Taking up the sport of amateur boxing is a serious endeavor. While fighters at the amateur level don't have the skill level of professional fighters, anyone who goes in the ring is putting himself at risk, and he must know how to defend himself. Amateur fighters need to condition themselves, learn the skills of boxing and then find the courage to get in the ring and compete against an opponent.
Conditioning
The first thing a fighter should do when starting an amateur boxing career is to get himself in good enough condition where he can step in the ring against an opponent. Getting in condition means losing body fat, getting stronger and sharpening your reflexes. Boxers regularly do roadwork, jump rope and lift weights to work on their conditioning. "Road work" is how boxers refer to distance running. Many boxers run three to five miles, three or four times a week. Rope jumping is great for getting quicker and improving reaction time. Lifting weights can help a fighter get stronger and is the first step to take when it comes to becoming powerful.
Accuracy
Boxers have to throw accurate punches to have a chance in an amateur fight. One of the best tools for learning to throw punches that land on the target areas of the opposing fighter is to use the speed bag. This tool helps fighters throw punches that are quick and accurate. Once a fighter learns to throw the rhythmic punches that are demanded when working on the speed bag, she should hit the bag for two minutes at a time. That's the same length as an amateur boxing round.
Power
Use the heavy bag to learn how to throw powerful punches in the ring. Boxers learn quickly that the power and force in a punch does not just come from winging your fist towards your opponent's chin. Instead, you want to get the force of your body behind your punch. Power punches start from the feet, legs and hips and work their way through the core, shoulders, arms and then the fist. By hitting the heavy bag, you can practice throwing punches with your full body behind the blow. Hit the heavy bag for three to five minutes, take a one-minute break and then repeat the set.
Sparring
Amateur boxers have to get in the ring and practice their skills against a live opponent to find out where they stand. While sparring you will wear protective head gear and more padding in the gloves, but you still have to learn how to stand in the ring, avoid your opponent's punches and throw your own. This will help you gain confidence when you step in the ring in a competitive bout. You have to put yourself to the test and you need to marshal the courage to get in the ring.
Scheduled Fight
This is why you decided to take up amateur boxing. You may have a top-level coach who has prepared you by sharing his knowledge and leading your training sessions. You have done your conditioning work and have learned how to throw effective punches. Once you have done these things, it's time to get in the ring and see how you can stand up to another fighter. It's not necessarily about trying to knock out the other fighter. Instead, it's about using your left jab to control the pace of the fight and assert yourself.
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