Boxing.... Too late to start at 29? (Anyone here into Boxing?)

[ibex333]

So I want to take up boxing.... Obviously I am not looking to participate in any championships(mostly training and sparring), but I want to: (in order of importance)

1)Learn to fight well, and stand up for myself if the need was to arise.

2)Get in shape, because I hate running and treadmill. (Not saying boxing is any easier, but at least it's very varied and just about everything about it is cardio workout)

My biggest concerns are:

a)A lot of people say that boxing is an extremely dangerous sport, health wise, and is almost guaranteed to lead to some forms of issues with the brain. Parkinsons and brain tumors are just a few examples.

b)I feel kind of "wussy" about this whole thing.. Can I really do it? I never seriously fought anyone in my life and never even took a punch to the face. I don't even know what it is like to get beat up! Then, again, this is one of the main reasons why I want to do it. I feel like that "manly" part about me is missing, and if I don't do this now, I will regret this for the rest of my life. No fear of Parkinsons or getting beat up really outweighs being one of those "nice guys" who let everyone step all over them for the rest of my life. I have a strong feeling that boxing will change me for the better.

c)Is it "too late" to achieve any kind of good results age wise?


Thanks very much.

 

[wirednuts]

if you do it for fun you wont have to worry about brain injuries.

and you probably wont ever go far professionally just because it takes many years to build up the bone structure that real fighters have. every punch you make crushes your own bones a bit, and that bone regrows stronger. most of the time you have to start training as a teen to have enough time to build up a substantial amount of bone mass.

it never really huts to get hit in the head, it hurts after you get hit. very much like being awake then instantly dreaming then waking up again with a bad hangover.

 

[TallBill]

Boxing is a ridiculous workout and spanks anything I've ever done in my life. I trained for about 6 months, 5-6 times a week until shoulder tendinitis kept me out of the sport. You don't ever have to compete or spar if you don't want.

I was a heavyweight and my sparring partner was absolutely huge and packed a hell of a punch. My coach always said that a person's first sparring session pretty much determines if they have what it takes to stand in their and get punched. I held my own pretty well.

Was fun when I finally got good enough to hurt him too, although it was still like 5 to 1 ratio of him whipping my ass.

 

[NGC_604]

My biggest concerns are:

a)A lot of people say that boxing is an extremely dangerous sport, health wise, and is almost guaranteed to lead to some forms of issues with the brain. Parkinsons and brain tumors are just a few examples.

b)I feel kind of "wussy" about this whole thing.. Can I really do it? I never seriously fought anyone in my life and never even took a punch to the face. I don't even know what it is like to get beat up! Then, again, this is one of the main reasons why I want to do it. I feel like that "manly" part about me is missing, and if I don't do this now, I will regret this for the rest of my life. No fear of Parkinsons or getting beat up really outweighs being one of those "nice guys" who let everyone step all over them for the rest of my life. I have a strong feeling that boxing will change me for the better.

c)Is it "too late" to achieve any kind of good results age wise?

Thanks very much.

a.) If you're doing amateur boxing, you won't be at any more risk than you would in any other sport. In addition to wearing protective gear, the rules are a lot stricter to protect fighters.

b.) No one is really prepared to box, especially those who grew up with a half-decent life. You'll never know until you try.

c.) Absolutely not. While not very common, there are boxers who didn't even start the sport till their late 20's and ended up being world champions. If you're just looking to learn the sport, then age isn't a factor. I know of guys who picked boxing up in their 40s without too much trouble.

 

[ibex333]

Thanks for the encouragement! I start this Friday ; )

 

[calvinbiss]

Are you getting trained? How did you go about finding a trainer to suit what you want to do? Are you going to a specialized gym?

 

[ibex333]

Are you getting trained? How did you go about finding a trainer to suit what you want to do? Are you going to a specialized gym?

I am not doing anything yet. Friday will be my first session. I will just stop by and sign up.
This place is a boxing gym equipped for this particular type of activity. They have trainers and I intend to pay for lessons as long as it takes for me to develop descent form and understand what I am doing. After that I will just come train by myself and occasionally see a trainer.

As for how I found this place, I did a simple google search for boxing gyms in my area.

 

[brandonb]

I used to box with friends of mine. We had all the amateur gear, gloves, helmet, etc. I was the weakest of my friends at the time (I was very boney/skinny when I was younger)... So I got beat up alot. I remember getting whooped my first time, it was odd seeing stars. It is alot like the cartoons with the stars and birds chirping around your head. But, it teachs you quickily to duck.

 

[ibex333]

Well, I had my 1st training session today. It was absolutely insane. Anyone who wants to lose weight should try this stuff. I am absolutely exhausted. My 2nd workout is tomorrow...

 

[ibex333]

Just thought I'd post an update. I am on my 5th session now. (missed 2 because of illness) and it's going great. I suck badly, and progress is pretty slow, but my trainer is kicking my ass every time, and already I can feel that I am improving somewhat.

So it looks like I answered my own question. NO, it is NOT too late to start boxing at 29. I may not become a world champ, but I will sure as hell get in great shape, and hopefully, at some point, stop avoiding eye contact on the street and in the subway when someone is trying to stare me down.

 

[Howard]

hopefully, at some point, stop avoiding eye contact on the street and in the subway when someone is trying to stare me down.

uh, are you in it for self defense? because learning a martial art is not about becoming a badass and getting into fights

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Yea, you're going to be in for a surprise is you think learning boxing or martial arts is going to prepare you for a street fight.

 

[HeXen]

i think jujitsu is probably better to learn for streetfighting, or to say realistic self defense.. boxing might not help much when a guy lunges, grabs you to pull you down for some old fashion ground bashing.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

i think jujitsu is probably better to learn for streetfighting, or to say realistic self defense.. boxing might not help much when a guy lunges, grabs you to pull you down for some old fashion ground bashing.

As an avid fan of BJJ, and a previous student of it, I think you're disillusioned if you think it's good for a street fight. One-on-one, it might be fine if your opponent doesn't decide to slam you (which is the most likely response), but rarely are fights one-on-one anymore. If you get slammed or someone has a buddy, you lose that battle no matter what. BJJ is great if you want to know how to get up, but wrestling is far more functional for a street fight. Boxing is amazingly useful in a street fight, but no one ever sees a high kick coming, which is why I like Muay Thai for functionality.

 

[darkxshade]

For someone who has never taken any lessons fighting, would you say boxing would be a good place as any to start in?

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Boxing is amazingly useful in a street fight

Boxing teaches you bad habits for street fights. They don't call it a boxer's break for nothing.

 

[Blackjack200]

We should start our own fight club.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Boxing teaches you bad habits for street fights. They don't call it a boxer's break for nothing.

A boxer's break? A boxer's fracture? They call it that due to the sheer volume that boxer's utilize. It tends to be an overtraining stress fracture (or one punch gone wrong). On top of that, boxing tends to stress contact with the first and second knuckle, not the fourth. Boxing has nothing to do with bad habits. The only bad habit boxing trains is head movement, which is bad when fighting a kicker.

 

[ZOOYUKA]

This kind of reminds of an Arnold Schwarzenegger response I read awhile back. People constantly ask him is it too late for them to start body building. His standard response its too late for you not to.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

A boxer's break? A boxer's fracture? They call it that due to the sheer volume that boxer's utilize. It tends to be an overtraining stress fracture (or one punch gone wrong). On top of that, boxing tends to stress contact with the first and second knuckle, not the fourth. Boxing has nothing to do with bad habits. The only bad habit boxing trains is head movement, which is bad when fighting a kicker.

Fighting with gloves tends to make people lazy about the knuckles they use.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Fighting with gloves tends to make people lazy about the knuckles they use.

That's why boxers frequently practice on pads with just wraps. You call out boxing, but Muay Thai wears gloves as well. Are they lazy about their knuckles? What about MMA fighters (who frequently practice with boxing gloves)? Gloves don't make people lazy. Poor technique is what leads to poor knuckle placement during a strike. Go tell a boxer they have lazy knuckles. I don't care who you are - you will still protect yourself decently in a fight.

 

[NGC_604]

Not this again... You're not going to be at a bar and have Randy Couture & Manny Pacquiao start a fight with you, so just pick whatever martial art you find enjoyable if you're looking for self defense. This idea that you have to train in a specific art to be able to protect yourself is ridiculous. You could simply do crossfit and probably be athletic enough to beat the asses of 99% of idiots who pick fights, especially when alcohol is involved.

Of course that being said, asking for trouble on the streets or subway is probably a bad idea. Fighting against multiple people or weapons from some thugs is a recipe for disaster.

 

[ibex333]

Ehhh.... I probably shouldn't have made that comment about eye contact in the subway and all that. But now that I already made it and there's no going back, let me clarify...

1)I am not looking to become a badass and get into fights. First of all, I am probably the most "careful" person you'll ever see. I'll think a thousand times before picking a fight with someone even if the situation literally REQUIRES it. I see it as a big problem and this is one of the reasons why I started boxing - so that I can stand up for myself when it is absolutely necessary, instead of apologizing to someone who deserves no apology or walking away like I always do.

2)I don't really think that boxing is the best way to learn how to win in a street fight. I understand perfectly well that nothing can really "prepare" someone for a street fight, since anything goes. I just figured, that boxing is a lot more "hands on" than say... Tae-Kwon Do or Aikido or even Krav-Maga!!! In all these martial arts the instructors spend months sucking people's money away and not really teaching them anything truly "practical". As said earlier, even in Krav-Maga's case, even though it is designed especially for street self defense, the class repeats the same stuff over and over again for a very long time, and a month costs $250!!! What's worse, even though the sessions give a nice workout, it is not a "great" one because of the limited number of things being done.

With boxing, everything is very practical, everything is "hands on". Already after my 1st lesson, my t-shirt was soaking wet - not the case with Krav-Maga. There is just so many things to do with boxing, and many of them are thrown at me pretty much right away, instead of being given to me in tiny dosages as I get better. That being said, my trainer is putting very heavy emphasis on conditioning because sadly I am too weak to even hold my hands up throughout the entire session.

 

[darkxshade]

hey where do you get your boxing lessons, didn't notice you were from NY

 

[ibex333]

hey where do you get your boxing lessons, didn't notice you were from NY

In Dumbo... ; )