Having a great coach is among the most important factors in improving your boxing ability. Is it just knowledge and experience? There is more to a great boxing trainer than just knowing everything.
Look at the man behind Mike Tyson and you’ll see a Cus D’Amato. Look behind Manny Pacquiao and you’ll see a Freddie Roach. Look up Floyd Mayweather Jr’s family tree and you’ll find 3 achieved boxers from the Mayweather clan. Having talent locked away deep inside you is one thing, you still need to find someone who can unlock your true potential. A great boxing coach will do this. It is more often than not that the outcome of great fights were decided by the men in the corner and not just the men in the ring.
In fact, having a trainer is so important that many professional fighters have teams of trainers, each coach specializing in a different expertise relating to boxing. From what I’ve seen, here are the common roles of the different members of training teams. If you already have a boxing coach, see which one he fits under.
Coaching Styles
The Friend
This often the fighter’s first coach, father, older brother, or senior sparring partner when he was still developing. This coach knows the fighter the most. He knows exactly how the fighter feels and knows exactly what to say and what to do to make everything better. He knows all the fighter’s habits, knows how he likes his hands wrapped, where the fighter puts his wallet in his bag, and how low to tilt the water bottle over in between rounds. When all hope is lost, this trainer believes in his fighter till the very end.
The Strength & Conditioning Coach
This is the guy with the clipboard and stopwatch. He doesn’t care about the fighter’s excuses; if you’re not hitting the expected numbers, he won’t be happy. This is the coach that tells you all the rules, decides what time you go running everyday, everything you have to eat, and watches you every minute of your workout. He’ll also remind you not to have sex the night before big fights.
The Strategist
This is the boxing expert. He’s probably trained dozens of world champions before. He analyzes the opponent and gives his fighter a set fight plan. He works the fighter heavily on the mitts and gives endless technical adjustments. Everything goes by the book with him. He knows the counter-style to every boxing style. During fights, he’ll pass on clever tactics for you to try out. He wants you to do exactly what he says—nothing more, nothing less.
The reality, most boxers will never get to this point. You don’t get to have an offensive coach and defensive coach like a pro-football team. At best, you’re hoping to find one person who truly cares about your success and will fill all the positions up above–and do it all for free from the goodness of his heart. Alright, so let’s go looking for him.
How Do I Find A Good Boxing Trainer?
I get asked that all the time. The easy answer I tell some people is “Just walk into a gym, pay the membership fee, and see what trainer they hook you up with.” Try it for a month and see how you feel. When he starts to bore you or you feel like there’s nothing new to learn, tell him you want to learn more and that you’re getting bored. Sooner or later, you’ll find another.
A better way to find a trainer is to go find one yourself. Go into a gym and watch how different trainers work with their fighters. Are the fighters encouraged and making constant adjustments? Do the fighters always seem tired and pushed beyond their limits? Ask other boxers who they recommend you to work with. But once you meet these trainers, then what? How do you know when you’ve met the perfect boxing coach?
What To Look For In A Boxing Trainer
I have always found these qualities in all the greatest trainers that I have ever met.
Experience
Being experienced doesn’t always mean knowing everything and spending decades in the ring. To me, being experienced simply means that they have experienced many different situations, regardless of how many fights they had or how many years they spent boxing. One fighter can learn two things in one fight whereas another fighter can take three fights to learn one thing. Which fighter would you consider more experienced?
The question is…how do you know your boxing trainer is truly experienced?
A truly experienced trainer will focus only on what truly matters.
An inexperienced trainer is often one that makes you work on everything. He’ll make you do every drill and practice every technique to perfection. It is silly to try and become great at everything. Not only will you be wasting a lot of time on techniques that don’t need improvement, you will be taking away precious time from the techniques that do need help.
Everything an experienced trainer tells you to practice is exactly what you need most. For example, the trainer might understand that fixing your jab and improving your back-step will make 80% of the difference in your fighting ability and he’ll have you working precisely on just that. Nothing else to complicate things, nothing else to distract you from what you really need to focus on. That, my friend, is the mark of an experienced trainer.
Analytical
Although this is something that is often built up by experience, experience is not always necessary. A great trainer doesn’t just describe perfection and show you perfect moves. He’s able to analyze as he breaks everything down into manageable steps and simplify even the most complicated moves. He knows how to explain everything easily, concisely, and in a way that helps you remember. He explains so easily that you find it hard to make mistakes. You realize that he never teaches you; he simply guides you in a way that makes it hard for you to make mistakes.
When you perform a move incorrectly or make a mistake, he is quick to identify the problem immediately and explain it in a way that you understand. He is more than just a demonstrator, he can problem-solve as he analyzes your movements and your mistakes.
During fights, he becomes your strategist. He is quick to identify and analyze your opponents quickly. He doesn’t say meaningless things like, “You should jab more.” Instead he’ll say, “Jab every time you see him drop his right hand.”
Understanding
A great trainer will always seek to understand you. He is a sympathetic communicator and knows the relationship isn’t always about you listening to him. You are the fighter and you are the one in the ring, not him. Your amateur fight next week matters more now than whatever title fight experiences he had many years ago.
He cares that your left arm shoulder is sore. He understands that you only made mistakes because you were trying to focus on something else that he told you to do. He wants to know how you feel before he tells you what he saw.
The understanding trainer will know how to adjust your workouts to fit you perfectly. He understands that every fighter is different and that not everything is “one size fits all”. He knows how your body is different and can make up new workouts that fit your fighting style and physical ability. He doesn’t criticize you for not being like the others, he understands how you’re different from the others. Most importantly, he understands even when you don’t say a thing.
Creative
Great trainers are incredibly creative. They know how to come up with new training routines and new techniques all the time. Time-tested routines and common logic will always apply but anytime you hit an obstacle, they always a find a way to win. It is not your trainer’s job to remind you that you’re too short or too slow to box–that’s your opponent’s job! When you box long enough to realize that boxing is an art, and not a game of checkers, your trainer’s creativity becomes an incredible asset.
Success Oriented, Not Failure Oriented
There are too many trainers with a sick obsession of training till failure. No workout is ever good enough for them until you’re completely out of breath and throwing up after every workout session. What’s even worse is that they expect 110% out of you even if you’re still sore from last week. “No pain, no game.” is their excuse for every ridiculous workout.
I will let you in on one of life’s biggest secrets when it comes to achieving success:
If you want to succeed, don’t train to fail, train to succeed.
Your training attitude becomes your spirit in training and ultimately in the ring. You want to make sure that the way you train prepares your body, mind, and spirit for success.
A great trainer knows how to push you without taking you beyond your limits. He’ll set goals and challenges for you and then hold you responsible to them. Over time, you begin to trust him and build confidence in yourself as you accomplish goal after goal, each one more challenging than the last. A great trainer doesn’t engineer your failure by giving you an impossible number of push-ups. He’ll meet your dedication halfway with a magic number just slightly beyond your reach. A great trainer sets you up for greater successes, not greater failures.
Chemistry
What makes a great trainer for one fighter could make a terrible trainer for another fighter. The reason for this is personal chemistry between the two. Different training styles, mental attitude, fighting spirit, and temperament often make the difference between good chemistry and bad chemistry.
The important thing is to make sure that the trainer is good FOR YOU! It doesn’t matter how many world champions they trained. What matters is that you get along well, you have fun while you learn, and you feel great about your progress.
Sense of Humor
It takes a person of great character to be able to laugh and joke at your mistakes. Boxing is not always about being 100% serious all the time, you’re supposed to have fun and enjoy your passion, remember? You’re a boxer, not a monk. Boxing is a lifestyle not a curse.
The mind and spirit needs a break; creativity needs an outlet. Great trainers free your emotions, not limit them. Great trainers will enjoy the genius of your stupidity as they correct it.
Trainers to Avoid
These are the trainers you should watch out for, not all of them are bad. I’m just referring to the ones that CAN be bad. I’m referring to the boxing coaches that think they know everything and let their ego get in the way of developing your natural fighting style.
The Old Guys
Their whole family grew up around boxing and they’ll remind you a hundred times of how they sparred with Muhammad Ali. They’ve probably fought hundreds of rounds in the ring and have decades of experience. so what’s the problem?
The problem is that these old guys think they know everything there is to boxing. The old guys are so full of pride and ego that they don’t feel there’s anything new to learn. These dinosaurs will disregard new advances in training, equipment, techniques, health and answer all your questions with “this was how i did it”. Worst of all, they do this at the cost of your money, your time, and your health!
These trainers will never appreciate you. No matter how hard you work, you are still not a world champion and they will never respect you as a fighter. They won’t even train you seriously until you prove yourself by getting beat up in the ring by more experienced fighters.
These are the same cynics that will claim till the end of time that boxers today can never be as good as the ones in their times. That everything was better when they were fighting. Some of them don’t even enjoy boxing anymore; they’re just in a gym all day because they spent their whole lives boxing and couldn’t build themselves a respectful status in society anywhere else. don’t let their bitterness for the game and the world ruin your fun in boxing.
The Pure Strategists
I like to refer to these guys as “the boxing nerds”. They’ll sit there all day discussing the endless counter-punches to beat different styles of different fighters. They’ll fantasize endlessly about fighters from different eras and argue who would win and why. Every possible outcome could be accounted for by their foolproof logic. In theory, they could create the perfect fighter to beat any other fighter if they wanted.
There is one problem: there is no such thing as the perfect fighter and so they’ll train you to a boxer model that doesn’t actually exist. When you lose your fights, they will tell you it’s because you didn’t listen to them. While this may be true, it’s not the whole truth. Boxers and boxing are more than just fighting machines; there’s human spirit, rhythm, and numerous intangibles. Pure strategists are problem-solving at its worst. They go around training fighters like machines that need to be fixed, instead of personalities that need to be freed.
Pure strategist-type trainers are forever trying to get you to adapt to new style advantages by giving up your natural advantages. Boxing trainers should be helping you win with YOUR style, not with one they made up in their own head!
The Guys Who Never Fought
Someone who’s never fought before might never be able to fully understand what a fighter goes through in the ring. It’s one thing to analyze a fight from outside the ring. It’s a completely different matter to be the fighter yourself; to be staring across your opponent face to face, to be forced to fight with fear in your eyes, fatigue in your arms, and uncertainty in your heart. The problem with trainers that never fought is that they don’t understand and therefore can’t communicate with their fighters. It often takes one fighter to be able to successfully communicate to another fighter what he must do to make the difference.
A trainer can scream, “Keep your hands up!” all he wants. The fighter will still argue back in his mind, “I AM!” This is where a great trainer will offer, “Touch your forehead when he throws the cross, touch your ears when he throws a hook.” He says it calmly.
The other problem with trainers that never fought is that they don’t know what to expect. Because they’ve never fought before, they don’t know how to judge the capacity of anything. They don’t know if your right hand is strong enough. They don’t know if your endurance is good enough. They don’t know what you really need to work on. Everything always looks perfect in practice, except to the most trained eyes.
Because these trainers don’t know when something is good enough, they’ll try to train you to perfection. Because these trainers can’t see what you might have problems with later on, they’ll expect you to prepare for everything. They’ll have you work on every punch, every footwork drill, and every defensive style. Again, doing EVERYTHING is actually a trait of the inexperienced.
Yet another problem with trainers that have never fought is that they themselves might have never had a real trainer. Although it’s possible to learn without having been trained, it’s actually very hard to teach without first learning how to train fighters. Instead of having proven drills that are useful in developing new fighters, untrained trainers constantly have to come up with their own training methods–some great and some not so great.
Some people believe it’s impossible to be a good trainer unless you’ve fought before. I will state first of all that this isn’t true. There are numerous trainers like Enzo Calzaghe, (boxing hall-of-famer Joe Calzaghe’s father), who have never fought a day in their lives and still ended up developing world champions.
Former Fighters
While it’s true that people who have never fought might never be able to understand and successfully trainers, it’s also the same for former fighters. You should know that some fighters have so much inborn natural talent that they might have never had to learn anything. This is not unheard of in the world of boxing; there have always been fighters that taught themselves everything. Their boxing coaches were nothing more than personal trainers that just made sure their fighters show up in shape.
These former fighters will never be able to teach you anything meaningful because many things came to them naturally. They might even get impatient with you because they simply can’t understand that not everyone is as athletic as them or learns as quickly as they did. Regardless of the reason, sometimes former fighters really do make terrible trainers.
The Personal Trainer
They took a few boxing lessons and now consider themselves “boxing trainers”. I don’t blame them for having to make a living but they shouldn’t be advertising themselves as boxing trainers unless they really know how to teach people to fight, not just to throw punches.
You can always tell when it’s a personal-trainer-type boxing coach because they usually prefer to train you at a commercial gym or a local park rather than in a boxing gym. This isn’t always the case but do know that a real boxing trainer with many students would typically prefer to train them in a gym. That way he can rotate off with different fighters one at a time while the others are occupied on the bags or different training equipment.
The Busy Father
This is the trainer with a million kids. He’s a loving guy and a great trainer. The problem is that he has too many kids or boxers to look after. The worst of it is that you may not be his favorite pupil or that he’s too busy working with his more established fighters.
There just aren’t enough great trainers at the amateur and the professional level. And for that reason, many fighters will be forced to leave their trainers for someone who can give them the appropriate attention. It may happen to you and when it does, I suggest that you try to move on and find a trainer that is excited to work with you and give you the attention you need. Their dedication might not make up for their lack of experience but this is still better than you training yourself and not having someone there to watch you.
You Don’t Always Find The Trainer, He Finds You
In my life’s experience with boxing, you don’t find the trainer, he finds you. In every gym that you approach, just know that there are always trainers watching you. Even when you think that nobody is watching you hit the bags, or that nobody sees you shadowboxing in the ring, just know that someone is always noticing you. They don’t just see your physical ability, they see your fighting spirit and your ability to listen and improve. When the right trainer comes along, he’ll see your potential and want to work with you. It’s really that simple. In many of the gyms that I’ve been to, I never said much–it was the trainers that approached me. I only had to show that I loved boxing and some awesome trainers found me right away.
A good trainer inspires you to be like him.
A great trainer inspires you to be yourself.
New to Boxing
I’m at 47ish year old female that recently became interested in boxing. We have been practicing the basic punch system. So far I am enjoying what we are doing. I love reading your articles because it prepares me for what to look forward to as I learn more. It has also helped me to understand things that the trainer was trying to get across but it just didn’t click with me, until I started reading Expert Boxing. Thank you for a great learning tool, keep em coming!
When is your first fight? More power to you starting your career (47ish) at an age when most boxers have already been retired for 10-15 years.
sue , your trouble seem, your trying to hard. practice does not make perfect IT makes permanent so if you practice it wrong it becomes it stay that way until u are different.
Rick Mello stick & move boxing … calif.
Thank you, Sue! I wish you the best of luck with boxing.
Hiya just wanted to add this is an awesome article. I have met with a few trainers who either have no experiences or think the old way is the best way!. I am still in pursuit of finding a new trainer which seems more hard work then the training itself.
I definitely feel for you, Sonia. Sometimes trying to figure out the right direction is the hardest part and not having the right trainer can make the journey all the more challenging. I do hope you find someone you like. Good luck.
Hey Johnny I recently just moved to San Pedro ca Iand was wondering if you could help me out with any good gyms can’t seem to find a boxing gym near me .
Don’t trust former fighters and don’t trust someone who’s never fought? Who does that leave?
Yeah I was thinking that myself. Article could only have been a few words “DON’T TRUST ANYONE”
Hey Johnny,
I’ve been following your content for a decade or more at this point. Much respect for your analytical approach to the sport.
I’ve looked around to find where your physical gym is located but can’t seem to find it. I would appreciate it if you could tell me where it is. I’d also like to know if you still coach there. Maybe I can pop in for some training!
Thanks.
Time to find a new trainer!
I really needed to read this article. Thank you. I’ve been boxing on and off for the past 7 years since i was 20 with the same trainer. I’ve been on and off because… well… I hated it after a while! My trainer is the former fighter that drills punches over and over and over and over and over trying to perfect what i believe i already have down pat. Sometimes the advice he give is down right hypocritical to what he previously told me to be doing! AND he is extremely verbally and physically abusive. Its VERY frustrating. He never goes over defense or boxing tactics with me EVER in my years of training under him. Everytime i get tagged he pokes fun at me and belittles me. I am beginning to hate him so much! Sometimes i believe my sparring partners he lines up for me is pretty dangerous. They’d be much bigger and talented. Lack of defense knowledge helps to get me tagged pretty often and he’ll just say some stupid stuff after that i really don’t need to hear. This article helped me to think about more options in trainers. I LOVE the sport but i always find myself hating it again after training. Never came across an article like this before and I really appreciate you writing it. THANK YOU
…Although i do feel like i owe it to him since i was with the same trainer for so long. He’s my ONLY trainer i ever had. Extremely knowledgeable in punch technique so i thought he was the best guy. As well as never taking a penny from me. sigh… decisions decisions..
Please I need a trainer 🙏
Tony, I feel for you man. I think you should have no problems finding a trainer who will look out for you and help you improve without belittling you. Any trainer that makes you hate boxing or fearful of boxing should not be training! While it’s true that he may have taught you much about boxing, he still owes you the common courtesy and respect that people should have for one another.
Please I need a coach 🙏
Cross training
I don’t know if I have titled this response appropriately. I train boxing from a Muay Thai fighters and part time trainers. I’m not very sure about this.
For example, I tend to keep my jabbing hand a bit low because my stance is in a 45 degree open, and I like to open my view while fighting. In Muay Thai, you tend to keep your hands high to check straight rights, elbows and high kicks. But every time my trainer sees me doing my natural stance, he asks me to put my hands up and gets annoyed at me saying “I watch too many movies”.
So i heed his request and put my hands up and have trouble with natural movement and catching a punch. When I keep my hands down, I tend to philly shell with my shoulder and have a better view. Even thought i get tagged, I guess I set up the fighter to come in and counter him. This could be completely wrong but its my natural style.
I would really appreciate if you can write an article regarding different stances and styles or create videos for better understanding.
Having said that, I live in Melbourne, Australia. There are seriously not many proper boxing schools here. It’s all just fitness training or Muay Thai / MMA gyms that do boxing a bit. Ah well…
@TJ Ramadoss – sorry for the delayed reply. I just realized I let one slip through. I greatly appreciate your complex question and the time you spent writing it! About the hands down stance…
– if raising your hands up blocks your view, then lift your front glove high enough to cover your chin, but not your eyes
– the philly shell can work in many occasions but should you ever meet a fighter that knows how to beat it, you better be prepared to fight with a high guard
The stance article will come soon enough but will take me some time to write. There are still a few stances I don’t fully understand yet so I’m a bit cautious about teaching techniques I haven’t fully understood yet.
WHATS THE PROPER WAY TU RUN
Trainers psych!
Do you know any web site that talks about the different approach of trainers. Weather they want to see you work hard or they want you to challenge them. I can’t really figure out my trainer and I don’t want to step on his toes by asking him to many questions because I know hes busy, after all its a business. Any ideas where I could find anything like that?
@Mike G. – I would ask the trainer’s previous boxers to see how they would compare his style to that of other boxing trainers. If you can’t figure out your trainer’s style, it might be that he’s doing a great job of compensating for his weaknesses. It might also be that you haven’t learned everything he can teach you yet…and so you don’t know where his limits are. So keep on learning and keep an eye out on what other trainers are doing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Some trainers are actually afraid to teach you more because they don’t want to overload you. You may be surprised at how excited they might be to talk boxing with you. It’s their passion, try asking them a question they never heard before.
Advice please….
Im in training right now for a few years off and on with my coach. Every time the weight doesnt go down, a practice is awful, or theres a miscommunication as far as practice and I just show up Im told maybe I dont want it that much so I need to put something $$$ on the table to show Im serious. I havent sparred or fought yet which I understand. He took me into his home and invested his time into me and that meant alot to me. Hes from a big boxing family and used to fight even has the belt to prove he’s been there. I have the look i have the know how, experience not yet, but I dont have any money in times like this. What do I do? Does anyone have any advice for me? My coach is like a father figure to me. But i cant afford to keep paying if I accidently mess up or theres miscommunication. I need advice from people in the biz. [email protected]
Personally, I think you need to move on. But loyalty towards a coach is something I understand and respect greatly. But from your scenario, I just don’t feel that. I do feel you need to be honest with the coach and say you are going to look around… I personally believe that coach is going to insult you and what not, but do not pay any heed… that is the sign of a bad coach. As the article states, just because they have fought does not make them a good coach. I know coaches who are phenomenal but we’re shitty fighters and great fighters who are shitty coaches. It’s one thing to use past story experience to clarify a situational in training, it’s another just because they are boasting. Flat out truth, you need to leave that coach… paying somewhere is is not wrong, you need a coach.
This is a really sad story. All I can say is that you shouldn’t need money to be a boxer. If anything, the most successful boxers come from poorest neighborhoods. It takes hunger (poverty) to motivate boxers to work hard. There are many gyms out there that will train you for free if you have the desire to learn. Many good trainers just dying to share their life’s knowledge with anyone who wants to learn. You’ll see dozens of them sitting around in old boxing gyms because the boxing became like a barbershop where the old guys can hang around and talk. Anybody looking to make money by becoming a boxing trainer is full of it. You have to do it for the love of the sport. Realistically, there’s no money in boxing for boxers or trainers.
If you’re looking to go pro, just get a manager and he’ll hook you up with a trainer. You keep winning and he’ll get you better trainers and more pay.
Been traininIng lately
Thanks for Ur article so far iv been training and I found a good coach well it’s been swell but why is it that i think he’s too kind?you know is it just me or is it just that he’s just doing what’s needed?i was just kinda expecting some trainer whose gonna scream at u alot and try to knda pulverize you evey training or is that a bad thing or I’m just too hard on my own standards.? I just don’t feel that I’m giving enough but my coach says it’s ok? Is he right or am I just too sadistic on myself?
@Nurse – the best trainers to me are the ones that take it easy and don’t let you burn yourself out. He will know when you’re ready and he will push you when the time is appropriate. Unless you’ve got a big tournament this weekend, it’s not necessary for him to slap you around and whip you into shape. Then again, different trainers have different styles. Some will force as many things down your throat and hope that you absorb much of it. Others will wait for you to ask questions (showing initiative) before they feel you truly want to learn more.
Cutting my fingers
I wear MMA issue 6oz gloves and they feel good to hit with on a heavy bag but either the bag or the gloves are rubbing away the skin on my knuckles. How do I prevent this?
@Cordrell W – being a boxer, I wouldn’t suggest training with MMA gloves. Maybe you can hit the bags with some 10 or 12oz boxing gloves? Those are still pretty light and offer you full protection on the hands. Or you can also use the skinny bag gloves, so your hands are still light but have full protection. ORRRR…you can also tape around your fingers with trainer’s tape before you put on your MMA gloves.
@Johnny N…..thanks a million. Your information really helped me out
You’re welcome. 😉
I am new to boxing but not to fighting, how can i turn my passion outside the ring for fighting to inside the ring. I want to be build a career and know where and how i can get the right care for it. I dont want to be led into the dark side of boxing. I am 21 not sure if i am too old as i know most champs now days start boxing when their “7years old for example”. If you can give me an upside to what im on about mate.
Del, you find the nearest boxing gym that trains pro’s. Go in there and start asking questions. Give it a try and see if you really like it.
Is it common for trainers to train their fighters for free? A long term goal of mine is to begin amateur boxing. From my little experience here in Australia however, individual
training can be quite pricey. Tysons story is almost fairy tale; taken in off the streets and adopted by his trainer. I would imagine this kind of scenario is rare. I guess my point is I don’t believe a trainer and a fighter are truly a team if the trainer is being paid per session. A friend of mine has been training me and actually introduced me to boxing. However she has been boxing for about two years, never fought and has no intentions to. It may not work out in the long run as our goals are different but the only other option I see is paying someone. I just feel a bit stuck.
All this said im still very much a beginner and probably shouldn’t worry so much about this now anyway.
I think it is common for trainers to train for free, but depends on what gym you go to. I never paid for any training. (Well, I didn’t pay with money but I paid with sweat.)
I am a professional fighter and I coach at my gym… I think something is being misunderstood about fighters great and not great that don’t pay a “fee”. In low income, poverty, of just financial hardships there is usually an arrangement between the owner/coach and the student. For example, I clean the gym’s bathrooms, teach the morning class, and help corner my teammates in competitions (the teaching and cornering I do mostly because I love it, but really want to get as much experience for when I am older and open my own gym. A lot of gym owners are willing to make those arrangements because it saves them on time from them having to do it and/or them having to pay someone to come in and clean the gym.
Some gyms will just agree to take a higher percentage of their fight purse but they really provide for that fighter so they train full time and do not work….
There is no free, but I bet you could find a gym that an arrangement can be made… but you really better want it, because doing menial tasks can feel emotionally draining at times… gotta push through.
Really enjoyed reading this article as so much of it brings back memories to me of when I was a young amateur and it’s only when you get older, you realise that these things are true. there are some great, passionate amateur coaches who will sit in the dressing room with you and not go too far away before you go into the ring……Talk to you about any problems you may have i.e. schooling, girlfriend problems, family problems and then there’s the coaches who seem to want all the glory……walking about with their badges on their tracksuits or blazers and not really give a toss about you, the indevidual – I try to be like the former, I hope I am, I leave that decision to the guys I train……A last note, My very first trainer was a great old guy and I was too young in all honesty to really appreciate what he did for me before he died. I left school and he had already sorted me out a job as an apprentice in the building trade so all I had to do was turn up for work on the Monday after leaving school……I know it’s nothing to do with boxing training, but like Johnny N quite correctly says, That’s part of being a great coach, or striving to be……Great article!
Wow johnny you have opened my mind to alot more things, i appreciate that its amazing the more things i learn just based off what you discuss with other fighters on here in the comments, i learned alot by just reading the comments
Hi Johnny
I started training about a year ago and work hard. I have always had a dream of being a pro but I’m 21 and was wondering if it is even possible for a guy my age to go pro within a few years.
Yes, it is.
Hey John
Years ago when I started boxing a trainer told me I’d never succeed in boxing. He belittled me mercilessly. I was almost ready to quit. I grew a intense hatred for that trainer. Something in me would give up. I worked harder and harder. Then a few years later, when my craft became a work of art that same trainer happened to be at a tournament i was competing at. His so-called prodigy that he had invested a lot of time and energy into I destroyed him in the first round. Words cannot the joy I was feeling when I saw the look in his face. This is just a reminder not to let anyone tell you you can do anything.
GOOD FOR YOU LEO! How can anybody with that attitude be a successful trainer?!
yes yes, this is bloody true… I have seen such a case when a trainer told to a stocky short armed guy that he had no chance in kick-boxing, but that guy didn’t quit, and became very respected and successful fighter in his country. Another example that comes to my mind right now is Russian professional boxer world champion Kostya” Tszyu, even he admitted himself that he didn’t have much talent and had too short arms for his hight to be a boxer, but he worked hard and quite soon became world boxing elite.
Lol
I am a martial arts instructor and personal trainer. I have been training Jeet Kune Do, Kali, Brazilian Jiu jitsu, Muay thai, and boxing for the past 10 years. I’m an instructor in JKD, Kali, and I am a Blue Belt in Bjj. I also have a bachelors degree in Kinesiology. I have never fought in boxing or kickboxing however I have competed in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions. I have sparred with many mma fighters and kickboxers at the school where I teach. The whole school respects me as an assistant teacher. They respect and implement my recommendations when it comes to strategy and form. From training and my own genetics I have acquired numerous injuries that leave me wondering if I could ever fight mma or boxing. There always seems to be a voice in my head that says ” they will never truely respect you because you have never fought in mma, boxing or kickboxing.” I feel as if my body is to banged up to even attempt to train for a fight. So far in my training of youth boxers and assisting MMA fighters I have their respect. At my work I train many youth and adult boxers as well. I want to silence the voice in my head saying that I’m not qualified however my body cannot handle the rigors of fight training. I was wondering what yours and others opinions would be in this situation. I appreciate any feedback you can provide. This is an excellent thread and I certainly return to the site. Thank you!
It’s true, it’s hard to earn the respect of fighters…ESPECIALLY BOXERS when you’ve never done it yourself. What’s most important is that you have legitimate knowledge. Knowledge which isn’t guaranteed from hard training (although that helps) but basically knowledge that can only be learned.
There’s a difference between telling someone to “maintain balance” and telling someone to “activate the adductors to stabilize the core”. There are plenty of ways to learn legitimate information without having to subject yourself to injury-inducing training. But you have to be REALLY REALLY educated. Otherwise, everyone will question your authority. WHY should the hand be turned this way? WHEN should it be turned this way? WHY NOT another way? Etc, etc…you have to be able to answer all that.
Imagine being a gymnastics coach without ever being able to do those moves yourself. Fighting is not too far off.
After watching your videos the style I teach is very similar to yours. I must say your coaching and teaching ability is absolutely awesome and I’m now a huge fan of yours. I have met very few boxing coaches or any combat sport coaches that can teach the way you can. If I lived near your gym I would absolutely train with you.
The boxing coach I learned from also believes I have the knowledge to teach. You are absolutely right about having the knowledge. In college I studied kinesiology however, I learned all my biomechanical knowledge from training martial arts such as boxing. I understand the mechanics of boxing. I feel that I can explain them very clearly and my students understand and are able to implement my lessons. When it comes to experience wouldn’t you say that it goes both ways? There are many amazing fighters who claim to be coaches, but can’t teach a new student on a proper stance or how to throw a jab?
I’m most likely to going to have to bite the bullet and fight despite the harm it may do. Now…here is another question. If I have been training for 10 years and I manage to get into fighting shape without killing my body in the process…is it right to jump into amateur competition for a first fight? I’ve been training for 10 years and I fight a guy who has been training for 1 year? Is that fair? Should I even worry about it? Keep in my mind I have no intentions on being a professional fighter my family would hate me :-).
It’s your benefit for being better trained. As long as you’re both novices as far as your fight records go, I’d say the fight is more even than you think. Besides, you can always hold back a little if you realize you’re way too good for him.
Wow, your assessment of trainers especially bad trainers is spot on i have been boxing since 2008 and i have seen alot of bad trainer and one truly amazing trainer. But do to me having to move to a diiferent state im forced for now to deal in between the old guy (formr fighter) and the former fighter hall of fame fighter, well hopefully soon i could find an excellent trainer after i turn professional. I seen Freddie roach in action at the wild card gym and i know he’s good trainer, however he rarely have time to train fighters without names already. If these trainers i have now, starts to act right, then maybe they would be lucky enough to come along with me for my boxing career.
do I need to look at the boxing trainers resume as well?
What if his competition boxers have so-so records i.e more losses than wins, more draws than wins.
No. There are so many variables that could affect a trainers record. The best way to check him out is to train with him and see for yourself.
Am from Nigeria a country no one cares about your career and dreams and how you active them ..but am a dream chaser I keep my head focus and believe one day I will active my dream by having a good sponsor and coach ..I love boxing and I wish to become a great boxer one day
Hey johnny , I go to a boxing gym that’s inside a fitness gym.
I got trainer that has several good qualities like the ones u mentioned .
Only problem he’s an old guy about 70. Hes kinda negative but not to me. Maybe he tries to humble
People down. But regardless I notice that people he trains or has trained
Don’t really respect him, . I think that has caused him to barely
Have people to train , which really limits my sparring . (I’m still kinda a beginner). Should I look for sparring somewhere else? He does seem kinda burnt out n kinda lazy . He only has like 2 fighters . I guess what I’m asking is is this combination of him being older n burnt out but understands me n we have good chemistry ( cuz I’m the only one who listens to him) a recipe for disaster ? Thanks
Check out different gyms and different trainers and see what you like. You can’t really judge something until you have a standard and other options to compare it with.
I just got back into boxing into December and I started training at this gym that has a monthly membership structure in place. I’ve never paid for membership before because my last gym was free but my trainer and I had a big falling out. I’m not sure how I feel about this gym because The trainers only work with people who pay for one-on-one sessions. There are two trainers in the gym, one is a younger cocky, somewhat of an asshole type of guy and the other is older and more knowledgeable friendly guy but always gives the “I’ve been doing this for 20 years speech.” I only go to this gym because its located right by my job so I can go after I leave work and put in about 2hrs 4days/week. The issue I have is that I don’t want to have to pay for EVERY single lesson I learn from them because it seems as though they aren’t that interested in my development but the problem is their arent many REAL gyms where I live and I don’t want to have to travel far every time I want to go and traint. My trainer (The Older one) has only worked with me twice because his schedule is so booked that he doesn’t have time. I’ve been putting forth the effort and getting help from the other more experienced boxers so I can learn valuable techniques skills and tips. I wanted to Enter into the Golden Gloves this year but my trainer advised against it, saying that I wasnt ready, he said I should put more time in but my dilemma is that I’ve been training for about 4 months for this competition and he wasnt able to fit me into his schedule until recently. So why should I wait until next year when he doesn’t have the time to train me anyway? I entered anyway without his knowledge and after seeing the competition fight I’m more than confident that I am ready. Any advice on my situation???
If you want to fight, register for it. If he won’t let you, find somebody else who will. I have to say though, Golden Gloves is pretty tough if you’re not ready for it. I think you might want to check out other checks or move to one.
There’s some old guy heads in young guy bodies too – they’re the ones who honestly believe that because {insert name of great fighter from the 70/80s/90s} did {insert technique/training method, including lifting lots of heavy weights!} then clearly it’s the ONLY way to train now. And just as clearly, everyone else is an idiot, or at best, totally misguided. Tongue in cheek here, no offence intended:)
Between fights, what is the best use of a guys training time if he’s training by himself a lot?
Conditioning? Shadowboxing? Bagwork? Pretty much everything but sparring. Do everything.
Lol the *old guys* fit my gym sorry to say.We got bad trainers.I never experienced so bad trainers that i did at this gym.It’s hard to admit because u wanna belive in your trainer but facts is fact:).
I think also some gyms just don’t have the resources to keep up with good trainers at least that’s how i feel.Some places just got the environment etc to be a good place.
Hey johnny .Not many fighters at my gym n The fighters at my gym always lose fights . The couple fighters who win seem to have been developed before they came to this trainer . I do ok in sparring . I see people come and never stay . The trainer is really nice n doesn’t even charge me. Does this sound like a bad place to train if I wanna compete ? Thanks
I think you know your gym better than I do. Check out other gyms and compare for yourself.
Hey Johnny, I have a boxing coach that I’ve been training with for just over a month now and I feel like I’m not learning anything new from the first day I started. I find myself getting bored with the sane old routine. Also, I’m not sure if this is wrong, but I don’t like the boxing stance he has me in and it feels so unnatural when I’m throw the punches the way he wants me to. I love boxing, but this guy is very unmotivating at times and seems to care about getting paid his $50 a month more then teaching me new things. The trainer seem impatient when I don’t do a certain movement like he used to when he was a fighter. He just walks away after he does like what I’m doing. It’s like I’m wasting my money on his guy, but I don’t want to jump the gun! A lot of times it feels like I’m working out without any direction or goal. Even when I asked hi m to grade my progress, he never did afterasking repeatedly. I’m kind of new to boxing and I’m taking this serious, but it seem that he doesn’t at times.
P.s. I notice people don’t stay with him as a trainer. I usually don’t see them anymore.
You should look out for a new trainer if you get the feeling yours is a bad one. Regardless, every trainer will get turned off if he notices you not listening to him. He’s going to be offended if you take your own opinions over his own. He’s got more experience than you and won’t understand why you choose not to listen to him.
Excellent advice!For the love of boxing! Andre Fabre freelance boxing coach : [email protected] P.S. remember there are 730 secrets of boxing!D’Amato Dundee Mayweather know most of them!
HELLO MY NAME IS EDWARD ( EBREEZY) I AM 25 YEARS OF AGE I LIVE IN LANDOVER MARYLAND . I AM VERY VERY TALENTED IN EVERYTHING I DO SOME SAY ITS A GIFT GOD GAVE ME BUT THERE’S ONLY ONE PROBLEM WITH THAT, I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO SHOW ANYONE WHO WOULD EVER GIVE ME THE TIME. I’VE BEEN SITTING BACK PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO FIGHTERS FAR AS MAYWEATHER, TYSON, ALI…………………I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE IN PROFESSIONAL BOXING BUT THE SKY IS DA LIMIT MY WORK ETHICS ARE AT 1000% I GIVE ALL MY DEDICATION N LOYALNESS EVERYTIME IT’S TIME TO GO TO WORK. I HAVE 3 BOYS 10 8 and 4 YEARS OF AGE THAT I HAVE TO PROVIDE FOR AND IT’S REALLY NOT EASY MY STRUGGLE WILL BE MY STORY SO MANY TURNS AND SPEEDBUMPS IN LIFE WILL SLOW U DOWN BUT ONLY DA STRONGEST WILL SURVIVE AND I AM VERY WISE. IF ITS NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK HOW WILL I BE ABLE TO GET TO WHERE I NEED TO BE IT SEEMS NOBODY WILL EVER KNOW WAT A REAL TALENT I CAN JUST GIVE BACK TO THE YOUTH ALL I WANT IS SOMEONE TO HEAR MY STORY AND REACH OUT TO ME WITH HELP AT THE TOP IS ALL I C
TO WHOM THIS MAY CONCERN: [email protected] THANK YOU
Great article here, Johnny.
I’d been going to a local gym for the last ten years in the Phoenix area. I did a lot of pads and sparred a few times as well. Had some good times at that gym, but my wife and I have moved to a smaller town outside of Phoenix and there isn’t a good boxing gym near us.
The good news is that I have a really nice boxing area in the house with cardio and strength equipment, sound system, rubberized floor, an uppercut heavy bag and a BOB. I’ve got a sweet setup, but I’d still like to work with someone–gets boring working by myself all the time. I’ve tried posting an in-home boxing trainer ad on Craig’s list, but didn’t get responses.
Would you have any advice on how I can find a boxing trainer who would be willing to train me at the house? I don’t need Teddy Atlas to show up–just want to be pushed by a decent boxing trainer once a week. Have any advice for me? Thx in advance, man.
I would look around for MMA gyms or even traditional martial arts schools where you can go in and ask around for anybody who can give you private lessons.
Hey Johnny, i have a question that I want to hear from you. I have a trainer named rob lee who is currently training King Zahir Raheem (pro). Although in the back of my head am wondering if he might be getting to old (kind of like being loony). He says that I should be more patient and keep on mastering my craft. Coach rob Doesn’t have the characteristics that you mentioned in your article. How old would you say is to old to be a trainer? Also if a Current pro fighter who is 0-2 is helping me train as well but does not have the characteristics of what you mentioned good calm guy (taking his time to get things straight in his mind and hopefully be something in boxing). Coach rob is 63. Thanks Johnny i watched all of your youtube videos and read and currently still reading all your articles.
Try him out and see if you’re improving. It also helps to try out other trainers to see how they compare to each other. Pick the one you feel is most helpful.
Jonnhy , so I have this trainer . He’s probably the best trainer in the gym & he is really nice . He says that I motivate him so much & he always reminds me of how im going to be champion . Im pretty sure that im his favorite. He’s really cool & nice & he’s an awesome person & he’s one of the frw people that believe in me .He works with me almost everyday & pushes me .He’s the trainer of any ones dreams . But there’s one problem .He’s teaching me the complete opposite style of wich I want to learn. He’s teaching me how to brawl when I want to be a pure boxer .And it’s not just that ” I want to be ” a pure boxer . It’s more like a natural thing because i’ve always tought so much in the ring . I learned really fast & im really smart. I just have 3 fights but while everyone else with my experience is really wild , I know how to relax & take my time . And I could minimize my opponents punches by so much . I dont even know how . I wouldn’t like to be anything else but a pure boxer . After all this is the sweet science & I want to master it . But like im saying my coach wants me to work on WHAT HE TELLS ME TO WORK ON . Wich is attacking the body & coming up with uppercuts & all of that . He also makes me swith to southpaw to trow a left liver shot . And he tells me to trow all my punches hard . I dont mind trowing hard , it’s just that he makes me trow hard to the point where im really slow . And I know for a fact that a pure boxer would pick me apart if I do this .I just really dont like what he’s teaching me . I wish he wpuld teach me how to counter & use my brain in the ring instead making me do the complete opposite .Sometimes I tell him that I dont like it & he still makes me do it . I just dont know what to do , I really wanna use my natural talent but he wants to turn me into something else .
Sounds to me like he’s not your “dream trainer” after all. Either you stick with him and do what he says. Or find another trainer that does what you like.
And in the meanwhile…ask yourself…should fighters adapt to their trainers? Or trainers adapt to their fighters? Or both? And how much should each compromise to reach the best result?
Sometimes fighters don’t like their trainer because they themselves don’t have the physical or mental capacity to do what their trainer tells them. In reality, the trainer’s job is to tell you what YOU have to do. And if you can’t do it…maybe the problem is you…or maybe the trainer has to find another way for you to succeed. It’s tough but you have to figure these things out for yourself.
Try another trainer and see if you like him more.
I am stuck between a rock and a hard place and need a little advice… ok here is my situation. I am a 24 year old working father from dallas tx and like most boxers I’m broke. Make less than 10 bucks an hour and have no car. And between work and family my training time is limited to being mostly before 12pm in the afternoon. I want to compete and eventually go pro but my problem come in finding a home gym and a serious trainer. Here are my options
Gym 1 – a local keep kids off the street gym with no serious fighters coming out of it. I sometimes walk down there just to be able to use the equipment and do some mitt work with the trainer there the preoblem is I live in a mostly hispanic nieghborhood and the trainer dose not speak much english wich makes actual coaching difficult also the gym dosnt open untill 11am so I can’t go very often.
Gym 2 – maple ave gym. Busy gym with a few world champs that have come from here and always have fighters placing well in golden gloves. This is actually where errol spence jr trains. The problem here is they don’t open till 1pm and the are expensive for personal training $75 an hour and they kinda play favorates.
Gym 3 – 10th street gym.. actually one of my favorates. They are highly recomended as one of the best places to learn and train in boxing flexable hours and they set u up with everything u need, manager and all the connections u need to start a career problem is its a 2 hour bus ride away and they charge $1,100 for ur fiirst 6 months of training.
And Gym 4 – another great trainer that actually just had a fighter on fmj and mandania undercard and has fighters place well in golden gloves and flexable hours problem is its also a 2 hour bus ride away and there aren’t many fighters working out in his gym. He dose boxing fitness classes and mostly trains guys 1 on 1 in between . His price is a little more reasonable at 150 a month untill you star winning fights and then it gose down but is still really can’t afford that.
I’m very dedicated and the stregth and conditioning part I can keep up on my own I just need a trainer to get my actual boxing skills right. I realize there is a lot of information here but I really need some advice on what I should do or what direction to go in. And also if I’m doing my own stregth and conditioning regularlyhow often should I meet with my trainer when I finnaly do find one that works for me.
Sorry for the super long question but thanx Jonny and I would appreciate any advice u can give.
You need to talk to people (trainers, gym owners, managers) and let them know your situation. You could also just go the ballsy route and talk to a manager and see if he’s willing to get you a trainer for you to get in shape for undercard fights. I don’t know what to tell you. If the options aren’t there, then you have to look elsewhere. You’re in a tough situation for sure.
I need some advice. I just started boxing again after a long layoff and have been with my trainer for about 5 months. He is a great trainer, but he is very inconsistent; basically he’s a no show half of the time. It’s gotten to the point where his absence from the gym has become predictable (he was a no show again today….surprise!) Should I move on and find a new trainer?
Yes…move on.
Should a good gym have lots of fighters?
Ideally, yes.
Please read my comment below. Joe
I really can’t seem to find a well rounded boxing gym anywhere, at the moment I feel like I’ve got a really good trainer that I’ve really learnt a lot off, but he’s based in an old community youth centre with practically no resources and I’m having to compete with around 7 or 8 kids who take up heaps of time just messing around. I guess I just want to know do you get a big sense of loyalty to trainers? Or is it better to leave and forget?
Very well written article and replies to queries raised on various issues related to Boxing. Congrats !
We have recently launched Professional Boxing in our Country. In order to educate and transform our Amateur Coaches to be able to convert Amateur 3 round boxers into successful Pro boxers capable of fighting 4/6/8/10/12 rounds, we are on the look out for competent and experienced Pro Boxing Trainer Instructors who are willing to come to India on short assignments of 3 weeks to one month duration.
Those who can speak in English and have sufficient experience as Pro Boxing Trainers / Coaches with proven track record are welcome to get in touch with us with expected remunerations.
As a fellow Indian living in the US adapting to the rigors of work and training for contact sports (rugby). I am glad that there are right steps being taken to spread the sport of boxing to Indian youth. Keep up the good work sir! I like the new website by the way – it’s a good way to spread the word among the masses!
I live in the NYC area and all the gyms are expensive. Monthly fee is $80 and you will be ignored if you don’t pay for personal lessons. I don’t get it as I’m sure every professional didn’t have money for personal lessons.This is for my son and I can’t afford the personal lessons. Should I give up? NYC is not like L.A. where there are many gyms and all the competition brings the fees down. Should I wait till I hit the Lotto or hope that a trainer notices my son?
Unfortunately, that’s where the culture has gone. It’s hard to find legit boxing coaches now. Because honestly there’s no money in coaching. Especially for amateur boxing coaches. The cost of living has gone up and these trainers have to find a way to make money with their skills. This means either coaching pro boxers and earning a cut of their purse, or going to MMA gyms, or becoming a personal trainer and training a clientele that actually has money to spend.
I am 23 years old I did bodybuilding before but I left that before one year now I m around 90 kg I want to learn boxing and want to lose weight .I don’t know first I have to lose weight or I can start boxing straight away plz give some idea.
Hi jhonny plz give some idea
This article does a disservice to a potential fighter looking for a trainer. In one section, you say avoid trainers who never fought, then the next, you say avoid former fighters as trainers.
Also, to assume because one never fought professionally means they don’t know what it’s like to box is totally wrong. Many times, a person may not have fought pro or amateur, but have extensive experience in the ring while training, sparring, etc.
Also, you assume that someone who never fought pro or amateur didn’t not recover any training? Really? Most of the people know, including myself, have been in the ring for over a decade, and recorded training directly from champions, champion trainers, and/or current professionals. So, please don’t advise potential boxers with misinformation that is contradictory and, frankly, not true. The rule someone needs to follow when looking for a trainer is chemistry and whether or not the techniques taught, translate to success in the ring.
This article does a disservice to a potential fighter looking for a trainer. In one section, you say avoid trainers who never fought, then the next, you say avoid former fighters as trainers.
Also, to assume because one never fought professionally means they don’t know what it’s like to box is totally wrong. Many times, a person may not have fought pro or amateur, but have extensive experience in the ring while training, sparring, etc.
Also, you assume that someone who never fought pro or amateur didn’t not receive any training? Really? Most of the people know, including myself, have been in the ring for over a decade, and received training directly from champions, champion trainers, and/or current professionals. So, please don’t advise potential boxers with misinformation that is contradictory and, frankly, not true. The rule someone needs to follow when looking for a trainer is chemistry and whether or not the techniques taught, translate to success in the ring.
Also, Cus D’Amato, outside of a single amateur match which he lost, and Angelo Dundee never fought either. Would one doubt their expertise and ability?
I’m wanting to get into boxing extremely bad, but I cannot find anyone in my area who trains boxers and honestly finding other boxers where I live is a difficult task. I can find MMA trainers and fighters everywhere here in Missouri, but I don’t want to settle for MMA. I can feel a passion for boxing where as with MMA I’m not really enthused about it. I know that passion can mean the difference between an average Joe and a truly great fighter.
Funny Mr john, hunger to motivate a good fighter..so funny.. Am 23years old,a female actually,am a Nigerian. All I just need is a trainer…my passion for boxing is natural..here is my contact if any: [email protected]..+2348105880265.
hey johny, am from jersey now living in chile viña del mar ive been training boxing for 8 months and am 17 years old the thing is that after a sparring match i saw my coach giving tips to the other fighter since the other fighter is going to fight a match in a few weeks. i asked him if he could give me any tips on what am doing wrong and he only said to me to just train. it kinda got my angry cuase mostly the time i ask him for some tips he dosent have the time or it seems like he dosent give a shit. i mostly get sparring tips from his fighters which i dont understand why he isnt humble enough to be honest with me ive been thinking on going to another gym since he dosent have any interest at all with me he only gives tips to his favorite pupils witch ticks me off, at first he was nice with me now it seems like he dosent care
should i just go to another gym?
This is the way it is in many boxing gyms. They give their time to their top fighters. Boxing gyms aren’t like other institutions that have more of a “no child left behind” policy. They focus on their best students and if you want their attention, you have to earn it. It may feel cruel and unfair but I hope you do trust that at some point the top fighters had to earn their coaches respect, too.
Hey I want to ask you how do you tell if the coach or trainers are doing it for the money? I had a coach train me and was actually license but the state of California. However, I felt lost and did not know what to do in the ring. He put me in the ring within 3 months but I did not know what I was doing. I am very picky now of who trains me because after that fight (I actually fought two other people) I got a concussion and the medical doctor said to stop.
If your coach cares about you, he will train you to win. And he will protect you from losses. It’s easy to tell he doesn’t care when he’s using you as feeder fish to help train other fighters and/or he doesn’t care when you get beat up.
For Those In NYC area Who Cannot Find Affordable Caring Boxing Coach and Affordable Gym To Learn How To Box
Contact Me! [email protected]
Hi I’m 14 and I want to start boxing but would it be harder for me to find a good trainer in the uk(were I live) then LA or USA
I’ve never tried any gyms or trainers in the UK so I really wouldn’t know but I would imagine some parts of the USA will more likely have better trainers and fighters since many good fighters, of different styles, and many professional fighters also train here.
What when the feedback is downright inaccurate and misplaced? If the boxing trainer is always telling you to fix what ain’t broke or was fixed a while back? Sure, no one can assess themselves right, but I am in a situation when my sparring and the fighting show distinct improvement but my coach is still harping about old mistakes that he has stuck in his goddamn broken mind’s eye. It takes all I have to control myself and not tell him the truth – he is an egotistical self-aborbed ***** a**hat.
Amy, I’m very sorry to hear that and unfortunately some coaches are really difficult like that. Some students like a strict coach that never lets off of them and other students prefer a coach that gives them ‘creative room’ to fight however they want. From the little that you’ve shared, I think you might prefer a more hands-off organic coach that knows how to adjust you without micro-managing you. There are different ways of teaching a fighter that lets the mistakes work themselves out naturally.
Hi, I’m new to boxing, it is an interesting sport and it is fun. I do not have a trainer i have been trying to teach myself since the beginning for about two years, i cant do foot work that well and i don’t know what i can do to improve it. I’m a small person so i think its bad that i try to have a slug fest. if you have any pointers you can give that would be a big help, i hope to become a professional boxer so this article was helpful because now i know what to look for and lookout for when it comes to a trainer. Thank you
i live in a place with few boxing gyms and the only ones we have are just to get in shape and not so much on technique. how do i stand out and get them to maybe mention my name to the right people? I really need boxing and I think boxing really needs me,how do i get real training??
I want to ask you when you start taking boxing and what room I should come to
I sought this articleout because I’m a masters boxer . I train at a boxing gym/fitness place.my trainer is a nice guy but he runs the whole show and he talks about his favorites all the time who are younger. I told him I wanted to enter tournaments in the future and he decided right there he wanted me to fight at a show he’s putting together this spring which seems soon,especially since I cant get up to his standard. He interrupts my work and takes over drills with my partner.He even had me come in early to spar then stepped in and did three rounds leaving me one. It makes me feel like he has no confidence in me . I’m all about complimenting hard work but I don’t even believe him half the time anymore. I’mfinding that it really does take time to find the right one.
what do i do if i cant find a good gym that will help me go big? Im 18 and this is what i always wanted. I was training at this one gym but they nvr helped me with almost anything so i having to train by myself now. wish there was someway to make my dreams come true.
What do you need to know I’m here to answer everything you need to know.
I like to be a good man in boxing becoase I trust my self
So good
How can I get atriner in my life because I don’t have enough money but if I get atriner I can do it better
I need a trainer I’m a fighter I want to get back into it I’m in Brunswick county
Practice doesn’t make perfect. It makes permanent. So if you practice something wrong guess what.
I want to become a boxer and I need a better coach
I need a better coach