Is it possible to teach oneself the basics of boxing?

Question

I am a black belt in Karate and have been training for 7 years. I teach at my dojo everyday for the kids classes so my time is very limited with regards to joining a boxing gym full time. I work 10 hours a day and have a weekend job as well. Are there any good resources (websites, etc) for me to study from? I really just want to learn the basics of boxing and in turn, greatly improve my punching. Thanks Ya'll..

Answer 1

yes, it is possible if you have a common sense about body kinetics (body movement), just like any other sport, like baseball, you can learn to bat/throw without joining a team.  When i first took boxing class, in just a few weeks people would ask me if i had box for some time... I always answered "no, this is my first time", indeed it was.  I just relied in my common knowledge of the body physics, and watched extensive boxing matches, more commonly the elite.

Answer 2

shadow boxing

Answer 3

Yeah, its possible, but only after you have somthing to work with... My advice would be go to a couple boxing classes, watch a lot of boxing, and boxing training, and try and mimick there moves, then get a partner and try to see if your doing it right. If you wanna teach yourself, you'll need the equipment, namely a heavy bag, preferably some gloves and wraps, and a floor and ceiling ball, if you wanna go all out, get a speedball as well. But i'd say the the three things most important to boxing and building of boxing skill, would be the heavy bag, the floor to ceiling ball, and skipping.

Answer 4

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=fjVdOJpiyH...

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=839vG93LgA...

best of luck bud.

Answer 5

If you watch the basics like on youtube and practice then yea. but if you want teach yourself boxing the whole thing then no

Answer 6

Karate and Boxing differ in some important ways.

In Boxing, defense is an integral part of offense.  Punching power is extremely important, but a powerful punch is meaningless unless defensive considerations are incorporated into the movement.  This differs from Karate, where the emphasis is on full-power offense against an unresisting opponent.  Many karate instructors mouth platitudes about karate being a defensive 'art'; some may even believe it.  But the truth of the matter is that what karate people call 'blocks' are really strikes that are designed to deal out damage to an opponent.  With study, you'll come to realize that there is no such thing as a defensive karate technique.

On the other hand, boxers throw punches that karate practitioners would (and could) never throw, because of the protection offered by handwraps and gloves.  A boxer's overhand right may be more powerful than a karateka's strongest punch, but without handwraps and gloves, it is an impossible punch to throw without breaking the punching hand.  Likewise the left hook.  It is a great punch in boxing, but it quickly loses its effectiveness in a bare-knuckle situation where elbows and the hard bones of the skull come into play.  If you throw your left hook and you don't hit exactly what you are aiming at, you run a high risk of damaging your hand.  You can use karate open-hand techniques, such as the palm-heel, the knife-hand, or the hammer fist, instead of the boxer's fist, and get a similar effect to boxing punches.  A left hook, for instance, can be thrown as a palm-heel, and an overhand right can be thrown as a hammer-fist.  But bare-knuckle fighting is necessarily different than gloved fighting.

Another important point in boxing is that rotational movement, or pivoting, is used to generate power.  In a karate gyakuzuki for instance, which is the equivalent of a boxing straight right (or right cross), the hips and upper body rotate while the rear foot remains rooted to the floor.  In boxing, the same punch generates a lot more power, because there is a slight step, a pivot of the rear foot, and a straightening of the rear knee during the execution of the punch.

A lot of Karate techniques -- at least from those styles that emphasize kata and point sparring -- are designed to look good.  The effectiveness of the techniques is compromised by the requirement that they conform to a one-size-fits-all approach that attempts to mold the student into a clone of some karate ideal.  Boxing is about effectiveness, karate is often about presentation.

Finally, most karate people don't work the heavybag.  The makiwara is no substitute for the heavybag.  If you are not hitting the heavybag, your punches will never work against an opponent who knows how to fight; you will still be able to beat an untrained opponent who is unequipped to deal with your attack, but it will be a different story if you go up against a boxer.

Having done both, it is my judgement that most karate people are totally unprepared to deal with a boxer.

Check out my collection of youtube vids if you want to learn the basics of boxing technique.

Answer 7

No. you make think you're learning, but the only thing you will learn will be bad habits.

Dont fool yourself. This is the sweet science.

You cant learn chemistry without practicing in the lab.