The Importance of Private Lessons

As a boxing coach and personal trainer I thought I always understood the true importance of private lessons. That individualized, one-on-one time when you get to work with your coach or trainer on you and only you is sacred and priceless! Now please know I don't say this as some sort of pitch to get you to sign up for private lessons because that is not my intent. I understand that for a variety of reasons private lessons/training sessions aren't for everyone, and that's totally okay. My purpose in writing on this topic is to illustrate what I have realized in working one-on-one with my boxing coach, Bob Miller.

When people decide to train whether it be for general fitness purposes, to compete or get healthy you have many choices when it comes to embarking on this endeavor. You can join a large health club and use the equipment, you can attend group fitness classes, you can join a running group, you can join a training facility and train for a specific sport, you can work with a trainer in small groups or individually...and the list goes on! The beauty of training or exercise is it is not one size fits all and we have lots of options. As a trainer, I enjoy doing all of it...large group classes, small group training, and private lessons/training. And each type has a different purpose, feel, and intention. Each has its advantages and disadvantages depending on your goals, needs and budget. The key is to finding what works for you!

Now back to my point on illustrating the importance of private lessons. As an athlete and a boxer I recently realized how essential and important my individual work with my coach is. I have been competing frequently and work hard at getting in my roadwork, skills training, sparring, etc. I typically make time for all of it and feel proud that I have been able to continue my rigorous training, while also running the gym with my business partner and coach. Due to crazy schedules and gratefully a busy, thriving gym my coach and I hadn't had much time to get our private lessons in. The past two fights have been successful wins for me despite not having had as much individual training time with my coach as he and I would have liked.

So as I approach my upcoming fight, my coach and I have found more time to get our work in. And I have realized the priceless value in our training time together. This is where I not only tweak things, make adjustments, learn, improve and grow, but this is where my coach has time to connect with me and see where my head is at. This is where the mental game is prepared as well. My coach can sense my confidence level, where my head is at, my focus, my challenges and my strengths. This is always where I, the athlete, pull my confidence and strength from. Knowing that my coach has a watchful eye on me and where I am at gives me the confidence to trust him and myself. When your coach truly knows where you are at physically and mentally, you can go into competition with confidence! He's got your back, he knows what to say to you, how to get you focused and how to get you to do things that lead to wins! This is key! My motto is trust your coach and trust your training...if you don't have that you won't win!

My one-on-one time with my coach is priceless to me. It's time that is just focused on me! How often do you get that? Me time is so important for all of us whether or not we are competing. Each of my training sessions with my students I know my intention is to focus solely on them, their personal and physical growth and transformation. Whether I am teaching someone how to throw jab or pushing them to do one more push-up, it's about them and getting them to be their personal best. The connection you have with your coach/trainer is so important. It leads to success! If you have a coach or trainer you don't like, enjoy or trust you will never get what you want. You want enjoy your experience and you want invest in your training.

We all need a little me time! Whether you are learning to box or simply trying to get in shape we have our own process, we all learn differently, and we all have our own pace. And while group classes and training sessions are amazing and essential for camaraderie and motivation when it comes to truly changing and growing we need that individual time and connection with our coach/trainer. That person that has again a watchful eye on us, knows us better than we know ourselves, that can inspire us, push us, and make us be and do more! We need that time with our coach/trainer to take an honest inventory of where we are at and how to get where we want to be. So while you move forward on your path towards personal and physical change ask yourself what you need. Do you need a little me time? Do you need some in your corner? Do you want someone to keep you on track?

No matter what you prefer, be it large group classes, small training sessions, or individual lessons remember that to get where you want to be you must invest 100% in what you are doing! Stay focused! Be accountable and responsible! Get support! Train Hard! Warrior Fighting Sports & Fitness has training sessions to fit every individuals goals and needs, its up to you to decide what you want to do to succeed!

Training to Box vs. Training to Fight

There is a big difference between fighting and boxing. A lot of people can fight, yet a lot less can actually box. Mastering the art of boxing is no easy task. Whether you are a recreational or competitive combat athlete you know that learning the intricacies and nuances of boxing is a time consuming, long journey.

And while boxing is much different than fighting, note that both take courage and strength. There are many combat athletes that get in the ring to test themselves and struggle to box, and again this does not discount what they do accomplish personally and physically by stepping in that ring.

When we first begin the process of learning to box, we mostly understand the fight aspect. We must punch, move forward, make contact with our opponent, we must learn to be aggressive, tough and also patient. The fight is very important and yet as we grow as combat athletes we must begin to understand boxing. It is an art. It is the sweet science. From the footwork, angles, and combinations to the style, intuitive adjustments and strategy. Boxing is never perfected though always practiced with the goal of achieving perfection.

So how does one train to box vs. train to fight? Well we train the fight over and over again in our conditioning workouts. We push our body beyond what we think is possible. We learn the basics and attempt to perfect them as we hit the bag. Our initial sparring sessions are typically about training to fight, getting in the ring and trying to put together our basics although we usually don't look like we are boxing at all. (and of course there are those select few that pick it up naturally and box much sooner than most)

I realized last week what it meant to train to box. In my most recent match I won and felt as if I was winning during the match. I was a bit more relaxed than in previous matches and I realized that I needed to find ways to strategically score points. That feeling of knowing I was winning made me recognize that I train to box not to fight. I want to become a better boxer. I don't simply train for one match or one tournament, I train with the goal of becoming the best boxer I can be. I want the speed, finesse, skill of those boxers I admire. I want to outbox my opponent.

The only way to become a better boxer is to box. And not just in sparring sessions. You need experience, ring experience. Sparring is our practice and it helps tremendously but at the end of the day nothing compares to real life competitive experience. We must do the thing that we want to improve on. We cannot duck competition and expect to become a better boxer. The mental piece of boxing and competing cannot be recreated outside of an actual match. You must go through the experience of prepping for a match, the pre-fight routine, stepping into the ring with an audience, boxing and standing in the middle of the ring at the end of the match waiting for your hand to be raised in order to improve as a boxer. This is because the experience of competition has an different impact on all of us and we need to go through that process in order to show us as a better boxer each time.

Training to box is an amazing experience. You go through your training camp, work with your team, have your crew supporting you in the corner, you compete, you win, you learn about yourself and you grow personally and physically. With each opportunity to compete I am proud to say that I have improved as a boxer and I looked forward to continued improvement. And to get better I must take matches, test myself and hone my skills with each opportunity.

For some boxers in training they have to deal with the unfortunate challenge that occurs in amateur boxing of not having opponents out there to compete against. This happens far too often in female amateur boxing. My sparring partner and friend has experienced this over and over again. She gets matched and the fighter doesn't show or pulls out, or we cannot find a match for her. This is a frustrating experience to a boxer in training who wants to grow and improve through testing themselves in competition. I admire her continued dedication to the sport as she continues to wait for the opportunity to compete. She knows that testing herself and putting all her training into action will make her a better boxer.

Boxers must deal with the ups and downs of training, the repetition, the steps forward and back and the demand of training on a daily basis all for the opportunity "dance under those lights" and find out what they are made of. To discover if they can box, not just fight, but box. At Warrior Fighting Sports & Fitness, we don't just train our athletes to fight, we train them to box! We break boxing down and teach you from the ground up how to master this complex art. We give every athlete the opportunity to embrace the sport and become a boxer.

Finding Your Inner Warrior

What does it mean to find your inner Warrior?

Many of our blog posts up to this one illustrate what it takes to find your inner Warrior. We have explored momentum, overcoming hesitation, trusting your intuition, training hard, and much more. All of these concepts lead us to the point of finding our inner Warrior!

Coach Bob always says he never knows what he is gonna get out of a fighter at their first competition. No matter how hard you train and how great your sparring comes along during your training camp many times how you show up in competition is a surprise.

Will you dig down deep and leave everything in the ring? Will you let the fear take over? Will you follow your coach's instruction? Will you choke? Will you keep moving forward? Will you find your inner Warrior and fight?

These questions are most often left unanswered until you compete for the first time and learn a little something about yourself. No doubt there is anxiety, nerves, fear or whatever you want to label it before your fight but it is what you do with those feelings that matters.

"The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It's the same thing, fear, but it's what you do with it that matters." ~Cus D'Amato

A Warrior fights. A Warrior faces his fear. A Warrior stays focused. A Warrior tests himself.

This weekend we had the pleasure of seeing a fighter be born. Our newest Warrior. As a coach you go into a fight uncertain about what you will get out of a first time fighter. You have more confidence in some of your fighters than others based on their skill level, fitness level, how the train, etc. Yet you still never know how they will handle the stress of competition. So when our guy stepped into that ring this weekend I wasn't sure how this thing was going to go. Would he step up? Would he fight? Would he follow Coach Bob's instruction? The uncertainty and lack of control is more nerve racking than competing myself.

What did our fighter do? He found his inner Warrior! He fought! He tried his hardest to execute the instruction he was given...he moved forward and didn't quit! I was so proud of him! I didn't care if he won or lost. And though he did lose, I learned something about him and he learned something about himself. He can do this! He can overcome nerves, anxiety and fear and compete. He can fight. He can stay focused. He can dig down deep when he is exhausted and leave it all in the ring without regret! This is priceless. When you discover that you can trust yourself to handle stress and overcome you find your inner strength. This builds self-trust, self confidence and pride. Win or lose...you test yourself, you do your best and you change! In and out of the ring you realize you have more power and strength inside you than you ever knew.

Coach Bob always says competing teaches you something about yourself. You learn what you do under pressure, you learn what you can handle, you discover your inner strength and confidence. It is an amazing thing to see a fighter find and experience this. I felt like a proud parent watching our fighter stand in that corner after the contest and realize on a deep level that he can do more than he ever thought he could. He tested himself and he found his inner Warrior!

That is what this is all about...growing as an athlete and a person! Achieving your personal best! Knowing that you have no regret, that you have given it your all and that is what matters! It takes courage and strength to test yourself in and out of the ring, but it is always worth it! I truly believe each of us has much more strength than we recognize or give ourselves credit for. That's why at Warrior Fighting Sports & Fitness, we don't just develop fighters we develop Warriors! Individuals that challenge themselves, grow, improve, and change.

8 Keys to Success

I came across this brief video posted by one of our favorite trainers Ross Enamait. He recently posted this video on his blog and I thought it would be something useful to share with the Warrior Community.

This video outlines the 8 keys to success. And after watching the video and thinking about it I believe these same 8 keys to success out of the ring can apply in the ring as well. Please view this video and then continue reading.

8 keys to Success:

1. Passion

2. Work

3. Good

4. Focus

5. Push

6. Serve

7. Idea

8. Persist

Passion:

As the video states, to be successful you must love what you do. I have found this true in training, fighting, life and my career. I have always used passion as my guide. I choose do to things that align with my passion and stay away from those things that do not. Now I realize in life and training we must do things we don't always like or feel passionate about, yet when it comes down to it I can bet that even the things you dislike doing if aligned with your deeper passion are bearable and lead to success.

I love what I do professionally. I am grateful for the opportunity to co-own a boxing gym and training center. My passion for helping others, boxing and creating community is a driving force in my life and despite the challenges that accompanying being an entrepreneur, living my passion is worth every up and down.

Work:

In and out of the ring you must be willing to work hard. "We sweat in the gym, so we don't bleed in the ring." There is no substitute for hard work. Putting in the long hours, the extra rounds of training, and the late nights in the office the all pay off in the end. Nothing comes easy.

Good:

To be successful in life, in your career or in the ring you must practice. You must be good at your craft. You cannot be successful at something you simply aren't good at. So just as the video states, "practice, practice, practice". In boxing this is key! You must practice, train your body to perform as it needs to in competition, and practice some more! You will never improve as a fighter or in any are of your life if you don't practice!

Focus:

I can't say enough about how important focus is. "Energy flows where attention goes" ~James Ray. If you focus is all over the place you will never get anywhere. You must focus on one thing at a time. Put your attention where it needs to be. Focus on your strengths AND your weaknesses.

Push:

This speaks to internal or self motivation. You must find it within to push yourself beyond what you think is possible. The mind can be limiting, it can hold you back, so you must consciously push yourself beyond doubts, fears, and hesitations. I always say you can do more than you think you can! So do it! Take risks, push and grow! Do this in every day life, at work, every training session and in competition.

Serve:

Whatever it is that you do, do it with the intend to serve. Serve the greater good. Improve your community, your family, your circle. Take honor in what you do. Respect it. Be grateful for the opportunity to be able to do what you do. See what you do as a privilege.

Idea:

We must have ideas. We must trust our intuition. In the ring we must listen, observe, and have ideas about our strategy and opportunities. In life we must do the same. When training you must be curious, hungry to learn, and you must make that connection between training and application. In life and fighting, we must problem solve, have ideas on how to get into something and get out.

Persist:

And yes of course persistence. Nothing was ever accomplished without persistence. We must take action, make mistakes, fail and keep moving forward. Nothing is flawless or without error, so learn from your mistakes and persist. We must not back down, back out or give up. We must persist even when times get tough. Again this is true of life and fighting.

As Ross said in his blog post about this video these are probably pretty obvious concepts. Sometimes we just need a little reminder of what is obvious. It's like a nudge saying, "hey just an FYI, here's what you need to be doing to get where you want to be!". So take note of those concepts that are easy for you practice or embrace and those that are more challenging. Choose to follow your passion, work hard, practice until so you're good at what you do, focus, push yourself, serve, create ideas and persist! In and out of the ring these 8 keys can lead to your success! Warrior is based on these 8 keys and encourages each student and fighter to follow these keys to success!