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A broken nose can prevent you from finishing a match strongly. Outside of the ring, it can cause health issues that become long-term problems. Protect your nose from injury and boxing will be a pleasant experience. 

The Right Gloves

Switching to sparring gloves is the smartest thing you can do as a boxer. It provides natural nose protection while benefitting the body and head. With their extra padding, sparring gloves are the perfect cushion to prevent the need for rhinoplasty. They weigh less and typically take less punishment if you stick to a notable brand. Other than a few differences, sparring gloves are almost identical to traditional boxing gloves. 

Headgear

Wearing specialized headgear is an investment that every boxer should make. When sparring, serious injuries are common when equipment isn’t a consideration. Traditional headgear protects the forehead, ears, and cheeks. Specialized headgear with a nose bar takes it a step further by protecting one of the most sensitive areas of your face. The equipment is so foolproof that it is used in practice by boxers that already have broken noses. 

Tuck Your Chin

Tucking your chin is considered a good habit to prevent nose injuries. A high chin will put your nose in danger of a devastating hook. Many of the best knockouts in boxing happen when the fighter’s chin is up and exposed. Keep your chin tucked, and your nose becomes a harder target to hit. Making this a habit will prevent mental lapses in an intense training session or fight. 

Exchanging Has a Window

When an opponent’s defenses are lowered, you have to decide if striking will leave you vulnerable. During an exchange, a bloodied nose can happen as a result of being hungry on offense. Sometimes an opponent will let their guard drop to lure you into striking first. As you adjust to the counter, your nose becomes exposed in the worst way possible. Pick your striking moments carefully to prevent this from happening. 

Watch The Angle of Punches

Understanding movement on offense and defense takes practice. Sloppy punches can be just as damaging as clean hits. Bad angles on a punch can be somewhat neutralized with good reflexes. It turns a misaligned hit into a whiff and gives you a good opening for a counter. But if you fail to recognize the movement and type of punch being thrown, it will be a missed opportunity. In a worst-case scenario, that same sloppy punch will catch a piece of your nose. 

Practice

Practice smart, not hard. Good practice will teach or reacclimate you with the fundamentals of boxing. You’ll be able to protect your nose consistently without forgetting the basics. This is good advice for boxers that have yet to purchase specialized equipment to protect their nose. Use the downtime to get your training on track so that there is less risk of an injury. 

Be Smart

It’s impossible to avoid one-hundred percent of nose injuries while boxing. But you can do everything in your power to ensure nose injuries are a rarity. Protect your body parts, and boxing will always be an exciting way to test your skills.