Are Private Boxing Lessons Worth It? 20 Pros & Cons List

Boxing gyms operate differently compared to other gyms. Because these gyms try to teach you technical skills and focus on your individual development, they can often be expensive. On the other hand, the personal focus will help you to improve much faster.

Obviously, there are various reasons why boxers prefer one-on-one classes. It is also clear that there are multiple reasons why they do not. Finally, before starting individual boxing lessons, fighters must weigh the pros and cons. It is important to note that these pros and cons differ and must be considered in every person’s specific context. 

Pros

Individual Attention 

Individual attention is one of the most critical advantages of individual boxing lessons. People who are serious about fighting or prefer to train alone often choose these lessons. In separate classes, the Coach can focus all their attention on you.

This will allow them to see where you are making mistakes and customize the training to work on correcting them. It also means that the Coach can pick up on how you are doing mentally. In a group, this will likely go by unseen.

However, in individual classes, they can see when you feel tired or demotivated and help you accordingly!

You, Will, Improve Faster

As was mentioned above, in individual classes, Coaches can focus all of their attention on you. This will allow them to identify your more substantial and weaker areas. They can adjust the training program and work on specific drills to help you improve. Perhaps you are a quick learner.

This will be even more advantageous because your Coach will not have to spend as much time building muscle memory as with others. You will be able to do more drills and learn new skills within the same period than you would learn in a group lesson.

Overall, it will help you to improve your technique and skill much faster than in a group class setting. 

A Comfortable Environment

Not everyone is as comfortable in a group setting. Specific individuals are slowly finding their feet and are not satisfied with exercising in a group setting. The individual classes will allow fighters to work at their own pace and on their own time.

This art of lessons can enable boxers to build their confidence before eventually shifting to group classes. Meaning athletes will not feel rushed if they make more mistakes or progress slower. The comfortable environment will also ensure a pleasant experience for them.

Boxing is already a challenging sport, and training is far from easy. If people can ensure they are having a good time with training, it will improve their overall experience.

Motivation 

A group environment can be daunting to people who have just started training. It is often demoralizing to see other people who have already made more progress than you have. In instances like these, taking individual classes will help!

With the Coach’s focus directed toward you, you will feel more motivated to do the hard work. Being motivated and guided throughout the workout will also help you push harder. Ultimately, you will feel more motivated, knowing that you can work at your own pace and that your Coach is there to guide you along the way. 

Personal Relationship 

A personal relationship with your Coach will help you go far! Boxing is more than just an exercise or way of training. It is a journey that you embark on. With the help of your Coach, you will be able to navigate your way through different challenges and obstacles.

Over time, you will develop a personal relationship with your Coach. This kind of relationship is beneficial as your Coach will be able to help you deal with the mental challenges that boxing brings. You will be able to find a source of inspiration and a friend or mentor in your Coach too. This is just one of the many reasons for taking individual classes benefits you.

Cater For Your Needs

Different people train for other reasons. You may have embarked on this boxing journey to pursue various goals. Maybe your aim is to be able to defend yourself, lose weight, become fit or pursue a competitive career.

Whatever the case, your Coach will be able to cater to your needs in individual classes. It goes without saying that your training regime needs to be adapted based on your needs. A weight loss aimed routine will require loads of technique work, whereas a boxing-specific workout will involve more technique.

Individual classes will give you the confidence that you are pursuing the right goals in the right way. 

Padwork And Other Specific Drills

There are specific drills that a Coach can do when working with a client individually. These exercises benefit the client and will help them improve drastically. This includes, for example, doing pad work. Note that this is not always possible in a group setting.

One can imagine that one trainer will not be able to take 20 different boxers on the pads. It would be practically impossible. That is another reason why individual classes are beneficial. A coach will have the time and resources to ensure you get the right kind of training in private pieces of training. 

Greater Focus On Technique 

The technique is one of the most critical elements for any boxer. To improve one’s technique, you have to train it constantly. It is, however, refined by your Coach, who picks up one where you lack the appropriate skills and technique.

Individual classes will allow your coach to pick up on the little mistakes that you are making. It will enable them to design the appropriate training regimen to correct your mistakes. This can be done through pad work or other specific drills.

The result is that individual classes will allow your Coach to focus more on correcting your specific mistakes, and you will improve much faster. 

Beneficial For Fitness

Group classes often contain a combination of elementary exercises. Because the coach has to accommodate so many people, it will be difficult for him to use various drills. That is why group classes can often contain a few simple drills that are repeated throughout the session.

Individual classes, on the other hand, differ from group classes in this regard. Because a coach can focus all of his attention on you, you will have a more intense workout. This will benefit your fitness goals as you will have to work much harder than in a regular group session. 

Good Corner Advice

This applies explicitly to fighters who intend to fight in the amateur or professional ranks. Your coach will be there between rounds to advise you on how to approach the fight and your game plan. When you train with an individual coach, they know your strengths and weaknesses better than a coach would who trains you in a group.

This means that he can give you advice that focuses on your strengths. You will be more comfortable in the ring and be able to approach the fight with a better plan this way.

Cons

More Expensive

One has to ultimately decide whether the advantages of individual classes outweigh the financial burden that comes with it. Private pieces of training are inherently more expensive than group classes. This is understandable as hosting group classes would be much more financially beneficial.

Usually, boxing gyms ask for a set fee for group classes per week or month. However, you usually have to pay per class when asking for individual training. In summary, it would be much more expensive to pay for two or three private training per week than to join a group class. 

Smaller Support Structure 

As mentioned above, a massive support structure is one of the most important benefits of joining a group class. When you train alone or only with a Coach, it can sometimes be challenging to be motivated on your own. The position is different when it comes to group classes.

You obtain a strong support structure when surrounded by a people group who share your passion and goals. It allows you to form new relationships with people who also keep you accountable. This does not happen in individual classes. One needs a balance of both individual and group support.

Personal training only provides you with one of these two things. So, that is one of the drawbacks of taking individual boxing classes. 

Demoralization

This is a particular aspect that needs to be viewed in context. People differ and therefore have to make decisions according to their own needs. The best example concerns motivation. Some people flourish when receiving individual attention.

Other people need to have that group of people around them to carry them forward. If you are like the first example, taking one-on-one classes will benefit you. However, suppose you are someone who needs a group around you. In that case, private training will not help you to stay as motivated.

Says you work better in a group and feel more motivated when surrounded by people. Then you should take group classes instead of individual classes. 

Limited Drills And Exercises 

As individual classes have their benefits, so do their own downfalls. Specific exercises require personal attention, as mentioned above. This includes pad work and certain drills. However, the opposite also applies. Specific exercises instead need groups of people for them to work well.

One such important example is sparring. Sparring is crucial for someone who wants to compete in amateur or white-collar boxing. However, it is impossible to spar when you are taking individual lessons.

It is essential to spar against different people to become accustomed to different fighting styles. This is one of the disadvantages of individual classes.

Not Good Value For Money 

One of the unfortunate realities of boxing training is that not all trainers are as qualified as they claim to be. For someone who has just started boxing, it would be easy to be deceived by their coach. A coach takes on the role of a mentor and someone who guides you throughout this journey.

However, a few coaches claim to know more than they do. It would therefore be very much possible for you to pay a lot of money for individual classes and not get enough value out of the sessions. Individual sessions are supposed to focus on things that cannot be done in a group environment.

It would be easy to do strength and conditioning work, for example, on your own. Pad work, for example, cannot be done on your own. That is why individual classes often do not provide you with the best value for your money. 

Unfriendly Coach

Another sad reality is that not all coaches provide the best attitude in training sessions. Sometimes coaches are under a lot of pressure and are tired or stressed during individual sessions. This may make the entire session seem much less enjoyable.

This is not necessarily something that you will have to deal with in group classes. Group classes are often enjoyable because of the whole vibe that all boxers create and bring to the table. There is less reliance on the coach to make the training fun. This essential element must be viewed within each person’s particular context. 

Only One Style Of Boxing 

Different coaches have different styles of fighting that they prefer. They teach these styles and try to implement them in their fighters. Some coaches may be more defensive, while others prefer to be the aggressors.

If you are taking individual classes, you will only be exposed to one particular boxing style. This is, however, not the case with group classes. Most boxing gyms have more than one coach they rotate throughout the different sessions.

So, you will be exposed to other coaches and different styles throughout your training journey. Exposure to different styles will help you develop holistically as a boxer. 

No Deep Waters

Boxing is a very unique and very different sport compared to others. Sometimes, boxers are supposed to be thrown into the deep end to force them to learn quickly. This can be done through sparring and having them train with fighters much more experienced than they are.

This will be difficult to achieve in individual classes. Individual classes only feature the coach and the fighter and no other boxers. The lack of exposure to sparring and complex environments will inevitably hamper your growth as a boxer.

A boxer needs to be pushed to his very limits. This is part and parcel of their development as a fighter. 

Lack Of Schedule Structure

Part of what makes boxing training so beneficial is the structure it provides the boxer with. Often, a fighter will do their road work in the morning and then have their classes in the evening. These classes will focus mainly on boxing, technique, and skills.

However, individual classes are not always at a set time and date. Often the Coach has a flexible schedule and then has to change the times for training sessions. This means that the boxer does not have the same benefits of structure that group classes provide.

This will make it difficult for people with busy schedules to make the necessary time for training. This is another drawback of private training. 

Fewer Classes

It is often the case that boxing gyms offer different kinds of memberships. One example is when people take individual classes, they can take one or two weekly classes. However, sometimes when people join group classes, they can enter as many classes as they like.

This means they ultimately put in more monthly hours than other fighters taking individual classes. One will have to finally weigh up the benefits and the disadvantages. It may be more beneficial to do more group classes per month than it is to instead do only a few individual classes.

As with all other considerations, this must be decided within every boxer’s specific context. 

Conclusion

The above pros and cons apply within a different context. It is not always applicable to different scenarios, and every boxer must ultimately decide on their own. The truth is that fighters can benefit from group and individual classes. In the end, if your heart is in the right place and you continue to work hard, you will achieve your goals.