Boxing has been trained for decades and there are lots of reasons for it. When I was a child there was no way that my parents would let me do boxing training even if I had wanted it. However there are great benefits of boxing for kids and it can improve many aspects of their life including personal attributes.
Let’s start with physical benefits…
1. Physical
Heavy bag training provides aerobic and anaerobic exercise at the same time and an adult can burn around 500 
calories per single session. Obviously children will burn less but still it is a considerable amount. And let’s not forget that they will also build muscle.
This training type provides resistance and cardio at the same time so these built muscles will be way denser and definitely their body will be healthier.
But not all punching bags have the same quality and will give you the same quality training sessions. Some of the punching bags can give you good rebound rate whether it is full or not. And this is the most critical aspect for youth. Because they will grow older and get stronger in very short amount of time. If you are looking for a heavy bag, then go to punching bags for kids post. These always provide good rebound rate and also have other incredible features like improving precision.
Jumping rope is the most common cardio training type for boxing and it is an incredible fat burning tool. I know so many people who benefited from it greatly. And it is also safer than running because comparing to running it will put less tension on your bones and won’t harm them. In this way bones can grow without any deformation.
I gave examples of heavy bag training and jumping rope because these are most common exercises and provide more physical benefits.
2. Deeper Sleep
Actually I benefit from it too. I have a very light sleep and even little noises can wake me up. However when I do various boxing training types I fatigue my muscles in different ways, then my sleep becomes incredibly deep. And kids benefit from sleep greatly as well. This provides better muscle and bone growth. Also, according to researches of webmd, mental alertness and brainpower increase significantly with deeper sleep and these help other aspects of their life including their education.
3. Personal Attributes
In my opinion this is the most important benefit. I witnessed so many people who are just too lazy to work on their goals. My little brother is also among these people. I wish he is really different about it. Anyway, if people start training boxing at very young age their life can be totally different. Imagine that a 6 year old wakes up early in the morning and gets challenged physically and mentally day after day. This is why youth boxing class attendance drops to half after one month later. This is truly a challenge. But aren’t all the big achievements in life? I am not saying that boxing training will provide them to be successful for sure but it will definitely help.
If they can get this attribute at earlier stages of their life, it will be priceless. I also have witnessed that many children, who go to boxing classes regularly, become better version of themselves over the years.
4. Coordination
Coordination is really hard to develop at “older” ages and children can benefit from boxing in this way too.
You can improve many coordination types including brain-foot, foot-hand, hand-brain etc. For example when you skip rope, your hand and foot work in coordination to keep up a certain pace.
You also need to figure out how to punch in milliseconds during speed bag session. This affects coordination between hand and eye in a positive way.
Also punch starts from your foot and ends with your hand. Your whole body needs to work in harmony for maximizing the impact.
Boxing has lots of training types in this way it becomes an incredible sport for improving many coordination types. And coordination is improved significantly at young ages and this is why kids should start training as young as possible.
5. Posture
I had a horrible posture until I was 13. People around me always told me to stand straight. I actually did not
care at the time. However I did not know that it can cause back and shoulder pain. Actually it can even increase the curve of the lumbar spine and it has really serious consequences. You can find more details about it on Wikipedia. It is simply vital for children’s bone and muscle development.
According to fastcompany, better posture also affects mood and confidence in a positive way.
And all boxing training types require some sort of stance and these stances always include a good posture.
However speed bag training affects posture the most. After I had started training with a speed bag, I started standing really straight for no reason. It gave me an amazing habit and I wish I had gotten it sooner. This is an incredibly effective way for having a good posture and it is truly priceless to have it at early ages.
Final Thoughts
I really wish I had started boxing training sooner but I eventually started and I am quite happy with the results. Boxing training has lots of variations and each of these has different and unique benefits. It provides better muscle development, fat loss and also children can gain attributes like determination. Also coordination is just vital for every sport branches.
And last but certainly not least, it will provide children a good posture and they can benefit from it throughout their life.
If kids will do boxing training, there are some great pairs which are exclusively made for children’s growth and these also have soft lining. The pairs also have ultimate protection for their knuckles and wrists. If you are interested, then check out these incredible pairs for kids. These are suitable for ALL training types including focus mitts, heavy bag… and will give amazing safety and training performance at the same. I hope you enjoyed reading and if you know other benefits of boxing for kids which I did not mention, please do so in the comment section.
At what age do you consider kids ready to start boxing? My almost 4 year old simply wouldn’t grasp the concept yet, I think, but maybe I’m wrong.
I must say, I do wonder about the wisdom of teaching kids to hit things at a young age. I feel like all I do some days is to tell them NOT to hit stuff/each other.
It really depends on the where will they train. I know some boxing trainers are really good and educate children in the right way. However there are also bad ones and there can be consequences of it.
In my opinion you can take a look at the place before you sign up for any course and I am sure you will have a good idea. Also 4 year old is a good age to start boxing there are even many boxing gloves and heavy bags for them.
I’ve worked with kids for years and have 3 teens of my own, and you’ve got some great stuff here. I could see boxing as a healthy emotional outlet for stress and anger, too.
As you said, it is great for reducing stress. And I think that it must be really difficult to have 3 kids. I can’t even handle my little brother.
Maybe you can start doing training and punching the heavy bag with them for relieving stress 😉
Hi, thanks for sharing this great post. I hadn’t thought about sending my kid’s boxing that young before. I totally agree with your reasons by though. I think I will be seriously considering this with my boys. It will definitely give them more focus and help them later on in life.
Hi Graham, I think everyone can use more focus especially me. Lately I have been doing many silly mistakes about my life due to lack of focus and I am sure that your children can benefit from boxing somehow.
Boxing has a ton of benefits for kids and anyone for that matter. From the discipline to having self control, all the way to its physical benefits, there is just so much to gain from taking on something like boxing. These days there are other things like MMA, but boxing is a lot safer and is great for kids.
MMA certainly become more and more popular but as you said boxing is definitely “safer” for kids. It will definitely help with self-control.
Actually I know that many people go to boxing gym classes because of that.
Hello!
Well on one level I found it hard to consider this as an option for something I would want kids to participate in. The concept of hitting is not even close to my way of living or thinking.
And In all honesty, I cannot fathom why boxing is a sport. No offense.
But seeing it as just using the punching bag for all the health benefits it can provide is another lens.
I did not know about the benefits of this type of workout. It is certainly something to consider.
I thought this article was presented so well and thoroughly. And I learned something new.
Many thanks and great job! ariel
Hey Ariel, it is definitely a good training for children and thank you for nice words.
Hi! Wonderful post! I can relate to many things you said. When I was younger, I wanted to try boxing but was turned down by my parents. They had this notion that boxing is violent and aggressive. As I grew up, I realize people who box are the complete opposite of violent. Oh well…
Also, I still have terrible posture. Now thanks to your article, I realize boxing is a way to work out, gain muscle, and correct my posture.
Great read! I will definitely consider giving boxing a try.