Should I Do Boxing or MMA? | Easily Explained
Boxing and MMA both have tremendous benefits in their own right. Many people ask our team 'Should I Do Boxing or MMA?'.
In this page we will cover what each martial art is, how they're different from each other, and the benefits of each in order for you to make a well informed decision.
Table of Contents
Should I Do Boxing or MMA?
It comes down to what your reasoning for learning martial art is. If it is for self defense, or you're interested in understanding the UFC, MMA will be the better option. If it strictly to learn how to punch, learn angles, and be in the best shape possible, Boxing will be the better option.
Boxing
What is Boxing
Boxing is a combat sport where both fighters will remain standing for the duration of the fight, and are only allowed to use their fists.
Boxing fights are notoriously longer than MMA (Boxing = 12 x 3 minute rounds, MMA = 3-5 x 5 minute rounds), and Boxers are known for having fantastic cardio.
Boxing Benefits
Boxing will teach you distance control, proper footwork, head movement, level changing, and most importantly how to properly punch.
Additionally, it will get you into fantastic cardiovascular shape.
There are different Boxing gyms that you can choose from. If you're looking to just get cardio while punching and are only interested in learning the bare bones of the sport, there are beginner gyms that offer this.
They normally have timers for a class setting, and focus on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
On the other hand, if you're looking to learn more about the sport in-depth, there are more Boxing-focused gyms where you can drill & even spar on top of working on your conditioning.
Mixed Martial Arts/MMA
What is MMA
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that combines different martial arts into one.
In a MMA fight, fighters can fight standing up, can fight in the clinch, and can fight on the ground.
Due to this, learning a variety of martial arts including Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu is imperative to have success.
MMA Benefits
MMA will teach you different martial arts, and you'll have a great understanding and preparation of everywhere that a fight can go.
This is a large reason of why MMA is fantastic for self defense, as it will put you in every situation possible.
Additionally, it will expand your skill set as you began to learn different martial arts, and create foundations to easier learn other martial arts.
For example, if you learned Boxing and then take an MMA class. It will be easier for you to do Muay Thai, as your Boxing skills will be there, and you'll be able to work off of that and focus on how to add elbows, knees, and kicks to your arsenal.
Related Articles
Best Martial Arts Combinations
Best Martial Arts For Street Fights
Best Martial Arts For Short Guys
