Hey guys,
I competed as an ammie in the UK & Ireland in my late teens. The sport (and more importantly the coaches) took me out of a bad trajectory.
I lived for the sport soon after walking into a gym for the first time. I trained 6 days a week, 3 days were formal gym days the other 3 I was training myself or with a couple other guys. I took my first white collar event after 3 months on short notice to a gypsy who nearly killed me, my coach told me I didn't have to fight as he was more experienced and heavier but I didn't care - I just wanted to fight. I was confident on the verge of arrogant, but loved learning the craft and competing. Taking an L never phased me as long as the other guy was better than me. I fought with some kind of flu once and lost to a guy I shouldn't have which annoys me to this day, but generally I never really much cared about my "record" compared to whether I was competing with guys who were better than last time.
I started winning amateur bouts consistently and moving around the country with my coach to a lot of gyms getting great experience sparring some of the regional and national level guys and not looking like an idiot. Fighting them was becoming a real prospect for the future and I remember being so excited at the idea I could be fighting guys who had boxed since they were kids.
But then as soon as it all started it dissolved. It came time for me to go to University so I left the country, Boxing was never a job prospect for me. During my first year away from home my coach died unexpectedly, he was a young guy. He was like a father to me. I was training over in England and he was always on the phone asking how I was getting on and if I wanted this fight or that. I flew back a couple times for fights, the gym I was training at in England thought I was mad as I didn't want to represent them. They jokingly told me to not come back unless I did but I never paid any attention, I knew I was an asset to the gym and always sparred their fighters so they got their value out of me anyway.
I've never been able to get that feeling back and it's almost like it's sacred and I shouldn't go back. I think a lot of it is tied up with the coach I had not being here anymore. I've tried so many times to join new gyms but I get this strong aversion that tells me I shouldn't be there even while I'm training and that I'll never be as mentally tough, or physically capaple, or yadda yadda yadda. My brain is making up so many hurdles for me to jump over that I just quit. Sometimes I last a month sometimes I last a week.
I was wondering if anyone on here can relate. Not even necessarily specifically with boxing. But maybe there's a special time in your life where you did something, and if you managed to keep doing it afterwards I'd love to hear how you reconciled it all and can still enjoy it.
Thanks for reading this long post. J
I competed as an ammie in the UK & Ireland in my late teens. The sport (and more importantly the coaches) took me out of a bad trajectory.
I lived for the sport soon after walking into a gym for the first time. I trained 6 days a week, 3 days were formal gym days the other 3 I was training myself or with a couple other guys. I took my first white collar event after 3 months on short notice to a gypsy who nearly killed me, my coach told me I didn't have to fight as he was more experienced and heavier but I didn't care - I just wanted to fight. I was confident on the verge of arrogant, but loved learning the craft and competing. Taking an L never phased me as long as the other guy was better than me. I fought with some kind of flu once and lost to a guy I shouldn't have which annoys me to this day, but generally I never really much cared about my "record" compared to whether I was competing with guys who were better than last time.
I started winning amateur bouts consistently and moving around the country with my coach to a lot of gyms getting great experience sparring some of the regional and national level guys and not looking like an idiot. Fighting them was becoming a real prospect for the future and I remember being so excited at the idea I could be fighting guys who had boxed since they were kids.
But then as soon as it all started it dissolved. It came time for me to go to University so I left the country, Boxing was never a job prospect for me. During my first year away from home my coach died unexpectedly, he was a young guy. He was like a father to me. I was training over in England and he was always on the phone asking how I was getting on and if I wanted this fight or that. I flew back a couple times for fights, the gym I was training at in England thought I was mad as I didn't want to represent them. They jokingly told me to not come back unless I did but I never paid any attention, I knew I was an asset to the gym and always sparred their fighters so they got their value out of me anyway.
I've never been able to get that feeling back and it's almost like it's sacred and I shouldn't go back. I think a lot of it is tied up with the coach I had not being here anymore. I've tried so many times to join new gyms but I get this strong aversion that tells me I shouldn't be there even while I'm training and that I'll never be as mentally tough, or physically capaple, or yadda yadda yadda. My brain is making up so many hurdles for me to jump over that I just quit. Sometimes I last a month sometimes I last a week.
I was wondering if anyone on here can relate. Not even necessarily specifically with boxing. But maybe there's a special time in your life where you did something, and if you managed to keep doing it afterwards I'd love to hear how you reconciled it all and can still enjoy it.
Thanks for reading this long post. J
