Box Your Way To Better Brain Health: 5 Convincing Reasons To Start Punching

Boxing for fitness is a custom-made workout that keeps your brain sharp and body fit. 

From a fitness standpoint, boxing for fitness does it all. The movements build strength, increase power, burn calories, improve oxygen uptake, and work the entire body. 

But boxing for fitness offers something that many other workouts do not: better brain health. 

Here are five convincing reasons to start punching your way to better brain health. 

Improve Cognitive Fitness

Boxing improves the state of your brain’s alertness, or “cognitive fitness.” 

The health of your brain is a reflection of the choices you make. Researchers used to think that only childhood choices and genetics affect brain health, but they now know that the choices made as an adult affect your ability to retain information, learn new things, and adapt with age. 

Cognitive Fitness is an aspect of mental wellness that is just as important as physical health. It is not a widely used term, yet everyone can benefit from better cognitive processing. The movements involved in boxing for fitness force your brain to memorize patterns, reason quickly, and make decisions. 

Through neurogenesis, the development of nerve tissue, the brain’s anatomy, and neural pathways become stronger. New experiences and movements like those involved in boxing training challenge your brain and stimulate neural stem cells. 

Enhance Hand-to-Eye Coordination

Hand-to-eye coordination is a coordinated effort by your hands and visual sense to work together quickly and accurately. It’s as if your eyes are guiding your hands while simultaneously connecting with a target. 

Athletes typically have good hand-to-eye coordination; however, it slows down with age. Response times get slower, but boxing challenges neural pathways to prevent the slowdown. 

Boxing training requires a coordinated neuromuscular effort to move feet and throw punches across the body. Crossing over the midline is tricky for people lacking visual perception or who are aging. 

One of the ways to improve hand-to-eye coordination is to hit a target (pad) repeatedly while crossing over from left to right and right to left. 

There is no doubt that boxing for fitness will improve your ability to use your hands and eyes throughout the non-combative exercises. 

Improve Balance

Boxing demands balance and coordination, controlled by a part of the brain called the cerebellum. 

The cerebellum, located at the base of the brain, connects to the brainstem. The cerebellum helps control balance, eye movements, swallowing, and speech.

Boxing movements increase the need for stabilization and require your brain to communicate with your neuromuscular system. For example, the abdominal muscles are activated during upper-body punches like right and left hooks and uppercut throws. 

The hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes are actively engaged as you load to throw punches, slip to elude your “opponent,” or pivot laterally.

At its core, boxing is a fundamentally good workout that improves balance overall. 

Quicker Reaction Time

Reaction time refers to the time it takes your body to react to an external stimulus. Your brain takes information and directs your muscles. Think about how many decisions you make while driving. Now think about what you would do if someone stopped suddenly in front of your car. The time it takes your brain to signal your foot to slam on the brakes could mean the difference between a close call and a car wreck. 

How quickly you respond to situations is dependent on how healthy your nervous system is and other factors such as your age and overall health. 

Reaction time tends to diminish as people age, typically due to lifestyle choices and natural aging. But it doesn’t have to. With the right external stimuli, practice can improve reaction time. 

Boxing training strengthens the connection between your body and mind. The training techniques force you to make split-second decisions while moving simultaneously. You might need to body block in one second and immediately throw the right punch at your opponent. Of course, you’re not fighting a real opponent, but your trainer will pose as one. 

Reaction time has a lot to do with speed. It can significantly improve with repetition and practice.

Trevor Taggart, a Sports Performance Specialist at Cutting Edge Sports Training in Clarence, New York, shares his experience. Taggart states, “I train athletes in a way that improves motor agility and overall processing. In my experience, athletes who perform repetitious movements using various modalities have quicker response times than athletes who train one-dimensionally.” 

Taggart explains how training for a sport like boxing mirrors functional, everyday movements. “Functional strength training incorporates compound movements, multi-joint movements, which require more than one muscle group throughout an exercise. The types of exercises in a boxing conditioning workout strengthen muscles used in daily activities.”

He further outlines examples of boxing conditioning exercises that increase reaction time. He says, “An agility ladder is perfect for connecting the body head to toe. The agility ladder teaches the body to fire neuron signals and increase a person’s response time.”  

There is more to boxing training than just punching and blocking. Boxers also need to work on strength and conditioning. If you find yourself in a gym that teaches all the mind and body aspects, you will learn to balance boxing with conditioning. 

Boost Mental Clarity and Emotional Health

It is without question that regular exercise boosts mental clarity and emotional health. Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety and depression and improving self-esteem and cognitive function. 

A new study led by Karmel Choi, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, analyzed a large amount of genetic data and identified robust evidence of a protective relationship between physical activity and the risk of depression.

Choi states, “Our study looked at physical activity as a way to prevent depression,” said Choi in January 24, 2019, Psychology Today article. “But the good news from other research is that even if you are already feeling depressed, physical activity helps too… I would say: Start somewhere—remember that something is better than nothing at all.”

Boxing training is unique in that it incorporates all aspects of physical fitness: muscular endurance and strength, aerobic and anaerobic activity, flexibility, and mobility. 

Who Benefits The Most From Boxing Training?

Long-term research shows that people with neurological issues benefit significantly from boxing for fitness. There is, however, an equal amount of data to show that boxing improves brain health for all people. 

Kevin Kirby, Co-Owner of Boxstar Training, located in Western New York, shares his experience boxing with clients with a wide range of needs. Kirby explains, “Boxing is for everyone. Boxstar’s experienced trainers work with people of all ages and ability levels. We see the positive effects of boxing, like improved balance, increased coordination, and better cognitive functioning. Not many workouts can train the neuromuscular system like a boxing workout.”

Kirby, a former competitive boxer with years of experience training clients, explains why he feels boxing improves brain function. “I think this is because of the demand on the brain to follow punch combinations, learn proper footwork, make fast decisions, and move your body simultaneously.” 

A longtime Boxstar Training client, Bill Hoffstetter, says, “Boxing has been a game-changer for my job performance and day-to-day activities.” Hoffstetter shares, “I have never felt better in my life. Boxing training helps me stay focused at work, manage stress, and meet the physical demands of my day.”

The advantage of boxing for fitness is that each session caters to the needs of the individual. There’s a gradual progression from less complex movements to more sophisticated combinations. The footwork and pad work build gross motor skills that improve with time. 

Boxing training is excellent for people who have information processing difficulties, motor issues, or lack of perception. Two examples of people who may fit these categories are individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. One affects memory and language, while the latter impacts speed of thinking and other cognitive abilities. 

It is worth noting that although these are irreversible neurodegenerative diseases, boxing training may help mitigate some symptoms. 

How To Get Started

It’s easy to make boxing a part of your fitness routine; however, you must find a gym specializing in boxing instruction.

Gyms like Boxstar Training have experience working with people with disABILITIES, beginners, and competitive athletes. “At Boxstar, you don’t have to worry about learning the combinations right away or mastering the footwork,” says Kevin Kirby. “There’s a natural progression when learning to box, starting with simple footwork and punch combinations to more complex movements. Once the brain takes on new learning, the muscles start to adapt accordingly.” 

You may need to invest in some equipment to get started. 

First, settle on wrist wraps to protect your hands and fingers. A traditional canvas pair of straps is OK. A good boxing trainer will teach you how to wrap your wrists. 

Next, purchase a pair of boxing gloves to get you started. Picking out gloves can be overwhelming at first because boxers use different types of gloves. There are gloves for training, sparring, and heavy bag hits. 

The style of the gloves varies as well. For example, some gloves lace up, and others wrap around the wrist. The weight and size of the gloves vary according to preference. Some people prefer smaller, more compact gloves, while others prefer a more padded pair for added protection. Remember that your gloves should fit comfortably and not force your hands into an awkward position. 

Be kind to yourself if you’re starting. There is a lot to learn, so take it one step at a time.

Boxing for fitness has a lot to offer anyone looking for a mind-body connection. It is the sport for you if you want to boost your brainpower for years to come.