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Don't Make Training Process Difficult

Boxing is hard enough. Don't make the training process harder than it has to be. In fact, try to make it as easy and convenient as possible. With an easy and convenient training process, training will occur more often, will be more consistent over the long term, and is more in line with what motivates people in general, and boxers, specifically. The training process should be based on a system of creating a routine, and should utilize planned training, and time management skills. Making your diet easy is also an important factor by letting you focus on boxing not dieting, scheduling meals to avoid cravings, and proactively eating to create a healthy athlete and not just a boxer that is sometimes healthy.

Making the training process easier will make you a better boxer. A quick look around shows that things that are easy and convenient are done more often, and things that are done more often are done better, faster, and more efficiently. Making things easier also means that you will do them for a longer period of time. How much of a better boxer will you be after training more often, longer, and more efficiently --all because you set up the training process to be easier?

An easy training process becomes easier with a system. Make training a routine by training at a specific time of the day (cue), having pre-planned activities set (routine), and treating yourself to proper rest and a healthy meal (reward). Plan your training the night before or even at the start of the week so that you know exactly what you must do, when, and how. This is especially important when it comes to sparring so that certain skills are focused on with the sparring partner who will test you on those skills. Also, utilize time management so that you can balance your day and week with training, work, and family life. Most fighters, especially in the beginning, suffer unnecessarily by not having time management skills. Scheduling your day hour by hour may seem dry and boring, but it allows you to get so much more done with less stress.

Making your diet easier will make your training process easier and more convenient. Making your eating style a proactive one by focusing on what to eat instead of what not to eat creates less stress, less overeating, and helps you keep in shape in between fights. There is no reason why a professional boxer should look like a chubby first-baseman between fights. Learning how to eat properly and making it a habit, not a forced sacrifice, will allow you to focus on increasing your boxing skills. Scheduling your meals the night or even the week before allows you to take the thinking out of your eating choices, have healthy food available and ready when cravings occur, and have the food you need available when you need it. As a result, being in good shape and health becomes who you are and not some temporary thing you do.

Lack of Blog Posts

Boxing Fanatics,

I can give you some sorry excuse for not writing any blog posts recently. But I won't. I'll start again next week. Or maybe I won't. We'll see. In the meantime, keep your guard up, chin tucked in, and legs steady. Or fight like Ricardo Mayorga would. It's your choice.

The Jab 101

The jab is the most important punch in boxing. Three important factors include proper form, use as an offense tool, and use as defense. The proper form includes keeping both hands held high, stepping with the jab on the ball of the foot, keeping the shoulder level and the chin tucked in and down, and turning the fist to the 4 o’clock position at the last moment. The effective use of the jab for offense controls the opponent, sets up the opponent for power punches and combos, and measures the distance of the opponent for accurate distance and power. The boxer’s effective use of the jab as a defensive tool keeps the opponent off balance, disrupts his timing, and keeps him at a distance if he becomes hurt.

The key to delivering the most effective jab is proper form. A boxer must keep his hands high and ready to throw a jab rather than deliver the jab from his waist which takes more time and loses the snap. The boxer steps with the lead foot, landing on the ball of the foot so that the step is smoother and faster – in line with the punch. The chin should be tucked under the lead shoulder to protect from the counter punch over the jab. The last split second, however, is the key, when the jab turns inward to the 4 o’clock position. That last split second, if done correctly, gives the jab the majority of its power and snap. Boxing commentators, trainers, and fans constantly gripe about the lack of boxers with great jabs. A return to basics will help with that.

The jab is the boxer’s most effective offensive tool. Using a strong consistent jab puts the boxer in control of the opponent by putting the opponent where the boxer wants him. Nothing is as frustrating as being constantly hit by a jab and being unable to hit back. That fact has caused many boxers, even great ones, to quit . (see Roberto Duran v. Leonard II) The boxer then sets up the opponent for power punches and combos by placing the boxer where he wants him. At the same time, the boxer is measuring the distance of the opponent with the jab so that the power punches and combos land with the best leverage and power.

Using the jab for defense is almost forgotten. The boxer’s jab keeps the opponent off balance by snapping the opponent’s head back and having to constantly change footing and position. The jab should be constantly thrown and is most effective when the opponent steps. Once off balance, the opponent then loses his ability to time the boxer and finds it more difficult, if not impossible, to land a clean strong punch. (see Winky Wright schooling Felix Trinidad with the jab) If hurt, boxer reverts either to going toe-to-toe, running around the ring, or taking a knee, when using a double jab and feints would have been more effective. So practice, focus, and repeat the perfect jab until you get it right. Doing so will always pay off.

Yoga For Boxers?

Boxers and Trainers,

There is more to yoga than stretch pants, unusual poses, and overpriced yoga mats. Doing yoga is a must for a boxer that wants to become a complete and fully-functioning athlete. Take away the mysticism, spirituality,andincense and what you have is a complete and demanding regimen of stretching exercises that should be a part of your training schedule.

A boxer becomes a complete athlete with the help of yoga exercises. The stretches, especially for someone new to yoga, shocks under-used muscles, tendons, and nerves to life. It creates flexibility and the ability to move in a new, more fluid way. And don't let the slow movement and breathing fool you--even the softer forms of yoga are difficult and strenuous on the whole body. And regardless of how experienced one becomes at yoga, there are always new positions to learn and use.

Waking up those nerves, tendons, and muscles makes the boxer stronger by putting the whole body fully into play. Only when you awaken those body parts are you able to use them 100% for more power, speed, strength and flexibility. Recovery time from injury and damage to the body is also shortened because more of the body is being used to help itself recover. Yoga should be done daily so that you will be able to train harder and longer. Yoga should be done when you wake up, before workout, and after the workout with other cool-down exercises.

Yoga also has the added benefit of helping digestion and weight management. Forget about sitting in a sauna to sweat out those extra couple of pounds before a fight -- there are few things that can make you run to the bathroom faster than the reverse triangle position! The twisting and stretching motions of yoga help blood flow and help you work up a sweat. Just ditch the yoga pants. You never know who's watching.

Opinion of the Week

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is strong, has very good power, very good balance, and proved that he can handle a slick southpaw like Austin Trout. What he lacks, however, is a consistent jab, body shots, and the ability to cut off the ring. If Canelo can gain those skills soon, he will be a long-term champion. If not, he will go the way of other hard-punchers who lacked basic skills, such as Nigel Benn, Razor Ruddock, and Omar Sheika.

The Fear Of Losing

The fear of losing is the worst opponent a fighter can ever meet.  It's the only opponent a fighter should ever avoid. I’m not talking about nervousness, anxiety, or weak knees when taking on a tough opponent at a big event. No, that’s normal and in some ways will always be with the fighter. The fear of losing, however, can take away a fighter's will, potential, and promise and, more often than not, he'll never get it back.

A really good boxer I trained with, let’s call him Perry Greene, had a ton of potential but let the fear of losing get the best of him.  In the gym, in the amateurs, and in his early pro fights, he was the one to watch. As he progressed through the pro ranks, however, he started to hold back his talent. You couldn’t really put your finger on it—he was throwing a lot of jabs, power punches, good movement, but there was something missing. Something was wrong. As soon as he got more attention from the press and fans, whatever it was that was missing, was gone for good. Fighters that he should beat easily, he would struggle with. Fighters that he would hurt badly, he would let survive. What was going on? Why wouldn’t he finish off and beat easier competition? Was he afraid that with showing his true potential people would expect more? In fact, people did expect more from him in each fight.

His father may have been the main issue. His father was a perfectionist who expected nothing but excellence from his son. Being very good wasn’t enough. Perry had to be perfect. After a particular disappointing win at the Great Western Forum, Perry’s father was giving him a verbal beat-down for not knocking his opponent out in the four-round fight. I even saw his father actually smack his son outside of the gym once or twice for not dominating a sparring partner. The father’s arguments with Perry's trainer were a common occurrence.

Now I’m no psychiatrist, but seemed to me that Perry was afraid – terrified even, of disappointing his father. Little by little that fear started overtaking him, and instead of motivating him, started to take away his will, talent, and potential. It’s been said that a little fear is a good thing—it keeps you sharp, focused, and ready. But if a fighter is afraid of losing, he has already lost. Fighting like that is like playing poker with scared money. It’s just a matter of time before you lose all your chips.