Boxing Like a New Kind of Therapy for Couples

Could boxing or other martial arts be the best form of therapy to help struggling couples to improve their relationships and prevent potential breakups?

What is the Essence of “Boxing Therapy”?

Boxing therapy or martial arts therapy has been a popular method of therapy to assist individuals in tackling several issues including:

Low self-esteem

Anger management

Confidence

Stress

Also - of course - to improving physical fitness and improving overall physical and mental health. Boxing therapy came out of small gyms where young men - who often consider mental health problems, and seeking help for them, a weakness - came together to work out their frustrations.

Boxing is also used to help with breaking down communication barriers in young people who often find it difficult to express their emotions maturely. Since boxing started being used to help with issues other than just being a sport - the idea of combining therapy and boxing has become increasingly popular.

Boxing therapy takes place, as usual, in the gym - however, a therapist is also present to help you work through your issues between rounds on a bag or with another boxer in the gym. The therapy is unique as gyms are a common ground for the person and the therapist - rather than an uncomfortable couch in an awkward office.

Therapy can often be very heavy for a lot of people; however, boxing therapy breaks it up in easier, more manageable periods. Between periods of therapy, boxing helps you to release and replace happy hormones and endorphins, as well as release any stress or anger.

Boxing therapy has been used to assist several different emotional issues - especially ones that often cause problems in relationships such as anger or stress.

A recent study found boxing therapy to have positive effects on serious health issues, including Parkinson’s Disease.

Why is Box Sparring Helpful for Relationships?

Boxing therapy is something that has traditionally been between men or one person and punch bag, however, in recent years an increasing number of women are enjoying boxing - both with trainers at the local gym and professionally, all over the world.

But if your wife, girlfriend or future partner can spa with her semi-professional male trainer, what’s stopping you two from sparring together? Until the 1990’s, couples didn’t often work out together - in fact, men and women didn’t often work out together, and each had their own “gendered” forms of exercise.

Since the 1990’s, men and women began working out together and enjoying similar methods to get fit, nowadays it’s perfectly normal to enter a gym and see women lifting weights and male and female partners working out together - so why should boxing be any different?

Boxing can help you and your partner to:

Release anger

Breakthrough communication barriers

Express emotion

Release stress

Improve overall mental health

Improve overall physical health

Boxing - despite sparring with each other - can also help to bring couples together as they bond over something they can enjoy together. This encourages couples to spend time together where they are in each other's company, rather than just watching a film together for example - helping couples to feel closer to one another and stronger as a unit.

Experts from datingtipsarticles.com claim that pair sports only strengthen the bond in a relationship and boxing is no exception. Who knows, maybe couples who spar together stay together?

Tips for Couples Planning to Try Boxing TherapyIf you and your partner want to try couples therapy, look into your local gym to learn the basics of sparring before taking things into your own hands. An increasing number of gyms are starting to offer boxing therapy as well as regular boxing classes and gyms and therapists are offering their services online.

It is important to remember boxing therapy is *not* about taking your anger for problems in the relationship out of your partner by fighting. The idea is to use therapy between rounds of sparring to fix the problems and using sparring to release endorphins.

It is important not to hurt your partner whilst sparring - you don’t want to create more problems than the ones you’re already trying to solve. Be gentle and follow the rules of your instructor or therapist - and if you’re uncomfortable, you’re in the perfect place to voice your concerns.

Men often have a problem sparring with their partner - a lot find it difficult to spar back, and it can sometimes take a few sessions to start sparring with each other. Everything we’re taught is not to hurt our partner - particularly women - and it can be difficult to give the first jab for fear of causing pain.

With time you will learn through your boxing therapy journey, if you learn to spar properly you won’t injure each other and boxing therapy combination could be perfect for facing your problems together and bringing you closer as a couple at the same time.