Great question
I agree with marbleheadmaui. Boxing, as with many other things, is a sport that may be broken down to it's core components. When you sub-divide the sport into 4 areas; footwork, body movement, defensive actions and punches, each of these areas may break-down further into individual skills. At the current count I can demonstrate 41 individual skills...not including body punches. This is a lot of learning! If you have any doubts about this, check out my site
Learn How to Box with MyBoxingCoach on which you can find video descriptions of each skill.
So, you can demonstrate an individual skill to a boxer, and each skill can then be practised in the form of a drill (the ultimate learning method). My focus when working with a new boxer is always very structured:
- Establish an effective stance
- Learn how to move in and out
- learn how to jab
- learn how to throw a straight back hand.
From here, you can gradually layer skill upon skill, resulting in a gradual build up of capability. Boxing drills provide the foundation for all of this, with what is learned there being reinforced in other activites such as shadow boxing and bag work. The word 'gradual' is key. The majority of boxers that I have worked with over the last couple of decades have taken at least 6 to 9 months before I would be confident for them to compete. There are exceptions, but not too many.
Just to pick up on another point that marbleheadmaui made regarding pads.
Pads are a really effective coaching technique, but they are used incorrectly by so many. The biggest frustration that I see is a coach 'slapping' the incoming punch with the pad. Now, I've only been in boxing for 30+ years, but very rarely in that time have I encountered a boxer, or even witnessed a boxer, repeatedly slamming their face into an oncoming fist. So why would we as coaches recreate a situation that simply never occurs, and recreate it with such breathless enthusiasm?
OK rant over.
Hope this has helped, and that's a really smart and insightful question by the way.
Fran
Bookmarks