To not understand why women box?

[Choufleurfromage]

Not a fan of boxing as a 'sport' in general and given the hysteria over football/rugby tacking and head injuries, am surprised such a violent contact sport is still allowed.
Also, at the risk of being oxymoronic, I really do think women shouldn't be banned from doing stuff, but boxing is just so uncouth, ugly and violent, I cannot understand why women would want to do it; ok, it offers opportunities for disadvantaged youngsters (plenty of evidence of this), it creates discipline and focus, but it is still 2 people battering each other for no reason...
I am sure iabu, and am not suggesting women only pursue 'dainty' sports or activities, but boxing?

Don’t understand why anyone boxes.
get that it’s great exercise but anything that involves being punched in the head on a regular basis seems a no brainer (pun not intended) to me.

in years to come, when we know much more about degenerative brain diseases, it will finally be banned.

My daughters both do kickboxing - it's done wonders for my eldest's focus and calms her overactive mind down no end. My youngest... well she manages to insert ballet-esque twirls into the moves but she enjoys it and she's benefiting from it in terms of the exercise and stamina and muscle strength (she has hypotonia). They go to an all ages class where there are adults training with adults, adults training with their kids and kids training with kids - and it's a real family feeling to it all.
I'd rather they were doing that and having a good laugh doing it - than doing something as toxic as dance classes had become.

I don't really think it matters whether you personally understand it or not? Nobody's asking you to do it, or to watch it.

I don't understand the appeal of Formula 1, but I don't fret about it. Just accept that different people like different things and move on. Ideally without being so judgemental and throwing words like 'uncouth' around.

For the same reason men box.

But OP is opening up dialogue to discuss why they feel like this? That's a good thing surely?

What Olympic sports are people with vaginas allowed to do, OP?

Banned because you don't like it? People know the risks and choose to do the sport. If you hate it, don't do it.

Women probably box for the same reasons men do: they are good at it, money, a challenge, excitement etc.

Don't like it or fancy it myself right enough.

Read the post properly. I said I don't like boxing in general. I do NOT have an issue with women boxing, as stated on original post, I asked why they do it as it is something I do not understand.
Specsavers?

For someone who reckons women shouldn't be uncouth, you've got a lot of aggressive rudeness to dish out ain'tcha OP?

Also not entirely sure why you bothered to consult AIBU, as you''re obviously capable of starting an argument alone in a room & don't need any input from other people:

"I'm not being sexist but ... I cannot understand why women want to do it"

"I don't have an issue with women boxing but ... it's uncouth & ugly"

"I am sure IABU but ... it offers opportunities for disadvantages youngsters, it creates discipline & focus"

"I am not suggesting women only pursue 'dainty' sports ... but am surprised such a violent contact sport is allowed"

There's a huge difference between the kind of boxing you would see in an ordinary club and the kind you see on TV. I'm a martial arts instructor and I've done various arts/styles over the years, including boxing, kickboxing and lots of others.

I often watch boxing because I enjoy it, but I am sometimes horrified at the refereeing. I have coached/refereed many a match and most of the time when watching (esp. heavyweight) boxing, I would have stopped the fight way sooner than they ever do on TV!

In my view they are often sacrificing health/safety for putting on a good show. And that's also incidentally one reason why many martial artists will not touch MMA with a bargepole. But the fighters do know what they're agreeing to, and presumably sign a waiver, so...

But a local club with good, qualified, responsible instructors - a fantastic sport. Give it a go!

I forgot to add that I'm 49 and am a walking list of risk factors for osteoporosis. I had my first DEXA when I was 35 and another one last summer (48).

I'm not supposed to have the bone density of somebody in their early 30s. But, apparently, I do. I'm told that this is solely due to the types of exercise I have done because there's no way I should have such healthy bones with my medical, social and food related history.

Boxing and kickboxing was the first exercise I ever did. I didn't start until I was 27/28 - but that first step into a gym gave me a physical advantage that I'm still enjoying now. And the knowledge that exercise feels good, that strength feels good and knowing that the pain, heart pounding, sweat, feeling like you can't go on sensation passes when you get back up has been invaluable to me.

Because that's what the intensity of boxing does. It teaches you that when you get knocked on your arse, you just keep on getting back up again.

Fighting isn't an exercise in trying to give somebody else permanent damage. It's an exercise in fighting your own doubts, your own feeling of weakness, your pain, the voices of those who told you you were crap and shouldn't think of yourself as anything special, your temptation to give up and walk away and in, most of all, getting back up again.

You spar or box with an opponent; but the true fight is in your head.

YANBU.

I can't stand boxing - what sort of message is this sending to young boys and girls that punching each other in the face is ok, and if you're really good at it you can earn lots of money.

😂😂😂😍

My partner is a boxer.
She says because she likes it.
HTH.

💯

@Thepeopleversuswork
Thats the thing though - it’s a false sense of power and control and they still won’t be able to match men physically. If your doing it for excersise that’s one thing but it could bring a false sense of security that you may actually be able to take on a strong man when in reality you will likely being shocked and overpowered quite easily.
Fancy sparring with men where they don’t go full tilt can’t really prepare you for that. That kind of thinking is dangerous imo

Don’t you worry that it may give you a false sense of security though? I mean if you’ve never really had a man go for you with intention then why do you think boxing will help? I doubt men sparring or training with you give you a real sense of what it would be like.

I worry younger women may put them in situations which are dangerous with a false sense of security because of stuff like this. The reality is unless your a world class boxer your boxing class is unlikely to help you that much against a stronger faster man who really wants to hurt you.

Fighting isn't an exercise in trying to give somebody else permanent damage. It's an exercise in fighting your own doubts, your own feeling of weakness, your pain, the voices of those who told you you were crap and shouldn't think of yourself as anything special, your temptation to give up and walk away and in, most of all, getting back up again.

You spar or box with an opponent; but the true fight is in your head.

Great post.

...because they want to?

When I trained, the point was that the security/self defence was in being fit enough to dodge and run away and only if you were already in physical contact with them, being potentially able to disable for a couple of seconds with full strength punches so they would let go and you could run away.

Mckmck I do have a daughter actually ,and she is not interested in hitting someone else "skilfully" or otherwise .Oddly nor is her brother! I said I hated Boxing generally ,male/female .Just it seems sad that young girls (or boys) want to take up a hobby like this, where injuries are rife . Football ,Motorsports ,any thing like this can be rough ,but is usually accidental . I would like to see Boxing banned . The famous Boxer Mohammed Ali suffered from Parkinsons disease ,which has been argued could have been caused by his Boxing Career.Head injuries are also common, and under reported .In an era where "being kind" is advised .Why are youngsters still being encouraged to get involved in a sport like this?

Thats the thing though - it’s a false sense of power and control and they still won’t be able to match men physically. If your doing it for excersise that’s one thing but it could bring a false sense of security that you may actually be able to take on a strong man when in reality you will likely being shocked and overpowered quite easily.
Fancy sparring with men where they don’t go full tilt can’t really prepare you for that. That kind of thinking is dangerous imo

@Tamzo85 - who do you think knows more about not getting shocked & overpowered by a man's attack - a woman who has never been hit before, or one who has studied the artform, understands the male:female strength, speed, & aggression differences?

All sparrers - male or female - know the difference between a pulled punch & a full-on combat blow. Women martial artists can't afford to fuck about pretending we are 'good enough' by allowing a false sense of confidence in our strength & power. That's why we train for 2 hours, learning about the power of various moves, & how to modify them for light or full contact before even hitting the sparring mats.

Any reputable martial arts trainer ensures that women are made aware of their disadvantages, & that they prioritise defence work & anticipation. That they don't overestimate their own power or speed. That they have enough stamina to RUN.
Not for matches - for everyday defence & safety.

I don't know if you understand what a 2 hour training session looks like - if you are imagining it is all about fighting, & pretending that women are physically equal to men, you have it wrong.
We (women) used to have separate sessions on self-defence, personal safety, deflecting attention - in short, all about how to NOT be present when a fight is about to start.
I did karate & kung fu. It's all about not being in the place a foot, fist, elbow or head was coming at you. That includes not being in a dodgy situation in the first place. And if one happens anyway - getting in 2 or 3 solid disabling blows before running the fuck away, as fast as all that circuit training allows. That's not a false sense of power & control - it's a practical, educated response to potential violence.

Do I think I could take a man down in a fair fight? No!
Can I take one down in an unfair fight, using sneaky tactics & a large repertoire of psychological & physical of self-defence? Hell yeah.

@Tamzo85
I think your mentality does women a disservice tbh.
Martial arts are technical skills, in the same way any sport is.
I think most people who don't train don't realise this and most people do not train to fight.
I wouldn't think the average man could win a fight with Amanda Nunes anymore than I would assume they could beat one of the Williams' sister's at tennis.
It's a spectrum, but a woman who is trained will stand a better chance than one who hasn't, if only because defence is the foundation of every martial art I've studied.
A woman who has trained in boxing will have a better sense of distance management, footwork and plain ability to take a blow without completely folding than the average woman. This can all be used to aid an escape. The notion of boxing being human "rockem, sockem, robots" comes from a place of ignorance.

With boxing, it's the psychological thing of actually throwing a punch; I suppose I can understand why men are more likely to want to do it, less so women (but I am NOT saying they can't!!)

@Choufleurfromage i never did want to throw a punch; being in the ring was about focus (you can’t get distracted for a second) and anticipating your opponent’s moves and lasting for the whole round. I used to be so anxious I would hold my breath when I first did it!

as a pp said it has made me a bit less scared of conflict because I know I’m not made of glass. Although sparring was body blows only, I was accidentally caught on the jaw or left with bruises a few times (including when doing pad or bag work) and it’s toughened me.

@KettrickenSmiled

Do I think I can take down a man in a fair fight?
No!
Can I take one down in an unfair fight using sneaky tactics a large repertoire of psychological and physical self defence? Hell yeah.

And you know this how? This is exactly what I’m talking about. Why would a man be fighting fair with you? You say you know the difference between a pulled punch and not - but how can you if you don’t train full force in a full on situation with men?