When thinking of boxing, you’re likely thinking of a ring surrounded by thousands of cheerful people. To be honest, that’s not far from reality. The art of punching is the most popular martial art globally. Thus, naturally, it attracts thousands upon thousands of fans. So, is boxing a sport?
Boxing is a sport because it’s an activity that involves physical extension and skill. To put it simply, you can improve in it, and thus, it has entertainment value. Likewise, it’s an intensive workout which requires your entire physical attention. As a result, it answers the definition of a sport.
Here’s the definition of a sport, according to Oxford Dictionary. As you’ll see, boxing answers all the requirements.
An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
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Training in any martial art will provide countless mental and physical benefits, such as increased confidence and self-esteem. Therefore, many are attracted to it, not necessarily to learn self-defense, which is its original purpose.
Martial arts‘ purpose is to teach others self-defense. Nevertheless, they provide countless benefits. These results are often the reason people start training in them.
Boxing is no different. Because it is a widely trained sport, many aren’t interested in learning how to fight, although it’s something they fancy knowing. But, they want to improve themselves through intensive and consistent exercise, which is what boxing presents.
This article will discuss boxing and some of its history. Additionally, it’ll demonstrate why it is an intense sport—you can start doing today to better yourself—while learning self-defense.
What is boxing?
The art of punching, or boxing, is a martial art and a sport—that teaches effective and practical fighting techniques. Moreover, it provides countless mental and physical benefits to its trainees.
It was born way before what most people think. In fact, many believe it began being popular as of lately. But, that’s not true at all. In reality, its earliest documentation is in 3000 BC, Egypt. As such, it has existed for at least 5000 years.
Isn’t that just astounding?
Boxing has existed for such a long time that most people think it was created in the last decades. And still, that’s not the case.
Back then, fights were resolved with boxing. The only way you could surrender—is by raising your hand and the fight would stop. Today, as you know, the rules are plenty and that keeps the fighters safe.
If you want to learn more about the rules of boxing, follow the link to learn about them. The list includes most of what you’ll need to know to start practicing.
Now, let’s see why boxing is considered a sport.
Why boxing is considered a sport
Today, the variety of sports is vast. As such, everyone can select the activity they want to do, and thus, improve themselves through it. Some people like the idea of combative sports, or as they’re more known, martial arts.
Boxing is considered a sport because it involves skill and incorporates physical extension. As a result, it answers all the definitions of a sport. Additionally, many dedicated fans watch every professional boxing match for the purpose of entertainment. That is another reason why it’s a combative activity.
Eventually, the amount of people who watch people box—is immense. The art of punching is one of the most watched combative sports worldwide.
Just look at the YouTube boxing phenomenon. YouTubers were exploding in popularity because they’ve arranged to fight against one of their friends. That decision to box against your colleagues and thus increase popularity while making bank—is financially genius.
To conclude, boxing is one of the most popular sports of all time. Although it’s not an Olympic sport, it has more demand and prevalence than most of the Olympic Games. Just look at its viewership: truly, astounding numbers.
If you want to learn about the history of boxing, ensure to follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
Is boxing a combat sport?
Today, martial arts are extremely popular. In this distraction-filled society, we’re bound to seek some calmness. We can find this calmness and enter the desirable flow state—by involving ourselves in martial arts. One of them, is, of course, the art of punching.
Boxing is a combat sport because it involves skill, physical extension, and acts of fighting. These are the three traits of all combative activities. Likewise, it’s a martial art that teaches practical and effective fighting techniques, primarily footwork, defensive moves, and applicable offensive means.
Boxers report feeling more confident, with higher self-esteem, and having less stress and anxiety. That’s because every boxing trainee must overcome certain obstacles; some of them are individualistic and others ones are felt through a wide variety of trainees.
Just start training, and you’ll notice, in the first session, how obstacles naturally flow your way. But, you must remain strong and consistent enough to overcome them. Once you do, you’ll notice feeling all these mental benefits in yourself.
After all is said and done, by consistently participating in boxing training, you’ll be bettering your mental and physical self. However, the primary reason this combat sport go so popular is that it teaches people how to fight, and fight fiercely.
Is boxing a martial art?
The most popular martial art—is boxing. It teaches people how to fight, and do so brutally. It teaches fantastic practical fighting techniques, such as the jab, hook, and uppercut. But, it also provides various results, such as losing body fat and learning self-defense. So, is boxing a martial art?
Boxing is a martial art because it teaches people how to fight appropriately. In a street fight or any other self-defense situation, a martial artist is much more likely to win because one knows how to fight. One had trained and sparred for countless hours, and as such, the martial artist is more likely to win.
You may get confused at the variety of martial arts that exist. For instance, there’s judo, MMA, BJJ, GJJ, Jiu-Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do, karate, kickboxing, Muay-Thai, and wrestling. Of course, the list goes long, much, much further.
As such, when trying to decide which to pick, you may find trouble deciding what you want to learn exactly. If that’s you, I encourage you to read an article I wrote about the deadliest martial arts in the world. It presents some of the best ones you can currently do.
Boxing is one of the best martial arts because it’s simple to learn. It teaches effective, yet straightforward and intuitive movements. Everyone knows how to throw a punch, it’s a part of our basic instincts. You may have never thrown a potent punch, but you definitely can.
By involving yourself in such a fighting style, you’ll learn how to defend yourself. You’ll also be improving yourself physically and mentally, indeed a rare trait these days. I don’t see how you can possibly lose out of consistently involving yourself in the art of punching.
Final words
I wanted to write this article since I believe everyone can enjoy and benefit from the art of boxing. It has been a hell of a journey training in it, and as such, I know it works.
Anything worthwhile in life—isn’t easy to achieve. It’ll require plenty of effort and dedication, even when it’s not the most comfortable thing you desire to do. Boxing can be incredibly hard.
That’s why you should invest yourself in such an incredible combat sport. Truly, I can’t exaggerate this. You’ll be an entirely different person if you decide to join a boxing gym.
If you want to learn more about the mental benefits of boxing, ensure to follow the link to an article of mine on the topic. Who knows, it may be precisely what you need to start your fighting journey.