The first time I walked into a boxing gym, I put on a game face and approached an older man who I thought was the trainer. The field house staff had told me that the trainer preferred to talk to people who were interested in the program before they signed up. Much later, I found out why.
The older man indicated in his broken English that he was not the coach. He pointed to a younger man who came in and looked at me suspiciously before taking a seat at his desk. The young man told me that he ran a traditional gym and that he was not in the habit of taking care of anyone. In other words, people were expected to work while they were there. Fortunately, he had been to a martial arts school the year before and had taken a boxing class. The boxing instructor at the martial arts school was a nice guy once you got to know him, but he was tough. He often put people to training from the beginning. I told the young coach in front of him that I understood and that he would sign me up. He still gave me a doubtful look, but he gave me the thumbs up.
During the first year that I was in that gym, I was the only woman that attended. Slowly, other women joined in, but they didn’t last long. Some left in the middle of a session and others left after a couple of weeks. Very few actually stayed for the full eight weeks, and of those who did, they rarely signed up for another session. It’s not that some of the guys who got in didn’t leave, it’s just that the women’s absences usually happened faster.
Women have boxed for a long time. There was a woman who entered a boxing ring in 1772. Only in the 20th century, and at the end of that century, were female boxers considered contenders who could draw people to the arenas. However, women still have a long way to go in the sport. Pick up any popular boxing magazine and you’ll see that very little ink is given to female boxers. Even well-known boxers like Laila Ali, Christy Martin and Ann Wolfe don’t get more than a few words, let alone sentences.
It also doesn’t help that there is no clear career path for female wrestlers to follow. Men can rise through the amateur ranks, learning their moves through local boxing tournaments, charity boxing shows (or “show” fights, and the Golden Gloves. But it’s not the same for women, many of which start in the sport later, when they are in their teens and twenties, while most boys started formal training around the age of eight. The males’ opponents are practically falling off the ring aprons, while the females find themselves hunting, sometimes unsuccessfully, for other females who want to fight.
If a woman walks into a traditional boxing gym, she must show that she is there for a purpose. It doesn’t matter if she wants to compete or is just there to exercise. The boxing world is still predominantly male, and girl stuff isn’t going to work out, at least while she’s inside the gym, anyway.
Don’t go in expecting personal treatment unless you’ve paid for it in advance. In a traditional boxing gym, the fee you pay, be it monthly, quarterly or yearly, only entitles you to enter and use the facilities to train. That is all. Some gyms offer group boxing lessons, and most have trainers who will work with you one-on-one, but those things cost extra. Note that you are not in a fitness center with a juice bar and sauna rooms.
If you sign up for a boxing program offered through a park district, expect even less special treatment. Park district programs are for the public, with most classes geared toward children and teens. Even adult boxing programs can be tailored for those in their late teens to early twenties. Park districts in major cities especially can be competitive and participate in local and national amateur tournaments. Unless you’re interested in competing and are in an age range where you’ll be able to find opponents, don’t take an attitude when the park district coach spends most of his time training gym contenders. Contenders are in a position to bring trophies to the gym. In addition, the coach already knows that they are dedicated to the sport.
Learn from everyone in the gym. Regardless of whether it’s a private gym or a program within a park district or a gym known predominantly for teaching something else (like a martial arts dojo, for example), soak up all the knowledge you can get. The coach may not always have the time to work with you or, for various reasons, may not be willing to (discussed later). Make friends with others at the gym, especially those who have been going there for a while. Only the most surly types will refuse to give you advice on technique. Most guys have an opinion about how to hit shots and they’ll be happy to tell you. Don’t be afraid to approach younger guys for help. Every once in a while, you might have the misfortune to come across a 20-something who grew up in a home where they were taught that all women should be barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. It’s strange in this day and age, but true. The trainer asked me to help train the newcomers during a session, and a lanky guy took offense at taking lessons from a woman. He made fun of me the whole time. Fortunately, he never came back after the first day, but some will, so watch out for them.
It can be intimidating for most women to walk into a boxing gym full of men. It’s nice if you find another woman already there with her boxing gloves on. I always made it a point to welcome other women who came to the gym to make them feel comfortable. However, be careful with the prima donnas. If you think teasing guys are a problem, try dealing with a female fighter who may have had multiple bouts or been in training for a long time and puts down women just starting out in the sport. Some women who have been the only women in the boxing gym for a while may exhibit a “queen bee” mentality. The boys have gotten used to her and have accepted her as one of their own. Now you’ve come and she has to move and make room for you. Be careful, because she may not want to share.
Don’t complain and complain. I’ve watched too many women walk into a boxing gym, expecting the extras found in fancy gyms, like personal training, for example. No one wants to hear constant complaints from people about the coach not dropping everything to serve them. When everyone else in the gym manages to manage their own training program without being constantly held by the trainer, one’s complaints are very annoying. Your complaints can close the door to the trainer or anyone else in the gym who helps you train.
Whatever you do, don’t act shocked at the idea of hitting and being hit. I guarantee that the trainer and anyone else who has been in that gym for a while will think, “What did she think boxing was all about?” I’ve noticed that sometimes this attitude extends to hitting the bags, even though the bags don’t hit back. The trainer will be reluctant to spend a lot of time on you, because now he’s going to think you’re going to get scared soon.
What about the trainer who won’t work with you after you sign up? It could be because there are so many people in the gym that they can’t spend all their time with everyone. It may be because they favor fighters who compete and bring trophies to the gym. If the trainer is a man, it may be because he doesn’t believe in women’s boxing. Take a turn before signing up. If the trainer insists on talking to potential fighters before they are allowed to put up their money, take that as a good sign. Ask the trainer lots of questions and try to get an idea of the general atmosphere of the gym. Talk to some of the fighters there, but don’t interrupt their training. If something doesn’t feel right, check out other gyms in the area.
Even though there are more women in boxing gyms nowadays, many people will gape at you when they see you there. For some reason, an open door to a boxing gym is an invitation to all sorts of characters to just come in and hang out. There are many dreamers and pretenders in the fighting game. Some guys watch some fights on cable and suddenly think they’re Rocky Balboa. If I had a dollar for every time I heard a guy say, “I can jump in the ring and do that,” I could have retired to Costa Rica a long time ago. All those aspiring boxers want to give their unwanted opinions to the trainer and anyone else they think might want to hear them.
A woman is particularly news to some of them. She was hitting the speed bag when a maroon came up and started hitting the heavy bags. She had a cup of coffee in one hand, so she didn’t find it easy to do so. I informed him that the trainer didn’t like people using the equipment if they weren’t members of the gym. Then the guy felt that he needed to give me instructions on how to use the speed bag. I gave her hints that she had been there long enough to know what to do. He apparently assumed that because I was a woman, I must not have known much. I acted cold towards him until the idea occurred to him that she should go.
Blood, sweat and saliva are constant elements inside the boxing gym. I’ve wiped the blood off the canvas and wiped it off the boxers. I have reached into boxers mouth to take out and replace mouthpieces. There may also be “community use” free weights, exercise machines, and hand wraps. People with significant germ phobias may not do well in the gym. It’s a good idea to have baby wipes and hand sanitizer handy. If you decide to learn how to work (assist) in the boxers’ corner during fights, gloves are also a good idea.
Above all, relax while you are in the gym. You don’t have to act like the boys, but you don’t have to hide in a corner either. Stay focused, learn as much as you can, and have fun doing it.
