Quote Originally Posted by sourpuss View Post
Ok, so here's a question for you competitors.
A: how often do your bouts fall through? and...
B: how do you stay focused when it seems to happen ALL THE FREAKING TIME!?

My opponent for Saturday canceled tonight. I don't know if the reason she gave was true or if they just didn't feel like driving for only one bout. But either way, nothing I can do about it. She was the only one who would agree (after MUCH begging, offering to pay hotel and trying to find bouts for other guys from her club) Everyone else either wouldn't return my coach's calls or flat out said no. So this was my only option.

Anyway, in four years my parents have only seen me fight four times and they haven't seen a match of mine since March of 2006. They were going to be able to attend because it was within driving distance and they were planning on bringing friends of theirs as well. I've only had a couple of friends ever come to my fights and I've never had a bout in the town I live in. All of my fights are in my opponents home town. (that gets old, once in a while I'd like for the crowd to cheer for me, especially if my mom and dad can be in the crowd)

So how often does this happen to you? And how do I stay focused and not just throw my hands up and say f*ck it?
Yeah it sucks. It was always the same for me too and it can get really expensive travelling a lot for amatuer competition. That's not so bad when you feel like the preparation is structured and your opponent weighs in at the correct weight etc.

I think you'd know that's not the way it often goes though. You get there after having crap sparring and not a really structured preparation, deal with whatever the home town side want to serve up because you've invested too much to pull out when an opponent weighs more or you are ripped, you empty your pockets on the travelling and training expenses and come home again.

If you're lucky you'll get a vid of the bout but often people will be too disorganized to arrange that when they say they will. Maybe you can show that to your folks but it's not the same as having their support at the time and maybe being on the home town side once in a while!

Yes it sucks. It has bothered me a lot.

Still I think I miss the training and I am starting again as soon as I have my new flatmate moved in and work undercontrol.

I think for me it was so rare in the end that i did get a bout or even that it looked like my coach was in the mood to accept one (because I can't say he ever looked but just accepted offers) I grew to depend mostly on getting satisfaction from seeing improvement in training.

That in itself can be difficult when your sparring isn't great or the coaching logical or conflicting commitments limit you but i guess those things are usually phases and one way or another they will pass.

Things will get better again. Maybe because you start using more resources outside of your boxing club - maybe by driving yourself to interclub sparring as a non negotiable thing your coach has to accept.

Maybe by getting more into your running and other little comps and training challenges you can use as indicators of your boxing fitness so you always feel like you are achieving something?

I personally have found Scrap's riddles and just trying to get my own head around training principles motivating even when I haven't been in the right physical shape to perform at my best.

Even when injured I enjoyed the pool and the swimming club. It's not the same but I think many of us get into this because we are happiest being active people regardless of competitive results and tribulations.