I have decided to talk a little bit about boxing and the martial arts, I would like to discuss some of the differences, weaknesses, and/or strengths of boxing. Part of the reason for this is that tomorrow I will be attending a boxing class which I feel will be of great benefit to my martial arts training. In the past, boxing and Karate seem to have been at odds, especially in post-World War 2 America, since one of the alternative to boxing was Karate which had been taught to Americans by the Japanese, and people from Okinawa after World War 2. Karate had taught its practitioner to punch with power, to use kicks, and powerful blocks in order to defeat ones opponent, boxing on the other hand had taught to use quick combination's, often finished with power punches, and the use of footwork, and bobbing and weaving. In post-war America, Karate appeared to be exotic, and many people were in awe at Karate Masters breaking bricks with their hands, using very high kicks, and performing many feats that appeared to be supernatural.
Throughout the years there have been many arguments over which style is better, and today, I can say that much of this depends on the practitioner. However, we can safely say that a trained boxer has much better punching skills than a Karate practitioner, however a trained boxer does not have any expertise when it comes to kicking. Despite this, a Karate practitioner is probably more skilled in protecting their fists when punching, since traditionally Karate practitioners never used gloves. I truly believe that many Karate fighters have good foot work, but when compared to a boxers footwork, I would say that a boxer has better footwork. In terms of cardio and being physically, I truly believe that a boxer again has the advantage, in fact one of my co-workers began a boxing routine about a year ago, and has lost about 100 pounds . In today's society, I would say that if you want to become proficient in striking, learning how to box is not only advantageous, but essential. I met a master in the Filipino Martial Arts who told me that if you want to learn how to fight, you must learn how to box, because boxing builds rhythm and timing, both of which are attributes necessary for the Filipino Martial Arts as well as other Arts. The boxing instructor that I will meet tomorrow is also a black belt in Kenpo Karate, as well as Judo, and has experience in kickboxing as well. So if you want to learn how to punch well, learn foot work, gain rhythm and timing for your martial arts repertoire, or you just want to get into great shape, boxing is the way to go.