Boxing is a great sport to get involved in, no matter what your age or level of fitness. Boxing is a discipline that stays with you for a long time. It can help you to get out of situations that you might not want to be in with self defence and it teaches you a mindset other than that of a bar room brawler.

The misconception with boxing is that it is all about aggression, it isn't. Boxing is more about self control and being disciplined than anything else, but will need a certain amount of aggression and motivation to partake in any level of boxing, whether it is just the training or if you want to get to a level where you can spar or fight.

If you would like to get into boxing don't be put off by what you'd imagine boxing gyms to be like. Boxing clubs in general are pretty friendly places, not many of them are like the spit and saw dust gyms that are so stereo-typically portrayed in the movies. On top of this boxers are pretty genuine people, what you see is what you get on the whole. Some of the nicest and most genuine people I've ever met have been club level boxers.

Club level boxers can't afford to be brash and offensive as there is generally someone better and bigger than them willing to knock them down a peg or two. All you will need to start boxing is a basic level of fitness, nothing too excessive but if you haven't taken part in any form of training for any long period of time it's always advisable to consult a doctor first.

Don't worry about having to spend lots of money to get started with boxing, all you will really need are some wraps to support your wrists and protect your hands and preferably your own pair of gloves. Some boxing clubs do hire out gloves but in the interests of hygiene I'd always recommend buying your own. If you've ever smelt an old pair of boxing gloves you'll understand why! Most fitness boxers train in nothing more fancy than a loose t-shirt, trainers and a pair of shorts, you should be more than comfortable training like this.

I'd always suggest making sure that you have a ready supply of water or sports drink with you, boxing is very thirsty work and you can lose a lot of fluid very quickly, especially in summer. You can usually turn up and train at your local boxing club without too much fuss although in the evenings they may hold sessions purely for the amateur boxers from the gym.

Usually throughout the day the gym will be pretty empty so you can train at your own pace, sometimes there will be a coach on hand to give you a few pointers, if not you may be fortunate enough to get some help from another boxer who knows more about the sport than you. There are basics to learn in the sport but you'll find that you pick them up pretty quickly the more you train, and you'll find the more you train the more you'll learn and the more you'll want to train.

Boxing is like that, it gets under your skin.