Patient Punch

A time where I have had to be extra patient, even though it is really difficult, is when I spar at the boxing gym that I go to. Patience is one of the essential skills to have in boxing. If you can’t be patient in a boxing ring, then it becomes extremely difficult to box. The second you step foot into a ring to spar for the first time, headgear on, gloves heavy, you forget nearly everything you’ve ever known about the sport. It is extremely important that you do not let your emotions override your patience. In the ring there are major consequences to how you react.

From experience, I can tell you that being impatient in the ring, channeling your energy into anger, and throwing heavy shots at your opponent does not benefit you in the long run. For example, in my very first spar, I was extremely nervous as my partner was far more experienced than I was. During the spar I kept getting impatient because I couldn’t land a shot on my opponent, so I started to get mad. When I got mad, started swinging harder, on one of my throws, I missed which caused me to get caught on the temple by a right straight, which wobbled me.Trust me, you do not want to experience the feeling of being wobbled while your opponent still has a bunch of stamina.

That experience taught me that the more patient and calm you stay in or out of the ring, the more successful you will be. Boxing isn’t a joke, one slips up and you could have a life-altering injury, or worse, and sparring isn’t a real fight, so you shouldn’t be throwing power punches. As I progressed as a boxer, I started to be more and more careful as I realized the gravity of sparring as your skill improves. When I finally got my patience under control, it felt extremely rewarding. I began to notice that I was learning to stay patient and not act irrationally, which is something that can translate into other situations outside of the ring. I believe that everyone should improve how patient they are as their image can benefit from it.

Patience is the strength a person can possess to be able to stay calm and reasonable even when faced with conflict. Being patient shows mental and emotional maturity and tolerance in high-stress situations. If you can stay calm when you face any level of inconvenience, it speaks a lot for your maturity as a person. If you can’t be patient in life and you react negatively to every minor inconvenience, then people would most likely see you as emotionally immature. They will also think that you can’t handle stressful situations, whether it’s a coworker, boss, friend, partner, or anyone important to you. In today’s society, patience isn’t as common as it should be, as people are becoming more and more impatient.

Life can be stressful, and in order to find yourself successful, you need to remain patient as often as possible. If you portray yourself as an impatient person, chances are that you won’t feel satisfied even after handling a stressful situation. If you let things get to you in real life, then you most likely won’t be very happy throughout life as life can end up being very stressful. Therefore, when you eventually get your patience under control, you will be seen as mentally and emotionally mature in other people’s eyes.

“Boxing Ring” by CarlosPacheco is licensed under CC BY 2.0.