The Blog
Notes from
the corner.
Training, technique and straight answers from the coaches at Ironhand.
The Importance of Boxing Fundamentals: Why the Basics Win Fights
Stance, footwork, the jab, defense, and balance. Coach Ian Sampaga explains the boxing fundamentals every beginner needs and why skipping them caps how good you can get.
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How Long Before You Can Spar? And How Long Until You Can Compete?
Most beginners spar within 3 to 6 months, but the real answer depends on the person. Coach Ian Sampaga explains what he looks for before clearing a boxer to spar, and how he decides when a fighter is ready to compete.
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Boxing Handwraps 101: Why You Need Them and How to Wrap Your Hands
Handwraps for boxing protect the small bones in your hand, not your knuckles. Coach Ian Sampaga explains what handwraps do, how to put them on, and how fighters wrap with gauze and tape.
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So You Want to Compete: Getting Your USA Boxing Book
How an Ironhand member goes from the group class to the Fighters Program, what the book is, how you get one, and what actually qualifies you to compete.
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Why Boxing Works for Kids and Teens
What our Friday Kids & Teens class actually teaches, coordination, discipline and confidence, and why parents keep telling us the change shows up at home first.
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What to Expect at Your First Boxing Class
A step-by-step walkthrough of your first hour at Ironhand Boxing, what to bring, what happens, and what nobody is going to ask you to do.
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Benefits of Boxing Training in Staten Island
What boxing actually does for your body, your head and your confidence, and why a real boxing gym beats a fitness class that borrows the gloves.
Read the post →Your first class is the hard one.
After that it is just showing up. Tell us what you are after and we will put you in the right class: beginner, competitor, or somewhere in between.
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