Switching trainers..A question on etiquette..(need a trainers insight)

Alright. This is a hypothetical dilemma question.

Say a kid get assigned to his first trainer and he gets trained by him throughout his amateur career. But say the kid had a good opportunity to be trained by a highly renowned trainer. Would it be disrespect for the fighter to leave his original trainer and take that opportunity? Keep in mind this is not an act of spite, but rather seizing an chance that may not come around again.

Is it common in the sport of boxing that fighters leave their original trainers? And is it usually on good terms or does it usually leave a bad taste? Or is it actually pretty common that the original trainer moves their kid up to someone else when they hit pro?

I would like both fighters and trainers insight on this touchy subject..

If youve been approached its because they like the look of you. question how did it happen. Trust me most Pro trainers have not got a clue. Its a case of them talking bollocks its all a con, be carefull.

well Scrap. Its nothing like that, but i really appreciate the concern.

how i stated my question is how it is. I just wanted to know the feelings of fighters and trainers alike. Trainers, How would you feel if your boy moved on to another trainer? Fighters, how would you feel about leaving your trainer?

Again, the kid has all the respect and admiration for his trainer, theres no spite involved in the decision.

Alot of variables on that question.As Scrap said,why did you look good in the first place? Who got you there?
Trainers and managers are allways looking to scoop another guys fighter,but that doesnt make it the best thing for you either
Me personally,I try to avoid the swoop and scoop,just because you may be a big deal this week as a trainer, but people are going to remember if you scooped afighter off of them if your not as big down the road.
Id see if your trainer would consider letting you cross train and vice versa,I never mind that,you can pick up stuff that way

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Originally Posted by Trainer Monkey

Alot of variables on that question.As Scrap said,why did you look good in the first place? Who got you there?
Trainers and managers are allways looking to scoop another guys fighter,but that doesnt make it the best thing for you either
Me personally,I try to avoid the swoop and scoop,just because you may be a big deal this week as a trainer, but people are going to remember if you scooped afighter off of them if your not as big down the road.
Id see if your trainer would consider letting you cross train and vice versa,I never mind that,you can pick up stuff that way

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well, the choice would totally be the fighters if he chose to leave.

Alright trainer monkey. Say one of your kids had a chance to pack up his stuff to leave and get trained by a renowned Pro. Would you hold it against him for taking that opportunity? Or would you be happy for your fighter?

That wouldnt be the case in Scrap's situation as in many circles he is rated as the best :p

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Originally Posted by southpawed

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Originally Posted by Trainer Monkey

Alot of variables on that question.As Scrap said,why did you look good in the first place? Who got you there?
Trainers and managers are allways looking to scoop another guys fighter,but that doesnt make it the best thing for you either
Me personally,I try to avoid the swoop and scoop,just because you may be a big deal this week as a trainer, but people are going to remember if you scooped afighter off of them if your not as big down the road.
Id see if your trainer would consider letting you cross train and vice versa,I never mind that,you can pick up stuff that way

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well, the choice would totally be the fighters if he chose to leave.

Alright trainer monkey. Say one of your kids had a chance to pack up his stuff to leave and get trained by a renowned Pro. Would you hold it against him for taking that opportunity? Or would you be happy for your fighter?

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Depends on the fighter,depends on the Trainer.
Trainers get very dogmatic, they tend to want what they want,and how they want it.
And just because its a famous trainer,doesnt allways mean its the best thing for the fighter.
Examples,why sure.
Roach-Has taken on too many fighters, and spends alot time with his Title promotional deal,you really think your getting his best?
McGirt-Has alot of fighters,but have you ever notice alot of them end up kissing canvas in big fights
Fraziers-Style is better suited to shorter fighters

Theres an old Texas saying that fits here,"You gotta dance with them what brung ya"

i can say this, switching trainers almost always brings bad feelings, they invest a lot in you emotionally and knowledge wise, hwen you leave them they feel hurt or betrayed sometimes. keep in mind a leave may be best for you but then the grass may just seem greener.like monkey said, they may not fit so well or worse have a private agenda, remember boxing is a dirty business and you must protect yourself at all times...

I stayed loyal to my old boxing club even though I knew they weren't getting me the fights I wanted, and I believe needed. This while most of the best fighters left and started up their own club.

What finally did it for me was, I was having a spar with a part time trainer, he started throwing all he had at me while saying I should just go easy. Well, i'm a fighter, and he wasn't much of a boxer, in fact, I found out later he wasn't even certified. Anyway, I am 13 yrs old at the time, and I got kinda pissed catching bombs and I let loose on him. Ended up home later that night covered in blood. And it wasn't mine.

Then they suspend ALL sparring, and he quietly said to me..."It'll be you or me that leaves this place." He denied he said it. LIAR. And says I have to publicly apologise to him.

I left the gym, went to the new gym and it was the best thing I ever did. I went back and apologized when I picked up my Boxing Assoc. card with my new trainer..."I'm sorry I hit you too hard."

Adios. The gym owner and others tried to talk me into staying, but I knew then this was not the place for me. I'm out to fight and to win. Not coddle some old fukkers bruised ego.

Yea, I'm still a little pissed about it.

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Originally Posted by Youngblood

I stayed loyal to my old boxing club even though I knew they weren't getting me the fights I wanted, and I believe needed. This while most of the best fighters left and started up their own club.

What finally did it for me was, I was having a spar with a part time trainer, he started throwing all he had at me while saying I should just go easy. Well, i'm a fighter, and he wasn't much of a boxer, in fact, I found out later he wasn't even certified. Anyway, I am 13 yrs old at the time, and I got kinda pissed catching bombs and I let loose on him. Ended up home later that night covered in blood. And it wasn't mine.

Then they suspend ALL sparring, and he quietly said to me..."It'll be you or me that leaves this place." He denied he said it. LIAR. And says I have to publicly apologise to him.

I left the gym, went to the new gym and it was the best thing I ever did. I went back and apologized when I picked up my Boxing Assoc. card with my new trainer..."I'm sorry I hit you too hard."

Adios. The gym owner and others tried to talk me into staying, but I knew then this was not the place for me. I'm out to fight and to win. Not coddle some old fukkers bruised ego.

Yea, I'm still a little pissed about it.

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Well that goes the other way,dont it?
You arent supposed to overcommit, and leave your fighters hanging either

Depends on the fighter,depends on the Trainer.
Trainers get very dogmatic, they tend to want what they want,and how they want it.
And just because its a famous trainer,doesnt allways mean its the best thing for the fighter.
Examples,why sure.
Roach-Has taken on too many fighters, and spends alot time with his Title promotional deal,you really think your getting his best?
McGirt-Has alot of fighters,but have you ever notice alot of them end up kissing canvas in big fights
Fraziers-Style is better suited to shorter fighters

Theres an old Texas saying that fits here,"You gotta dance with them what brung ya"[/QUOTE]

i hear ya TM. This was more the response i was seeking. You make a good point though. I had it in my head that the better the fighter, the better the trainer. What do say though about Mccallum persay? Remember its all just speculation though..

And believe me Trainer Monkey, i take that saying to heart. Or these questions would not ever have arisen in my head or in this forum. I do hold the ones who first took me in, in high regards. So thats why, say if i ever left, it'd be quite the dilemma for me.

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Originally Posted by Josh

That wouldnt be the case in Scrap's situation as in many circles he is rated as the best :p

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LOL. hey Scrap. If you ever happen to give a Saddoboxing Seminar somewhere. I and im sure others would drive to great lengths to have you instill some of that knowledge upon us. Hell maybe even just correct our stances so we'd be that much more biomechanically effective.

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Originally Posted by Youngblood

Then they suspend ALL sparring, and he quietly said to me..."It'll be you or me that leaves this place." He denied he said it. LIAR. And says I have to publicly apologise to him.


Yea, I'm still a little pissed about it.

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lol man. you dont need that bullshit. What kind of gym enviroment is that? "Its either you or me" ?? Ridiculous man. You should gave him the bird, come back when you're a pro and spit in his face. Well i wouldnt go THAT far. But i woulda left too if i had a douchebag like that guy trying to give me shit then lying about it. A Gyms supposed to be a family to you, its not supposed to have shady characters like that.

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Originally Posted by southpawed

Depends on the fighter,depends on the Trainer.
Trainers get very dogmatic, they tend to want what they want,and how they want it.
And just because its a famous trainer,doesnt allways mean its the best thing for the fighter.
Examples,why sure.
Roach-Has taken on too many fighters, and spends alot time with his Title promotional deal,you really think your getting his best?
McGirt-Has alot of fighters,but have you ever notice alot of them end up kissing canvas in big fights
Fraziers-Style is better suited to shorter fighters

Theres an old Texas saying that fits here,"You gotta dance with them what brung ya"

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i hear ya TM. This was more the response i was seeking. You make a good point though. I had it in my head that the better the fighter, the better the trainer. What do say though about Mccallum persay? Remember its all just speculation though..

And believe me Trainer Monkey, i take that saying to heart. Or these questions would not ever have arisen in my head or in this forum. I do hold the ones who first took me in, in high regards. So thats why, say if i ever left, it'd be quite the dilemma for me.[/quote]
I have to ask some serious questions, and ones you need to consider before I awnser.
How far do you think you are along?
What do you consider your strengths, what do you feel are your weakness's?It will give me a better Idea if thats the trainer you want for yourself.
Just because its a name trainer,doesnt make it a good fit
Has the phrase "exclusive contract" come up yet?
How do you think your current trainer is going to react? This is a very serious one,because you want to avoid burning bridges.
Take your time and think those questions through a bit

And I will say this,I do not leave myself out of the "dogmatic" category
If you do a pawing jab,I will have a conniption
If you try a two hands down defense,see above
I want to see you jab away,and press hard if it gets close
All trainers have,what they want to see,and I cant say Im any different

I know if your trainer kept protecting you out of a title fight, I might could see a reason to leave him. (Like in Million Dollar Baby).

[/quote]
I have to ask some serious questions, and ones you need to consider before I awnser.
How far do you think you are along?
What do you consider your strengths, what do you feel are your weakness's?It will give me a better Idea if thats the trainer you want for yourself.
Just because its a name trainer,doesnt make it a good fit
Has the phrase "exclusive contract" come up yet?
How do you think your current trainer is going to react? This is a very serious one,because you want to avoid burning bridges.
Take your time and think those questions through a bit[/QUOTE]

lairght lemme fill you in Monkey. Im a lil buzzin. so disregard my typos.

As far as how far i am along in the game. Im a toddler. Havent evne boxed my first fight yet. I've been training for about a year or so now. (is that a long time to be training to not have had my first fight??)

Yes yes, i know you're thinking "wow kid come back when you've at least boxed a match" and im tellin you, this is what i wanna do. I wanna box. And yeah LOL, thats a total cliche right there, so you can take that with a grain of salt i wont blame ya. I dont expect you to take it seriously, cause i wouldnt either. Afterall this is the interwebs, where everyone can have the credentials of a world champ if they so wanted. But thats why im asking these questions, to get a little better understanding of this game yknow what i mean? And im glad i got someone with the knowledge to answer my questions. So again, i appreciate everything you have to say to me and i do take it to heart.

Im a fly pound southie. 5'4- 5'5. Strengths and weaknesses? Eh it wouldnt matter if i told you right now anyway, as my game isnt even developed. Im still ingraining the basics into my brain.

Exclusive contract? Ha! i wished i was getting paid. Thing is.. all my life people have been telling me to get my goals straight. If i want to go Pro, i dont want to walk into it blindly. So i know all this talk about switching trainers is a little bit far ahead in my future. Considering i havent even fought once yet. But yeah man lol. Really im just trying to think ahead. Trying to get schooled on every aspect of this game as well as possible. The business aspect, the trainers, the fighting. All that good stuff. I know Trainers are supposed to guide you on these things. But i want to have a good idea myself.

So now i know all that stuff i would have posted above about myself, my dimensions, my strengths and weaknesses, all that shit is irrelevant as of know as i havent even started my Am career. But its just kind of a heads up. When i get in the ring for my first scrap, I'll for sure PM you a fight. Then you can evaluate for yourself and we can continue this discussion another day.

so yeah, Count on me to hassle you in the future for more information and guidance on this game that we call prizefighting.

Southpawed, I do not think there is anything wrong with considering the possibilities of a future in this sport early in ones career. If no one did this, then we likely wouldn't see any dreams being fulfilled. But yet people are doing it every day. Why not you, or I?

So rock on I say, one fight at a time. :)

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Originally Posted by Youngblood

Southpawed, I do not think there is anything wrong with considering the possibilities of a future in this sport early in ones career. If no one did this, then we likely wouldn't see any dreams being fulfilled. But yet people are doing it every day. Why not you, or I?

So rock on I say, one fight at a time. :)

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exactly man. i mean whos to say we cant make it, but ourselves?

so kudos man, i hope you and i alike tear shit up and hopefully cause a ripple in the boxing world.

It is what it is.
The fight game.

In this game, there's a lot of testosterone, aggression and competitive spirit. Everyone's edging off one another and trainers/managers are particularily "tense."
In order to progress you have to do what you feel is best for you physically and psychologically. If in your mind a gym is second best, you have to move, thats that.

All you can do is be as amiable and diplomatic as you can aside from that.

I'd like to see myself with the same trainers for an amatuer or pro career. I don't think I'd choose to change trainers just because of the move from amateur to pro because success in either arena is based on having good skills and development.

Sure a few skills are more or less important in the pro game than the amatuers but I tend to think someone who can really coach you for one well should also be able to coach you well for the other too.

I've always found that if I have to change gyms it's been easiest at times when I'm also moving geographically and that isn't so uncommon. That's been a good way to get myself out without ruffling any feathers for the most part or having to say why.

I don't think a year is a long time to be training before your first bout. Often those who take a little longer to train before their first bout have a much better time in the sport so don't worry about that. I started too early - 2 months after my first boxing training - and I don't really recommend that.

I am going through a phase right now when my studies are keeping me too busy to fully apply myself the way I'd like to my training. So I guess if I expect my trainers to be understanding of that I also have to be understanding of them when things come up in their lives and i'm not getting enough coaching for a while.

Having said that I'm not sure where you draw the line. There has to be a point where you need to put your safety first and if you really think you're not being developed enough for the bouts you're entered into by the same coach then I'd cut and run.

I sometimes think my coaches would put me into any amateur bout without having any idea how my skills or my physical shape has progressed. They might put me in for sparring a few times the week of the fight and watch in case they want to pull me out at the last minute but don't seem to pay much attention for months beforehand.

The assumption seems to be that any bout will be good for my development and my fitness should pull me through if all else fails. Ultimately I'd feel more comfortable with a roadmap to follow so I knew in myself I'd improved since my last bout. Perhaps they don't enforcce that because they know I like to make my own maps though? Perhaps it's a case of be careful of what you wish for?

I don't know if I'd change the trainers I have now but I think in many cases you don't need to make these decisions because you'll find yourself relocating for work or whatever and have to change anyway.

In the words of the legendary fighter Alexis Arguello in a recent interview in the Nicaraguan Post on the subject of moving to a high profile trainer.

"The trainer and the high profile does not matter. What matters is hard work in the gym and how much determination and heart the fighter has. If you want to eat fish, you got to get your ass wet "

I couldn't agree more.