I recently started boxing and have found it to be one of the best decisions. Boxing always takes one hundred percent of my effort physically and mentally. I have no prior experience in this sport, so it is great to be able to learn something completely new.

Being out of my comfort zone has helped me in so many ways. I played many different sports throughout my childhood and played baseball through high school. After making the decision to come to Grand Valley State University and choosing not to pursue playing baseball anymore, I knew I would want to find something to join and be a part of to remain active.

Boxing is an individual sport, so you can do everything at your own pace. You get to focus on your own self-improvement and learning new skills. It can be non-competitive or competitive, which allows anyone to participate in boxing and get all the wonderful benefits from it. Competitive boxing typically involves more sparring, practicing the motions of attack and defense in a boxing match, and competing in official fights during matches. Non-competitive fighting has the same training and learning of skills as competitive boxing just without the scheduled fights. 

Boxing has been the best conditioning workout I have done in years. Every week that I box, I am able to push myself a little more without being completely exhausted. After every practice, I feel like the stress of homework and the worries of exams are alleviated, which really helps the week go by faster. I know whatever is stressing me about before sparring or practicing won’t be on my mind at all during or after, which has helped me stay on track with my school priorities. Especially being a senior and getting closer to graduation, I am feeling the effects of senioritis. Finding a way to get rid of that burned-out feeling is crucial to ending college on a positive and successful note. 

Something I noticed from training and sparring so far is that it has improved my mental strength tremendously. Being out of my comfort zone in the first place can be mentally challenging, but in boxing, you can’t just give up. During sparring you have to continue to defend yourself, move around and fight back. Whether you are tired or you just got hit, you have to find a way to keep going. When you feel drained during a fight wanting to stop and take a break is common, but pushing through the rest of the fight is a remarkable feeling. These scenarios have been the best experiences I have had from boxing so far. 

Boxing may seem intimidating at first, but I encourage anyone reading this to give it a chance if anything in this article sounds intriguing to you. I started boxing because there were two free classes on campus last year, and now I box multiple times a week. It’s something I never expected myself to do, and now I plan to stay involved with it post-grad. You will meet many people who are brand new to boxing and others who have so much experience and are willing to help you out. As much as it’s an individual sport, you will make great connections and form strong bonds along the way.