midnight rain

Not the professional kind, I'm wondering if anyone here has done boxing recreationally before? I'm considering taking it up this summer and kind of want to know what to expect.

Any variations like kickboxing or martial arts I am interested in as well.

andyszabler

Boxing is a not my favorite game. It is not my profession but boxing is a very interesting sport game. I don't play boxing because Boxing is a very dangerous game. There are two forum of boxing one armature and professional. Armature boxing is an Olympic and commonwealth sports. Professional boxing is a longer than the armature boxing.

Freebase Dali

I messed around with it for a couple years at the Y with a cousin and some locals. Had an unofficial trainer for a few months. Never actually joined a real gym. But I think I would recommend an actual boxing gym with an actual trainer if you're serious about doing it for more than a hobby or just messing around here and there. If you're not really into it, I think it won't really play out the way you may want it to.

If you're willing to put in the work, you may as well join a gym. I wasn't, and I wish I had.
As far as what to expect... well... no matter how serious it is, I'd say to just take your ego out of it and treat it like any other sport. The less it is about proving yourself, the more you'll learn about actually taking yourself out of the equation and implementing technique. The goal is to learn a skill. You just have to accept that and give yourself over to the learning, and not the emotional urges.
I found that part the hardest to try and overcome when sparring. I'd forget what I'd learned because I just wanted to win, or I'd become angry because I wasn't winning, and all my sh*t would go out the door.
Overall, in any physical contest, expect competition. But don't feel threatened by it. It's simply motivation to become better, no matter what it is you're doing. And that is what you should embrace, whether your trainer tells you that or not.

Howard the Duck

i took French/Belgian kickboxing for a while

the instructor was a total slavedriver and those few months were some of the arduous martial arts i ever did

the exercises were gruelling and painful

sparring was like a real streetfight - i had bruises and even blood spilled

but i enjoyed it on a whole, his whole approach is not to take it as an "exhibition", but to beat down your opponent as fast as possible

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

Croatian Masochist

Boxing is ok as a sport, but if you're looking at something more beneficial and fun, try Muay Thai or some other variation of basic kickboxing. Tae Kwon Do is also very fun (although difficult), but it's hard to find an authentic teacher sometimes.
Edit: I'm very biased because this my personal favourite, but Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is very interesting, and legitimately helpful if you're in some 1 on 1 bar fight.

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Howard the Duck

how is Tae Kwon Do "difficult", it's not much different than karate

i have a green belt in TKD

i took Muay Thai as well, but not the original form, which is too masochistic even for me

you have to rub this abrasive tree bark on your shins in order to lose all feeling there

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

midnight rain

Good post. I know part of why I want to take up boxing is a way of channeling this aggression I've built up over the years. Obviously this isn't a good mindset to go in with if I actually want to do well. Getting emotional, you'll let your guard down, forget the techniques, and ultimately end up on the ground. I couldn't say whether I'm serious or not until I've put a good amount of time into it, but the gym my brother goes to for it has trainers who work with NFL Combine players, so I think they have an idea of what they're doing.

I'm still a bit skeptical about how well martial arts translates to the streets, it seems to be becoming more obsolete over time. Also, it seems easier to half ass martial arts without putting in the effort (if you have a bad trainer), while boxing really takes a toll on you and you have to put forward 100%.

Maybe you could clarify what you mean by more beneficial. I'd think if a boxer and martial artist went toe to toe, the boxer would come out on top most of the time.

I wouldn't rule out a hybrid of the two though.

Howard the Duck

i have no real intention of taking it to the streets or in a real-life situation

i'd end up killing somebody (or being killed)

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

midnight rain

Neither do I, but I assumed self-defense is what he meant by 'beneficial'.

I could always subscribe to the Jeet Kune Do philosophy, go Bruce Lee on street thugs' ass.

Howard the Duck

disabling them is often the best option

my problem is i'll get so worked up i dunno when to stop

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.