Boxing, kickboxing and MMA were dominated by men for years. It was a real man's world and women had no place there. In recent years this has been changing more and more, and we see the stereotypes associated with martial arts fading by the day.
Women such as Lucia Rijker, Claressa Shields, Ronda Rousey, Amanda Nunes and many more have shown time and again that women can also be at home in martial arts.
But even if you don't want to fight at a professional level, you can benefit enormously from everything martial arts has to offer.
Curious what that is? Read on.
Improve your mental and physical health with boxing
When you think of boxing, most people quickly think of the injuries it brings.
Fun fact: Football causes more injuries than boxing, kickboxing and MMA.
Now that this prejudice is out of the way, we can look at the positive impact of martial arts. There are quite a few, so to keep it clear I've listed the benefits in bullet points:
- Improves your cardiovascular health and reduces the risk of heart disease
- Increases both muscle strength and endurance
- Improves your coordination and balance
- Boosts your mental health through endorphins that are released
- You can mentally escape the daily grind and focus on your training
- Promotes weight loss – a 45-minute session easily burns between 500 and 800 calories
- Improves your reflexes and reaction time
- You develop discipline and self-confidence
- You learn to defend yourself
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to start martial arts. But if the above list doesn't convince you, then perhaps this will:
There's nothing better than hitting a punching bag.
Period.
What to do if you're not sure?
If you're not immediately convinced by a few words on your screen, I understand that.
So still have your doubts? Most gyms offer free trial classes.
I can advise you to take the plunge and visit a gym.
Once you've trained, I can guarantee you'll want to do it again.
Were you already planning to start boxing, kickboxing or MMA? Then it's handy to buy your own set of boxing gloves.
If you already know roughly what you want, you can find all our women's boxing gloves here.
Would you prefer to speak to an adviser? Call +31 85 06 06 340