Athletes Train: Skill Development Takes Practice

Many prospective students come to Coach Bob and I wanting to learn how to box.  And most of the time they have no idea what that means.  Many new students come to their first class and are frustrated with their own lack of knowledge, skill and conditioning.  

"What is a jab and how do I throw it?"

"How am I suppose to stand?"

"Do we switch positions and work both sides?"

These amongst many others are questions asked aloud or in their minds by new students.  Most of the time people do not understand why we don't include instruction in our group workouts.  New students want to "learn how to box" but do not yet understand the intricacies of mastering the art of boxing.  And when you come to a boxing gym you are suppose to sweat, work hard and "feel the pain" right?  So how do you do that and try to learn the skills necessary at the same time?  The answer is you can't.  

Your overall conditioning can be developed through the hard work put in our conditioning workouts, but the skill needs to be TRAINED separately.  

In boxing you have to start from the ground up.  You must first learn how to stand properly and train that seemingly simply task over and over again.  From there you can learn how to throw punches and move.  For many of us the beginning of learning how to box can feel tedious and boring.  Learning and practicing round after round how to get into your fighting stance, how to step with the jab and execute body rotation is not the most exciting part of the process.  Boxing is about repetition! You must train each skill! And when we are training skill we can't be focused on getting a killer workout.  We are working on perfecting our skills so that when we condition in our workouts our technique is top notch.  What we train in the gym shows up in the ring. 

Boxing is an intricate sport and most of us in the beginning do not realize this.  It's the subtle nuances that make a big impact.  Again skill training takes practice.  This is why at Warrior we don't teach you how to box in a large group setting.  In order to truly learn the proper form and technique you need individual or small group instruction.  You need more attention from your coach to learn skill then you do when doing conditioning.  To really learn how to stand, throw your jab, etc. you need to be taught those skills and you need to practice them regularly.  

All students can condition like a fighter, but to truly look and perform like a fighter you need to practice the skills! 

The better your form and technique, the better, safer and more effective your workout will be!

Whether you want to compete or you enjoy boxing recreationally practicing skills training is essential.  And remember it takes time and practice.  All of us mastering the art of boxing hit road blocks, get frustrated when we can't "get things", and experience feeling defeated when we make strides forward and then backward. So train hard and practice often...it will make all the difference!

At Warrior Fighting Sports & Fitness we offer both individual lessons and our small group instructional workshop Boxing 101 designed to teach you the skills you need to become a boxer! Visit www.warrior-fighting.com to learn more! Don't miss the next session of Boxing 101 starting 10/14/09 @ 6:00PM!