Question 1

Do you run a dedicated boxing class?

Accepted Answer

Our current dedicated boxing session is Ladies Boxing on Wednesday at 20:00, coached by Laura. We'd rather be straight about that than advertise a full boxing programme we don't currently run. Boxing fundamentals — stance, hands, defence, footwork and combination work — also form a substantial part of our kickboxing and MMA classes, which are open to all adults. If a dedicated mixed boxing session is what you're after, tell us; demand genuinely does shape what we add to the timetable.

Question 2

Can men train boxing at One Mission?

Accepted Answer

Yes, through our kickboxing and MMA classes, where punching mechanics, defence and footwork are core material rather than an afterthought. The hands you learn in Beginners Kickboxing are boxing hands: the same stance, the same guard, the same jab and cross, the same slips and parries. What you additionally get is kicks and, in MMA, grappling. Message us with what you specifically want to work on and we'll point you at the sessions that suit rather than the ones that happen to be busiest.

Question 3

Is the ladies boxing class beginner friendly?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It's a women-only class coached by a woman, and the majority of the people in it started with no boxing experience at all. The session covers stance, guard, the full set of punches, defensive basics and pad work, with conditioning built into the rounds. It's a genuinely welcoming room — people talk to each other, nobody is competing for status, and coming alone is completely normal. Your first session is free, so you can find out whether it suits you without committing to anything.

Question 4

Do I need boxing gloves to start?

Accepted Answer

Not for a first session. Bring clean indoor trainers, comfortable training kit and plenty of water, and we'll cover the rest. If you continue, hand wraps and gloves are the first purchase — wraps protect the small bones and tendons in your hand and are worth getting used to early. Ask a coach about sizing before buying anything, because glove weight and fit vary a lot by brand and by what you're using them for. There's no need to spend a lot.

Question 5

Do you offer white-collar or competitive boxing?

Accepted Answer

We don't currently advertise a competitive boxing programme, and we'd rather say so than imply otherwise. What we do have is coaching staff who can teach boxing properly as a skill and as conditioning, within our striking classes and the ladies boxing session. If competition is your goal, speak to the coaching team directly about what you want to achieve and we'll give you an honest answer about what we can support in-house and what would be better pursued elsewhere.

Question 6

Is boxing good for self-defence?

Accepted Answer

Learning distance, timing, and how to keep your composure when someone is moving towards you is genuinely valuable, and boxing teaches those better than almost anything else. The honest caveat is that real confrontations frequently end up in a clinch or on the floor, which is where boxing alone runs out of answers. That's why we'd encourage anyone thinking about self-defence to add some grappling — even a couple of months of No-Gi BJJ changes how you handle being grabbed or taken down.

Boxing in Reading

What boxing training involves

What you'll learn

Beginner guidance

Boxing sessions this week

Who teaches this

Ubaid Mirza

Laura

Boxing questions

Related disciplines

Related guides

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