Boxing/Kickboxing advice please :)

What? Oh Rly!

Hey Lads,

Had my first kickboxing fight there last weekend and I got it recorded. I done pretty bad all in all after watching it back. My opponent was bigger and stronger than me and It felt like the guy was all over me.

So my questions is as follows:

Every time I went to throw a punch (usually a straight punch) I couldn't manage to land them as he was already countering me and I felt so weak, like I couldn't touch him at all!

How do you fight someone who has fast hands and can hit hard?

cowzerp

What? Oh Rly! wrote: »

Hey Lads,

Had my first kickboxing fight there last weekend and I got it recorded. I done pretty bad all in all after watching it back. My opponent was bigger and stronger than me and It felt like the guy was all over me.

So my questions is as follows:

Every time I went to throw a punch (usually a straight punch) I couldn't manage to land them as he was already countering me and I felt so weak, like I couldn't touch him at all!

How do you fight someone who has fast hands and can hit hard?

Make him miss then counter when he's off balance, easier said than done though
but a big good 1 will always beat a small good 1 so if he was bigger don't beat yourself up..

HammerHeadGym

What? Oh Rly! wrote: »

... My opponent was bigger and stronger than me...

I think this is where things started to go wrong for you mate.

Seriously though, if you trained as hard as you could, fought as well as you could, didn't bitch out of your diet and exercise regime, then you quite simply lost to a better fighter and as such, you should feel no shame.

On a side note, I wonder if you can help me understand a few things a little better; how much bigger was he? Was there a weigh in?
And in what way was he stronger? Do you feel your own training lacks a strength and conditioning element? This might be something for you and your coach to address before you get back in the ring.

Anyway, don't worry too much about it. It's all too easy to be over critical of your own abilities when your fresh from a loss and while the body is still stinging from the punches.

And since I know someone else will if I dont 'You learn more from your losses than your victories'.

boxer.fan

Well done for taking a fight at all, sounds like you enjoyed the overall experience.

Tactics are something that will develop with experience, so don't leave it too long before your next bout. Also, talk with your coach, their job is to help you develop your style.

My tuppence worth is similar to that mentioned above, let the big guy make the first move, when he misses whack him with a few speedy bombs, step away & begin the process again!! This should give you something to work with for now.

boxer.fan

HammerHeadGym wrote: »

'You learn more from your losses than your victories'.

Gospel!!!!

What? Oh Rly!

Thanks Hammerhead. Replies in bold.

HammerHeadGym wrote: »

I think this is where things started to go wrong for you mate.

Seriously though, if you trained as hard as you could, fought as well as you could, didn't bitch out of your diet and exercise regime, then you quite simply lost to a better fighter and as such, you should feel no shame.

No, diet wasn't the best If I am truthful and I don't feel I did fight as good as I could have. My coach says I have a mental block when I spar etc and It's mostly psychology at play... When he showed me who I was fighting I remember going Oh Crap!

On a side note, I wonder if you can help me understand a few things a little better; how much bigger was he? Was there a weigh in?
And in what way was he stronger? Do you feel your own training lacks a strength and conditioning element? This might be something for you and your coach to address before you get back in the ring.

I'm 5 10" and he was about 6/6.1". I didn't have to weight in as we we're both fighting at 94+. I am 94kg/95kg, he must have been 100kg+

He was stronger in the fact that everytime I went to punch him, he was already hitting me back harder

I actually think I'm pretty ok with regards to punching power, but when I see a guy throwing them back, I lose it and really think I am mentally broken.

Anyway, don't worry too much about it. It's all too easy to be over critical of your own abilities when your fresh from a loss and while the body is still stinging from the punches.

And since I know someone else will if I dont 'You learn more from your losses than your victories'.

True, thanks again for taking the time to reply.

antybots

I think if your head is not right, you are not going to win. You have to believe from the second you take the fight that you are going to beat the other guy, otherwise you are wasting your time stepping in the ring in the first place. I reckon you lost that fight the second your coach showed you your opponent and your reaction was 'oh crap!'. After that, the self belief was probably gone and you probably spent time thinking how good he was going to be rather than how good you were going to be.

The good news is that all this can be overcome, but without confidence, you will be facing an uphill struggle no matter what tactics you employ.

HammerHeadGym

Ok. So you've already learned you first few lessons. You realise where you fell down and are taking steps to improve. Good for you. Most people have made up their bull**** excuse and given up at this stage.

What? Oh Rly! wrote: »

...diet wasn't the best If I am truthful...

Well, most people aren't so again, fair play. Diet is a huge part of any sport. You really want to be coming in with a very low body fat, even at an amateur level. Ricky Hatton said if he had to do it all again, the only thing he'd change would be to maintain a good diet year round.
There's plenty of nutrition advice to be found online, but try and stay away from bro-science. definitely avoid any body builders advice like it was the plague.
From my own experience I can highly recommend the 'paleo diet', 'enter the zone', by Barry sears, and theres a coach at my gym who swears by the 'warrior diet', though I havent done it myself, so I wont commit to its effectiveness. I will say I highly trust this coach and his S&C advice though.
Personally I found the zone the easiest to stick to, and the one that leaves me the least ratty when I'm cutting.

What? Oh Rly! wrote: »

...I don't feel I did fight as good as I could have. My coach says I have a mental block when I spar...

Sounds like nerves to me. Experience will get you over it. Nobody likes getting punched, but the more it happens the more you will realise, it's not the end of the world and it will be easier and easier to come back from.

What? Oh Rly! wrote: »

I'm 5 10" and he was about 6/6.1". I didn't have to weight in as we we're both fighting at 94+. I am 94kg/95kg, he must have been 100kg+...

Fight in a weight bracket. Aim to come in at the top of that weight bracket too. If you fight at the (5 and up, you will always be going up against a giant. Reach will always be an issue in the absoulte category.

What? Oh Rly! wrote: »

He was stronger in the fact that everytime I went to punch him, he was already hitting me back harder....

That sounds more like reaction speed and hand speed than strength. Again experience will help, plus I can not recommend a top and bottom bag highly enough, for hand speed and reactions

TL: DR; Clean up your diet and train, train, train.

Forgot to ask, was this your first fight and how many fight did the other guy have, do you know?

What? Oh Rly!

Thanks HHG,

I have heard about the caveman diet alright and Carl Frampton swears by it too, and by looking at him, he is in fantastic shape.

Forgot to ask, was this your first fight and how many fight did the other guy have, do you know?

Yes, my very first fight. I don't know how many the other guy had, I guess I should have asked him.

Thanks to Paul (cowzerp) for the great points in my PM also!

Doug Cartel

It sounds to me a bit like you didn't have a game plan going into the fight. Would that be right?

What? Oh Rly!

Doug Cartel wrote: »

It sounds to me a bit like you didn't have a game plan going into the fight. Would that be right?

I actually did. I was going to go with my "strongest" punches, body shots, but the moment I started, I forgot about it completely and my mind went blank you could say

HammerHeadGym

I also forgot to ask, how long have you been training?

What? Oh Rly! wrote: »

...the caveman diet...

Heard very good things myself, although I haven't tried it and make a point of not recommending something I haven't done myself. Having said that, many athletes use it and swear by it.
My advice is to try them all the ones that have been mentioned for 8 weeks minimum, keep an honest assesment of how easy it was to stick to, how it made you feel, physically, mentally and emotionally (yes, really) and also the results versus the perceived effort you put in. Be honest and write it all down so you don't forget. You'll easily tell which is the one for you.

What? Oh Rly! wrote: »

...my very first fight...

You gave a very good account of yourself for a first go mate.

Peetrik

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face" - Tyson

Going blank happens to everyone for the first 3-4 fights, once the adrenaline kicks in you resort to whatever youv trained. After you build up some experience you get calmer and can start fighing smarter, sticking to gameplans or figuring out what working for you on the fly. All about the experience.

Be an absoulute diet Nazi. If your carrying extra fat into the ring and your opponent is all muscle then your off to a serious disadvantage. As was said a diet log that includes your waking weight really helps you to figure out what foods are working for you. If you have a club message board where you can post it daily is plus as the name and shame factor can be a big incentive to stick to your diet.

Best of luck in future fights!

cowzerp

Peetrik wrote: »

Going blank happens to everyone for the first 3-4 fights

No it does'nt, Happens to some.