# Had my first 3 Boxing lessons.



## Chrisinmd (Feb 28, 2019)

Had my first 3 Boxing lessons.  Good workout and I enjoyed it.  Getting my footwork down and learning how to throw all the punches and to protect myself and block punches.  This is my only self defense I have not been trained in any other martial arts.

My question is how well does boxing work if you actually need to use it in a self defense / street fight scenario?  Obviously their is no referee in a street fight so your not fighting by the rules of boxing.  From some of the street fights I have seen I have never seen to people really square up to each other in tradional boxing stances.  Ive seen one person charge the other and try to tackle them and turn it into a wrestling match.  So I guess as a boxer you want to knock out with the first couple punches and end it there.  As a boxer how do you defend someone charging you?  My initial thoughts were knee them in the face


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Feb 28, 2019)

There are plenty of ways to use boxing to help for self defense, and a lot of it is in the footwork. If someone doesn't beat me to it I'll post a video later of people trying to take down a boxing coach.

But if you want something immediate, practice your uppercut. It's a hell of a punch and can be used pretty easily on someone trying to tackle you if they're not prepared.


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## jobo (Feb 28, 2019)

Chrisinmd said:


> Had my first 3 Boxing lessons.  Good workout and I enjoyed it.  Getting my footwork down and learning how to throw all the punches and to protect myself and block punches.  This is my only self defense I have not been trained in any other martial arts.
> 
> My question is how well does boxing work if you actually need to use it in a self defense / street fight scenario?  Obviously their is no referee in a street fight so your not fighting by the rules of boxing.  From some of the street fights I have seen I have never seen to people really square up to each other in tradional boxing stances.  Ive seen one person charge the other and try to tackle them and turn it into a wrestling match.  So I guess as a boxer you want to knock out with the first couple punches and end it there.  As a boxer how do you defend someone charging you?  My initial thoughts were knee them in the face


the same issue comes up again and again for every style , what if ........ the simple answer is to try and dictate the fight to your strengths,  if that's not wrestling then try not to wrestle, , keep range, keep moving use you speed, if they charge you MOVE, but the simple truth is if someone bigger and stronger gets hold of you and takes you to the ground then you've probably lost. so make yourself bigger and stronger so theres less of these people about. if you've done boxing for any length of time then your cardio should be better than most, so they will only be stronger for a short amount of time, its lasting that long that's the key


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## Martial D (Feb 28, 2019)

Chrisinmd said:


> Had my first 3 Boxing lessons.  Good workout and I enjoyed it.  Getting my footwork down and learning how to throw all the punches and to protect myself and block punches.  This is my only self defense I have not been trained in any other martial arts.
> 
> My question is how well does boxing work if you actually need to use it in a self defense / street fight scenario?  Obviously their is no referee in a street fight so your not fighting by the rules of boxing.  From some of the street fights I have seen I have never seen to people really square up to each other in tradional boxing stances.  Ive seen one person charge the other and try to tackle them and turn it into a wrestling match.  So I guess as a boxer you want to knock out with the first couple punches and end it there.  As a boxer how do you defend someone charging you?  My initial thoughts were knee them in the face


Punching them in the face before they do the same to you.

That's the idea.

What sets boxing apart from most martial arts is the amount of time you will be looking across at a moving opponent trying to hit you back.

This teaches you to manage distance and timing..which basically amounts to knowing instinctively when you are in danger and when you are not, when you should punch a d when you should not, etc.


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## JR 137 (Feb 28, 2019)

I was in the boxing club in college for a year. Several guys competed at a good amateur level but I never competed. I worked out with those guys like I was competing though, including the sparring with them.

Boxing teaches how to punch, how to move, and when and where to punch. And they do that like no one else. Seems simple enough until you’re in the ring with someone.

And there’s no BS in boxing. The drills are stuff that are easy to understand why you’re doing them, unlike kata (I like kata, so it’s not bashing).

I wrestled from 3rd grade throughout high school. I coached it on and off for about 10 years.

If you’re looking for self defense, my recommendation is boxing. Plain and simple. Wrestling is great to learn to avoid getting taken down and how to get off the ground, but a good boxer will negate a lot of that with movement and hand speed. And punching power.

Many will disagree. I’ll just shrug my shoulders and say I’ve done both. And others will shrug their shoulders at me and say they’ve done both too. I wonder what @Tony Dismukes has to say.


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## Kababayan (Feb 28, 2019)

I agree with everything that has been said so far.   Boxing is great for basic self defense. You will master four punches (with variations) to where you won't have to think much in a self defense situation.  Your footwork will be better than most, which means that you will be hard to hit if you get attacked.  If you do get hit, it may just be a glancing blow because of your head movement.  I wouldn't try and knee someone trying to take me down.  I'm sure that it's been done effectively, but I just wouldn't want to take the chance of missing and giving up my base.  I once had a BJJ Black Belt shoot in to take me down and I hit him with a jab that stunned him enough to stop the takedown.  Plus, boxing will get you used to getting hit so that it isn't a shock if it happens in a self defense situation.  Good luck with your training.


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## Tony Dismukes (Feb 28, 2019)

JR 137 said:


> I was in the boxing club in college for a year. Several guys competed at a good amateur level but I never competed. I worked out with those guys like I was competing though, including the sparring with them.
> 
> Boxing teaches how to punch, how to move, and when and where to punch. And they do that like no one else. Seems simple enough until you’re in the ring with someone.
> 
> ...


Boxing is great stuff. Wrestling is great stuff. Boxing plus wrestling is even better. My personal foundation is more Muay Thai plus BJJ, but I’m always looking to improve my boxing and wrestling skill.

(As a side note, most people don’t realize how much grappling skill is used in high level boxing or how much impact is present in wrestling.)


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## drop bear (Feb 28, 2019)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Boxing is great stuff. Wrestling is great stuff. Boxing plus wrestling is even better. My personal foundation is more Muay Thai plus BJJ, but I’m always looking to improve my boxing and wrestling skill.
> 
> (As a side note, most people don’t realize how much grappling skill is used in high level boxing or how much impact is present in wrestling.)



Boxing may work a bit better than thai with wrestling from a stance point of view.

The trade off would be gumby kicks.


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## drop bear (Feb 28, 2019)

From a self defense point of view it doesn't take much time or space to punch someone in the face. 

And so if you can do that well. Then you can dominate a fight in a split second.


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## Bruce7 (Mar 2, 2019)

Chrisinmd said:


> Had my first 3 Boxing lessons.  Good workout and I enjoyed it.  Getting my footwork down and learning how to throw all the punches and to protect myself and block punches.  This is my only self defense I have not been trained in any other martial arts.
> 
> My question is how well does boxing work if you actually need to use it in a self defense / street fight scenario?  Obviously their is no referee in a street fight so your not fighting by the rules of boxing.  From some of the street fights I have seen I have never seen to people really square up to each other in tradional boxing stances.  Ive seen one person charge the other and try to tackle them and turn it into a wrestling match.  So I guess as a boxer you want to knock out with the first couple punches and end it there.  As a boxer how do you defend someone charging you?  My initial thoughts were knee them in the face




I have been in and have seen a lot of fights.
I have only trained as a boxer for 6 months, but I have train in a lot of different MA for 12 years.
IMO If I had to fight someone in the street and had only 6 months to train. Boxing is the MA I would chose.

No, people normal do not go down after a few punches. It makes me laugh when I see it in the movies.
I don't know the number of punches it takes, you punch first, try to hit the nose and keep punching till they are on the ground.
A punch to the nose confuses the guy for maybe half a second,  probably less, but you can still get in a lot of punches, *do not *let him recover. Punch, elbow, knee,etc until he is on the ground.


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## Bill Mattocks (Mar 2, 2019)

Boxing is very good.  Nothing wrong with boxing.  Might be one of the fastest ways to learn to defend yourself; at least that's what I've heard from people who should know.  Generates power differently than I'm used to, but that doesn't make it wrong.  I'd say if you like it and are learning, keep at it.


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## Saheim (Mar 20, 2019)

Yep, assuming it's good training, boxing is an excellent addition to your training regiment.  Years (maybe decades) ago BB Magazine did a "Best Arts for SD" and boxing was listed.  The reason they stated was - a lot of times, when everything goes bad, folks just revert back to sluggin it out.

I recently attended a couple boxing classes and was amazed at the similarities between it and traditional karate.  Not something I can explain in text, but so connected it was mind blowing.

Stick with it!


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## Kung Fu Wang (Mar 20, 2019)

Chrisinmd said:


> My question is how well does boxing work if you actually need to use it in a self defense / street fight scenario?


You take

- boxing for punching skill.
- TKD, MT for kicking skill.
- eagle claw, Hapkido for locking skill.
- wrestling, Judo for wrestling skill.
- BJJ for ground skill.

You then integrate kick, punch, lock, throw, ground game and test yourself in MMA.


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## Gerry Seymour (Mar 21, 2019)

Chrisinmd said:


> Had my first 3 Boxing lessons.  Good workout and I enjoyed it.  Getting my footwork down and learning how to throw all the punches and to protect myself and block punches.  This is my only self defense I have not been trained in any other martial arts.
> 
> My question is how well does boxing work if you actually need to use it in a self defense / street fight scenario?  Obviously their is no referee in a street fight so your not fighting by the rules of boxing.  From some of the street fights I have seen I have never seen to people really square up to each other in tradional boxing stances.  Ive seen one person charge the other and try to tackle them and turn it into a wrestling match.  So I guess as a boxer you want to knock out with the first couple punches and end it there.  As a boxer how do you defend someone charging you?  My initial thoughts were knee them in the face


In my opinion, those basics you're working on right now are probably the most likely to be useful in most physical altercations. Boxing has limitations, but you're learning to hit, avoid being hit, control distance, withstand some punishment, etc. All of those are good. Will it be different "in the street"? Probably, but that's a chaos situation, and you're also learning to deal with some (controlled) chaos. Boxing has some gaps, as does everything. You're probably going to be ill-equipped if someone decides to try for a tackle, or if someone with a little skill (or more) goes for a basic takedown. But that's not the only scenario, and you can always add other training on top of what you're getting. If it were me, with my goals and expectations, I'd add some grappling on top of it (wrestling, BJJ, Judo, etc.), mostly to learn to defend against those takedowns.

But, yes, boxing is a good foundation. Most of what I start my students on in their first few weeks could be covered by a boxing coach, using their methods.


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## Gerry Seymour (Mar 21, 2019)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Boxing is great stuff. Wrestling is great stuff. Boxing plus wrestling is even better. My personal foundation is more Muay Thai plus BJJ, but I’m always looking to improve my boxing and wrestling skill.
> 
> (As a side note, most people don’t realize how much grappling skill is used in high level boxing or how much impact is present in wrestling.)


I've seen boxers all but complete a hip throw from a clinch, and even one of our throwing techniques (which really doesn't have it's own name in NGA, and I have no idea what the name is in Japanese). Even without hands to use, some of them get a good bit of "grappling" in.


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## skribs (Mar 22, 2019)

Chrisinmd said:


> Had my first 3 Boxing lessons.  Good workout and I enjoyed it.  Getting my footwork down and learning how to throw all the punches and to protect myself and block punches.  This is my only self defense I have not been trained in any other martial arts.
> 
> My question is how well does boxing work if you actually need to use it in a self defense / street fight scenario?  Obviously their is no referee in a street fight so your not fighting by the rules of boxing.  From some of the street fights I have seen I have never seen to people really square up to each other in tradional boxing stances.  Ive seen one person charge the other and try to tackle them and turn it into a wrestling match.  So I guess as a boxer you want to knock out with the first couple punches and end it there.  As a boxer how do you defend someone charging you?  My initial thoughts were knee them in the face



We had this happen in our beginner sparring class in Taekwondo the other day:  a kid around 5 or 6 years old ran full-tilt at the other person and tried to push him, and the other person just stepped aside.  The aggressor lost his balance and fell on his face.  

If you learn the boxing footwork and someone tries to charge you, you should (in theory) be able to side-step them and hook punch them in the face.  

I've trained Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Wrestling.  My opinion on boxing is that they are the best punchers around, because they don't really practice anything else.  If you want to quickly become proficient at anything in martial arts, focusing on it is the way to go.  So I will agree with @Bruce7 , if you want to learn defense quickly, boxing is probably the way to go.  It won't teach you how to defend against grabs, or how to deal with the ground game, but for most situations you find yourself in it will be useful, and in those situations being able to apply a few simple techniques is going be a lot better than it might seem.

I'll also agree with @Kung Fu Wang that if you want the full experience, then mixing in different arts is a great idea.  If I had unlimited time and resources, I'd probably train in 18 different arts or so.  But that's not necessary.  I've been training TKD for ~4 years as a kid (age 7-11) and ~6 years as an adult (age 25-30...but a young 25 and an old 30).  I just got several pieces of advice on my kicks from my Master this week.  So even if all you do is stick with boxing, you'll still see improvement in your technique even with years of experience.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Apr 7, 2019)

skribs said:


> My opinion on boxing is that they are the best punchers around, because they don't really practice anything else.



I would disagree with this specific part. I would say that boxers are not the best punchers around, specifically because they only focus on punching. It sounds reverse from what it should be, but it's still true. A boxer is someone who is very good against punching someone others who are only willing to punch you. The second that someone keeps the boxer at a distance where you can't punch, or sweeps you or grapples you, they can no longer use their punches, or at least not effectively. If they had crosstrained even a bit, or studied an art that includes both, even with punching as their main focus they could set up opportunities to punch. How would that person be a worse puncher than the guy who can barely use his punch?


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## skribs (Apr 7, 2019)

kempodisciple said:


> I would disagree with this specific part. I would say that boxers are not the best punchers around, specifically because they only focus on punching. It sounds reverse from what it should be, but it's still true. A boxer is someone who is very good against punching someone others who are only willing to punch you. The second that someone keeps the boxer at a distance where you can't punch, or sweeps you or grapples you, they can no longer use their punches, or at least not effectively. If they had crosstrained even a bit, or studied an art that includes both, even with punching as their main focus they could set up opportunities to punch. How would that person be a worse puncher than the guy who can barely use his punch?



Boxers do work on footwork to operate at their desired range.  Some boxers clinch and throw short punches, others keep their distance and find the right time to throw that powerful cross.  So a boxer might not be used to grabs and sweeps, but they're used to people fighting in close.  They might not be used to kicks, but they might be used to guys who keep their distance.

I'm not saying they're the best fighters. I'm also not saying they can't be caught by a surprise sweep or kick.  But they know how to punch.


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## drop bear (Apr 7, 2019)

skribs said:


> Boxers do work on footwork to operate at their desired range.  Some boxers clinch and throw short punches, others keep their distance and find the right time to throw that powerful cross.  So a boxer might not be used to grabs and sweeps, but they're used to people fighting in close.  They might not be used to kicks, but they might be used to guys who keep their distance.
> 
> I'm not saying they're the best fighters. I'm also not saying they can't be caught by a surprise sweep or kick.  But they know how to punch.



I think the idea is that in the clinch for example the better wrestler is the better striker. 

I don't know. I am still in two minds about the concept.


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## skribs (Apr 7, 2019)

drop bear said:


> I think the idea is that in the clinch for example the better wrestler is the better striker.
> 
> I don't know. I am still in two minds about the concept.



In the clinch, yes.  However, you still have to get into the clinch.  The boxer has a few options:

Throw a hook or uppercut while you close in for the clinch
Use footwork (i.e. side-step or slide back) to keep you in punching range
Both of these are things that a boxer would practice on another boxer.  Not necessarily defense against the clinch or against grabs and kicks, but defense against someone who is being more aggressive than you'd like.


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## skyeisonfire (Apr 8, 2019)

Chrisinmd said:


> Had my first 3 Boxing lessons.  Good workout and I enjoyed it.  Getting my footwork down and learning how to throw all the punches and to protect myself and block punches.  This is my only self defense I have not been trained in any other martial arts.
> 
> My question is how well does boxing work if you actually need to use it in a self defense / street fight scenario?  Obviously their is no referee in a street fight so your not fighting by the rules of boxing.  From some of the street fights I have seen I have never seen to people really square up to each other in tradional boxing stances.  Ive seen one person charge the other and try to tackle them and turn it into a wrestling match.  So I guess as a boxer you want to knock out with the first couple punches and end it there.  As a boxer how do you defend someone charging you?  My initial thoughts were knee them in the face



Avoid the fight to begin with, or find a way out of it.  I would think it'd be the adult thing to do.  You never know if they are carrying..i.e weapons?  But in my opinion, and I don't claim to be a master at this, I would say since you are new, become good with something and add other things with it like some other form of MA that involves techniques for wrestling, grappling, takedowns, etc. Since you are new then it's going to take time to learn anyways and I'd take my first suggestion.  P.s....try to spar often lol.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Apr 8, 2019)

skribs said:


> Boxers do work on footwork to operate at their desired range.  Some boxers clinch and throw short punches, others keep their distance and find the right time to throw that powerful cross.  So a boxer might not be used to grabs and sweeps, but they're used to people fighting in close.  They might not be used to kicks, but they might be used to guys who keep their distance.
> 
> I'm not saying they're the best fighters. I'm also not saying they can't be caught by a surprise sweep or kick.  But they know how to punch.


Dropbear kind of explained it, but basically what your saying would work in theory but doesn't work as much in reality. A boxer may be used to someone coming in close, and know how to defend against a boxer doing so, but they won't know how to handle a sweep in a clinch, or defend against throws. A boxer might be used to people keeping distance, but keeping distance for a puncher and a kicker are two entirely different things. The issue here isn't that they'd lose (not the better fighter), but that they wouldn't be able to use their punching effectively.

The best example I can think of is to look at MMA fights between an MMAist and a pure boxer. Don't look at the scores or final results, see if you can find who had more effective punches. Assuming the same level of skill, it will most likely be the MMAist, even though they don't only train punches.


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## skribs (Apr 8, 2019)

kempodisciple said:


> Dropbear kind of explained it, but basically what your saying would work in theory but doesn't work as much in reality. A boxer may be used to someone coming in close, and know how to defend against a boxer doing so, but they won't know how to handle a sweep in a clinch, or defend against throws. A boxer might be used to people keeping distance, but keeping distance for a puncher and a kicker are two entirely different things. The issue here isn't that they'd lose (not the better fighter), but that they wouldn't be able to use their punching effectively.
> 
> The best example I can think of is to look at MMA fights between an MMAist and a pure boxer. Don't look at the scores or final results, see if you can find who had more effective punches. Assuming the same level of skill, it will most likely be the MMAist, even though they don't only train punches.



More quantity of effective punches or quality of effective punches?

Most of the fights I've seen that are MMA vs. Boxer, the MMA fighter is trying to take striking out of the equation.


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## Buka (Apr 8, 2019)

Good stuff, boxing. It's a great supplement to other Martial Arts in my opinion.

Pretty good for self defense, too.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Apr 8, 2019)

skribs said:


> More quantity of effective punches or quality of effective punches?
> 
> Most of the fights I've seen that are MMA vs. Boxer, the MMA fighter is trying to take striking out of the equation.


A combination, that's why I'm saying effective punching, not just punching in general. Even from a clinch or grappling position, the mma fighter can throw effective punches, while the boxer doesn't know how to make effective punches from that position, without crosstraining.


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## seasoned (Apr 10, 2019)

skyeisonfire said:


> Avoid the fight to begin with, or find a way out of it.  I would think it'd be the adult thing to do.  You never know if they are carrying..i.e weapons?  But in my opinion, and I don't claim to be a master at this, I would say since you are new, become good with something and add other things with it like some other form of MA that involves techniques for wrestling, grappling, takedowns, etc. Since you are new then it's going to take time to learn anyways and I'd take my first suggestion.  P.s....try to spar often lol.


Good advice!!


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## Buka (Apr 10, 2019)

I've been beaten up by just about everybody over the years. Every type, every style, every everything.
And you know I am a Karate man at heart, always will be. And I know some Martial Artists who can punch real scary good.

But nobody, and I mean nobody, punches as well as a good boxer.


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## _Simon_ (Apr 11, 2019)

Buka said:


> I've been beaten up by just about everybody over the years. Every type, every style, every everything.
> And you know I am a Karate man at heart, always will be. And I know some Martial Artists who can punch real scary good.
> 
> But nobody, and I mean nobody, punches as well as a good boxer.


Except those scary Shotokan folk from back in the day hey Buka 

(Ikken Hissatsu!)


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## Buka (Apr 11, 2019)

_Simon_ said:


> Except those scary Shotokan folk from back in the day hey Buka
> 
> (Ikken Hissatsu!)



Amen to that. Especially because those boys weren't wearing any gloves.


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## JR 137 (Apr 12, 2019)

Buka said:


> I've been beaten up by just about everybody over the years. Every type, every style, every everything.
> And you know I am a Karate man at heart, always will be. And I know some Martial Artists who can punch real scary good.
> 
> But nobody, and I mean nobody, punches as well as a good boxer.


I thought you were a chain belt in kung fu? As long as you don’t show any weaknesses and bruise on the inside, that’s all that matters.


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## Buka (Apr 13, 2019)

JR 137 said:


> I thought you were a chain belt in kung fu? As long as you don’t show any weaknesses and bruise on the inside, that’s all that matters.








I even have the red hood, bro.


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## JR 137 (Apr 13, 2019)

Buka said:


> I even have the red hood, bro.


One of these days, I’m going to learn that kata. Quart of Blood Technique. Even the name is badass. After all, it ain’t cool being a jive turkey, especially when it’s close to thanksgiving.


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## quasar44 (Jan 2, 2020)

Chrisinmd said:


> Had my first 3 Boxing lessons.  Good workout and I enjoyed it.  Getting my footwork down and learning how to throw all the punches and to protect myself and block punches.  This is my only self defense I have not been trained in any other martial arts.
> 
> My question is how well does boxing work if you actually need to use it in a self defense / street fight scenario?  Obviously their is no referee in a street fight so your not fighting by the rules of boxing.  From some of the street fights I have seen I have never seen to people really square up to each other in tradional boxing stances.  Ive seen one person charge the other and try to tackle them and turn it into a wrestling match.  So I guess as a boxer you want to knock out with the first couple punches and end it there.  As a boxer how do you defend someone charging you?  My initial thoughts were knee them in the face



Boxing is gold in the street 
Don’t worry about the other stuff now 
Just focus on boxing and footwork 
Also I would avoid too much sparring as your brain will get damaged over time


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## quasar44 (Jan 2, 2020)

Next year you will want to add maybe no-gi bjj or mma


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