10 Most Common Mistakes Amateur Boxers Commit

It is obvious that everyone makes mistakes when they start learning any art. Boxing is one of the tough martial arts that includes plenty of complex techniques and methods. So, at the start, you will surely make mistakes.

Having an understanding of possible mistakes beforehand allows you to avoid them during training and fights to get the best outcomes. To make you aware of such common mistakes that amateurs in boxing make during training or fights, here is a list of 10 important ones. Learning from these common mistakes can help you avoid them and advance far in the sport.

The most common mistake that amateur boxers make is going too hard or too fast on their opponents. Though it feels remarkable to hit some good punches early on in the match, it can exhaust your energy and make it tough to survive in the later rounds of the game.

It also minimizes your chances of winning the fight as your opponent will still have sufficient energy to throw punches accurately. So, to avoid such trouble during the fights, you must be practicing pacing yourself for 3 complete rounds of 3 minutes.

You must save your energy for the later rounds. Endurance building can also help in staying in the game for the full 36 minutes. You must train yourself to exhaust your opponent’s energy with dodging and effective body movements instead of launching a hard and fast punching attack at the start of the game.

Breaking stance is another common mistake that many amateur boxers make during their training and fights. It makes it hard for a boxer to throw punches accurately. To improve, working on posture is essential. It will help you avoid giving your opponent this leverage during the match.

According to the professionals, in your stance, your feet should be shoulder-width apart from each other, your knees slightly bent, and your chest slightly turned toward the opponent. Along with that, your left hand should also be in front of your face, while your right hand must be by your chin.

Deviating from this posture allows your opponent to hit you in the face or launch a punching blow with ease. So, during training and fighting, you must keep an eye on your stance.

A lot of newcomers in boxing make the mistake of dropping their hands after throwing a punch. If you are doing so too, it can affect your performance and speed. And, it will surely benefit your opponent to throw a counter at you at the same time.

You must avoid this mistake if you want to prolong your boxing career. To remain safe, it is essential to return your hands to the normal stance that is in front of your face. In this way, you would not allow your opponent to attack you. After every punch you throw, bringing your hands in front of your face will enable you to protect your face and make a counterattack on your opponent.

Holding breaths while throwing punches is one of the key mistakes that being an amateur boxer you might be making. Holding your breath reduces the impact of your punches. So, do not ever hold onto your breath in this course.

You should breathe out when throwing punches. It will help you generate more power in your punches. Holding on to breathe while punching opponents also makes you tired quickly. You should have sufficient breath control and know when to hold it on and when to exhale.

Boxing professionals suggest breathing slowly while boxing, as it will keep you calm and fresh. Your breathing should also match your movements to gain an edge over your adversaries. So, don’t lose breath control while boxing.

Another severe yet basic mistake that most new boxers make in their early days is drinking too much water during boxing and workouts. Although keeping yourself hydrated is quite important in this sport, excessive use of water can cause trouble.

In extreme cases, drinking too much water can lead you to get bloated, and in extreme cases, you can face stomach aches and abdominal pains. To avoid such possibilities, you should be taking small sips of water during your boxing training and workouts.

After the completion of the training or sparring sessions, you can drink water as much as you want to rehydrate your body.

A lot of amateur boxers have the habit of hesitating when throwing punches. Hesitation in punching your opponent’s provides them with opportunities to gain an advantage and land a good hit.

So, at all costs, you should not be hesitating during the bout. Your opponent is also there to hit you. So, why don’t you hit him before he punches you? This always proves to be the difference between the winner and loser of the bout.

To overcome this flaw, you must train and test through different scenario-based moves to gain the confidence to punch your opponent properly. You must be prepared to act quickly in the ring to not let your competitor have an advantage over you.

You should also be working on your offense as well as blocking attacks to improve your overall game.

A lot of beginners make the mistake of focusing too much on headhunting. When you go for head hitting, you aim for a powerful punch or knockout blow that can lead to the stoppage of the game at the early stages.

There are plenty of other target areas that need attention as an amateur boxer. You might be overlooking them. Professional fighters go through a planned approach to attack their opponent with different combos of techniques.

You should utilize your time to force your opponent to drop their guard. Once the opponent drops the guard, here is your chance to use your punching weapon to turn the game in your favor.

To understand this point and execute it effectively, you should be watching videos of boxing legends. It will help you learn how they gain an advantage over their competitors during the match.

It has been witnessed that most beginners use their hands only while throwing a punch and keep the rest of their bodies motionless. According to boxing manuals and guidelines, it is not all about the use of hands alone. It also involves the entire body in the punching process.

According to boxing experts, the power of your punch comes from your legs, hips, and waist. For a perfect punch, you have to bend your knees, twist your chest towards the opponent, and transfer the energy from the waist to the shoulder that goes to the fist. If you go this way to punch your opponent, you can make a great impact.

So, if you are making the mistake of not using your entire body and just using your hands, stop going this way. You can ask your trainer to help you get into the right posture for throwing an impactful punch.

Another common yet key mistake that many boxers make is overtraining. They do not give their body the required amount of rest. Consequently, their muscles grow more than their bodies can handle. It also leads them to face severe injuries during training and sparring.

The human body is designed in such a way that, after working out, it requires rest. When you do not give it rest, your muscles will not work as hard as they should be. Though it seems tempting to prepare yourself for upcoming competitions, overburdening your body does not help.

Overtraining can prolong your injuries that might lead to being unable to compete in the desired competitions. Instead of tiring your body before the fights, you should be developing a moderate training plan to strengthen your muscles and improve your skills to get the best results.

It is rightly said that remaining focused keeps you on the track to success. Losing focus means you are going to provide your opponent an opportunity. But in the case of most novices, it has been seen that when they go for big punches, they lose their sight and focus on their opponent.

If you are doing so too, your opponents can use that time to your advantage and tag you with clever counters that you might not see coming. While throwing punches, it is essential to stay focused and keep an eye line to ensure safety from unseen attacks by the opponent.

It is not bad to make mistakes at the start. It always helps you learn from them to improve your game. Determine whether you are making such errors in your training or in your fights. Avoid them and improve your skills. In this regard, you should ask your trainer for the correction.