Improving your boxing without competing in boxing?

[FightStudent]

Hi everyone.

I am looking to improve my "boxing" (i.e. use of my fists while engaging in stand up fighting) for MMA. I have tried looking for a proper boxing coach to assist me and train me in boxing. However, in the past when I've approached coaches (before I began training MMA) and told them I had no intention of competing in boxing, they told me that they didn't see how I could become good without competing and so they really weren't interested in investing much aside from imparting the basics and then collecting a check for each private lesson.

So my question is, is it really possible to significantly improve my boxing for MMA, without competing in boxing? If so, how is this done? Meaning, in addition to receiving quality instruction, is it a must that I find a way to spar with good competitive boxers? If so, how do I go about finding a boxing coach who is will to arrange for that and not give me subpar training by putting in less effort with me simply because I do not intend on competing under his banner, in boxing or MMA?

If anyone with experiences or insights in this regard can help me, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Logan M]

The MMA gym where I used to train had their own boxing coach who was great. Does your MMA gym not have a boxing coach? I'd assume just a Muay Thai guy if that is the case. I'd say best bet is just hit up one of the boxing gyms in your town. If you really don't want to box just don't tell them that you don't have any intention too. Though honestly amateur boxing matches are one of the very best ways to improve your boxing skills and also gain confidence in your chin.

 

[Pearse Shields]

Boxing for boxing and boxing for MMA are 2 different things. You've got different goals in MMA compared to amateur boxing. Still, I agree that boxing is great to learn things from. In my opinion, you might want to give it a go, and see how you'd do in an amateur boxing match.

 

[Marvin Covar]

Why not just compete in at least one or two fights?

 

[ShortSharp]

Hi everyone.

I am looking to improve my "boxing" (i.e. use of my fists while engaging in stand up fighting) for MMA. I have tried looking for a proper boxing coach to assist me and train me in boxing. However, in the past when I've approached coaches (before I began training MMA) and told them I had no intention of competing in boxing, they told me that they didn't see how I could become good without competing and so they really weren't interested in investing much aside from imparting the basics and then collecting a check for each private lesson.

So my question is, is it really possible to significantly improve my boxing for MMA, without competing in boxing? If so, how is this done? Meaning, in addition to receiving quality instruction, is it a must that I find a way to spar with good competitive boxers? If so, how do I go about finding a boxing coach who is will to arrange for that and not give me subpar training by putting in less effort with me simply because I do not intend on competing under his banner, in boxing or MMA?

If anyone with experiences or insights in this regard can help me, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Speaking as a boxer im shocked by the attitude of the boxing coaches you've accosted so far. Any gym worth its weight will leave the intention to compete or not down to the individual. The coach at the gym i fight for over here in the UK is a dedicated Pro coach and is churning out consistently good talent of up and coming pros (both young and old) however he, and his assistant coaches, all take the time to instruct those who only want to train for fitness, ABA, White Collar and indeed MMA and K1.

Granted the gym i train at has classes and coaches in Boxing, K1, MMA and gi and no-gi BJJ. The coaches in each discipline are purely all about their own sport...i.e our boxing coaches are primarily interested in BOXERS and the K1 guy in K1 fighters etc etc (its not an MMA gym with added benefits) however Mike, the head boxing coach regularly sticks the MMA guys looking to develop their boxing skill, in with us pure boxers.

If the guys you've approached so ar arent accomodating you, try others. A good boxing coach will be more than happy to train you in good solid boxing skills and get you some good quality sparring to develop it/pressure test it with. And quite rightly so.

For interest only, this is where i train: Gym01 Fitness and Martial Arts in Portsmouth

 

[Sinister]

Boxing for boxing and boxing for MMA are 2 different things.

No they're not, but I agree that Amateur Boxing and accommodating the points system is no help to MMA specifically. Proper Boxing, however, is proper Boxing.

 

[HulmeHardy**]

IMO even if you can get a friend, just watch some youtube vids and learn from there - ive been doing that with my brother as i cant afford gym at the mo and also having my bike wrote off doesnt help either.

Freddie Roach taught me how to throw a hook(youtube).
Some random dude taught me how to at least do drills on how to slip(youtube).
Head/Hip movement from watching actual fights.
Even perfected my spinning back kick thanx to Joe Rogan

Most of what I have learnt is from watching shit like even films(Van Damme taught me how to kick too ) and documentrys.
Maybe im lucky in that aspect that I can do that but i know people will kinda frown, but at the end of the day the guys i watched and "copied" are legit in what they do and as long as you are good at looking at the nuances then you should get it, BUT I would always pop into a class and make sure you are doing it correctly or have the right ideas.

I actually remember kopping a look at the Doctors screen a few years ago at an appt and did see "Suspected Autism", i havent been diagnosed and that coulda been some1 else(tho doubtful)

 

[def1]

Hi everyone.

I am looking to improve my "boxing" (i.e. use of my fists while engaging in stand up fighting) for MMA. I have tried looking for a proper boxing coach to assist me and train me in boxing. However, in the past when I've approached coaches (before I began training MMA) and told them I had no intention of competing in boxing, they told me that they didn't see how I could become good without competing and so they really weren't interested in investing much aside from imparting the basics and then collecting a check for each private lesson.

So my question is, is it really possible to significantly improve my boxing for MMA, without competing in boxing? If so, how is this done? Meaning, in addition to receiving quality instruction, is it a must that I find a way to spar with good competitive boxers? If so, how do I go about finding a boxing coach who is will to arrange for that and not give me subpar training by putting in less effort with me simply because I do not intend on competing under his banner, in boxing or MMA?

If anyone with experiences or insights in this regard can help me, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Im sure there are plenty of boxing coaches out there that would put you in real hard sparring. The problem with that is they could be using you as a punching bag for their fighters who are actually training for fights.

However I do think you will be able to find a coach who is willing to train you with more then the basics, but I think you are expecting too much. You aren't going to be a world beater unless you live and bleed the sport of boxing. And I can understand from a coach's perspective not wanting to put all his time and effort into a fighter that doesn't even want to compete because he does have fighters that are hungry and his effort would be better put on them. I still think you will get good training from any boxing gym and as long as you spar good people thats how you get better.

 

[jlagman]

IMO even if you can get a friend, just watch some youtube vids and learn from there - ive been doing that with my brother as i cant afford gym at the mo and also having my bike wrote off doesnt help either.

Freddie Roach taught me how to throw a hook(youtube).
Some random dude taught me how to at least do drills on how to slip(youtube).
Head/Hip movement from watching actual fights.
Even perfected my spinning back kick thanx to Joe Rogan

Most of what I have learnt is from watching shit like even films(Van Damme taught me how to kick too ) and documentrys.
Maybe im lucky in that aspect that I can do that but i know people will kinda frown, but at the end of the day the guys i watched and "copied" are legit in what they do and as long as you are good at looking at the nuances then you should get it, BUT I would always pop into a class and make sure you are doing it correctly or have the right ideas.

I actually remember kopping a look at the Doctors screen a few years ago at an appt and did see "Suspected Autism", i havent been diagnosed and that coulda been some1 else(tho doubtful)

 

[thirteen]

Go to a boxing gym and don't even mention competing - just train your ass off.
If the coach sees some potential he will say something about competing - then you can decide what you want to do.

 

[TeddyRoosevelt]

IMO even if you can get a friend, just watch some youtube vids and learn from there - ive been doing that with my brother as i cant afford gym at the mo and also having my bike wrote off doesnt help either.

Freddie Roach taught me how to throw a hook(youtube).
Some random dude taught me how to at least do drills on how to slip(youtube).
Head/Hip movement from watching actual fights.
Even perfected my spinning back kick thanx to Joe Rogan

Most of what I have learnt is from watching shit like even films(Van Damme taught me how to kick too ) and documentrys.
Maybe im lucky in that aspect that I can do that but i know people will kinda frown, but at the end of the day the guys i watched and "copied" are legit in what they do and as long as you are good at looking at the nuances then you should get it, BUT I would always pop into a class and make sure you are doing it correctly or have the right ideas.

I actually remember kopping a look at the Doctors screen a few years ago at an appt and did see "Suspected Autism", i havent been diagnosed and that coulda been some1 else(tho doubtful)

I sincerely hope all of that is a poor attempt at humor.

 

[HulmeHardy**]

I sincerely hope all of that is a poor attempt at humor.

Then you are retarded like i mentioned in that post.

The only diference between a class and watching a Video is that you are not getting that personal time - which is why I said to always check in with classes once in a while just in case you are stupid.


Your not laughing at Cro Cop.

If you cant learn something by watching and have to have someone there to hold your hand then your stupid and obviously have no initiative.

Everything i have learnt is primarily through video, and none of my coaches have told me Im doing anything wrong, infact i have been told that my hook and spinning back kicks are pretty good. So i will stick with what works for me.

 

[DivineComedy]

^ The problem with primarily using video for any type of martial arts training is that you gain bits and pieces of the game and there will be gigantic holes in your game.

 

[HulmeHardy**]

^ The problem with primarily using video for any type of martial arts training is that you gain bits and pieces of the game and there will be gigantic holes in your game.

Thats why i said to always check in at the gym if you can to make sure your not doing that.

But IMO as a fighter you should now that most of the mechanics and foundations of fighting are the same (Hips, Feet,etc) so you should in theory be able to connect certain things.

 

[jlagman]

You need to clarify the meaning of the term "check into the gym every once in a while" because I, and I'm sure others, take it along with the rest of your previous post to mean, "I've never trained a day before in my life before watching (insert combat athlete/martial artist/action star here) and picked up a good amount of skills, then stopped by a gym a few times to get approval from coaches or students."

If you've done a fair bit of training before watching videos, that's one thing, because to really learn something from a video requires a trained eye. If you mean what I think you mean, that's something else entirely.

 

[Pugilistic]

Competing in a match can improve your game a lot. My trainer told me, "one sparring session is worth 100 rounds on the heavy bag, and one fight is worth 100 sparring sessions."

 

[Aaron Perls]

Competing in a match can improve your game a lot. My trainer told me, "one sparring session is worth 100 rounds on the heavy bag, and one fight is worth 100 sparring sessions."

By that logic you should just fight every week and you'd improve 10,000x faster than those dopes using a heavy bag.

 

[ScubaSteve90]

By that logic you should just fight every week and you'd improve 10,000x faster than those dopes using a heavy bag.

lmfao

funny stuff. seriously lol'd

 

[CollarTie]

Then you are retarded like i mentioned in that post.

The only diference between a class and watching a Video is that you are not getting that personal time - which is why I said to always check in with classes once in a while just in case you are stupid.


Your not laughing at Cro Cop.

If you cant learn something by watching and have to have someone there to hold your hand then your stupid and obviously have no initiative.

Everything i have learnt is primarily through video, and none of my coaches have told me Im doing anything wrong, infact i have been told that my hook and spinning back kicks are pretty good. So i will stick with what works for me.

You shouldn't be on the Standup forum giving out advice if you don't even train.

Honestly, this forum is just ridiculous.

 

[StrongLikeBear]

Then you are retarded like i mentioned in that post.

The only diference between a class and watching a Video is that you are not getting that personal time - which is why I said to always check in with classes once in a while just in case you are stupid.

If you cant learn something by watching and have to have someone there to hold your hand then your stupid and obviously have no initiative.

Everything i have learnt is primarily through video, and none of my coaches have told me Im doing anything wrong, infact i have been told that my hook and spinning back kicks are pretty good. So i will stick with what works for me.

Or you're a kinesthetic learner like me. Fact: I've never seen a good boxer/fighter who trains themself off videos. Just doesn't work. too many little things that you can't pick up on your own without someone showing you, then correcting you.

What video training WILL do for you is give you a false sense of confidence in yourself and bad habits.

By that logic you should just fight every week and you'd improve 10,000x faster than those dopes using a heavy bag.

A lot of top amateurs fight every couple weeks or more.

*****************************************************

On topic, what it boils down to is a coach not wanting to train you if you're not going to compete for him. Most coaches are in this for more than the check.

There's nothing that says you have to have a fight, but it definitely won't hurt you and can only help. If you go in and just say you're an MMA fighter but want to round out your game by having a few matches and seeing where you go, there's a really good chance they'll hook you up.