2 years boxing and I feel I still suck horribly bad

[HookRight]

sparred the first week I was at the gym, been sparring at least once a week since and I'm coming up on 2 years now. No prior training in any other art and took up the sport at the early age of 20 rolleyes: dumb I know but I'm hooked now)

Realistically what should I look like? I feel my footwork is still ugly, punches still look a bit forced. In sparring i've improved but I still get whooped on, but I'm in with guys that all have amateur fights and more experience than me. I'm just feeling like a chump lately and asking myself why I even do this...

 

[Mr Jay]

1) Do you at least enjoy it?

2) Does it keep you in shape?

3) Are you meeting new people and establishing relationships with people at your gym?

If the answer is yes to any of the above I think it's worth it, unless you plan on doing another physical activity with your time.

Or, maybe you are just not a performer but could at least provide coaching, knowledge to those with less experience.

 

[HookRight]

1) Do you at least enjoy it?

2) Does it keep you in shape?

3) Are you meeting new people and establishing relationships with people at your gym?

If the answer is yes to any of the above I think it's worth it, unless you plan on doing another physical activity with your time.

Or, maybe you are just not a performer but could at least provide coaching, knowledge to those with less experience.

Yes to all, It's been a wild ride so far and I'm glad I started. I just compare myself to other fighters with the same level of experience as me and are so much better it makes me feel like shit.

 

[bad seed]

Yes to all, It's been a wild ride so far and I'm glad I started. I just compare myself to other fighters with the same level of experience as me and are so much better it makes me feel like shit.

just remember this-if the present you was sparring yourself from 2 years ago, you'd be completely wrecking him.

 

[tehmvp]

sparred the first week I was at the gym, been sparring at least once a week since and I'm coming up on 2 years now. No prior training in any other art and took up the sport at the early age of 20 rolleyes: dumb I know but I'm hooked now)

Realistically what should I look like? I feel my footwork is still ugly, punches still look a bit forced. In sparring i've improved but I still get whooped on, but I'm in with guys that all have amateur fights and more experience than me. I'm just feeling like a chump lately and asking myself why I even do this...

At the age of 22, you're in a better spot than me. I started at 26; now I'm nearing 28.

 

[Jaxxstatic]

You're an adult, so this is EXACTLY normal.
Most everyone we look up to in boxing started as a kid.

Having a background in other combat sports can help to a degree with things like footwork, body mechanics, etc., but for the most part, anyone who starts boxing later in life should know that for the first few years they will likely suck (if they're honest with themselves). Boxing is more about muscle memory than people want to admit.

Concentrate on your strengths and make them better.
Drill the basics like you're a robot (look at vids of Andre Ward training).
Eventually, it'll all click, and your confidence will sky-rocket.

You're on the right track, though, it seems: sparring is the best way outside of actual fights to get experience and be forced to learn fast.

 

[Paradigm]

keep at it, TS, if you enjoy it. maybe your boxing base will help you later in another art you are more naturally suited to.

At the age of 22, you're in a better spot than me. I started at 26; now I'm nearing 28.

lol...I started MT in 2010 at 33 and I still suck.

at least I can feel confident fighting untrained guys my size or slightly bigger in a standup fight haha.

 

[mysticdragonbjj]

How much one on one training are you getting? Right after I joined my current gym, they hired a new boxing coach. The rest of the team kind of avoided him probably because a combination of his strong personality and they were feeling set in their ways. So he worked one on one with me for literally a few months even though I was not fighting professionally or as an amateur. I was telling the owner he was good and eventually some of the other guys warmed up to him. Needless to say my boxing improved more in those first few months than it did the years I was at my first gym exclusively in classes and sparring.

Sorry for the long autobiography, but hopefully you glean something useful from it.

 

[apizur**]

I started at 11, am 27, and have a record of 0 - 4. The coach I have now, this community, and the resources I have available I needed 16 years ago. Yet I'm here, having made great strides in the last year prepping for my 5th fight in the best shape of my life.

What was it you were saying?

Also, did you sign up on Sherdog just to cry about this?? You realize this is a forum of people who get punched in the face for sport, right?

 

[Mr Jay]

Yes to all, It's been a wild ride so far and I'm glad I started. I just compare myself to other fighters with the same level of experience as me and are so much better it makes me feel like shit.

I think you may also not be giving yourself enough credit on your abilities. Maybe have a one on one with your trainers and ask where you could improve on the most and work from there.

You also got to remember that people peak, plateau and decline at different rates. I find when I am in similar situations as you where I feel I am bad, and I feel like I am getting worse and worse instead of getting better, there comes a point where things just click and it all falls into place.

Stick with it, and I'm sure in a years time or less everything will come together for you. You've got to be bad before you get good. It just takes longer for some people than others.

 

[fightingrabbit]

That's terrible. I feel for you.

I think there are support groups for this type of thing.

 

[Phlog]

I have a friend who has been training 13 years and he is absolutely shit. He arm punches, telegraphs everything, shuts his eyes, has no defence, no power and thinks he is amazing. Shit just slides off him, in his eyes he's great. It's so totally fucking mystifying but kinda beautiful because he's happy.

I literally need 5 seconds to drop him should I want to.

Myself on the other hand have only trained four years and I school everyone but my instructor and world champ at my gym. I would be depressed if I wasn't very capable at something I tried hard at.


I suggest you either be shit and let it slide off you or be great because you couldn't handle being shit.

 

[roventu]

well 2 years is pretty short in the grand scheme of things. and if you are only sparring 1x/week, and not training besides that, then someone that's been doing it for only 1 year and going 2x/week will be at the same level as you, probably higher bc he comes regularly enough to practice things he just learned.

you can just let shit slide off you like Phlog said, or wait for the next chump to walk in the gym that's like you, and think "hey i got 2 year advantage on this guy" lol

 

[j123]

How often do you train? Also have you competed before?

Up until Nov. I've trained for a bit over 2 years, but didn't start competing until Aug 2014. After actively competing I felt my overall skill and ability with the sport (MT) improved immensely

 

[a guy]

Two questions: what are you bad at, and what are you doing to fix it?

If you're just in the gym trying to work hard but not training with a plan, then you're not gonna keep growing. For example, you say your footwork is ugly. So start every session from now on and dedicate at least 1 round to footwork only. Even slow it down if you have to so that you can step correctly. You might find that you're doing the simplest things incorrectly and it's holding you back.

 

[PivotPunch]

Two questions: what are you bad at, and what are you doing to fix it?

If you're just in the gym trying to work hard but not training with a plan, then you're not gonna keep growing. For example, you say your footwork is ugly. So start every session from now on and dedicate at least 1 round to footwork only. Even slow it down if you have to so that you can step correctly. You might find that you're doing the simplest things incorrectly and it's holding you back.

This.
That's what you do in everything you wanna improve analyze your strengths and weaknesses and think about what you can do do improve each aspect step by step skill after skill and be patient do everything slowly until it is exactly how you want to have it

 

[Cyclone Mike]

I started at 11, am 27, and have a record of 0 - 4. The coach I have now, this community, and the resources I have available I needed 16 years ago. Yet I'm here, having made great strides in the last year prepping for my 5th fight in the best shape of my life.

What was it you were saying?

Also, did you sign up on Sherdog just to cry about this?? You realize this is a forum of people who get punched in the face for sport, right?

I feel you on this. I wasted many years working but not growing. It's not the amount of time you put in, it's about what happens in that time. Under exceptional trainers here and abroad I've made more progress in a month than I would in years training with your average trainers.

You do need to put time in, but man there are so many shitty trainers out there that will waste years of your life and you won't know it until they're gone.

 

[Tug]

1 year in and getting rekt, but the progression is an upward curve so its all good

 

[HookRight]

How often do you train? Also have you competed before?

Up until Nov. I've trained for a bit over 2 years, but didn't start competing until Aug 2014. After actively competing I felt my overall skill and ability with the sport (MT) improved immensely

It really depends how busy I am, last week I went to the gym 5 days and sparred a lot 2 of those days, this week I only sparred once and trained one day.

I never competed, but some people have told me I should take an amateur fight.

I have a friend who has been training 13 years and he is absolutely shit. He arm punches, telegraphs everything, shuts his eyes, has no defence, no power and thinks he is amazing. Shit just slides off him, in his eyes he's great. It's so totally fucking mystifying but kinda beautiful because he's happy.

I literally need 5 seconds to drop him should I want to.

Myself on the other hand have only trained four years and I school everyone but my instructor and world champ at my gym. I would be depressed if I wasn't very capable at something I tried hard at.


I suggest you either be shit and let it slide off you or be great because you couldn't handle being shit.

Wow man you must be really good. I've improved a lot since I first started, just wish I was a little better.

 

[ShogunGall]

It really depends how busy I am, last week I went to the gym 5 days and sparred a lot 2 of those days, this week I only sparred once and trained one day.

I never competed, but some people have told me I should take an amateur fight.

Maybe it's just time for you to have a go at an actual amateur fight. Sparring in the gym and competition is a very different thing, and for all you know those areas in which you feel 'clunky' may actually feel vastly better both during and after having fought someone.

Also don't be discouraged, for all you know the other guys that go to your gym may be feeling the exact same way, despite having numerous wins in their repertoire.

Back when I did taekwondo, there was this guy who was a black belt, and he would likewise get discouraged because he couldn't perform some of his kicks at the same level as the masters at my dojang (he had done it for five years, whereas the masters had done tkd for about 20 years). I can remember how humbling I found it that this one guy, who was so much better than me in every way at tkd, would complain that he wasn't good enough and felt clumsy doing some of the kicks.

Who knows, despite your feelings of inadequacy, there might be guys looking at your technique and thinking "damn, he is such a good boxer, I wish I was as good as him". Just keep at it, and I reckon you'll eventually get over these frustrations and realise that your technique is actually pretty good.