Ladies' Boxing Training

Around the beginning of the 21st century, a growing number of women began training in boxing. Many women do it just to increase their fitness level, but some have chosen boxing because they want to compete. Boxing training is similar for men and women, but there are a few differences.

  1. Safety Equipment

    • Boxing training can be dangerous and is very hard on the body, so a variety of safety equipment is available. The equipment is mostly the same for men and women, with a few exceptions. Everyone needs hand wraps to protect their hands and knuckles during sparring and bag drills. Like hand wraps, sparring gloves are used by men and women to help protect their hands. Headgear is used to protect the face from cuts and bruising common in sparring training. A mouthpiece protects the jaw by locking it in place and blocks the teeth from damaging the soft tissue of the mouth. A jockstrap and cup are used to protect male genitals during training and competition. These two items are not used by female participants.

    Training Equipment

    • Like safety equipment, most training gear is the same for men and women. One exception is that women usually war sports bras to hold their breasts in place during training and competition. A jump rope is used to improve fitness and agility. The heavy bag is used to teach and practice punching combinations. The speed bag improves hand-eye coordination and hand speed. The boxing ring is used for drills and sparring. The mirror is used for shadow boxing.

    Sparring

    • The most effective method of boxing training is sparring. It's basically exhibition boxing conducted to improve skills without determining a winner. Women will typically spar with other women, but because some gyms have very few female fighters ,it is not uncommon for men and women to spar. Fighters of different genders usually agree beforehand on issues such as how hard the man will punch, and whether blows to the head will be traded, because men usually hit a lot harder than women.

    Shadow Boxing

    • With few sparring partners, shadow boxing has greater importance for women than for men. Shadow boxing is practice conducted alone in front of a mirror. The boxer works on footwork, punching and body movement while observing and evaluating their actions in the mirror, as though their reflection was their competitor. Because women have fewer sparring opportunities than men, women should shadowbox more often to develop an overall boxing approach and style.

    Bag Training

    • Bag training is the same for men and women. The heavy bag is used to train novice boxers in basic punching movements and where to strike opponents. As skill levels develop, heavy bags are used to practice punching combinations. Because of the scarcity of female training partners available for sparring, women often use the heavy bag in lieu of sparring. Speed bag training is used to improve hand-eye coordination and arm and shoulder conditioning, because fighters usually hit the speed bag almost constantly for several minutes at a time.

    Rest

    • Boxing training is taxing for anyone, but especially for women. The high level of impact and exertion mixed with the reduced testosterone levels in the female body make recuperation more difficult for a female training in boxing. To prevent injury and reduce fatigue, it is important for female boxers to get extra sleep each night after training. The body is able to repair itself best when it is more relaxed, as it is during sleep. Sleep needs vary from person to person, but a good rule of thumb is get an hour more than normal after a heavy training session.

    Running and Jumping Rope

    • Though boxing revolves around punching, the power of those arm strikes comes from the legs. As fights wear on, legs become fatigued and performance declines. To build leg strength and endurance, a female boxer needs to run and jump rope. Regular running builds leg strength and endurance, along with overall cardiovascular capacity. Jumping rope builds on the fitness of running, but also improves agility and footwork.