Everybody wants to hit the bag
The first session of any boxing course is the one where people want to throw punches. We spend it standing still, moving in four directions, and learning to return to the same position every time.
It is not a hazing ritual. A punch is a transfer of force from the floor, and a bad stance leaks most of it before it reaches your hand.
What eight weeks buys
By week eight most people can move in a square, hold a guard under mild fatigue, and throw a straight shot that actually lands with their body weight behind it. That is when the bag work starts to mean something.
It is also the point at which wrists and shoulders stop getting hurt, which is the less romantic reason for the order.
Sparring is optional and always will be
About half of our boxing members never spar. The programme is complete without it, and nobody is asked twice.
For those who do, it starts in month four, at controlled contact, with a coach in the ring for every round.
