Week 6

Despite still having a head like a flu-sponge I turned up to find that I was the only one there this week. Jason got me to shadow box in front of the mirror - carrying on from our session the previous week and I promptly demonstrated that I had forgotten everything he told me. For the record, and hopefully so I remember next time:

- don't lean forward or stand to square on as my balance is completely off and I can be toppled like an old tree
- keep off flat feet and on the toes at all times
- keep my hands up in front my face, step jab, step jab, jab -right, left hook, right hook, uppercut uppercut etc. keeping light on my feet
- punch and jab from cheekbone level. This is easy to remember, but as you get tired you really believe you are doing it right but your hands are down by your shoulders, head exposed...

I felt guilty for not having praticed since Thursday and just as I was starting to feel self concious about my wooden style the other Nick turned up, doubling the size of the training session. Nick is a short, shaven headed man covered in tattoos who mean looks belie a nice guy underneath who is willing to help me along with my style and said this week he wouldn't hit me too hard.

We alternated three rounds bag work and three rounds in the ring with Jason throwing jabs that I had to block and step around the ring, keeping my distance, again letting my hands drop leaving my head vulnerable. My stance was too wide and my steps too big making me clumsy and slow but I corrected this and suddenly felt lighter and more agile. There are two people in the ring - the fighter and the boxer. The figher dominates the middle of the ring and the boxer moves around the edge, forwards and backwards. I am always the boxer and must learn to use my height and reach advantage to maintain a distance out of range and have momentum when I step in and punch.

Next came my first experince of sparring. Nick put in his gumshield and moved to the centre of the ring. I don't have a gumshield and my 10Oz gloves that came free with the bag I bought from JJB sports are to thin for sparring so I'll have to put that right by next time.We were to do three 1.5 minute rounds, scoring (theoretical) points if any of our punches got through. Again I was the boxer and it felt amazing compared to skills practics. The heightened feeling of the both of us being on a hair-trigger gave rise to a clarity and focus in the mind where the world outside the ring does not exist. If I fainted a jab by twitching my shoulder or stepping in and out would send my opponent into a defensive block. Suddenly I could see how everything I had learned so far needed to be called upon almost simultaneously - hands up protecting my head, keep light footed, move around the fighter, block his jabs or lean out the way, step in and back...

Well that is me recalling what I should have done, writing about it afterwards on a train en route to York. In reality I forgot to block half the time, delivered a jab to Nick's head which he blocked but then didn't move back for an age, leaving my lower body open to a punch - which was pretty easy since he was a head shorter than me. Good thing that he'd agreed to go easy this time. I mentioned to Nick afterwards that I couldn't see how it was possible to deliver a jab when he could duck it and despatch a body blow while I was in range, but he said he always gets hit because his more experienced opponents deliver a shot over the top while he is ducking down. I'll have to remember that.

The third round was hard work - my sinuses decided to evacuate their evil contents onto my shirt, sweat was pouring off me and my arms were too tired to keep my hands up. I knew this, and Jason was shouting at me from the side of the ring to keep them up too which distracted me and frustrated me quite a lot. Nick was more or less choosing when to hit me and I my blocks were uncoordinated thrashes of my arms. I wasn't best pleased with my performance, but it did give me an insight into just how much there was to learn, how much there is to think about, and how important strength and stamina are to getting anywhere close to going the distance.

Jason said that he'd spoken to another club in Cardiff and got some plans for an exhibition fight in August. That gives me just over 5 months to get into condition and practice. I don't think I've ever even contemplated doing 5 months preparation for something that will last (I hope) four and a half minutes!

We both stepped out of the ring and Jason informed us it was fitness time. Feeling like I'd already burned off more calories than I'd ingested all week, we moved over to the weights area to do alternate kettle bell raises followed by 15 pressups - repeated three times.

I got home feeling weak as a robin and was fast asleep in bed by 9:30.

Week 5

I missed the next two sessions but used the time in bed when I wasn't sleeping or fighting my email inbox to watch some classic boxing bouts on youtube.com. I could see a what of what Jason was trying to get me to do, but a lot of different styles that seem to break the rules - like the Maccarenelli - Haye fight last weekend. Haye keeps his left hand down by his waist and is not often on his toes, but then when you're World Champion you are allowed to do that.

I popped into the gym to arrange a catchup session with Jason. Simon told me that the running track around the perimeter of the gym totals 90 metres. I kind of wish I didn't know that bit of information.

I had another one to one session with Jason and we missed out fitness as I was still not completely better. We spent most of the time shadow boxing in front of the mirror and then endless practice going round in circles doing left step jab, left step jab. Finished off in the ring learning how to be defensive by blocking punches with both hands, parrying with one hand, ducking and stepping back. Worth remembering that stuff.

Week 4

This week I had a hard schedule at work. I had to go to Oslo for a meeting on Monday. My flight home was at 4:30 in the morning and as soon as I landed in Cardiff I had to collect my car and drive up to Sheffield to survey a dam that had been in danger of bursting. I'm saying this here because that day was spent that day raising and lowering a 15m telescopic camera mast for 7 hours in blustery northern weather before driving home. I started sneezing at Strencham Services on the M5 and felt the fear of yet another cold..

Since I'd missed Monday and Wednesday nights training I booked a one to one session with Jason on Thursday afternoon. This turned out the be my best session yet - he could see that I'd been practicing and his complete attention meant that we could tackle a lot of my bad habits like flat feet, dropping hands, swimming punches... a lot of things.

The last part of the session was a mistake. I refused to admit that the storm clouds of a bad cold were brewing in the background and Jason put me through 15 minutes of fitness - 30 seconds of pressups, 30 seconds of dumbell punches and 30 seconds of squats with a sprint lap of the gym in between each set. This was repeated 3 times and on the third repetition I tried a mindfulness of breathing exercise while sprinting round the track which was like kicking into another gear. Interesting. It felt amazing.

The next two days I couldn't get out of bed and was incapacitated with the worst fever and flu I can remember. I felt so stupid for pushing myself when my body clearly needed it's reserve to fight a virus.

Week 3

A new person joined the group - a girl called Emma. I remember seeing her turn up on her bike wearing just a vest in the subzero night. She was my partner for the night and we did nothing but jabs and blocking (jab with the left, block with the right). It felt strange trying to punch a woman in the face but she did pretty well. Afterwards she said she was surprised it was so male oriented. I nearly said "what do you expect?" but she never came back.

Rich explained to me afterwards that boxing is more about not getting hit rather than landing big punches. I'd not thought of it this way around and suddenly I could see where all the skills training we do comes into it's own - not to mention being light on your feet and agile. I still feel like a bog oak rooted in thick mud and wonder what I can do to loosen up.

I'm starting to really enjoy this new sport and working out with guys from cross sections of life I'd not meet day to day. Every now and then things I've learned come into my mind. I bought a bag so now I can practice some of the things I think of more easily.

Week 2

I got there early this week and stared skipping to warm up. I'm quite good at skipping and realised I have more stamina than some of the heavy built guys who work out more. Bought a strap for my injured knee which had developed a mobile sack of fluid from the injury. I showed Ash who promptly rolled up his trouser leg and showed me two wounds through his knee - bullet entry and exit wounds. I carried on skipping.

Met two new guys this week - Dave and Rich. Dave was wearing black laceup boxing boots and looked serious. Rich is a jovial law lecturer in Pontypridd. He is interesting because he is so amicable to chat to, but an animal when he gets his gloves on and is on the pads. They've both been coming for a long time and both competed in the last exhibition fight at the Cardiff Coal Exchange in front of a crowd of 500 people.

Rich told me afterwards that he turned up with his wife and had a nice glass of wine whilst awaiting his turn. His opponent turned up sweating from a warm up with his personal trainer and he said he thought "what the hell am I doing?." He didn't say if he finished or not.

Dave and Ash looked good sparring - especially Dave who's probably the most experienced of the group. The contrast of seeing him arrive in a pressed white shirt and suit to his snorting and jabbing at Ashley's head was something else. During fitness he sprinted round the gym like a greyhound ahead of everyone else.

Week 1

I turned up a bit late and had a first look at the rest of the group. There were three other guys - all struck me as Cardiff hard men with no hair and lots of tattoos. Another Nick who reminded me of a fighting dog and looked like he could punch through a brick wall. Ashley - a 6 foot plus muscle man with a diamond earring and another guy who's name I don't remember who was through and through Cardiff lad and said "you knows I'm not gonna be good tonight as I had to bury me dad yesterday, like". The coach is called Jason who has the build and posture of a street fighter and is amazing to watch how light footed and powerful he is when he demonstrates shadow boxing or bag work. He's a top guy and 100% committed to getting us up to a level where we can go and spar with other clubs in the area.

They all turned out the be really nice guys and seemed willing to pass on tips to me and be generally encouraging. I felt foolish telling Jason that I'd done a lot of boxercise classes in the past and after seeing how the other guys moved around I realised I should have said my experience was - nothing. I thought I had a pretty good right punch, but within thirty seconds after I'd learned the correct stance, posture, where to hold my hands etc. I realised this was the complete beginning being built on a foundation of nothing but uncertainty.

I thought we would be in the ring from the word go, but the session involved endless bag work, watching Jason look good and failing to look anything like him. People had billed this as some kind of fight club where frustrated white collar worker go to knock seven bells out of each other after work for an hour or so. The reality was a new and exciting sport of which I knew nothing that combines mental and physical agility with extreme fitness, strength and stamina.

The last 15 minutes were fitness time - (as if what we had been doing for the past 45 was not). This involved relays around the running track doing squat thrusts, pressups and jack-knifes, three times. It was exhausting - plus my knee was still weeping blood from a deep cut inflicted in a snowboarding collision with a buried rock in Switzerland a week before.

For the first time in a long time I felt invigorated, fit, focused and knew that there was a lot more to this than I thought.

If anybody reads this blog and wants to know more about boxing terminology, here is a great wiki page