Wednesday night - just Rich and I tonight. I haven't seen him for about 4 or 5 weeks as he's had some trouble with his mother but it was good to see him back. I nearly didn't come today as my left lower rib is still extremely painful even to take deep breaths, although after a warm up it is less so. My black eye from Dave's right hook last Friday turned yellow and is now almost gone. Also for the first time had hydrated myself properly over the day with isotonic electolyte and the difference in my alertness and stamina was noticable.
Before he arrived I warmed up with some fast skipping and a few laps of the gym. Did some practice in the ring with Jason - parrying, bobbing and getting some feel of being the fighter (in the middle of the ring). This requires a wider stance and better balance.
Richard had lost some fitness over his time off, but I was surprised at how he apparently seemed to have forgotten his stance and stood in front of me almost square-on with his hands at chest level. In other words if I wanted to take him he was an open book. I felt good about this, as I remember on my second or third training session he worried me a bit with his powerful punches. But the purpose of tonight was defensive practice blocking and ducking for three rounds.
I guess Jason remembered my trouble on the ropes last week when Dave rushed me, so we did some practice moving back, keeping upright and punching until you hit the ropes then to do an electric side-step and if possible give the opponent a cheeky tap on the back of the head to send him into the ropes and off balance. A nice maneuvre that turns the situation I found myself before with my head down, a sitting duck, into an advantage. There's an excellent section on the Don Familton superior boxing tapes about defensive moves.
The time went quickly tonight and finished off with a hard circuit of the usual punishment, although I feel more mentally conditioned to just getting on with it and not complaining to myself. The main thing that comes into my mind is that exercising close to muscle failure on your own doing an exercise is one thing, but if your body becomes exhausted in the ring, there is only one outcome. Never was it more true that you get out what you put in.
A few things to remember from tonight:
- I must do more bag work practive at home - do 3 or 4 rounds and build up stamina. Practice some double left jabs and a left hook.
- When punching or jabbing, snap the arm back. This should deliver more power and make a satisfying slap on the bag.
- put in more feints when sparring and be less mechanical. Boxing is all about combinations and catching your opponent unawares.
April 9, 2008
April 6, 2008
4th April
A Friday session at lunchtime with Dave. I arrived 15 minutes early to warm up properly, compared to Wednesday where we didn't I didn't feel completely focused.
Dave turned up with Jason at 1 o'clock and after some skipping and stretches we began sparring. I asked if Dave could avoid my right hand ribs as they were still very sore and even deep breaths hurt.
We did five rounds and it was the best yet. I was completely focused and whereas before I was just jabbing, getting too close and paying the price, today I could see everything I'd learned and practiced laid out in my mind like a menu. A couple of jabs got through Dave's often low guard and I followed with a right hook that I think was as much a surprise to me that it connected as it was to him.
In the 3rd round Dave started rushing me and cornering me on the ropes. My instinct was to keep my head down and block but that just turns you into a punchbag and is a dead cert to shorten your life in the ring. Jas said the thing to do was to keep upright and keep punching, left, right. It sounds and feels the last thing you'd want to do but it really works. Then you can push your opponent away with all your energy. It's amazing how tiring this is to do, but I send Dave back into the centre following him with lefts rights and hooks until Jason stopped us getting carried away.
The fourth and fifth rounds were hard going as nearly all my energy had gone. How can the pros do 12 x 3 minute rounds? My left eye was feeling sore and Dave forgot my request before we started and landed a blow to the upper left side of my ribs right where I was hurting although he apologized. When the rounds were up I felt great and encouraged that Jason said that I was now showing signs of my own style and was keeping my distance.
It was 1.25 and time for the most grueling fitness workout yet - one minute each of lorry tyre presses, squat jumps, pressups, pullups, kettle bell thrusts and a combo of burpee, pressup and overhead lift with an (empty) aluminium beer barrel. In between each exercise was 15 jack-knives. We did this twice.
Got back to work feeling invigorated and a sense of achievement. Now my whole body aches but I find that is better than a sharp pain in one place so it's easier to forget. My left eye has developed from a blue bruise at the top of my left cheek to a black eye, but I feel less annoyed about this than when Dave smashed my nose a few weeks ago as I was generally happy with my progress this week.
Dave turned up with Jason at 1 o'clock and after some skipping and stretches we began sparring. I asked if Dave could avoid my right hand ribs as they were still very sore and even deep breaths hurt.
We did five rounds and it was the best yet. I was completely focused and whereas before I was just jabbing, getting too close and paying the price, today I could see everything I'd learned and practiced laid out in my mind like a menu. A couple of jabs got through Dave's often low guard and I followed with a right hook that I think was as much a surprise to me that it connected as it was to him.
In the 3rd round Dave started rushing me and cornering me on the ropes. My instinct was to keep my head down and block but that just turns you into a punchbag and is a dead cert to shorten your life in the ring. Jas said the thing to do was to keep upright and keep punching, left, right. It sounds and feels the last thing you'd want to do but it really works. Then you can push your opponent away with all your energy. It's amazing how tiring this is to do, but I send Dave back into the centre following him with lefts rights and hooks until Jason stopped us getting carried away.
The fourth and fifth rounds were hard going as nearly all my energy had gone. How can the pros do 12 x 3 minute rounds? My left eye was feeling sore and Dave forgot my request before we started and landed a blow to the upper left side of my ribs right where I was hurting although he apologized. When the rounds were up I felt great and encouraged that Jason said that I was now showing signs of my own style and was keeping my distance.
It was 1.25 and time for the most grueling fitness workout yet - one minute each of lorry tyre presses, squat jumps, pressups, pullups, kettle bell thrusts and a combo of burpee, pressup and overhead lift with an (empty) aluminium beer barrel. In between each exercise was 15 jack-knives. We did this twice.
Got back to work feeling invigorated and a sense of achievement. Now my whole body aches but I find that is better than a sharp pain in one place so it's easier to forget. My left eye has developed from a blue bruise at the top of my left cheek to a black eye, but I feel less annoyed about this than when Dave smashed my nose a few weeks ago as I was generally happy with my progress this week.
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