4 Signs You Are Ready For Your First Fight
When boxers start to get serious about their training, there’s one question that comes up.
“When will I be ready to fight?”.
If you’re starting to wonder how to gauge if you’re ready to get in the ring and compete, then read on.
Before you think about competing, you first need to ask yourself if you have what it takes to succeed in the ring.
Anyone can learn a few combinations and hit the heavy bag and pads a few days a week.
Boxers ready to compete need to be persistent, adaptable, and quick to learn.
They don’t skip training sessions.
And they listen to their coach, even if they don’t like what the coach says. The top contenders will be the ones who are not just dedicated athletes, but also coachable and excellent listeners.
If you think you’ve got the mentality to compete, here are some ways to tell when you’re ring-ready.
Your Coach Says You’re Ready
A good coach will provide you with complete honesty in their assessments of you. Your coach works with you, day in and day out, pushing you to improve while observing your performance and deciding what to tweak.
A good coach has no stake in the game and only wants to see you succeed long-term.
If your coach says you’re ready, then you probably are.
If your coach says you need to train some more, then you aren’t ready.
And if you don’t have a coach, then you need to go back to last week’s post and work on finding one.
Never enter the ring unless a professional coach has agreed that it’s a good time for you to do so.
You Pass Specific Endurance Thresholds
To stand up against another trained fighter in the ring you need to possess excellent endurance.
At the beginning of your training, you and your coach should have set up some specific physical fitness targets to aim for as signs of competition readiness. Some of these goals can be measured objectively.
For example, you might need to be able to run a certain distance under a certain time.
Jumping rope is another great indicator of endurance for fighters. For example, you should be able to jump rope for a half hour without stopping.
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There are lots of different ways to measure your level of conditioning. It will be up to you and your coach to set realistic goals that you can work toward.
Other thresholds aren’t metric-based and will likely be based on your coach’s assessment.
During sparring sessions, coaches are watching for more than just competence. They want to see that you aren’t getting sloppy and running out of gas before bouts end.
Are you executing your fundamentals as cleanly at the beginning of your session on the bag as at the end?
If you’re not, then it might be a sign that your conditioning might not be ready yet.
This is why trusting in your coach or trainer is crucial.
You’ve Demonstrated Your Abilities
So you’ve got the grit and determination to make it as a boxer.
Your coach thinks you’re ready and you’ve met the specific endurance thresholds.
Next, you need to prove your readiness in the ring. You need to show that you are able to perform well - and, ideally, win - in various competition simulations before you head into a real-life match.
Your coach may set you up for sparring sessions similar to the real thing to help you master your technique and iron out any kinks.
Be prepared to demonstrate your abilities in multiple sparring sessions, and more, at the gym in the weeks leading up to the big fight.
You Feel Ready
Last, but not least, make sure to check in with yourself.
Do you feel fight-ready? Are you confident in your ability?
Squaring off with the competition will take a serious physical toll on your body.
You must feel 110 percent confident in what you can do both physically and mentally.
Of course, soreness and bruises are part of the process, but ring-ready athletes should be able to get back to training relatively quickly after their first fight.
Meeting fitness-related goals and trusting the intuitions of your coach and yourself will get you where you need to be to compete.
It’s also important not to confuse doubt with nerves, because nerves, fear, worry, anxiety, and self-doubt are a normal part of our survival mechanism. Our mind wants to keep us safe and that means staying in your comfort zone.
Every fighter has this response before a fight.
So if you feel confident, ready, and also nervous, know that it is completely normal.
Summary.
If you’ve passed all of these milestones, then it’s time to start training - this is really happening!
If you really want to make a splash in your first fight, check out our list of helpful boxing articles here.
Train hard and we wish you the best of luck, let us know how you go!
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