Skill is King in the Ring!

"Conditioning drills will only benefit those fighters who master the fundamentals. Boxing is a sport that relies on skill and strategy. Conditioning drills will help you perform at your best, but you need skill to apply your conditioning." ~Ross Enmait

Many fighters can easily get caught up in training hard all the time, focusing too much attention on conditioning and spending too little time on skill development. We want to do the fun stuff, the stuff that makes us sweaty and sore, the stuff that comes easy to us. And while conditioning is a huge part of a fighters training, we cannot neglect skill development. It's can be the boring stuff that if practiced separates the boxers from the scrubs.

We need and must rely on our basics, the fundamentals. Without our fundamentals, all the conditioning in the world won't win a fight. We must be patient and give attention to our skill development daily. A fighter will stand in front of a full length mirror everyday and attempt to perfect his jab, improve his pivoting, and work on his weaknesses. A fighter knows that it's his skill in the ring is what will win the fight.

Many new students come to the gym wanting to be fighters and have no clue what that means or entails. At Warrior, it is a journey that starts from the ground up. If you want to fight, you must practice your basics, you must focus on your skill in conditioning workouts and you must give 100%. We start all students with stance and systemitcally progress them through basic punches and beyond. We do not move on with a student until they can do each skill correctly. We must not move students through this too quickly because if that cannot throw a jab correctly chances are their cross won't come out the way it needs to. Each punch and body movement builds on each other. Therefore if we speed through mastering the basics, we will train bad habits and lack what is needed to box.

This many times slow, tedious process of mastering the basics is again what sets a fighter apart from the rest of a team. The one who stays after class to practice his jab because it just didn't look right during the workout. The student who comes in early and practices jump rope every day before class because she knows mastering it will help her timing and agility. The guy who stands in front of that mirror practicing body rotation round after round while others sit around talking. Skill is king in the ring! Set yourself apart from the rest and take the time to practice daily! And remember that in your conditioning workouts at that heavy bag you must throw each punch with the goal of perfection. If you train slop in the gym, you will get slop in the ring. And no matter how great of shape you are in, if you're skills aren't there don't plan on winning.

Whether you train with us at Warrior or any other gym, remember take the time to develop your fundamentals, don't rush it...it will pay off in the end! If you do train at Warrior and you want to fight neglecting skills practice is not an option. If you are a new student, a prospect or a fighter on the team remember...

"Conditioning drills will only benefit those fighters who master the fundamentals. Boxing is a sport that relies on skill and strategy. Conditioning drills will help you perform at your best, but you need skill to apply your conditioning." ~Ross Enmait