time? Yesterday’s history and tomorrow’s a mystery – who knows what you’ll get punched for forgetting to do.
8. Don’t be discouraged by being #2…or #3 or #4 I used to be obsessed with being the #1 of my class. I kid you not. From the moment I could add 2 + 2 together, I’ve always prided myself in being the best at what I do. I could never handle being benched by someone else too well, and I always came back with a vengeance for being the winner. In our class, being #1 was a petty issue, and never anyone’s top concern. I learned to be okay with not being the best – not being the one everyone stared at in awe because I knew exactly what I was doing. I learned that I didn’t have to feel threatened by someone who was ‘better’ than I was. Yes, differences existed, but that wasn’t important to any of us. What mattered was doing what we came there to do – learn something new, support each other and better ourselves. No lie – not worrying about coming out on top is a huge weight off your shoulders. Now you have enough room to worry about having a good time.

My boxing experience with Pink Gloves Boxing was an incredible one that I learned so much from. If you’re looking for more info on PGB, you can check them out here. With these tips to help you along your way, you won’t just learn how to survive your boxing class; you’ll learn how to accomplish. 

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