Boxing is one of the most suitable martial arts or fighting systems to learn from home due to the progress that can be made with solo training – if you have credible and clear instruction.
In comparison to grappling based martial arts such as BJJ and Judo where partner work is absolutely crucial to each training session – boxing requires a lot of solo training: skipping rope, running, shadow boxing and bag work.
In addition boxing is a relatively simple fighting art to learn but takes a lifetime to improve and perfect.
If you are interested in learning boxing at home then the steps described in this post will allow to get started in the best way possible and set you up for success much better.
1.Set Clear Goals
If you want to be a competitive boxer or even a champion at some level, then you can always first learn to box at home to learn the basics such as stance and footwork and basic punches and combos.
But at some stage you will need to train at a gym with a experienced trainer and supportive training partners for sparring and drilling techniques.
But if you want to learn to box at home with no intention of competing initially, or want to learn boxing for getting in shape at home and learning to defend yourself in a physical altercation .
Then you can achieve all of this by learning to box from home.
2. Find Credible Instruction that Suits You
There are many many different styles of boxing and trainers teaching styles as well.
To learn boxing from home you will have to make use of resources such as DVDs, books, online video courses and YouTube videos.
Its important to find trainers you like and that you can understand and follow their instruction and teaching style.
Free Resources to Learn Boxing Online
Some of the best places to get started with boxing online at home is YouTube.
There are excellent trainers willing to share their experiences on YouTube and below are a list of some of my favorite boxing trainers on YouTube:
- Precision Striking – 611K subscribers; 241 videos
- Fran Sands – 112K subscribers;
- Coach Anthony – 180K subscribers; 220 videos
- Expert Boxing – 242K subscribers; 340 videos
The main thing with free resources is that you may not get a structured learning curriculum that builds you up from the basics to more advanced combos and techniques.
This is where paid programs – either one off products or subscriptions – can benefit more than free programs.
Some of the top recommended paid programs to learn boxing at home include:
precisionstriking.com by JT Van has a number of excellent quality video series programs for beginners and more experienced boxers alike.
expertboxing.com by Johnny Ngyuen is another well established online boxing resource with a number of paid courses to take you from beginners to advanced levels of boxing.
3. Set Up Your Training Area at Home
You do not need a hue amount of space to train yourself with boxing effectively a thome.
You could use your garage, spare room, outside in the garden or any other space you have available.
But enough space to hang a heavy bag and a couple of feet to move laterally and to the rea of the bag is sufficient for effective boxing training at home.
Enough space to skip rope (not absolutely necessary) but definitely for shadow boxing and for doing bag work.
I would also recommend setting up a cheap and easy ‘slip line’ to perform slip drills and footwork.
A double-end bag also is a fairly ‘light’ addition to your home boxing gym that will keep training fresh and fun.
Heavy Bag Solo Training is a Major Part of Training at Home
Having a heavy bag is crucial if you want to learn boxing at home.
The heavy bag will be your most valuable training partner training boxing at home.
You can also train a lot of you boxing with just shadowboxing, but the heavy bag is crucial especially for solo training at home.
It is a perfect tool for developing power, accuracy, technique as well as cardio and endurance.
If you are thinking of learning boxing at home then a heavy bag is an absolute must.
If you cant afford one at the moment you can always make your own heavy bag – there are many videos on YouTube on how to make your own bag for boxing training at home.
4. Make a Schedule and Stick with It
You would have heard it before but its true – consistency trunmps intensity.
Being able to put in quality sessions consistently over time is the most important factor in learning any new skill and especially so with boxing.
You need to be able to plan in your training sessions for boxing each and every week.
I would recommend as someone starting out to aim for just two sessions per week of about 30 minutes.
Learning boxing at home you will not have the benefit of a trainer and training partners encouraging and pushing you through your training sessions.
So you need to be able to train effectively alone and plan your training into each week.
5. Watch a Lot of Boxing Matches
Whether amateur or pro boxing try to watch as much boxing as you can.
Try to picture yourself in certain situations you see in fights, especially those situations you recognize are opportune to perform your offensive of defensive techniques.
Watching a variety of boxers and styles will also help you develop your own style and which techniques you favor.
Watching greats like Mike Tyson and his ‘peek a boo’ style or Mayweather’s ‘Philly shell’ defense in real time fights against quality opponents will only help your boxing game and learning progress even more.
6. Plan Out Each Training Session and Have Set Goals
Try to set specific goals for training to keep you progressing, motivated and to keep your training fresh and fun.
Some great examples for goal oriented training sessions include –
- “throw 500 punches in one session (shadow, heavy bag, double end bag)”
- “work only footwork and movement for three rounds”
An example of a home boxing training session could look something like below:
- 10-15 minute treadmill run
- 2 by 3 minute rounds skipping rope
- 3 by 3 minute rounds shadow boxing
- 4 by 3 minute round heavy bag work
- 2 by 3 minute round shadow
By adding specific focus in particular areas you will get more out of your training rounds.
For example your rounds of shadow boxing could further be broken down to:
3 Rounds Shadow boxing
- Round 1 – Footwork and defense only
- Round 2 – Punches is bunches – throwing non-stop punches – less power and speed more technique
- Round 3 – Working angles defensively and offensively
With the heavy bag also you can plan in the areas you want to focus on in order to work on weaknesses and develop strengths or favorite techniques.
The heavy bag component of your training session could focus on:
4 Round Heavy Bag
- Round 1 – Jab focus
- Round 2 – Working the body shots
- Round 3 – ‘Inside’ fighting – close range
- Round 4 – Body-Head-Body combinations
You get the idea – often times without some sort of plan or guide when we go into training we can often get lost. This is especially so training solo at home.
So having a focus for each round and each session can help you stay on track and take out the guess work.
7. Keep a Training Journal
Training mostly alone you will need to keep motivating yourself to keep turning up and keep improving.
Keep a training journal of each of your sessions, goals that were hit or not obtained and things to work on in the future are all important aspects of keeping a training journal that will keep you on the right track in improving your boxing from home.
Also as the days, weeks and months of consistent training pile up it is motivating to look at all the records of your training sessions to see how far you have come.
Again learning boxing at home you wont have a trainer or training partners to encourage and motivate you which makes keeping a training journal even more imprtant.
8. Video Your Self
Not having a trainers to watch you and correct technique, you will need to be your own worst critic.
This is where video footage of you performing techniques, shadow boxing and working the heavy bag can help you spot bad habits that you otherwise will miss without video of yourself.
It is also extremely encouraging to look back at old video footage of yourself and see how far your technique, flexibility, mobility and movements and skill have all developed with consistent training.
9. Join an Online Community
Learning and training boxing from home it is useful to join a community to provide support, advice, critical analysis and tips on how to get better at boxing.
If you are training mainly solo at home , then an online community will be your training partners and can help keep you motivated.
Also if you need advice joining an online community is a great resources to seek help from to improve your boxing and training.
There are many, many Facebook groups for boxing whether it be for watching boxing matches or learning and training boxing – joining a Facebook group with like minded individuals can motivate you to keep improving in your boxing.
