What's it like to join a boxing gym? Let's say from being a complete beginner to boxing, all the way to your first spar.
 Shopping Cart Returner Shirt $21.68 |
 UFOs Are A Psyop Shirt $21.68 |
Shopping Cart Returner Shirt $21.68 |
What's it like to join a boxing gym?
Idk, I quit after the first day because I never sweated like that before in my whole life. 300 bux down the drain, sadge
you are gay and will not survive the coming winter
Lots and lots of cardio.
This.
The classes are all about forcing your body to adapt to cardio. Imagine hitting a bag for an hour with maybe things like short runs or weighted shadow boxing or burpees mixed in. Form and fighting technique comes with sparring sessions and private coaching which costs a fortune
if it's a good gym they will make you master technique and do a lot of pads/bag work/conditioning before letting you spar
this is a top tier reddit take.
>bro you should learn to box... by not boxing
An ACTUAL good gym will put you in with a guy who is experienced and is able to use restraint and allow you to try things and spar without getting knocked out.
Beginners should be sparring as soon as possible in a controlled environment where the coach is actively watching them and making sure nothing is getting out of hand with an experienced guy. Two beginners should never spar each other until at least they've done a few months training because beginners have zero restraint and will just try and throw haymakers until one of them gets busted up or knocked out.
You can do all of the padwork and drills in the world but it doesnt mean shit because the most important stuff in boxing like footwork, distance management, positioning, knowing your range, controlling the pace is learned in the ring. Everyone is ali on the pads.
You are fricking moronic.
If you put a spastic beginner in a sparring session without a good few months of training beforehand, they'll develop so many bad habits that become near impossible to shake out.
Beginners need time to figure out how their feet should move, how to dodge correctly, how to counter correctly, how to pace the punches and so on, and you saying that a beginner should just "get in with an experienced fighter to learn" is peak moronation
they do all of this while practicing everything else at the same time ofc. the beginner isnt exclusively doing sparring you moron. If you get a beginner in the ring even after all of those drills with no ringtime, he still wont be able to do the things you list and will look just as bad as a guy who has never done any of them because doing them in a drill and doing them in the ring are two completely different things. People learn by doing. They hone their technique via in-ring
When i say "sparring" with an experienced guy, its more of a play-spar where the beginner is getting instruction and the experienced guy is doing nothing more than tapping the beginner with an open glove while the beginner works out his fundamentals. 2 minute rounds at most. Maybe even 1 minute rounds if the beginner gets gassed.
There is no substitute for actually boxing. None. You can hit the pads and do drills with a beginner as much as you want but they're still going to look awkward and bad when in the ring. Padwork especially is near-useless for determining how good someone is at boxing. Hence why you see these youtube boxers blitzing the pads and then looking like absolute morons in the ring. If you do nothing but hit pads and drills you get good at.... hitting pads and drills. These things dont carry over 1:1 to the ring otherwise nobody would ever have to do sparring. They're supplemental. Controlled sparring with purpose is the meat of where the learning is done.
Its like saying you can get good at drawing by reading books about it. You get better by doing.
>this is a top tier reddit take.
>bro you should learn to box... by not boxing
I never said this. You're actually so moronic it hurts. Spending a couple months honing your basic techniques before starting to spar pays off in the long run. If you start sparring while you don't even know how to correctly slip punches or throw simple combinations with good technique, you are just interfering with the development of that basic muscle memory. Sparring with some bozo off the street comes in for 1 week that can't even correctly throw a jab is a complete and utter waste of time. good luck finding a trainer that disagrees with this.
This, if youre not doing some light sparring your first week, your gym sucks.
In my experience most people aren't ready to spar within their first week. They are either too timid or too brash, you can tell right away just by looking at how they move. You don't want them going into a ring thinking its life or death with anyone, because if they freak out and turn it into a "real" fight, someone's getting hurt - and it's probably them. Next thing you know the police have showed up and its turned into a complete shitshow. And they are never coming back.
>join a boxing gym
>dont want to box
To be fair, its been a while since i trained in a boxing gym (do mma now) and their gym culture is infinitely worse for the most part, especially if you are in the hood. Any half decent kickboxing/muay thai gym you're not going to have any problems sparring your first week if you want to
you are going to cry why? because you realise how bad of a fighter you are
I'm willing to cry like a b***h. I have no shame.
Do bag work for few weeks then combine with technique and light sparring. A good gym should have different levels.
P.s. its better to pay more so there are only whites
very nice hardcore cardio training
Joined one once.
>walk in and see mostly black people
>get a tour and the place is dirty
>shitty little locker/shower room
>was kinda groovy all in all
>say I wanna join
>"we need a credit card on file"
>lol no
>I'll pay cash for a few months in advance
>he eventually lets me
>work out there a few times
>the boxing ring BARELY fits in the building
>never bother getting in it
>just hit the bags and lift a little
>eventually my convention season starts
>out on the road like five states away
>boxing gym calls me
>"hey your uh membership has run out"
>Yeah I know, it's cool
>"well do you wanna renew, just need your card number"
>Nope, I work out of town and leave a lot, that's why I only needed three months. I told you this when I signed up
>"you have to tell me when you want to cancel though"
>I did, I paid for three months
>"that's just very inconsiderate"
>I...disagree?
>"ugh"
>What?
>"How am I supposed to run a business if people don't keep their commitments"
>I didn't make a commitment
>"ugh"
Never bothered going back. I've met a couple gym owners exactly like this.
What a weird guy.
>literally asking you how to run his business
Lol
It’s normal for martial art gyms that you sign up for half a year. If that was the case, maybe he didn’t communicate that clearly enough.
lol my old gym was like this, i wanted to cancel my membership but you had to go in person to cancel, i used to avoid confrontation as much as possible so i put off cancelling for a few months despite not even using the gym. then finally one day i mustered up the courage to call the gym owner and say i want to cancel and i had to go into his office and sign the forms and that was that. really scummy how you cant just cancel online, wonder how many people they rape into not cancelling just because theyre afraid of confrontation like i was.
It's not easy to run a gym full-time. Even if they do quite well the owner isn't likely to keep much money. They need all the money they can get, that's why they set it up the way that they did. Not all gyms do this, it just depends on how expensive it is to operate in the area.
1-2 hours consisting of :
>warm up skipping/doing star jumps or other gay warm up shit like burpees, star jumps etc.
>hitting bags
>doing specific drills (jab only this round, pair up and practice a 1,2 roll, practice clinching, practice escaping the corner, practice fighting on the inside etc etc)
>body sparring (body sparring is useless and builds up bad habits but a lot of clubs will make people do it because 50% of the club wont have a medical/gumshield)
>light open sparring if you have a gumshield, medical, 14-18oz gloves and have been training a while
>ab work/cicruit at end
>stretching if you can be bothered.
Thats it. Ive been boxing for around 5 years now, have been to multiple gyms and its about the same everywhere. There are some gyms that focus more on the drills or the bagwork but they are all pretty similar. The more serious amateur clubs that are registered will weigh people and set up bouts but the training isnt much different. The more experienced guys will just do more sparring. IMO once you have the absolute basics down (aka can throw the 6 punches without looking like a toddler) sparring is the most important thing.
Ive never been to a Black person gym but imagine its more aggressive and theres less easing guys in there. More sparring and more ego/competitiveness present. Looking at vids of mayweather's gym thats the picture it paints.
Gyms in rough neighborhoods are where all the top guys come from
Only the poor and desperate have the kind of fight in them to become champions when the alternative is often times death.
made more friends in one year after joining one than I did in more than 5 after leaving college.
its fricking great, do it
My first day, a free trial class, we did such intense cardio that I had to go puke outside, and I'm quite fit, though I never do cardio. I didn't return.
t.everybody knows him and he will not be carrying any boats
It is what it is. I chose to keep pace instead of stepping away to catch my breath. For all I knew we were about to take a breather and then I'd look like a gay who quit 10s too early. It turned out that there was no breather though. When I came back in to get my stuff, they were still going
what did they make you do that was so bad you puked?
Basically burpees, side jumps while holding dumbbells, other random cardio shit
you know what that means? you need to do cardio
>I'm quite fit, though I never do cardio.
You're not fit.
>I'm quite fit, though I never do cardio.
You're right, I should have said I'm quite strong and low bf. I need to do cardio
Should I keep paying 30$ a month for a gym membership or pay 150 a month to join a muy Thai/boxing gym?
Some Muay Thai / boxing gyms will have a (limited) weights gym within them. $150 is steep though.
>150 is steep though.
In Thailand maybe. Not saying you're poor but who is gonna teach some fricktard for 5 dollars a day
$50 would be steep everywhere in Europe
Make sure you don't join one of those fitness one for women. Go to a place that that is small and only boxing
Fine. A good gym won't throw you into sparring right away. Avoid gyms that do contracts or don't have open gym.
Don't spar at a boxing gym. Boxing only attracts Black folk, wiggers and mexicans. None of these people care about your brain health. They will think it's funny to give you CTE. Join an expensive MMA gym or find a Muay Thai gym.
I did muay thai for a few years. I'll go into "what should I look for in joining a gym" as that is obviously the first step of a beginner.
It's up to the gym owner to set the tone of the gym. The easiest way to figure that out is to go in, tell him you're looking for an XYZ gym, and watch a session to feel things out. Some of them may let you try a session for free. You want to see what your prospective training partners look like, how good their technique looks, are they respectful toward one another, what sort of equipment is available/used, how the instructor teaches, etc. This will tip you off to whether or not the instructor is actually credentialed/competent or just running a mcdojo scheme.
For muay thai in the US, there is an organization called the TBA (thai boxing assocation) which certifies instructors in a series of assessments on advanced techniques and pass/fail of a fairly grueling fight simulator test. A TBA certification is the gold standard for a gym that specializes in muay thai - it takes lots of work and a modest sum of money to acquire one.
If something feels off, you leave and never come back. If it feels like you could have a good time and actually learn something without considerable risk of suffering acute encephalitis - welcome home champ. Next post I will go into "what's it like".
"What's it like".
>1st month
Every session starts with some stretching, then a HIIT cardio session that smokes you. You ultimately go as fast as you can maintain but wind up exhausted before the bell can save your ass. You get a few minutes to breath as the instructor orders people to pad up and demonstrates the drills of the day. The instructor intentionally pairs you with someone who has enough experience (1+ year of experience ahead of you) to help teach you the basics in real time, and gives you a simplified version of the drill (or a different drill entirely) to work on fundamentals. He starts the timer and you enter a state of flow with the people around you. The timer goes off, and the next drill is presented, perhaps a variation or an extension. This continues a few times and before you know it, the class is over. Everyone bows out, packs up and parts way... except for some of the people who've been there a while. They put on a mouth piece, shin guards and boxing gloves and begin sparring. You can watch if you like, or get more practice on a bag before heading out.
>2nd-6th month
You've got the hang of the rhythm. The cardio sessions are still absolute grinds (and always will be), but you get through to the final bell. You're getting a hang of the fundamentals, although still quite sloppy and some of the techniques (i.e. kicks) still feel almost completely fresh in your mind. You have learned some basic combination drills decently well and can pretty much hang with the rest of the class for all but the most advanced drills.
cont.
>6th month-1yr
You've got mostly solid fundamentals with a few gaps to fill. You have started learning advanced techniques and can "hang with the pack" no matter what's on the plate for the day. If you have a mouthpiece and elect to do so, you have started soft-sparring with more experienced members of the gym. You begin to learn how to apply your knowledge of the fundamentals in real time, slow-mo play combat. You look and feel like a robot (like someone mechanically hitting bags and pads)... but it's something. You begin to loosen up and strategize for dealing with different types of opponent and different setups to land and avoid strikes.
>1yr-2yr
Your fundamentals are (or should be) very solid, with small gaps that haven't been caught/called out yet. You are capable of instructing beginners in basic fundamental technique. You have a bag full of advanced techniques, although you're likely to rely on the tried and true fundamentals when it comes to sparring. You have mostly developed your "natural" power through technique and proprioceptive experience when training on pads/heavy bags. You are able and willing to spar at a more aggressive pace with those you trust. You have developed a preferred fighting style, and methods of adaptive strategy for dealing with different opponents. You discover your strengths and weaknesses in different ranges vs different opponents. You figure out how to lay bait and set traps, control distance, pace, shifting tempo, real-time footwork, counterstriking.
>2yr+
You are (or should be) ready to enter amateur competition, if you wish. Your technique is solid, most all fundamental gaps should have been discovered and filled. You know all of the standard drills by rote and most of the advanced ones. You are still no expert but you are capable of instructing independently. The gym owner is likely to float the idea of competition or becoming an instructor to you if you have shown dedication and potential.
Not OP but your write ups were very informative, I appreciate it bro!
Wtf, your description of the first month is exactly spot-on for my experience too.
>Every session starts with some stretching, then a HIIT cardio session that smokes you.
Well meaning but wrong approach
>Let's say from being a complete beginner to boxing, all the way to your first spar.
That all happens the same day. Other people going aren't gonna reset just for you
boxing and weightlifting don't rly go together as you want less muscle and less mass to be quicker in the ring. unless ofc you in the heavier weight classes.
You'll find it really fun if you like fighting. It is CTE the sport though so expect brain damage in your later years if you take lots of hits during your time there.
I think the CTE thing is blown way out of proportion. If you look at pro heavyweight boxers who have had dozens of pro brutal, war-like fights , possibly hundreds of amateur, not even all of those guys get bad CTE. There are plenty out there that seem to be fine in their older age. A fair amount of it is dependent on genetics i think. You arent going to get CTE doing the occasional light spar or amateur 3 round fight.
There have been studies that show a lot of what causes CTE is people boxing in their developmental years while their brain is still forming and taking lots of blows to the head then. Which is also when most champs/pros begin fighting. There is significantly less chance getting it if you begin boxing once your skull/brain are fully formed.
>There have been studies that show a lot of what causes CTE is people boxing in their developmental years while their brain is still forming and taking lots of blows to the head then.
Can you post some? Not that I don't believe you, you're probably speaking the truth because in the Netherlands headshots are illegal for those under the age of 18 (which upsets a lot of trainers because it teaches them the bad habit of not protecting their heads, so a lot of young would-be pros are sent to train in Germany instead).
cant find the direct study but i found this
https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/amateur-boxing-dementia-alzheimers-long-term-effects/
I would dig a bit more and find the actual studies but i have to go to work 🙁
It makes sense though right. Obviously taking hard hits to the head while your brain is still forming is probably not a good idea.
Updoot kind stranger!
A real boxing gym is for fighters. You won't get shit for attention from a trainer unless you have potential and even then you have to pay them. You might be able to hire a trainers moronic friend to show you some stuff. You'll mostly hit the bags. If you aren't a fighter and anyone asks you to spar they are going to frick you up. Don't do it if you think you can fight, you can't and they will frick you up.
You want a boxing class where you can learn fundamentals. Most big gyms will have something like this or any MMA gym will have basic boxing classes.
Will they ask you to spar if your built like brock lesnar?
Yes and if you don't box a 130lb skinny mexican will tune your shit up
Why pick on the big guy
Mexicans and certain Hispanic races are weirdly tough in boxing along with skinny, tall white dudes without muscle. You literally can't hit them and they throw bombs that you can't see coming. It baffled me to see all these great black fighters throughout history when in the lower ranks they're getting shit on in basic sparring.
I currently go to a gym that the current countries champ trains in, same coach and even get to spar with him.
going in a ring with a guy like that you can see the difference between a normal mortal and someone who'll be fighting at the olympics next year
You're gonna be doing a LOT of running
Exhilarating. At first it will be hard, but everything is hard at first. You'll be gassed a lot unless you're a cardio bunny now. And footwork and arm work will be confusing, but just listen, pay attention and go with the flow. Good gym will not give you any sparing for first few lessons, maybe some soft sparing with experienced players. Some hardcore gyms might put you up for spar first thing you come in, to see your level.
It depends on the gym. My dad took me to one in Philly when I was in school. I was the only white person there. He emphasized the importance of going to gyms in shit hole areas with a lot of blacks. Ironically we were both treated with respect by everyone there. There was no racism.
For the first week or two they'll just teach you the technique and some workouts. When you spar it'll be against someone of your level or a really experienced boxer that'll take it easy on you so you learn. I was often put against two pros. It hurts for the first few punches but then the fear and pain leaves you assuming you're not a complete pussy.
If you're getting completely battered during sparring though, it's not a good gym especially if you're a beginner. There's a difference between going hard and trying to hurt each other.
I wish I would've stuck with it
You're going to get whooped, you will be sore, you will be going home covered in bruises and if you're really unfortunate you're going to eat a liver shot. But that's the only way to get better and in time you'll learn to enjoy it.
I wanna do this but I'm an old boomer
There were some older guys/girls in my gym. 40s, 50s. Scrawny teenage boys too. You can find gym's where everyone is expected to adapt their pace to their training partner. As mentioned for the experienced guys, pad/bag work isn't really going to teach them much past a certain level. Their learning is in sparring. They can afford to spend less time doing bag/pad work and more time teaching and analyzing the technique of others, so it works out.
>Let's say from being a complete beginner to boxing, all the way to your first spar.
you spar for the first time after your first week of training. it really depends on the boxing gym.
Boxing is shit, enjoy your brain damage
Make sure there's actual sparring happening at the gym you'd like to join or you might just end up doing cardio. That's partly the reason why I quit.