I’ve always been interested in the debate over whether boxing is a martial art. Strong opinions on both sides of the argument have muddied the waters and made it difficult to come to a conclusion either way.
So, is boxing considered a martial art? Actually, boxing can be considered a martial art. It meets the four criteria required for a fighting style to be labeled a martial art, and can, therefore, be grouped with karate, kung fu, taekwondo, and other more “traditional” martial arts.
But there are some people who strongly believe boxing isn’t a martial art. To understand where their opinion is coming from, we need the answer to the question “What actually is a martial art?”
What is a martial art?
Martial arts have four distinct characteristics that separate them from other forms of fighting.
One of these characteristics is the word “martial.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “martial” as “of, relating to, or suited for war or a warrior.” For a fighting style to be considered a martial art, it needs to be able to be used in a warlike setting.
While some stricter interpretations of the term “warlike setting” require that the fighting style be used for actual war, I believe it applies to any life-or-death combat situation. So the “martial” requirement in a martial art is met by self-defense and law enforcement applications as well.
A martial art also needs to have a codified system of combat practices. The techniques involved in the fighting style needs to be able to be written down and explained in a systematic way. If the mode of fighting is random or can’t be explained in a step-by-step fashion, it is not a martial art.
The third necessary characteristic of a martial art is that it enables the practitioner’s mental and spiritual development. If a particular fighting style does help you develop mental fortitude and a sense of spiritual fulfillment while you learn the fighting style, it is not a martial art.
The fourth feature of a martial art is that it preserves some kind of culture or heritage. There needs to be a historical tradition behind a fighting style for it to be considered a martial art.
Why boxing is a martial art – the four criteria of a martial art
Boxing can be considered a martial art because it meets all of the aforementioned criteria.
It can be used in a warlike setting
First of all, boxing can be used in a warlike setting. If your life is being threatened, and you have no weapon, putting your hands up and using boxing techniques is a viable way to defend yourself and save your life. There is also precedence for boxing being used in an actual war setting. The Romans, when stripped of their swords and shields, would resort to numerous fighting techniques to defend themselves. Boxing was one of these techniques.
It can be codified into a written system
Next, boxing techniques can be codified into a written system. The different kinds of jabs, hooks, crosses, and uppercuts ‒ and the combinations of each that make up an attack ‒ can be logically explained in a step-by-step fashion. You could technically learn how to box from a textbook ‒ though you probably wouldn’t be very good if you did.
It aids in mental and spiritual development
Third, someone who learns how to box will inevitably build up a well of mental fortitude. The rigor and repetitiveness of an effective training program require an ironclad will, and even the strongest of wills have their basis in mental resilience.
The physical pain that comes with boxing is also an indicator of the mental development boxers go through. Any boxer will tell you that their ability to tolerate and work through pain has increased as they spend more time boxing. This higher tolerance for pain is another sign that boxing aids in mental development, at least with regard to the mind’s ability to withstand serious discomfort.
It’s also likely they develop a core of what could be described as spiritual fulfillment. Most spiritual practices emphasize the importance of being in the present moment, and a boxer needs to be fully in the present moment to have any hope of defeating their opponent. Boxing is a game of milliseconds and lightning-fast reactions. If the entirety of your consciousness is not fully in the moment and focusing entirely on the fight, there will be severe physical consequences.
It preserves history and culture
Finally, boxing also preserves a definite history and culture.
- Records of boxing date as far back as the 3rd millennium BC. We know this because archaeologists uncovered a Sumerian painting that depicts two people fighting with their fists.
- It’s been an integral part of the Olympic games since 688 BC when the ancient Greeks incorporated it into their competition.
- It was also an important part of Roman culture, as it was often used in amphitheaters as a way to entertain the crowds.
- The current form of boxing preserves the tradition started by in 1867 by the Marquess of Queensberry Rules.
Why some people consider boxing not a martial art
While the previous section makes a compelling argument that boxing is a martial art, there are other opinions that say it isn’t a martial art.
It’s not truly “martial”
One reason boxing isn’t a martial art is that it’s too controlled to truly be considered “martial”. There are a number of rules that control how boxers must fight (no kicking, no takedowns no headbutts, biting, only punch above the waist, must wear gloves), and these rules would not hold up in a life-or-death setting.
If you were truly fighting for your life, you wouldn’t concern yourself with holding to trivial rules that dictate how you can use your body to save yourself. You would do whatever you can, even if those actions were outside the realm of what would be considered boxing.
Another reason some take issue with its classification as a martial art is the purpose for which it’s used. Boxing is first and foremost geared toward friendly competition. If you’re interested in self-defense or warzone combat, you’re not going to learn how to box. Almost everyone who learns how to box wants to compete in controlled boxing matches. This competition-focused purpose does not mesh well with the “martial” part of martial arts.
It’s not spiritual enough
While I discussed how boxing and spirituality go together in the previous section, many would say that the connection isn’t strong enough for boxing to truly be considered a spiritual practice. Merriam-Webster defines “spiritual” as “of or relating to sacred matters.” There is no such focus on “sacred matters” in boxing.
The goal of boxing is to knock out your opponent out while avoiding getting knocked out yourself. The presence of mindfulness or other states that could be perceived as spiritual are merely byproducts of attempting to knock out your opponent. There is no spiritual intention in them, and so boxing is not a martial art if you look at spirituality from this perspective.
Related questions
Is boxing the first martial art?
Even if you consider boxing to be a martial art, there is historical evidence that it is not the first. Chinese martial arts, which began more than 4000 with the Xin Dynasty, predate it by a considerable amount of time.
Can you mix boxing with other martial arts?
Yes. Many of the world’s best MMA fighters, including BJ Penn and Junior Dos Santos, use boxing as well as other martial arts techniques to dominate their opponents and win titles.
Do any other martial arts incorporate elements of boxing?
Yes. Modern Muay Thai practitioners incorporate all of the traditional western boxing punches into their practice and fighting style.
I agree boxing is a Martial Art because it can be used in a warlike setting. Like you can use boxing to defend yourself in a fight.
uh i don’t know i think no because boxing is more violance and more with strength
I’d politely disagree. Boxing is a chess game, I have seen multiple times the smarter fighter has beaten the stronger one. case point: Jersey Joe Walcott’s career, Ali vs. Foreman- Heck about any Ali big billed fight. Holyfield etc… Intelligence, conditioning and Work Ethic tend to beat Brawn every single time in the ring
Also Boxing is very effective in street brawling, you instinctively know how to move defensively, allowing for selective engagement and firing with maximum effect. Also I’ve never followed the rules of the ring on the street. If I knock you down? I’m stomping on your face. Hell, I’ll even use my knees to knock your balls to your throat given the chance. The conditioning normally allows you to outlast your opponent. The weak link is lack of ground game, and no real training to protect your legs.
Dimitar, nice question you try to discuss. My thought is that it all depends on your objective when you train our teach. I think it is more of a personal journey instead of the practice per se. I started learning boxing when I was 3. My father was a street boxer, but a very traditional boxing style, no dirty tricks, just good old boxing. He taught me gentlemen and very traditional rules which I followed without changing. I learned boxing for self defense and used it effectively many times. It was the fighting style available. There was no wrestling, karate or jujitsu, only boxing, knife fencing and stick fencing, nothing else. Boxing was never a sport for me, only now that I am old I still do it, but for health and fitness. The reasons I do it have changed, but not because of that boxing in itself changed. My objective changed. For me it was a way to feel secure, to feel empowered, to have self-confidence. Boxing in itself represented a journey into making a better me. This journey and way of life that boxing gave me is what I think really makes a martial art. The “Do” of modern martial arts means the way. Today we can look at this as a way of life. After the samurai age most fighting systems in Japan changed from “jitsu” to “do” to reflect this kind of thinking, i.e. Aikijutsu to aikido, etc.
So I think this question can be answered saying that it all depends on the reasons and the objective you learn a fighting system, sport or martial art. I know many Karateka that do not do the martial art. Instead the practice the sport of karate, not Karate-do. Is karate a sport or a martial art. Every body would agree it is a martial art, but I think it would depend on the approach of the instructor and the student. Same goes with boxing. It is a martial art or a sport depending on the approach that the couch and the student have towards boxing, In all my years of training most of the coaches I have practiced with have taught me the sport, but there is no doubt my father and maybe a couple of other couches taught me “the way of boxing” as a life style, a self defense method, a way of thinking and a way to preserve cultural traits of my South American homeland (where English boxing was embraced as a self defense and sport) in the world of boxing.
For a fighting system, a sport or what we traditionally call a martial art to be considered such it not only has to comply with those criteria you mention, but it also depends on how the practitioner and the teacher look at it.
PD-Great blog, love the articles. Keep it up!