white collar boxing

lasair

Hi guys,

I have entered a white collar boxing match for charity in 10 weeks and I'm trying to figure out where to start getting prepared before I go to the group training sessions in two weeks. I used to be a fitness instructor so I'm kinda fit. Any advice/ help is greatly appreciated.

Las

Dermighty

Imagine you're a fitness instructor (oh, you are, great!) how would you get someone who was out of shape to get into shape?

The answer is what you should do.

cowzerp

lasair wrote: »

Hi guys,

I have entered a white collar boxing match for charity in 10 weeks and I'm trying to figure out where to start getting prepared before I go to the group training sessions in two weeks. I used to be a fitness instructor so I'm kinda fit. Any advice/ help is greatly appreciated.

Las

Where are you based and We might be able to advise somewhere, best bet would be do some boxing in a boxing club if any are available.

colly10

If you don't have access to a club but can get at a decent heavy bag at a gym, then I would look to work as hard on that as ye can. Work in intervals of 2 mins with a minute break.
Check out some technique vids on youtube, I wouldn't bother checking anything other than the jab and right cross and get both of them down as much as you can (but do it on the bag). In particular work out how to get your body into those 2 shots rather than just arm punching

FrankGrimes

Fair play OP for giving it a lash, particularly if you're getting involved to support a good cause. Put all thoughts of Rocky out of your head and do exactly as colly suggests - in white collar boxing having a good command of the basics already sets you apart from the bunch. Try work up to 7-10 rounds where a round of shadow-boxing or heavybag is 2 mins and a rest is 1 - it's all about endurance and ensuring you can keep your defence tight and shots strong to the end.

After watching the technique videos on YouTube, practice shadow boxing in front of a mirror, ensuring you are side on and not front on to your opponent and your chin is well tucked in even when moving: it's easy to tuck your head in when standing up straight, but doing it when moving is what takes time to get used to and is what keeps you protected. Get your elbows in (beginners often have hands up high but elbows well out) - having them almost resting on your rib cage keeps them high but also tightens body shot defence.

It was never a recommended training technique so it may get slammed on here (I boxed intervarsity so not the same level as many club boxers on here), but I always found shadow boxing with ankle weights on my wrists was hugely helpful (put a sock around the wrist and 1kg weights on over that, I built up to 2kg after a while but 1kg is more than enough). What I found this helped with was that it made keeping my hands raised became natural (with 16oz gloves often used in sparring/white collar one thing I notice is even fit people drop their hands as they haven't built up endurance in keeping them raised - that leaves you well open to heavy shots). I also found it really improved hand speed though it's important to say to take off the weights when you feel they're causing you to swing wildly: better to shadow box with good form without weights than to have weights and be throwing shots poorly. Advantage of this approach was I could do it any time, anywhere, as sometimes getting to a heavy bag is difficult with a busy schedule.

Find someone with pads and get them to learn the basics of how to get you practicing jabs, straight rights, and sure why not throw in left hooks (assuming you're right handed): advantage is it's more realistic than heavy bag and you have to keep moving. Try always mix up your training with single straight shots but placing most emphasis on throwing shots in bunches of threes: it's often the 3rd shot that lands cleanly at this level and it'll also make inexperienced opponents wary as they know they're gonna have to evade plenty of shots every time they step forward. If you can get a lend of headgear, get the person holding the pads to start throwing a few slaps back at you to get used to being hit: reality is most times you throw/land a punch, there'll generally be something coming back your way - whether it lands or not you gotta be able to get your defence back in place even while being hit.

Don't think you're gonna impress your mates and that chick you have your eye on by getting into a slugfest: I've been to a few white collar boxing events and 9/10 times when the lads go out to brawl, they get far too close to each other and neither can land a meaningful bunch at that range so they end up grabbing and holding and generally just embarrassing themselves by trying to be a hero but looking like a chump. Far better to go out with the intent of boxing and throw your shots then keep moving - much better chance of landing meaningful shots and actually controlling things.

Big thing that's often not mentioned: if you're not used to it, the spongey nature of a boxing ring surface can really sap your energy and strength in the legs in your first fight. Practice moving around (while shadow boxing) in a ring as much as possible, throw down a few mats in the back garden to simulate this if you can't get to a ring often, will be a good investment of your training time.

Get a really good, tight fit on your mudguard (it should be snug, not sitting down possibly blocking your air intake in any way) and wear it for every bit of your training: your aim is to avoid anything feeling new on the night, everything, except the inevitable nerves and excitment, should feel familiar. I also found listening to chillout music like Chicane in the runup kept me calm but then you want to ramp up the prep but not so early you leave energy in the dressing room, but you do wanna hit the ring just about breaking a sweat. Listen to your corner man - repeat what he is saying while in your corner and try to apply it. Other than that, block out the crowd as much as possible.

If you feel you're losing the fight, it can be tempting and natural to go into beserker mode and start swinging like crazy - that was my habit and it rarely works, far better to realise it's happening and to take a step back and get composed and then come back with good measured shots. Shake your opponent's hand at the end and applaud no matter if you think the decision was right or wrong - your opponent had the cojones to get in there and fight and deserves your respect for that reason regardless of any others.

Enjoy it, stepping into a ring to fight, regardless of experience or standard, is quite simply one of the best buzzes you'll ever have!

cowzerp

FrankGrimes wrote: »

It was never a recommended training technique so it may get slammed on here (I boxed intervarsity so not the same level as many club boxers on here), but I always found shadow boxing with ankle weights on my wrists was hugely helpful (put a sock around the wrist and 1kg weights on over that, I built up to 2kg after a while but 1kg is more than enough)

Your right, you will get lashed out of it!

this is good advice if your goal is to strain the girls ligaments and damage her joints

Don't do this.

Practise technique, and as said get good at the basic's as there what will win you your fight, this includes stance, footwork and straight punches mainly leading with your jab, the jab is your weak hand that should be in the front of your stance, basic 1-2 combo's will be your bread and butter, enjoy

lasair

@ Frank Grimes- maybe I should mention I'm a girl so not looking to impress anyone but thank you for your advice.

@ Cowzerp- I'm based in galway, will be doing proper training in two weeks.but would like to get head start so I feel I know what's going on/ slightly familiar with the techniques involved.

cowzerp

lasair wrote: »

@ Cowzerp- I'm based in galway, will be doing proper training in two weeks.but would like to get head start so I feel I know what's going on/ slightly familiar with the techniques involved.

sorry i don't know the galway area so cant give advise, what i would say is if you get instruction off you tube whatever and don't have acces to a bag, just work on getting your technique tight, elbows in, punches really straight, chin down and get on your toes so you can get in and out fast.

walshb

I used ankle weights, but on my ankles when running and skipping and boxing.;)

Wrists? I am no medical expert, but maybe that could be "dangerous." Not dismissing it outright, but seems that it could be counterproductive.

Now, if one watches Money Mayweather in certian clips it looks very like he uses weights attached to the gloves he is suing whilst doing the pads. Weights attached to the wrists of the gloves.

10 weeks is plenty of time. Main goal, fitness. You aren't going to become Floyd Mayweather, but most important aspect for a beginner is being able to last the pace. Get this, and then at least you will have the confidence to actually work in the ring and throw the shots. Lack the fitness, and when you do work you may not make the three or so rds. Plenty or road work and bag work, and plenty of throwing punches. Don't at alll worry about how they look, just keep throwing them. Work a bit on your feet and movement, and that is all you need. It is after all just white collar, novice, beginner.

FrankGrimes

Eh lads, do any of you have any actual experience or evidence showing weights on wrists damages joints/ligaments or is your reaction just based on your interpretation?

All I know is I used this approach for 4 seasons of college boxing and had faster hands and a bigger punch than most light-heavy college boxers of a similar level of experience and training (which as I've pointed out is at the lower-end in the grander scheme of things, in no way would I speculate that this would be beneficial at the higher end as I don't have the requisite experience to make such a judgement). I never had any ligament or joint strain so while it might not be for everyone, it was certainly very effective for me.

cowzerp

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Eh lads, do any of you have any actual experience or evidence showing weights on wrists damages joints/ligaments or is your reaction just based on your interpretation?.

well i boxed for years and have also coached for years and am also a qualified personal trainer so have good knowledge of the human body, i got them ankle/wrist weights and used them and my elbows where certainly strained, it goes without saying anyway that if you throw punches and a weight is lashing forward at speed each time it jerks your elbow, this can damage your joints so you got lucky, if you decide adding weights to increase speed there is 2 simple ways to do it

1. wear heavier boxing gloves, this will add no pull on your joints and will add weight therefore making you faster in smaller gloves.

2. hold a weight like a small iron bar in your hands this can add snap on the joints but far less than the wrist weight which can slide up and down.

i always use 16oz gloves on the bags, then when i wear lighter gloves they feel light.

walshb

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Eh lads, do any of you have any actual experience or evidence showing weights on wrists damages joints/ligaments or is your reaction just based on your interpretation?

All I know is I used this approach for 4 seasons of college boxing and had faster hands and a bigger punch than most light-heavy college boxers of a similar level of experience and training (which as I've pointed out is at the lower-end in the grander scheme of things, in no way would I speculate that this would be beneficial at the higher end as I don't have the requisite experience to make such a judgement). I never had any ligament or joint strain so while it might not be for everyone, it was certainly very effective for me.

Frank, I am with you. I would not dismiss it so surely. I would like to see evidence that this technique is indeed dangerous or counterproductive.

A lot of technique IF performed incorrectly can be dangerous, even the good techniques. So, a lot has to do with HOW the method and technique is applied.

The PBF example I gave would support your methods as being possibly effective and beneficial.

Just saw Paul's post: Yes, if a weight is loosley attached and you are throwing shots, that may well not be good. I was thinking this.

That is why I mentioned proper application of a technique. If the weight is securely attached and free from real movement then the method may be okay.

Feisar

I took part in one last May.

To qualify the below I'm not a boxer, others can chime in and pick out any crap in my post (please).

There was coaching made available that everyone had to attend to judge standards etc. I could only make the Saturday session as I'm working in Belfast and the event was on at home (Mullingar).

I trained for 12 weeks.

Stuff I did:

Gave up drinking
Ate clean, no crap at all.
Trained on the Saturday sessions
Done 10 three min rounds of shadow boxing every other evening
Done a Bas Rutten bodyweight circuit workout a few times a week. (30min Very high intensity)
Done a bit of jogging, not a wild lot of it though.
Skipped rope
Weight training twice a week, squats/press/bench/clean/dips/chins
I didn't take a day off unless I felt really beaten up. Even then I'd do light shadow boxing in front of a mirror
Stretched every day

Jabbing, double and triple up your jabs.

I'd say cardio and the ability to throw one, twos and keeping a good guard is the key to these type of unskilled events.

Both mine and my opponents cardio died in the final seconds of the last round. I mean I had nothing left in the pot and neither did he. Both of us were around 98Kg and it was all go for three rounds. Cardio cardio cardio.

I'd also advise getting some form of sparring in to get used to getting punched in the face, although I know the idea is to not get hit!

Oh and my bout ended in a draw:( Great craic though!

FrankGrimes

cowzerp wrote: »

well i boxed for years and have also coached for years and am also a qualified personal trainer so have good knowledge of the human body, i got them ankle/wrist weights and used them and my elbows where certainly strained, it goes without saying anyway that if you throw punches and a weight is lashing forward at speed each time it jerks your elbow, this can damage your joints so you got lucky, if you decide adding weights to increase speed there is 2 simple ways to do it

1. wear heavier boxing gloves, this will add no pull on your joints and will add weight therefore making you faster in smaller gloves.

2. hold a weight like a small iron bar in your hands this can add snap on the joints but far less than the wrist weight which can slide up and down.

i always use 16oz gloves on the bags, then when i wear lighter gloves they feel light.

I wouldn't question your experience at all cowzerp. Naturally my post didn't go into the minutia of it for brevity, but I had 2 ways of setting it up so the weight really didn't move much at all: a sock or bandage wrapped over the weight and then tied reasonably tightly with a piece of tape held them secure. If wearing gloves, they'd be 16oz gloves for training and the weights would fit in at the very bottom of the glove wrist cover and the gloves could then be closed around them holding them secure without decreasing fist fit in the glove. As alluded to earlier, if I noticed I was tiring and affecting my punching style, I'd remove the weights, so generally they'd be on for 3-4 rounds of intense shadow boxing per session so they don't need to be held in place in a durable way, but I still found this very effective and was surprised it's not more common (totally agree with using heavier gloves to train, but I opted against carrying a weight in the hand as I was trying to ensure my fist was always properly formed when training).

tryingmybestt

lasair wrote: »

@ Frank Grimes- maybe I should mention I'm a girl so not looking to impress anyone but thank you for your advice.

@ Cowzerp- I'm based in galway, will be doing proper training in two weeks.but would like to get head start so I feel I know what's going on/ slightly familiar with the techniques involved.

your best bit is to concentrate on a bit of running and technique....

running will build up your stamina and endurance, try and work in some sprints....

you can work on technique with shadow boxing and plenty of it....do some rounds slow to work on muscle memory.....

leave the heavy bag training etc. until the 10 wks of white collar training as 10 wks is plenty of time to get fit for 3 rounds....concentrate on technique and stamina

gene_tunney

As colly said, if you can throw a proper jab and a right hand on a heavy bag for 2 minutes and recover in time for the next round, you will be better than 90% of white collar boxers.

Chin down, hands up, a good jab and cross and you should win unless your opponent is way more naturally gifted or much fitter, which is unlikely since you used to be a fitness instructor.

lasair

Thanks for all the info guys!!!! I have started looking at videos on YouTube getting the hang of the techiques.

walshb

Check out Floyd doing his thing. I used not to rate the guy's pads, but when you really look at what he is doing it is so so complex and skilled. It's pure art. Every fibre of his body is in rhythm and sync. He also looks to be wearing weights attached to the gloves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nnWH2IEECM&feature=grec_index

The music to accompnay this is class. I love Roger's take on "speed."

"Speed ain's sh1t if you don't know how to use it. My nephew know how to use it."

tryingmybestt

i don't think it's worthwhile for a beginner to start trying to do pads like mayweather....tha won't get her far...

best to stick to throwing straight punches and keeping your guard up......try and move the head a little and build the fitness.....if u do that in the fight you'ss be ok...

most important thing is not to lose your temper in first round and run out of steam after one round as most do in white collar.....keep calm jab and right hand and the judges will favour u

MBC

Anyone interested just mail me. Cheers