Boxing Gyms--- All about endurance?

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Replay19

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Just joined a boxing gym, and the coach is also a champion fighter with an impressive record. He's been teaching for about a year or so and I just recently joined for about a month in. I noticed that some boxing gyms are very simple-- push ups, situps, abs, running, jump rope, squats, blah blah, and then we throw in some combinations at the end with barely any information on defense, stance, footwork, and etc.

Is this normal? There is personal training lessons which is more expensive though, where it is stated that they focus more on nitty gritty and stuff. But I don't got money for that.

Looks like without private lessons, I'm just repeating the same things-- condition, endurance, cardio, repeat, then throw in some combinations and hit the mitts. At least, hitting the mitts and learning combinations is nice, but so far he hasn't gone over any defense, stance, footwork, or broke down details like how to have good form, etc...

This normal?
 
If they give you everything all at once, then you will just quit. I notice this with lots of schools. They want you to stick around. They give you little by little so you have to keep paying to get more.

Even Universities do this. You attend lecture like twice or three times. Most of it is boring fluff anyways. Then for the next few semesters, its rinse and repeat. You have to take certain amount to graduate. Heck they try and stretch things out for 8-12 yrs (however long a phd takes).

In TMA schools they use belts for this. But I was allowed to spar right away though at TMA schools. Even if it is watered down ruleset, you still work on speed, reaction, and all the things that happen in between which is the most important.
 
The basics are everything, but isn't footwork stance and defense part of the basics too?

I'm not trying to be no champ but I learn a little faster than the average beginner there because I took a couple years learning somewhere else before like an MMA.
 
Replay19 said:
Just joined a boxing gym, and the coach is also a champion fighter with an impressive record. He's been teaching for about a year or so and I just recently joined for about a month in. I noticed that some boxing gyms are very simple-- push ups, situps, abs, running, jump rope, squats, blah blah, and then we throw in some combinations at the end with barely any information on defense, stance, footwork, and etc.

Is this normal? There is personal training lessons which is more expensive though, where it is stated that they focus more on nitty gritty and stuff. But I don't got money for that.

Looks like without private lessons, I'm just repeating the same things-- condition, endurance, cardio, repeat, then throw in some combinations and hit the mitts. At least, hitting the mitts and learning combinations is nice, but so far he hasn't gone over any defense, stance, footwork, or broke down details like how to have good form, etc...

This normal?
Click to expand...

Somewhat normal. You have to pay for the private lessons to get the technical stuff. Most people join just to burn fat and look cool. It's been this way for as long as anyone can remember, though.

Save up for some private lessons
 
Replay19 said:
Just joined a boxing gym, and the coach is also a champion fighter with an impressive record. He's been teaching for about a year or so and I just recently joined for about a month in. I noticed that some boxing gyms are very simple-- push ups, situps, abs, running, jump rope, squats, blah blah, and then we throw in some combinations at the end with barely any information on defense, stance, footwork, and etc.

Is this normal? There is personal training lessons which is more expensive though, where it is stated that they focus more on nitty gritty and stuff. But I don't got money for that.

Looks like without private lessons, I'm just repeating the same things-- condition, endurance, cardio, repeat, then throw in some combinations and hit the mitts. At least, hitting the mitts and learning combinations is nice, but so far he hasn't gone over any defense, stance, footwork, or broke down details like how to have good form, etc...

This normal?
Click to expand...

You need to have a conversation with the trainer and let him know your goals and expectations and see how that maps to his progression plan. The thing about Boxing is that you will work the fundamentals on your first and last day but what you don’t want to do is waste your time in “cardio boxing”, “fitness boxing”, or any variation of that because the goal in those gyms are to get you in shape using boxing theory whereas the goal at a Boxing gym is to teach you how to fight within the parameters of the sport of Boxing. Find out which type of gym you’re at first and that’ll answer all your questions.
 
depends on what kind of gym you are at and what your intentions are

when you go in a gym with zero experience, they will already have their stable of actual fighters so they wont be focusing on anyone new
they'll teach you the basics, watch you from afar and see if you are worth pursuing anymore or if you will come forward and ask for more

most people will go just to get fit and learn some self defence so it will be endurance and some of the basics and nothing more

it was like that in my gym (i trained at) and it had a reputation of being like that so people who actually wanted to fight would go get their medical card from another gym and then come in and say they have their card so it kinda fast tracks them as they can fight for the gym
 
Just punch the coach, you'll be sparring immediately.
 
Alot of boxing gyms are definitely generic in that regard. 'x' amount of rounds shadow boxing, bagwork, jumping rope, padwork, maybe some sparring. Aside from that pushups, pullups, running/sprints etc.

Conditioning and repetition is the name of the game unless they happen to notice something special about you. Plus for competitions alot of places itll be a numbers game: the more kids they stick in a tournament the better odds of someone from their gym winning something.

You've either got to pester the coach to spend more time with you or show some natural talent, but either way you better be turning up 6 days a week if you expect them to spend time with you!
 
Most people don't or can't see the whole picture or the long game when they join a boxing gym or start training under a legit boxing coach.

Especially when a person is coming with back ground in MMA or other martial arts. Any boxing coach worth his salt is going to break down your training into the most basic and fundamental aspects.

Why would a coach waste his time working a bunch of mitt rounds with you or personally observe and critique your sparring sessions when you can't be bothered to work the heavy bag every day like you are supposed to? Or shadowbox the number of rounds you were asked to shadow box?
 
they certainly make you work through the grind, if you want to actually be taught anything. on the other hand some fighters don't always make great coaches, and have trouble imparting their knowledge.
 
Well most of the people who show up for class are doing for the fitness and self defense aspect.
to get real attention from the trainers you have to show them something, if you are good and maybe even a natural and you show up 6x week to train they will notice you and ask if you have any aspirations and THEN they will start really working with you

but if you are only training 2-3x week, you cant expect them to even recognize you.


one thing tho, basics are KEY. so even when you got your personal hours or you get into the sessions with the competitors you will repeat repeat and repeat.
 
Lot's of gyms like that out there. I understand that you can't devote time to every single dude walking into the gym (who will probably quit soon after anyway), but that doesn't excuse lazy coaching. Way too many gyms that don't teach anything and just wait for someone who have innate ability to show up.
 
Most boxing gyms...... in fact most gyms.... are fucking terrible, and fighters make it in spite of poor coaching
 
Replay19 said:
Just joined a boxing gym, and the coach is also a champion fighter with an impressive record. He's been teaching for about a year or so and I just recently joined for about a month in. I noticed that some boxing gyms are very simple-- push ups, situps, abs, running, jump rope, squats, blah blah, and then we throw in some combinations at the end with barely any information on defense, stance, footwork, and etc.

Is this normal? There is personal training lessons which is more expensive though, where it is stated that they focus more on nitty gritty and stuff. But I don't got money for that.

Looks like without private lessons, I'm just repeating the same things-- condition, endurance, cardio, repeat, then throw in some combinations and hit the mitts. At least, hitting the mitts and learning combinations is nice, but so far he hasn't gone over any defense, stance, footwork, or broke down details like how to have good form, etc...

This normal?
Click to expand...

I think about this the same way.

Been boxing for about 6 months now and most of it is exercising and bag work. But to be honest, half the class are chicks that are there to get fit.

I think you have to be honest with your teacher, talk about how you want to learn more about the fighting it self.
I do with my and he coaches me during class about my movements, footwork, etc.

But to be honest I don't know if in six months I should already be doing sparring sessions or whatever. So I'll just ask him for instructions little by little. Maybe it's a long run thing.
 
Lastofthemohican said:
Alot of boxing gyms are definitely generic in that regard. 'x' amount of rounds shadow boxing, bagwork, jumping rope, padwork, maybe some sparring. Aside from that pushups, pullups, running/sprints etc.

Conditioning and repetition is the name of the game unless they happen to notice something special about you. Plus for competitions alot of places itll be a numbers game: the more kids they stick in a tournament the better odds of someone from their gym winning something.

You've either got to pester the coach to spend more time with you or show some natural talent, but either way you better be turning up 6 days a week if you expect them to spend time with you!
Click to expand...

Good post. This has been my experience at the last 2 KB/MT clubs I trained at.

Both reputable and have their group of good level guys that spar hard and would kick my ass.

Then the average class is geared towards fitness with very little technical stuff and way too much diversity in the drills, so that way too much time is spent in switching between different drills.

The result is that this generic training, while a good workout, is kind of frustrating because it won't really help to develop fighting skills.

I can totally relate because it seems like it's either a poor use of my time, or just above my commitment level in the case of the sparring group.

It sucks to be in between levels, I guess.

And I really wonder how their good guys got good got good in the first place.
 
Just talked to the coach. It appears that they do this on purpose to sell their private lessons, which would be $75 for 1 hour only. That's how they make a living I guess.
 
^That's absurdly priced for a single lesson. Even Gleason's gym doesn't charge that much. The really famous guys charge 50/hr, everyone else is like 20-35/hr.

You still may want to do it though, if you don't have other better options. You'll just have to space out the lessons twice as much and be sure not to waste them by not listening, thinking, or practicing inbetween.

The thing about private lessons, though, is that it's not a subscription-- you're not expected to pay them week after week, for example. You buy them in singles or bundles whenever you feel like you want to. Or never. Or once. It's all up to you. No one in boxing has or is expected to regularly buy them at all, let alone on a scheduled basis. It's just what you can scrape up from time to time and feel like, that's the culture

If you do get private lessons (anywhere, not just here) make sure to have questions ready that you want to work on. If you just let them say or do what they want during these lessons, they might just have you jump rope or do the things they do during regular classes, because then they get paid while they do nothing.

Have your questions/areas ready that you want to work on- things that you aren't good or tuned at and need/want to improve (footwork, sharpening the mechanics of a certain punch you feel you're doing wrong, timing, inside fighting, etc.). Don't work on fitness-- you can do that yourself on your own time. It would also be a good idea to write down everything you learn each time so you don't forget details you paid for and it will help when you work on it at home between lessons. Remember-- it's YOUR time so you work on what you want to work on
 
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