Short-Term Effects of a Structured Boxing Program on Technical Skill Acquisition in Novice Female Students

Background: Despite the increasing interest in combat sports within higher education, studies on technical skill acquisition among novice female students remains limited. This study examined the effects of a short-term structured boxing program on the acquisition and retention of fundamental technical skills, focusing on stance (S), straight punches (SP), hooks (H), and uppercuts (U) among novice female university students. Methods: Technical performance was assessed under static and dynamic conditions at baseline (T1), after four weeks of course (T2), and at a two-month follow-up (T3) using customized scoring system. Handgrip strength (HG) and countermovement jump (CMJ) were measured as exploratory neuromuscular outcomes. Results: Results showed significant improvements in all technical skills at T2 compared with T1, in both static and dynamic executions (p < 0.001). Straight punches showed higher composite scores than hooks and uppercuts, while static performance was superior to dynamic execution (p < 0.001). Compared with T2, T3 showed a partial decline in performance for each skill in both executions (p < 0.001) (Sstatic = -18%; SPstatic = -17%; Hstatic = -19%; Ustatic = -19%; Sdynamic = -22%; SPdynamic = -18%; Hdynamic = -19%; Udynamic = -21%), although T3 values generally remained above T1 baseline (Sstatic = +3%; SPstatic = +19%; Hstatic = +22%; Ustatic = +29%; Sdynamic = -7%; SPdynamic = +29%; Hdynamic = +29%; Udynamic = +31%). HG showed a significant time effect (p = 0.005), while CMJ did not change significantly. Conclusions: These findings indicate that a short-term structured boxing program can effectively improve the technical boxing skills in female beginners. This supports the inclusion of a boxing course in university sport science curricula to enhance technical, motor, and educational development.