Fear is a feeling we all experience at some point in our life. It can be as small as not wanting to get hit in boxing and as big as not wanting to jump off a plane. Fear is a positive feeling, as it stops us from getting hurt. But how do you overcome it?
Sparring more often is the best way to overcome the fear of getting hit in boxing because you will get hit more often. As a result, you’ll get accustomed to the physical pain and the process of getting hit faster. Sparring without using full force will also help you build confidence in your skills.
You can implement more things in your boxing classes to ensure you won’t be as afraid, if at all. It will take more time for some, however. So, keep patient and keep working hard.
Most inexperienced boxers fear getting hit in both the face and body. It’ll help if you don’t feel as if you’re the only one experiencing fear. Instead, accept that it’s a part of the process, and you’ll be a better fighter once you get over it.
But, there’s more you can do. This article will discuss 9 tips you can implement in your next boxing class to ensure you remove a large portion of the fear.
Even the pros are scared sometimes. So, don’t give yourself a hard time and start boxing.
Before we dive into the article, you’ll also be interested in reading about ways to take punches more easily in boxing. So give it a read if you don’t think you know how to take punches effortlessly.
Tips to overcome fear in boxing
Now that we know everyone is scared when they first start to box, you can feel a little better about your situation.
Even professionals are scared to get into the ring with the best boxers in the world. So, how do you expect not to fear the boxing ring?
Without further ado, let’s dive into the 9 tips you can implement today to ensure you’re not as scared as you are now of boxing.
#1 – Learn all the basics before sparring
The first tip links to building confidence. You must learn all the basics before even thinking about sparring, let alone competing.
Can you expect not to be scared of boxing if you don’t know primary offensive and defensive combinations? The other boxer likely does, so your winning chances won’t be as high.
Thus, it’ll be best to learn everything before considering stepping into the boxing ring. You’ll also be more likely to win if you’re familiar with advanced moves, not just the basics.
I’ll say that a consistent, 3 months training period is the minimum before considering sparring. Three months will be enough time for you to learn the basics while becoming familiar with some advanced moves, such as the slip, followed by a counterpunch.
Concluding, you have to build your confidence before fighting against someone else. You do that by training for longer, especially if you have just started training.
#2 – Get hit more often
The second way will sound odd to some. However, it’ll make sense so let me explain myself.
What are you scared of? Think about it and come up with a single answer. What’s the one thing you feel fear because of?
It’ll be getting hit for most people. Well, what’s the one action we can take to ensure we’re never scared of getting hit again? To avoid the fear of getting hit, we must get punched more often.
Almost anything will become effortless if you do it enough times. For example, do you think that tandem instructors feel any fear before jumping off the plane for the 100th time? Maybe a little, but not as much as their first jump.
The same applies to boxing. You’re much less likely to fear getting hit if you got hit right in the face 100 times before. Your mind will become familiar with this result, making you indifferent to boxing fights.
#3 – Keep training, even if you’re afraid
Now that we know that doing something repeatedly will make us indifferent to doing it again, let’s discuss another thing you can do to ensure you’re not scared of boxing fights in the long run.
Keep training or fighting the next time you’re afraid. This will be against everything your mind will tell you to do. Your mind will scream at you for stepping forward and not backward.
However, if you keep training, even when you’re afraid, your fear will soon be gone. That’s just how it works. This tip is similar to the previous and following ones. However, it has a specific practical step you can take right now.
Don’t give up; don’t stop fighting or training the next time you’re scared. You’ll be less likely to fear getting hit the more times you step forward instead of backward.
#4 – Step forward instead of backward
Stepping forward is key to removing your fear of boxing. However, it can be detrimental to your long-term fear removal. Let’s see why.
The more often you step backward and not forward into the fear, the more likely you will stay in the same fearful position you’re currently in. That’s why you have to do your best to step forward more often than backward.
Stepping forward will also disrupt the opponent’s pace and might make him back off. However, stepping forward is sometimes frightening. It becomes easier each time, though.
The things in life we want to step backward from are, more often than not, the things that hold the most rewards. Likewise, overcoming one of them might make you more likely to overcome others, making you braver.
According to an article, fear will eventually fade: “Avoiding fears only makes them scarier. Whatever your fear, if you face it, it should start to fade. If you panic one day getting into a lift, for example, it’s best to get back into a lift the next day.”
So, step forward into training or the fight the next time your mind tells you to back off and give up.
#5 – Work on your defense
Defense is a critical component of your boxing skills. So how do you expect not to be afraid if you only work on 50% of what boxing offers?
Working on your defense will build confidence in the long run. You’ll likely block and avoid hits if you work on your defense.
This can be in the form of pivoting, slipping, and sidestepping.
Likewise, various defensive moves, such as the slip, will help create better angles to attack the other boxer. For example, Floyd Mayweather used the same counterpunch move for most of his career.
This move started with him slipping a punch from his opponent. Then, Floyd would be in a position to throw a fierce counterpunch at the opponent. Instead, his defensive skills led him to land a powerful punch, making him more confident and less afraid of the fight.
#6 – Face punches don’t hurt as much as you think
Now that we understand that you must step forward instead of backward and that facing fear means doing it more often, let’s examine another misconception about punches.
Face punches don’t hurt as much as you think, although everyone who never got punched in the face will tell you otherwise.
Face punches won’t hurt as much, particularly if you wear headgear. I wrote an article on the best boxing headgear you should buy. Follow the link to see which are the best.
Your fear will significantly diminish once you understand that face punches don’t hurt as much. Of course, body hits do hurt, but you likely know that already.
#7 – Accept your fear and face it
Everyone is scared. Don’t let yourself think otherwise. Of course, you might not want to accept your fear and move forward from there. But, such an action will lead you to one benefit, having the courage to admit the fear and thus solve it.
You’ll be much better if you accept your fear and face it by staring at it until it lets go. So, instead of moving backward and telling yourself that you shouldn’t fight, move forward into fear until it stops. And, trust me, it will ultimately stop.
So, how do you accept your fear?
Don’t try to lower your heart rate or sweat less the next time you’re scared. Instead, you should ask yourself why you’re feeling this kind of fear. Is the worst-case scenario worth the worry? And, if so, how likely are you to get into that worst-case scenario?
In sparring and boxing tournaments, the worst-case scenario is you getting hurt. However, that’s part of the game, and it’ll help if you accept that and move forward. The fear isn’t worth the worry, so it’ll be best to let it go.
#8 – Find a sparring partner you trust
The next tip will help you break the fear forever because it involves someone you trust. As such, your mind will have fewer excuses for stepping out of the boxing ring and more reasons for staying inside and fighting.
Finding a training partner to spar with – should make you more at ease with your boxing fear. Then, there’s someone you trust to keep you healthy, so what else is there to be scared of?
The only thing I see you can still fear is physical pain, and you’ll see how little effect it has on your future once you’re boxing. So, there’s nothing to fear unless your mind makes up more excuses.
You should stop your mind if it’s constantly wandering to the worst-case scenario. Instead, focus on the bright side and how good you’ll feel after the boxing fight.
#9 – You’ll eventually get used to the pain
The last tip is a lesson I want you to take from this article. Eventually, you get used to the pain and fear boxing grants its trainees.
It will finally fade once you’re ready to take the step forward. Then, all you need to do is continue training and fighting without paying too much attention to your fear.
Focus on how good you’ll feel after the fight is over. You might feel physical pain, but it will go away.
Moreover, you will get used to the pain you feel once you’re more experienced. This time will come; for now, focus solely on improving yourself and becoming a better boxer.
This is the best way to ensure you’ll experience the benefits of boxing while improving and overcoming the fear.
If you want to learn about the benefits of boxing, follow the link.
Why am I afraid of getting hit in boxing?
Getting hit in boxing is a central part of the sport. You can’t expect to become a solid boxer if you avoid overcoming the fear of fighting and getting hit. Let’s see why so many fighters are afraid of getting hit.
Most boxers are afraid of getting hit since they have never experienced getting punched in the face numerous times. While getting hit in boxing is a common fear among boxers, you can overcome it by facing it directly and not running away. The fear fades once you face it and get punched.
Final words
Fear is a critical part of our survival. Fear is the signal of danger. That’s why jumping off a plane is a scary experience, as you have countless risks surrounding you.
And still, people jump off planes. So, they overcome the fear. How do they do that?
They do that by allowing themselves to face the fear directly without hesitation. This is the easiest solution to remove any fear from your system forever; face it without hesitation.
I know it’s easier to say than do. But I know you’re capable of facing your fear the next time you fear the consequences of entering the boxing ring. You’ll see how simple it is once you enter the ring and start fighting!
You’d enjoy reading about ways you can implement to win boxing fights fast if you enjoyed reading this article.