Boxing is one of the most strenuous sports to succeed in. True fighters who have what it takes to live out their dreams of filling rings of cheering crowds spend hours and hours training in the gym. Without training, your lack of skills will quickly be exposed in the ring.
When boxers train in the gym, what skills are they looking to build? Here are some of the qualities all successful boxers have.
Physical Endurance
Boxing is one of the most physically brutal sports out there. Professional matches last several rounds of high-intensity fighting, so boxers need plenty of physical conditioning to take them through to the end of the bout.
With physical conditioning comes another important skill that boxers need: quickness. A good boxer needs to dodge and weave around the opponent to avoid punches. The level of quickness and footwork that boxers need to last through a bout only comes after years and years in the gym.
Punching
There are many aspects to throwing a successful punch. One is accuracy—hitting a bobbing and defending boxer is different from whacking at a stationary boxing bag in the gym. Boxers need to be accurate to score points, conserve energy, and defend themselves from counterattacks.
Besides accuracy, a fighter needs to have power behind his or her punch. Developing a powerful punch is not as simple as lifting weights to build muscle mass, it requires years of training to combine accuracy, quickness, and ferocity into a Mike Tyson-worthy punch.
Boxers also need to know how to defend punches, not just throw them. Boxing defense requires spatial awareness, knowledge of blocking techniques, and quickness, none of which are skills you can develop overnight.
Mental Strength
Dedication to training doesn’t just build the physical skills that a boxer needs to succeed in the ring. It helps develop important mental skills such as discipline and courage. Fighters also need intelligence to develop strategies and adjust them on the go.
There are so many skills that go into being a successful boxer beyond just throwing strong punches.