Science & Effect

What does research say about therapeutic boxing?

Dr Stephanie Müller-Otto has been investigating the theory and practice of the effects of strategic boxing coaching and therapeutic boxing for over 10 years. Scientific studies have proven the effect of boxing therapy and boxing on three levels in particular.

Stress & mental health

Studies and reviews show that boxing training:

Stress reduced
can reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms
Promotes self-efficacy and emotional relief

The combination of physical activation and clearly guided structure appears to be particularly effective.

Trauma & body awareness

Evidence from boxing therapy without physical contact shows:

Improved body awareness
an increased sense of self-control and self-empowerment
and positive effects on well-being and cognitive and emotional processing

Movement, balance & neurology

Several studies report:

of improvements in balance and gait
increased mobility and coordination skills
good feasibility even with mental or neurological illnesses

The effects are not always clear, but they are relevant in practice.

Current meta-analyses show positive effects overall. The study situation is partly heterogeneous and further controlled studies are in progress. Research on therapeutic boxing has increased enormously in the last 5 years. Overall, however, it is clear that the quality and framing of the instruction are crucial in (therapeutic) boxing.

Therapeutic boxing therefore doesn't work magically - but when it's done professionally, in a measured way and in a controlled manner.
and used in a targeted manner.

Selected literature

Reviews

Bozdarov, J., Jones, B. D., Daskalakis, Z. J., & Husain, M. I. (2023). Boxing as an intervention in mental health: A scoping review. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 17(4), 589-600.

Molina, J. S., & Mahecha, S.(2024). Therapeutic Boxing: Narrative Review About Boxing as Therapeutic Tool. SVOA Orthopaedics, 4(4), 73-84. https://doi.org/10.58624/svoaor.2024.04.074

Römling, F., Brixius, K., Klier, K., & Petrowski, K. (2025). The Role of Boxing in Parkinson's Disease: Evidence, Benefits, and Future Directions. German Journal Of Sports Medicine, 76(2), 33-39. https://doi.org/10.5960/dzsm.2025.623

Wang, Z., Song, B., Liu, C., Ma, H., Bai, Z., Carneiro, M. A., ... & Wang, D. (2025). Effects of boxing exercise in people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 17, 1505326. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2025.1505326

Clinical studies / applied research

Ante, T. (2024). Therapeutic boxing. Psychosocial review, 39(3), 12-13.

Bozdarov, J., Jones, B. D., Umer, M., Blumberger, D. M., & Husain, I. M. (2025). Mindfulness-based (non-contact) boxing therapy (MBBT) for depression and anxiety: A feasibility study. PLoS One, 20(2), e0318364. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318364

Ersoy, C., & Iyigun, G. (2021). Boxing training in patients with stroke causes improvement of upper extremity, balance, and cognitive functions but should it be applied as virtual or real?. Topics in stroke rehabilitation, 28(2), 112-126. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749357.2020.1783918

Horbinski, C., Zumpf, K. B., McCortney, K., & Eoannou, D. (2021). Longitudinal observational study of boxing therapy in Parkinson's disease, including adverse impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown. BMC neurology, 21(1), 326. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-021-02359-6

Lyon, D., Owen, S., Osborne, M., Blake, K., & Andrades, B. (2020). Left/Write//Hook: A mixed method study of a writing and boxing workshop for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. International Journal of Wellbeing, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v10i5.1505