Cornermen who give tactical advice vs the "motivational" Cornermen

[Sleepwalker]

What's your take on some cornermen whom you never see giving actual tips to their fighter between rounds, but instead will say things like "we worked too hard for this" or "fight this guy".

Is this an indictment on the trainer's ability or does that style prove effective with certain fighters?

[TitoFan]

Damn good question. I think you gotta be able to dish out both. There comes a time when a fighter just needs technical advice. He doesn't need to hear "You gotta hit him more than he hits you." Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. "Double up on your jab".... "Circle to your left more"... "You're dropping your left too much"...... those are the kind of nuggets of wisdom a fighter sometimes needs to hear. HOWEVER... once in awhile, a good kick in the ass is what a fighter really needs. And it also depends on the fighter. Some fighters, like people in general, only react when given a good swift kick on the behind. So in summary, a good cornerman knows how to do both, and when to use each one.

[Nameless]

Both are equally good, it's all about what the fighter needs at the talking moment. If he's doing everything alright but needs to put more energy, the motivation is better. However, if he's giving it everything he can but is doing something tactically wrong, then talking strategy is the thing to do. It all depends of the situation, really.

[Gocougars3]

The worst thing is a panicked corner. Negative feedback in the corner is often times more about the ego of the corner than about helping a fighter. I don't think reminding a guy how hard he worked helps but reminding him where he came from and where is trying to go can work.

I think you have to let a fighter recover, physically, do something that helps emotionally (it may be something subtle like a confident demeanor or a positive statement (you're too fast for him, he just isn't as gritty as you are (it's got to be true, don't make it up)), and give him something to go on tactically (which will also help his confidence). I think there are a lot of over rated corners out there and that, conversely, I have seen some less acclaimed corners do very well.

You guys are right though, a lot depends on the kind of fighter you are dealing with.

[Spicoli]

There are some fighters who have seen nearly everything where tactical is unspoken. Hopkins comes to mind. He has to have one of the quietest corners I've seen. Its def a fine mix of both with guys but tactical should be 'less said is best said'. You don't want to send a guy with a fooking dinner menu of instructions..one, two specifics and concise. Some trainers go into "hey the camera is on me" mode and start repeating themselves and its quantity over quality, fighters left in a blur. If a corner is overly motivational an or encouraging etc it comes across as panicky...desperate. Guys don't need cheerleaders and yesmen. Its important and healthy to 'ground' a guy in there, eye to eye, and give a voice & quick focus on why he's doing what he's doing and what it means to career-self-family but ya gotta keep that in check and not in desperation I think as to not get lost in a runaway Oprah episode or just talking to hear yourself talk. Keep it simple and concise, personalize trainer-fighter aspect and above all be the eyes he's counting on to see what he's missing because opponents jab is blurring his vision.

[captainanddew]

Sergio Martinez's boy, Cyclops, was amazing in the first PW fight. He kept things rather simple. Look for the sneaky lead left. Later, we need to vary things, give me some rights to his body. Later, when PW started to look for that (as much as PW looks for anything since he neglects defense), he asked for the right hook up top. Each time, the specific shot he was asking for was the right shot at the right time.