Would you consider boxing a from of art/self defense?

I mean I wanted to do martial arts ( muay thai) but couldn%26#039;t so now im thinking of doing boxing. I know boxing only consists of hands but would you consider it a self defense?|||First off, Colliepoodle, you%26#039;re an idiot.





Now on to the actual question...





Boxing will give you VERY useful tools for a self-defense scenario, but you won%26#039;t be taught how to use them in that context. The important thing, though, is that you will be training with resistance. There will be lots of non-compliant drilling and hard sparring in boxing -- the only two things that will actually prepare you for a fight. And those things are worth far more than the %26#039;bag of dirty tricks,%26#039; which some would criticize boxing for lacking.





Nonetheless, it should be noted that fighting skills are secondary to awareness and common sense in a self-defense situation.





Either way, punches are the most common unarmed attack and boxing teaches you how to deal with that. While many (foolishly) go on about how boxing is overly reliant on gloves for blocking, it should be noted that blocking isn%26#039;t a boxer%26#039;s first line of defense -- footwork and head movement is. Also, all of the covers (blocking) that you do in boxing can easily be adjusted to a gloveless situation by lifting your guard higher and using your forearms. Parrying techniques are completely unchanged, and if anything, easier without gloves.





The down side to boxing is that it has no groundwork or clinch fighting, so if you get grabbed, things will leave your area of expertise. If you hit the ground, you%26#039;ll be no better off than somebody who has no training. Crosstraining is the only way to ammend such problems.





Once again, awareness and good judgement are more important than fighting skills for self defense. Nonetheless, you%26#039;ve got nothing to lose and plenty to gain from boxing. It%26#039;s pretty damn fun too, and it%26#039;s good excercise.|||Up until very recently, it was considered the primary Western form of self-defense. And even in modern times, I would consider it to still be a very good form. As long as the fight is standing up, a boxer has a very good chance of winning. Even Geoff Thompson, a karate black belt who worked as a bouncer for almost a decade, said that if he could recommend just one art for self-defense, it would be boxing. The reason is that it teaches you how to hit hard. The range for most real fights is extremely close, so punches are what are most likely going to be thrown. In boxing, you do nothing but throw and defend punches all day. The basic boxing posture of hands up, chin down, elbows in is an excellent way to cover your vulnerable areas.|||Boxing is a martial art and can be used effectively for self defense.





Why? Because boxing teaches you how to punch, how to avoid being punched, and how to maneuver. You can use boxing to repel attackers.





Muay Thai isn%26#039;t MMA. Muay Thai is all standing fighting form that encompasses punches, kicks, knees and elbows. MMA allows punches, kicks, takedowns, submissions, ect.





MMA rules.|||Yeah, it%26#039;s a self defense. If you know boxing you don%26#039;t need to worry about any losers on the streets.


They don%26#039;t know how to kick or take you down. They%26#039;ll swing and if you know how to box for real, then you%26#039;ll duck and uppercut%26#039;em or hook%26#039;em!


Don%26#039;t any of you disagree, cause this is the truth.


How many professional MMA users go and pick street fights? Also, if you get in a street fight, that %26quot;fighter%26quot; would probably not know how to fight and even throw a punch.


Problem is that most street fights are ten thugs against ONE poor drunk guy who made the mistake of leaving the bar without his buddies one late, dark afternoon.


Point is, boxing is all you need. You don%26#039;t need any fancy wrist locks, even if they might work. All you need is good fist and foot work! ;)|||To be exact, No.





Boxing is a sport. Just as olympic tae kwon do is a sport. Just as olympic judo is a sport.





Boxing can help you or hurt you in a real self defense situation. It depends on how you train. Yes, it will teach you to protect your face. It will give you quick, powerful punches, and teach you proper punching technique.





It may or may not teach you how to deal with an opponent who charges you and tries to take you to the ground. It may or may not teach you how to deal with an opponent who is charging with arms flailing.... and it will not teach you how to block or avoid strikes below the stomach.





Use boxing as a supplement in order to develop upper body stand up fighting, but do not for a second believe that an opponent on the street is going to fight by your rules.





Beware of low blows, joint attacks, head butts, attempts to take you down, etc etc etc.





It can be used for self/defense, but a boxer is not necessarily good at self-defense. It can be an art, but a boxer is not always an artist.





A martial art.. certainly not. Considering the word %26quot;martial%26quot; refers to war.





I hope this helps.|||I would definitely consider it self defense, but like all combat sports, it may or may not always work...


Wrestling, BJJ, Boxing, Karate, all of it would help your self defense skills, but it won%26#039;t make them perfect. Boxing only helps til the fight hits the ground, after that your going to want to know some BJJ.


I have seen plenty of boxers get their asses kicked, and plenty of my buddies that do MMA have gotten beat up pretty bad when they run their mouths. Just be familiar with all aspects and you will do fine.|||It is more of a sport. You play by a certain set of rules (no hitting below the belt and so forth) and both fighters need to be well trained so that it is competitive, safe, and fun to watch. Not to mention that you need to be patient and in great shape.


In a self-defense scenario both people are not playing by the same set of rules.


Go for it. There are more financial rewards and legitimacy than other so called sports ie: MMA which is horrible :( and I don%26#039;t blame most states for not allowing it. |||It is a martial art as much as any. True there are gaps in the curriculum, but boxing is going to help you in a defense situation.





There are some that say combat sports don%26#039;t qualify as martial arts, but any martial art they would reference has some short coming.|||yeah you could defend yourself with it personally i think its not as good as other martial arts because you dont kicik but im still never gunna try to punch a boxer...





and to the guy who said its a sport and they play to rules all martial arts have some rules.|||Depends really on which form of boxing we%26#039;re talking about, and which FIGHTER we%26#039;re talking about.