Career Development
Boxing Education: Safety First!
Boxing is an incredible exercise modality, offering a wide range of benefits such as improved mental health, mindfulness, cognitive enhancement, cardiovascular fitness, strength, and skill development. However, before incorporating any boxing drills into a fitness program, it is imperative that you understand and be qualified in proper boxing techniques. Without the right education, you significantly increase the risk of injury and accidents in your boxing sessions.
Even if you’re a seasoned combat athlete or a boxing enthusiast, teaching boxing for fitness requires specific education and training. Competing at amateur or professional levels in combat sports like boxing or kickboxing does not automatically qualify you to coach the general public in a safe and effective manner. No more than a bodybuilding competitor who has successfully lost body fat is qualified to provide nutrition and dietary advice for the general public.
Obtaining a boxing trainer certification ensures you understand the fundamental principles of movement, physiology, safety protocols, and how to effectively coach clients through a structured progression system, which is crucial for ensuring client safety and maximising benefits.
The Importance of Safety and Proper Progression
As a coach, it’s your responsibility to ensure your clients’ safety. There have been numerous reports of individuals sustaining severe (and costly) injuries – some even career-ending – that could have been avoided with the proper boxing instructor training.
Fitness and coaching professionals need to be able to assess the ability of an individual and prescribe boxing drills to suit. What works for an experienced combat athlete may not suit a recreational athlete, especially if they’ve never exercised before. And irrespective of where any athlete begins, we need to know how to ensure safe and engaging progression.
Why Traditional Fitness Qualifications Aren’t Enough
Qualifications in fitness or exercise science from universities often do not include boxing as part of their curriculum. These programs typically focus on resistance training, aerobic conditioning, balance, and flexibility. Boxing, however, requires a unique set of motor skills and safety measures that are outside the scope of traditional fitness training.
For those interested in adding boxing to their fitness programs, look for a boxing certification course that teaches you how to progress and regress movements while keeping clients safe.
If you are coaching boxing for fitness, how do you rate yourself on the following:
- Use appropriate coaching cues: visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic.
- Progress and regress punches, footwork, shadow boxing, and reaction drills.
- Program both one-on-one and group sessions.
- Teach proper hand-wrapping techniques.
- Ensure safe pad holding and the use of alternative striking tools.
- Safely use boxing bags and other equipment.
Educate Yourself: Get Certified to Teach Boxing Safely
Boxing offers incredible physical and mental benefits, but it must be taught correctly to ensure both safety and effectiveness. By being appropriately qualified with a dedicated boxing trainer course, trainers, gyms, and athletes can deliver engaging, safe sessions that help their clients improve health and fitness.
Please Note: The information provided in this article are the opinions and professional experience of the author and not all activities are recommended for the beginner or participants with underlying health conditions. Before following any advice or starting any fitness, health and wellbeing journey please consult with an Allied Health Professional and / or General Practitioner.
If you’re ready to develop or take your coaching skills to the next level, check out the Australian Combat & Exercise Boxing CS3 Courses, designed specifically to certify personal trainers to coach boxing for fitness, so you can give your clients the best possible experience.
Hays Daewoud
Hays is the Founder and CEO at Australian Combat and Exercise (ACE). Hayes is the co-creator of ACE’s innovative Boxing Skills and Fitness course. Hays also formulated a progression system to educate personal trainers about the scientifically proven benefits of boxing, and from this solid foundation, he went on to develop ACE’s library of boxing and strength and conditioning courses, as well as a growing range of online CEC courses.
