Overcoming my fear in fighting? Please read. Please. Sorry if its too long but plz read. Need help.?

Question

I have a fear (not a big one) of fighting. The reason why im scared to fight is because i don't know how to fight. I've only been in two fights (0-wins 2- loss) I pretty much let the other get beat me up. The reason why i lost was because i told my self 'whats the point of fighting if I don't know how to fight?' Right?

I live in small town right but when schools out ill be going to my sisters place (a bigger nice city some of u may know college station tx) to a boxing gym. Im thinking of just boxing boxing boxing all summer and maybe even stay up there.

Is that a good idea taking up boxing? Maybe even some bjj.

Thanks for all u people (who will answer) my question.

Answer 1

the biggest thing to overcome is the fear. realize your going to get hit, and it will hurt not immediately though. second have the mindset that "hey im going to knock this guys head off no matter what" as soon as you doubt yourself then you have done lost. boxing is great helps you build up your stamina, as far as street fighting thats a different story, i take it your still in school and are doing this as academic not for self defense, which are 2 totally different things. as far as purely academic stand point boxing mixed with a little martial arts is helpful, but martial arts is not in no way effective in street fighting. you learn by doing and looks like your 0-wins 2-loss is well on the way of learning. i taught hand to hand combat with the 1/75th ranger batallion from 89 to 90, but just practice and keep working on it and retain what you learn, and keep boxing as much as possible. good luck.

Answer 2

Fear of fighting is completely natural, the trick is to turn that fear and anxiety into confidence and self belief.  You need to tell yourself how good you are and think about the havoc you are about to unleash on the other fighter.  

Boxing will help this as with any other art (kickboxing, Mauy Thai etc).  They will teach you great combos and how to look for spots where you can knock someone out.  Once you get your confidence up in sparring and training ask your instructor to put you in a few competitions, so you can develop your new found skills.

Eventually you will not feel the need to have any street fights, because you know that you can destroy the person trying to fight with you.  It will allow you to walk away and to say no to that person.  I haven't had a street fight for over 11 years now, I am 30 years old.  The opportunities have arisen, with some stupid punk bad mouthing me or someone I love.  But I just walk away thinking, if I hit him he would spend the night in hospital.  Saving him and his loved ones a load of grief and me a stay in the local prison.

Hope this helps mate :-)

Answer 3

I think boxing is an excellent choice if you want to conquer your fear and gain some fighting skills. Since boxing is punching only you might want to gain other skills later on but boxing is a good start. Because you will be contact sparring in a controled environment, boxing will teach you not only some fighting techniques but also how to take a hit and control your fear.

Answer 4

if you dont like fighting then dont do it

Answer 5

don't be afraid just be angry you'll find the strength when you do that and taking up boxing is a great idea not so much so you can kick butts but it may also raise your confidence level

Answer 6

boxing is great to get rly good in punching and blocking, but its better to train in muay thai or kickbox. If there are any close at your place then try them out if not you go and train boxing!!! dont w8 just start and no excuses for delay.

Answer 7

Boxing is awesome. It will help. Seriously though, dont doubt yourself, just brawl. Throw somthing, and throw it freakin' hard. An elbow, a head, whatever you throw, throw it hard, a punch, a knee, just throw it d**n hard. You will get respect. I mean how do you think martial arts and boxing were born? in the beggining before there were people who trained others to fight? Somone decided to throw somthing, and throw it hard right? Exactly, since the dawn of time, we've been able to teach ourselves, so why not now? Just know that you can do whatever you feel like doing, all you need is the will.

Answer 8

Your fear is a double one; getting punched and punching back. I can relate to that - when I started out with boxing, I had the same concerns. I knew that in training the punches would not be that hard, but it was hard - at first - to punch back. I'd be holding back, go slow, apologize, even laugh nervously when I was sparring.

Experience will erase that. You start to know your own strength, your own skills, you start to understand how hard you should punch and when. And before long you control your own actions enough to be more natural and relaxed about it.

Getting punched, well, there is no way around that. It is going to happen, and when in a boxing gym, the thing to remind yourself is that it is nothing personal. Unlike in a fight. But it is also a good motivator to learn defense, footwork, moving, and to cover up and keep a cool and concentrated mind about it. But getting punched is going to happen, and several defenses are aimed and getting hit (on arms). Trainers usually start there, to get you to form a habit of closing up after combos. But they may throw some love taps on your head n ears if your posture is slacking off.

Once you get to that stage, you will likely see two things happen = you feel more in control in a fight, because you feel 'in your element'. There are no unknowns, and you will feel familiar with fighting situations, and how an opponent will likely react and counter. Second, keeping your cool and staying collective is more often than not a deterrent for anyone wanting to bully you in a fight.

Boxing is fantastic for your confidence, stamina, strength and character. If your gym of choice is any good, you'll earn your summer the hard way, but you'll walk taller knowing that you did. For that you don't need to go fighting.