The Glowing Edge

Tag: goals

  • How Many Rounds Does it Take to Shake Off Ring Rust?

    How Many Rounds Does it Take to Shake Off Ring Rust?

    I lost my most consistent sparring partner to 6 months of overseas travel this year, and while I got rounds here and there when I could, there’s nothing like sparring two days a week, every week, to keep you in boxing shape. NO amount of conditioning (running, weights, etc.) can make up for straight-up ring time.

    So I was looking pretty sorry when she finally got back to the States, and was thankful (in a sick and twisted way) that Yvonne had not been sparring every week while she was gone, keeping in ring shape while I wasted away.

    A tiny bit of good news, if you’ve been out of the ring…

    Minor segue: I’m pretty sure boxing is at least a little bit like riding a bike. If you’ve been doing it a while, then you are out for a few years, it’s not nearly as difficult getting back in the ring as it would be if you were stepping into the sport for the very first time. Some stuff sticks with you. This is pure speculation on my part, but it’s 100% true, hah.

    Anyway, when Yvonne and I got back to the gym together after half a year, we were eager to test out our sparring.

    How sparring looks, after several months out

    One word: ragged.

    Okay, more words: rusty, sloppy, wild, uncontrolled, messy.

    Since I have weight on Yvonne, it’s particularly important for me to control my punches during our sessions, although having been a pro fighter for more than a decade, she can certainly take a punch. But if I’m doing good work, she shouldn’t have to feel all of it.

    Sigh. It was ugly. I couldn’t control my shots, wasn’t relaxed, and felt cardboard-y and frustrated. Intensely happy to be back to regular sparring, but annoyed at how ugly my work was.

    We slogged through the rounds anyway, knowing that the only way through the slop was… through the slop.

    Set your round goal and start low

    My goal was to get five rounds of good sparring every time I got in the ring, no matter what. So on our first day back the two of us set the round timer to 2-minute rounds with 30-second rests.

    We wheezed and groaned our way through and were damned happy to quit. Who knew two minutes could be so excruciatingly long?

    Well, we did. And we had suspected as much.

    Other things that help

    Other than having an experienced, trustworthy sparring partner, there’s not a damn thing that truly helps, that first time back sparring. Maybe not the first two times. But I found that one thing that did start helping was moving back to some basics.

    After getting in the first time, I decided I needed to work in three places:

    • Keeping my feet moving
    • Punching in combinations (rather than one or two shots at a time)
    • Slipping

    Sounds basic, no?

    Keeping your feet moving has to do with conditioning, and this kind only comes with training with sprints, agility dots and ladder drills, and, well…sparring. So I started doing some dot exercises when I could, and adding intervals on the bike during non-boxing days.

    For me, punching in combos comes back in when I practice in slow motion. Which NO ONE wants to do in the gym, because you feel like an utter ass when you’re doing it. But I tried to slow down during shadowboxing and think/move my way through combos, rather than delivering one or two punches at a time.

    This actually helps with slipping, too, because if you throw a one (jab), followed by a power two, you’re in position and weighted to throw a hook. You’re already shifted to the side. Voila, slip.

    In fact many of your shots go from one side of your body to the other in a rocking rhythm, and the boxing becomes  a kind of (in my case, sort of ungainly) dancing.

    The problem for me with slipping is simply that Yvonne’s shots are very (very) fast. She punches faster than I can see or anticipate. BUT, when you have this situation, you slip anyway, and sometimes you deflect the blow slightly, which is still a positive outcome.

    The magic moment

    After our first time sparring, we moved back to three-minute rounds (holy shit that was grueling). We sweated and struggled our way through a total of 20 solid (and by “solid” I mean we worked our asses off) rounds.

    And on our fifth time back — round 21 was suddenly golden. We floated through our five that day like dandelion seeds on the wind. Violent and mean-ass dandelion seeds, dammit!

    We both marveled at the difference. For me, it was primarily about feeling relaxed. I was relaxed, loose, and comfortable in the ring. It was awesome.

    20 rounds, Jack. It took us 20 to get back.

    That’s just four sparring days, y’all. That is do-able. So next time you’re feeling all “there’s no way I can get back in the ring,” remember that it may only take you about 20 rounds to get to golden.

    Warning

    After our golden-rounds-with-badass-mermaids-singing session, we were sparring for the first time with our team again, in front of our coach.

    It was a mix of clunky and golden. I was more tense, trying harder to please, and working more rounds, too. So it wasn’t all roses, but I was intensely thankful that Coach Massey hadn’t seen me for the first 20 rounds.

    Now you

    Everybody has seasons out of their sport. Leave me a comment below and tell me how long it took you to shake off the rust and get back in the golden groove. What tricks did you use? Were there any shortcuts? Did you have any “ah-ha” or “oh-fuck-no” moments? Spill.

    Photo Credit: Marco Crupi Visual Artist via Compfight cc

  • Interview with Catherine J. Howard

    Interview with Catherine J. Howard

    Catherine Howard doesn’t sit still very often. Her love for traveling keeps her from settling down in one place, and she’s about to head off on a 13-country art collective journey, but for a few weeks now the two of us have been training together in boxing.

    These few weeks have been her very first experience in the sport, but in high school her best friend, Joshua Tufte, trained intensively in kickboxing. He went on to become a professional boxer, and is currently blazing through the competition on an undefeated streak of 10 wins and no losses. Inspired by her friend and the timing of an invitation to train together with me and another woman new to boxing, Catherine decided she just might try to surprise Josh one day by showing off her own powerful body shots, or a quick couple of stinging jabs…

    I’ve enjoyed watching Catherine soak up boxing. She showed up the first day pretty fit, but has learned a whole different kind of fitness in taking on this crazy sport. She also was almost immediately interested in sparring, and just recently had her first experience in the ring. She’s fiercely energetic, and woe to anything that gets in her way.

    I wanted to capture some of her story while it was brand new and still fresh for her, and she graciously agreed to be interviewed…

    What sort of responses did you encounter when you first started boxing?

    My parents and my partner have all been very supportive. They all just smiled knowingly — “Ah, of course you are doing that.” The only voices of dissent have been from friends who see me as too sweet. (They haven’t seen my jab yet.)

    Share a little about how you are training right now.

    In the past, I’ve trained for a marathon, taught both yoga and pilates, and completed multiple rounds of p90x. However, I find the most satisfaction from workouts that stress my entire body for a functional task. That is why I particularly enjoy the killer Beachbody Asylum routine. It’s designed specifically for athletes to become better athletes by focusing on agility, speed, and plyometrics.

    My current schedule is

    Mon: Asylum and shadowboxing on my front porch

    Tues: Asylum and shadowboxing

    Wed: Sparring with Lisa

    Thurs: Asylum

    Fri: Asylum and shadowboxing

    Sat: AM Boxing technique training with Lisa, PM Pullups and core

    Sun: Bikram yoga

    You just had your first sparring experience! Tell us about it. 

    First, I made the mistake of watching a series of pro women boxing fights the night before, and in the final bout, a girl who was obviously outmatched had her nose broken in the first round. A good way to give myself the jitters. To cope, I arrived at the gym 30 minutes early to run sprints on the treadmill. I was still talkative and jittery, but I was slightly more at ease in my skin with the endorphins raging.

    Once we warmed up and I stepped into the ring, the nerves disappeared. I was there to learn, and I knew that I was going to be terrible, and that was perfectly okay. And I was terrible. And it was okay.

    My cardio gave out much more quickly than I had anticipated. Anaerobic exercise is no joke. But because I am already decently fit, I was able to jump back in after a few rounds and go again. I was slow and awkward, but the experience of working offensively and defensively simultaneously was exactly what I needed to understand if I was going to continue shadowboxing and working with pads. I needed to know how punches would be thrown, what an experience with a live opponent feels like. If I had continued training just in technique, I have every expectation that I would have given up, either out of anxiety or sheer boredom.

    I left the ring feeling more determined than ever.  I am going to figure this out.  I am going to be good at this.  Not because I am especially talented.  I am just, like with everything else in my life, doggedly stubborn.

    Were there any “ah-ha”s or “oh, no”s that you can share?

    After working in the ring, all of a sudden the footwork and punches started to work together. The full-body nature of boxing clicked, and that is what I will be focusing on as I continue working on my own.

    My “oh, no” came when realizing how much energy I was losing by automatically tensing my whole body when the punches started flying.  Have to focus on maintaining a calm stream of breath so that I don’t burn out after two rounds. Yoga is a good compliment to boxing for this very reason!

    Got any advice for someone thinking about taking up boxing?

    Don’t be afraid. Your body can handle anything. All you have to do is remind your body (through exercise, meditation, and nutrition) every day of how it should be reacting – with speed, with confidence, with power.

    Find someone who is patient and willing to teach you the techniques. And then, always respect their time and expertise. Always arrive early. Always put in 500% more work outside of the gym than you do inside the gym.  Never allow them to regret their decision to help you for even a second.

    What are your goals, now that you’ve sparred for the first time? Why do you want to box?

    Catherine and Josh Tufte. This guy better watch out!

    One of my goals for my boxing training is to be able to surprise Mr. Tufte with a powerful body shot. And then laugh at him.

    More seriously though, I want to box. Boxing is what I have been seeking; I bound out of bed, excited for my workouts. I want to train with focus, to continue sparring, to build my speed and power so that I can go toe-to-toe with boxers much more experienced than myself.

    I want to box because I feel more confident in my own skin after just three weeks of boxing than I have felt in my entire life.

    What is something you already love about boxing?

    I love the seamless integration of strategic planning and instinct. I love feeling strong. I love feeling connected to all parts of my body.  I love the experience of connecting to another human being as equal opponents.

    What’s your biggest fear related to boxing?

    Giving up.

    What do you feel like you’re missing in boxing right now?

    The confidence that comes with trained muscle memory. That’s why I box on my own every day. Muscles just need to know how to move reflexively rather than consciously.  All that requires is time and dedication.

    What phrases are starting to come up on your “Boxing Manifesto”?

    • Stop. Clenching. Your. Shoulders. BREATHE!
    • Always approach your opponent with grace and respect.
    • Do it again. And again. And again. Until your arms literally fall off. If they are still miraculously attached to your shoulders, then do it again.

    I know you’re new to this, but have you begun to see ways that boxing relates to life, in your experience?

    As creative individuals (artists, musicians, writers, teachers, thinkers, doers), opportunities come barreling our way all the time. We watch those opportunities approaching as we shift our weight in our shoes in anticipation.  Feeling the ground underneath us, shaking our arms to loosen our shoulders, gnawing on our mouthguards. Once the bell rings, if we allow our creative selves to spring into action, and allow our creative instincts to autopilot, then we will find ourselves capable of more than we ever imagined.

    You can follow Catherine’s 13/13/13 Sketchbook project on Facebook and Twitter, or on her website.

    I hope you’ll leave a comment below and ask Catherine your questions, or just offer her your cheers and encouragement!  — Lisa

  • First Time Sparring: Last Minute Advice

    First Time Sparring: Last Minute Advice

    You’ve done your heavy bag work, your partner drills, pads, and roadwork. Now you’re getting your chance in the boxing ring. It’s going to be your first time sparring and when you’re not thinking about puking, you’re stoked.

    And a thousand questions are running through your head. How hard should you hit? How many rounds can you go? Will you suck? Will you embarrass yourself? Will all your hard training pay off? Will you be able to take a hit and keep going?

    Congrats on a huge milestone in your training. Sparring is the holy grail of boxing; it’s even better than a fight, since you get to do so much more of it. Here are a couple of articles I’ve already written that may be useful to you:

    What You Should Know Before You Spar

    What to Expect the First Time You Spar in Boxing

    So. Last minute words of advice? You bet.

    1. It’s not about how hard you punch.

    Remember, if you hurt your sparring partner, you don’t have a sparring partner any more. First time boxers tend to let their fear power their shots; do what you can to calm yourself before ringtime so that you don’t drain your energy with nerves and so that you don’t throw hard and wild.

    2. Gloves up, chin down, elbows in. Keep a jab going.

    If you can do nothing else, do these four things. The first three keep you from getting hurt, and the jab should keep you working on some kind of offense. Jabs and straight rights are enough for your first time sparring. Don’t sweat it if that’s all you can remember to do.

    If you can remember all this and still have room to think and work, then keep your head and feet moving so you don’t eat every punch that’s thrown. (But that’s advanced.)

    3. Tell your partner it’s your first time sparring.

    Your trainer should let you go in with someone much more experienced than you, so that your partner can evade your wild stuff and bring the game to your level so you can get good work.

    Unfortunately, not all gyms are so careful. In that case, here’s what you do…

    4. Set the bar — go in punching with about half your power.

    That should elicit a response that is at about the same level.

    If your partner ignores your “bar” — i.e., the level of power you’ve set — then you can either tell them to turn down their heat OR you simply return the power. Careful here, this is how inexperienced people get hurt.

    5. Decide how many rounds you’ll go in advance.

    If you regularly train on the heavy bag and have no problem making it through six rounds in a row, you can most likely make 3 decent rounds in the ring.

    If you’ve been doing Tabata workouts (I like mine with 40 seconds of ultra-intense exercise — like a sprint — with 20 seconds of rest, 4 times in a row) three times a week, you’ll have the sprint capacity you’ll need for 3 rounds.

    Some people say if you can run a 5k in less than 30 minutes you’ll be able to go 3 rounds — NOT the case at all!

    What you need is anaerobic conditioning, not aerobic conditioning. This means your body has to perform without enough oxygen. So measure yourself with sprints or hard 3 minute rounds of any exercise where you go all out, then recover 30 seconds, then go all out again.

    For your first time sparring, don’t go over your round limit because you’ll be boxing exhausted and you are more likely to get injured.

     6. Be willing to roll out after one or two rounds, if needed.

    Be friendly, thank your opponent, but avoid injury! Injuries suck, because they keep you out of the ring. Ring time is the holy grail! And you can always wait out a few rounds and roll back in.

    7. Pace yourself.

    If you come out guns blazing, you aren’t going to make it to the end of your first round. If you throw several flurries in a row, you’re gonna get gassed.

    Throw singles, doubles, flurries (if you can), and intersperse them with some defense and good footwork. This is really important because you don’t yet have a sense of how much energy sparring will suck out of you.

    Later (not your first time sparring!) when you’re practicing, include 30 second sprints at the end of every round. My current sparring partner and I go toe-to-toe for inside fighting at the 30-second bell at the end of every round. This helps us build capacity for 30 seconds worth of flurry work. You can also do it in shadow boxing or bag work by using the last 30 seconds of every round for one-two punching as fast as you can until the bell rings. Killer.

     8. Fight till the bell rings.

    This is crucial. You really do want to try and make it to the bell, no matter what. Train that way, think that way, fight that way. This is the sport we’re in, and finishing the round is a major indicator of your ability to make it in the sport. Unless you have an injury, fight till the bell rings.

    9. Final word: It’s normal to be afraid. Fight anyway.

    Everybody’s scared. I’ve been doing this for years and I still get gut churn when I’m sparring with someone new. It doesn’t take a hero to fight when you’re not scared; the real champion is somebody who will be terrified but roll under those ropes and get to work anyway.

     Congrats on your first time sparring! I hope you’ll report back here (or email me at Lisa [at] The Glowing Edge [dot] com) and let me know how it goes for you, whether any of this advice was useful, and what lessons and advice you have to share as well.

    And a huge thanks goes out to Michael Smith, a new boxer who emailed me to let me know he was about to have his first sparring session and got me started thinking about this again. Be sure to check out his boxing blog over at The Road to Pugilism. Kick ass, Michael!

    Creative Commons image by Fabio Macòr on Flickr

  • Women Have ALREADY Accomplished Olympic Boxing Goals

    Women Have ALREADY Accomplished Olympic Boxing Goals

    I’m still reeling from the sheer pleasure of watching 17-year-old Claressa Shields (USA, pictured above) light up London’s Olympic boxing ring in her semifinal bout against Sweden’s Anna Laurell. The two were 12-12 after three rounds, and I’d love to know what happened in Claressa’s brain and body that caused her to launch into high gear and take down the very worthy Laurell with a blur of blistering punches in the fourth.

    To see that fight was to absolutely fall in love all over again with women’s boxing.

    My hope for the women’s Olympic boxing this year was that we would raise awareness (“Hey, women can box!”) and respect (“Hey, women can box really well!”), and finally get some long-deserved media coverage and attention.

    I believe we’ve already achieved those goals, and more besides. And the games aren’t even over!

    My own journey into boxing

    I never even knew there were women who boxed until five years ago, when I stumbled into a local LA Boxing on a friend’s recommendation. Even then, I was boxing for fitness, and only ventured into the ring when I realized it was an avenue open — and in my case, positively welcoming — to me. For that I repeatedly thank my very first trainer, pro fighter and world champion Bonnie Mann. Not everybody has someone of that caliber to welcome them into the ring.

    As I began to find my feet in boxing, I searched online for boxing friends, news, and reports about women’s fights, and was shocked at the lack of coverage and overall low media interest. Although I found WBAN right away, it seemed crazy to me that my little blog was one of the few places publishing regularly about the journey into women’s boxing.

    It took years, but the small blogroll you see on my site is the full list of people and places I’ve come across that are writing primarily about women’s boxing. Short list, but great people.

    And there are even more people supporting women’s boxing via Facebook. I only opened a Facebook page for The Glowing Edge eight months ago (please click over and gimme a “Like!”), and I’m just now starting to discover those boxers, trainers, fans, filmmakers, writers, and others who simply love women’s boxing and are helping keep the conversation and cheers going.

    And now the Olympics

    All these years women have waited to be allowed into the Olympic ring, and now look at us! I wanted so much for us — and by us I mean ALL the women boxers, from every nation that sent them, as well as those who tried but didn’t get their fighters in — to win some attention for the very real sacrifices we’ve made, the long hours we put in, and the beautiful, powerful way we pursue our sport.

    And it is our sport, too. The inclusion of women’s boxing in this year’s Olympics offers the first real world-wide validation of this reality, and while we still have plenty of battles to fight (the big one in my mind right now is to be granted more than 3 Olympic weight categories) before there’s real acceptance, it’s a tremendous step in the right direction.

    What thankfully didn’t happen, and what did

    My fear was that the women’s fights would be riddled with scoring controversies (see here for more about the atrocious computer scoring system, which is thankfully on it’s way out), or widely ignored by the media. But that simply hasn’t happened.

    While we’re not finished with the final rounds, the press coverage has been great — a flood of attention and big, fat, emails from my Google alerts every day, as opposed to the anemic once-a-month-at-best mentions that were often in an article about a male boxer as sort of a “if I have to” attempt at gender equality.

    And here comes Team USA storming out of the gates, swooping up two medals already, out of the three women we sent.

    This stands in stark comparison to the nine men on the US boxing team, none of whom were still in the running for a medal until Errol Spence’s results were overturned, putting him into the quarterfinals for the US team’s only shot at having one of the men on the stand. The utterly unexpected series defeats in the men’s squad originally sparked lots of media trash talk about how the US amateur boxing program is riddled with problems — then here come the women, who perform like the boxing powerhouses they are. I haven’t heard any yet, but I hope to hear stories of how the guys were there supporting their female teammates all the way. That would be a real gift, wouldn’t it?

    And still to come

    All of this is happening, and we still have more to go.

    Interestingly, the Associated Press noted that the volume in the ExCel has been it’s loudest so far for today’s women’s fights, in particular when world favorite (and number one in my picks of the top 5 women to watch) Katie Taylor systematically took out home crowd champion Natasha Jonas for a 26-15 win.

    Just imagine what it will sound like during the Finals!

    SO. If you missed today’s fights, definitely check out Alex McClintock’s fantastic recap. And my picks for the rest of the Olympic boxing matches are as follows:

    FLYWEIGHT Brackets:

    1. Marlen Esparza (USA) will beat Ren CanCan (China)

    After seeing Marlen’s sizzling speed and style today, in comparison with Ren’s slower, less technical fight, I’m thinking Marlen will take it, despite having lost to Ren before the Olympics.

    2. Mery Kom (India) will beat Nicola Adams (GB)

    This one is tough, but I absolutely have to cheer for Mery (I’ve been spelling it Mary, but the London Olympics site spells it Mery, so I’m switching).

    LIGHTWEIGHT Brackets:

    1. Katie Taylor (Ireland) will win over Mavzuna Chorieva (TJK)

    This one is too easy. Wish we’d had a different draw, but there you have it.

    2. Sofya Ochigava (Russia) will beat out Adriana Araujo (Brazil)

    Hard to call, as I’m not very familiar with either fighter, but I’m expecting Sofya to simply have a higher punch count. Sofya is also a former kickboxing champion, with a long history of competing.

    MIDDLEWEIGHT Brackets:

    1. Claressa Shields (USA) GOTTA win over Marina Volnova (KAZ)

    I’m pinning everything on this stick of US dynamite, especially after today’s incredible fireworks. C’mon young lady, you can do it!

     2. Jinzi Li (China) will defeat Nadezda Torlopova (Russia)

    I didn’t see Nadezda’s fight, but she is fresher by virtue of her first round bye. Jinzi is still my favorite, and did a great job against Mary Spencer (Canada) today.

  • Overcoming Reluctance to Train

    Overcoming Reluctance to Train

    You might think that I wouldn’t have any trouble overcoming the “I don’t want to work out today” blues, as much as I train. You’d be wrong. For me it happens about once a week.

    However, I’ve been doing it long enough to have developed a few tricks to deal with my periodic reluctance to train or go get my workout done.

    1. Set a goal you can keep

    This is where it all begins. If you work out I’m guessing you have a goal in mind, even if you haven’t put it into words very clearly yet. Do that. Put it into words. Why are you packing up all your crap and heading to the gym every week? Be able to name your answer every time that question shoves its way to the forefront of your reluctant-feeling brain.

    Oh, and make it a goal you can actually achieve. My main training goal is to be in the gym three times every single week. I set it there because I know I can do that, and more. So when I actually train four times a week (which is nearly every week), I feel like I’m going a step above. I’m a rockstar.

    2. Keep your gear always packed, always in the car.

    I can work out any day of the week at any time, because I always have my gym bag packed and ready. Every time I get back from the gym I carry out the sweaty stinky stuff and go put the clean stuff in, ready for next time. There’s also a non-melty power bar of some sort in there, so that I don’t have the “I’m famished” excuse.

    Probably the nicest side-benefit of this is that I can stop at any cool new park or trailhead I happen to discover, pop the trunk, change shoes, and I’m off. Not my regular workout, but a fabulous addition which really lifts my spirits.

    3. Know your biggest excuses, and defuse them in advance.

    My biggest excuse for not training used to be the fact that I hate taking a shower in a crappy gym. The way I defused it was by visiting my all-time favorite luxury bath goods store (Hello, Lush!) and stocking up on the best soaps, shampoos, and other fragrant treats. I put them in my gym bag, and poof! Suddenly I’m looking forward to my shower.

    Now my go-to excuse is “I don’t feel like going.” For this one I offer “discounts.” Rather than my regular 30 minute cardio sprints session, I tell myself I can simply run easy for 30 minutes. Or something similar. Generally what happens is that I get to the gym, get started, and my spirits improve! I find myself rising to the bar, even though I’ve told myself I can take it easy.

    4. Give yourself incentives.

    Once in a while I promise myself one of my favorite post-training treats: a berry smoothie. These babies are better than fried donuts at the fair, in my estimation. One cup of frozen raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, a scoop of protein powder, a scoop of creatine (on weightlifting days), and a splash of orange juice. If I have plain yogurt, I’ll throw that in too. This is my version of the Scooby Snack, and I will pretty much walk over hot coals to get it. Can you say Incentive Program?

    Another way my husband helps is by offering to meet me after my hardest boxing nights and take me out for a drink. I adore him for this, I truly do! A man and a martini can very nearly heal the world and bring about world peace in my universe.

    5. Keep it interesting.

    If I had to run on a treadmill for 30 minutes I would probably expire from misery. But tell me I have to throw sprints on jump rope for 10 minutes, do spin bike hard for 10 minutes, row for 5 minutes, and run stairs or do box jumps for 5 minutes and I’m all over it. Ta-daa! There’s your 30 minute cardio.

    6. Shorten that damn thing!

    Here’s the deal. Most of you are spending too much time in the gym. This is because you’re slouching around, watching television, trying to avoid the next set, or simply moving too damn slow. If you put some intensity into your workout you don’t need to be there for three hours. Or even two hours. Hell, you can be trained, changed, and outta there inside of an hour if you work it just right.

    Dump your endless, boring, low-level cardio jog for a series of hard sprints and recoveries in whatever thing you do — run, bike, swim, row, heavy bag, etc. You can even incorporate skipping, jumping, ladder drills or agility dot drills. Whatever it is, do it in intervals and do it hard. Recover for 30 seconds or a minute from each hard interval, and start the next one.

    Get a solid 30 minutes in and move on. Studies show that this method actually burns more calories (if that’s what you’re trying to do) than the death-by-treadmill stuff anyway. (Google Tabata workouts and read up on it if you like. Or just ask any boxer in the world.)

    7. Don’t train hard all the time.

    When I have a fight I’m training for I ramp up my workouts 7 weeks in advance. Afterward, I take it easy — I don’t ditch my training, I just relax the pace. I’m not a machine, I’m a human, and I allow myself to enjoy the ebb and flow of a healthy life.

    Nobody stays in peak condition 100% of the time, nor should they. Maintain a solid baseline, and jack it up for the important stuff. That’s what makes staying healthy sustainable.

    What are your tricks to beating the “I don’t want to work out” blues?

    Leave me a comment and tell me how you overcome your reluctance to train.

    Image by Steve Maw on Flickr

  • How to Know If Your Boxing Is Improving

    How to Know If Your Boxing Is Improving

    Coby and me sparring

    Sometimes after you get in the ring you want to debrief, talk with other boxers about how you did. So most nights after the team is finished sparring I’ll ask some of the newer boxers: “How did you do tonight?”

    And I’ve found that many of them have trouble answering in a way that satisfies themselves. They’ll say, “I didn’t do as well as I wanted,” but they have trouble defining it further. Or else there are so many things that need improvement that they’re overwhelmed by it all. I find myself thinking, and often saying, the same things.

    First, remember that it takes years to get any good at boxing.

    You can’t get in the ring for the first few months and do anything worth remembering. Really. Because you did pretty much everything wrong: your guard was down, your shots were sloppy, you telegraphed your every move, your feet were slow, you looked away, you had no cardio, and overall you looked about as sturdy as a newborn kitten in the path of a bulldozer. It was probably embarrassing to everyone who watched, but everybody starts there, period.

    A lot of kids come in and think it will go like it did when they first picked up a skateboard, or a basketball, or a frisbee. They messed around with it for a day or so and pretty quickly they could get in the game. Not so with boxing, which demands a baseline bit of skill but a fair amount of cardio and a wheelbarrow of guts just to get through your first rounds. And that’s after you’ve convinced a coach or trainer that you’ve paid enough dues in sweat to be allowed into the ring.

    The best way to know if your boxing is improving is to set small, clear, achievable goals.

    Here are a few examples.

    Tonight, I want to (pick two or three):

    • Keep my gloves up
    • Move my head more
    • Not square up with my opponent
    • Make it through 3 rounds without sucking for air
    • Throw more shots than I take
    • Maintain control of the ring
    • Not look away from my opponent
    • Throw a solid double jab
    • Move my feet more
    • Not get locked against the ropes
    • Throw both head and body shots
    • Get some power behind my right cross
    • Work on my inside game
    • Regularly slip or block punches
    • Throw three excellent left hooks in every round
    • Work on my uppercut
    • Keep my balance between my lead and rear foot
    • Commit to and fully extend my punches
    • Utilize my pivot
    • Finish each round strong
    • Score shots heavily in the last 30 seconds of each round
    • Land ___ shots per round (you’ll need a punch counter ringside)
    • Work on my  _______ (jab-hook-pivot, right cross – left hook, etc.) combination.

    Sometimes I even tell my opponent what, specifically, I’m going to work on.

    Yes, they’ll then be on the lookout for my left hook, but at least they understand that I’m going to throw a boatload of them, and I may even ask them to stop mid-round so that I can go through some slow-motion in order to tweak my form, or ask them why a particular move keeps falling short of power.

    Your trainer will pick good goals for you.

    Recently I was in the ring with a guy who was my same height, but every single time he threw his jab, he brought his glove back to his shoulder rather than his cheek or chin. So I had easy pickings on a right cross to his face, and was taking them on an intermittent but regular basis. But between rounds, my trainer told me to take every single one of those shots in the coming round. I wasn’t to let his jab return — ever — without shooting my right cross into his face. “And put a little more power behind it,” he told me.

    Midway through the next round my opponent realized, without anyone having to tell him, that he needed to work on one specific thing, which was getting his glove back in the correct position after a jab. He knew very clearly at the end of the night what had improved in his boxing!

    And I’ve been in his position plenty of times. If you don’t pick a goal, your opponent or trainer may pick one for you, and you’ll discover it the hard way!

    Sparring is your absolute best opportunity to learn and improve your boxing, so you want to focus on and optimize that time as well as you can. Choose a goal (or two) and make them your priority.

    You can even keep track of your goals in a notebook.

    I know I’m going to be in the ring every single Friday night, so sometimes I’ll write my goals on a post-it and stick it on my computer at work so I’ll be thinking about it in advance. Then, when I’m in the ring, I know what to work on. And I’ll also know, coming out of the ring, just how I did that night.

    You can’t work on everything all the time.

    But you can box on a baseline, and focus hard on a few choice skills or techniques, so that you’ll be able to see clear improvement over time.

    Stay strong. Train hard. And box smart.

    Photo of me sparring with Coby by Ken Hall Photography