Developing ones one style

[ShadowReaper]

I have read it in many forums, I have heard it from my trainer many times...

I would like to know your opinions about it, how one should develop his style

[Youngblood]

I have read it in many forums, I have heard it from my trainer many times...

I would like to know your opinions about it, how one should develop his style

By not trying to.

You learn the basics. Study them and learn them in and out and you practice and repractice them. Then as you spar and fight and get comfortable with those basics, in time you begin to develop a style. You're own style based on your assets and form. You'll prob develop some bad habits too...and so you will forever be returning to the basics. Even the highest level of professional boxers frequently revisit the basics.

The mistake far too many new people make, is trying to be like someone or adapt a "RJJ" or "PBF" style etc. You are robbing yourself of an education in boxing doing so, imo. The joy of the journey. And of discovering your own unique abilities and 'style'.

[HerbM]

I am no expert boxer, in fact at 57 I have only been studying boxing for a couple of months, so do NOT BELIEVE what I tell you.

Just consider what makes sense and think it through, perhaps with your coach if you can talk to him.

Do not try to develop a style -- especially at the beginning -- as this is the most certain way to cement your weaknesses and limit your strengths to only those things you can do natural well. At the beginning you don't have the experience or knowledge to know what you can do after more training.

Even your coach may not be able to predict what possibilities your training will open up to you. So the simplest advice is: Train your weaknesses and fight your strengths.

And be careful about the last half of my advice: "...fight your strengths." This is only for REAL fights where something important depends on the outcome -- you must avoid the temptation to waste your sparring time doing only what you can do well, and thus failing to train your weak areas.

Try to make every one of your weaknesses into a strength. If that is not possible (perhaps due to some true physical limitation) then be certain to revisit that weak area from time to time since once you develop more physical attributes you may then be able to overcome that weakness (even if that wasn't initially possible.)

Work on everything that gives you trouble; repeat; repeat again. Keep cycling until you bring all of these up to some (for you) reasonable level of skill.

Once that happens, and you get some fight experience your style will find you. Even then, be willing to break out of whatever style box you have built in your own mind and to overcome more and more of your weak areas.

Until you are competent at ALL of the BASICS, you won't be able to intelligently pick what works consistently for you and what is likely to get you into trouble.

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HerbM

[WayneFlint]

I agree with herb and youngblood 100% and i believe a lot of the answers you will get from others will be similar to these guys,

[Andre]

I am no expert boxer, in fact at 57 I have only been studying boxing for a couple of months, so do NOT BELIEVE what I tell you. Just consider what makes sense and think it through, perhaps with your coach if you can talk to him. Do not try to develop a style -- especially at the beginning -- as this is the most certain way to cement your weaknesses and limit your strengths to only those things you can do natural well. At the beginning you don't have the experience or knowledge to know what you can do after more training. Even you coach may not be able to predict what possibilities your training will open up to you. So the simplest advice is: Train your weaknesses and fight your strengths. And be careful about the last half of my advice: "...fight your strengths." This is only for REAL fights where something important depends on the outcome -- you must avoid the temptation to waste your sparring time doing only what you can do well, and failing to train your weak areas. Try to make every one of your weaknesses into a strength. If that is not possible (perhaps due to some true physical limitation) then be certain to revisit that weak area from time to time since once you develop more physical attributes you may then be able to overcome that weakness (even if that wasn't initially possible.) Work on everything that gives you trouble; repeat; repeat again. Keep cycling until you bring all of these up to some (for you) reasonable level of skill. Once that happens, and you get some fight experience your style will find you. Even then, be willing to break out of whatever style box you have built in your own mind and to overcome more and more of your weak areas. Until you are competent at ALL of the BASICS, you won't be able to intelligently pick what works consistently for you and what it likely to get you into trouble.

Welcome here mate, enjoy your stay.

[Andre]

I have read it in many forums, I have heard it from my trainer many times...

I would like to know your opinions about it, how one should develop his style

Welcome to you too mate.Always Good to see new posters around.

[Chris Nagel]

Good posts. I agree with everyone here. Good fundamentals comes first. You need get the moves down cold, keep in balance, never tense, don't drop your hands, and keep your mind engaged while you're training. It's a long dedicated process.

Be that as it is, you should also pay close attention to your likes/dislikes, what do you need to improve on? I think it's great to have your boxing heroes, by watching their fights closely you can get a good glimpse of a lot of the mysteries of the sport. Don't restrict yourself to a certain style or fighter, it's good have a la carte approach and take what works for you. Realize that there's certain moves have to be practiced countless times only to be used for a certain situation. Some situations occur more frequently, and with a trainer/partner you can work on what you have to do. You can also look at fighters, see how they throw a particular punch, their set-ups, tactics, etc. This is what Ron Lipton told me:

"When I want to learn how to be a sneaky puncher I go to Holly Mims, when I want a great short right hand, I go to Rubin Carter and so on.
Study your boxing heroes closely and you can steal the steel off the battlefield."

Some of it comes naturally. When you're in good shape, and used to the ring, there will be things that seem to flow without having thinking about it. It's a long way to get there.

[HerbM]

In reading the books that Chris and the others have been suggesting to me, I (just) found a section of the Inside The Ring: The RossBoxing.Com Newsletter Archive by Ross Enamait directly answering this question, on page 42.

It is pretty much in agreement with the advice given by everyone in this thread, with perhaps one point more that we (I at least) didn't emphasize:

Even (experienced) coaches who try to install an "exact style" on every fighter are (possibly) doing a disservice -- even one based on physical attributes.

The key here is not that your coach cannot help you pick a style, but rather avoiding the idea of imprinting a style too early or in a cookie cutter fashion before the fighter (with the coaches help) has enough of the basics and enough experience for the style to develop naturally.

Among the excellent examples give are the excellent welterweights Buddy McGirt and Pernell Whitaker who although (both) short for their weight classes did not (automatically) become inside fighters.

According to Inside the Ring,

Pernell was one of the slickest boxers ever to compete inside the ring. His defensive abilities were amazing. ... Pernell was pure "boxer". He was slick, elusive, and extremely effective.

Since I have the ESPN Classic episode of the Buddy McGirt vs. Pernell Whitaker fight saved on my TiVo, I think it is time to watch this right now....

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HerbM

[Scrap]

Its the coaches ability to direct the learning curve.By understanding you and the realisation of the direction you want to go. Picking everything in proportion at a given time. One of the essentials is the Sparring get that wrong theres a problem. Get anything wrong theres one

[HerbM]

Scrap,

Can you -- would you please -- explain more about "getting the sparring right"?

I am very interested in this from a technical -- i.e., how best to learn the art -- perspective.

[And by the way, I don't believe there is anything contradictory in your and my last posts.

The caution from the Inside the Ring was about a coach just picking a style based on his preference or on some casual assessment of the boxer's physical attributes.

You are indicating that a coach should be helping the boxer figure out over time, as the basics are made sound and experience is gained, how best to package those skills into a coherent style and strategy.

These two ideas are entirely consistent.]

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HerbM

[Chris Nagel]

The key here is not that your coach cannot help you pick a style, but rather avoiding the idea of imprinting a style to early or in cookie cutter fashion before the fighter (with the coaches help) has enough of the basics and enough experience for the style to develop naturally.

Among the excellent examples give are the excellent welterweights Buddy McGirt and Pernell Whitaker who although (both) short for their weight classes did not (automatically) become inside fighters.

On the other hand, Pernell was also trained by George Benton, whom was also a great defensive fighter in his day.

[HerbM]

I am also thinking that a well-developed fighter should have multiple styles.

Since "styles make fights" and supposedly there is a ring/circular relationship from one style being able to beat a fighter of another particular style (other attributes being equal), from one style to another and back to the first, this means that it is highly advantageous to be able to use more than one style.

Whether this ring like superiority of styles is true or not, it is certainly clear that multiple styles are a significant asset when your normal fighting strategy is not working against the man in front of you.

Boxing between skilled fighters is sometimes referenced to a "chess match" and all good chess players have different styles and opening for playing white, or black, or playing against a particular type of opponent.

Those just starting to reach a high skill level may have only one opening (and style) as white, and only one when playing the black pieces, but eventually the well rounded play finds additional strategic options.

This also relates closely and directly to:

Train your weaknesses, and fight your strengths.

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HerbM

[Scrap]

Just got back from Dave Parris,s 65th, You will have somebody else to call now . Everything you say Herb is true. Now for the real world , unless its a really big Fight the winner has already been picked. Its the matchmaker job to get the styles right, if not then you get a Fight. Its then you find out how good a coach has prepared the Fighter in different perceptions of combat Techniques and condition. In the old Days when there was millions Boxing, there was a skill base to work from ie, lots of styles in the gym. Now people work with the odd 1 or 2 in gyms who probably wont spar for months, so the coach works with what He has, then when the charge Sparrs the 1st time He is never seen again. One very pissed of coach. Who in the future wants something for His time. Hope this makes sense Im Pissed

[Scrap]

Last night was a Bummer heres why, and it applys to this threadprobably why I posted. Was talking last night to one of my Boxing Heroes one Roy Francis Great Ref 10 years ago, I was there for His last assignment Paul Ingles last Fight. Roy gave me the Tickets. Now above anything else in the 60s Roy was probably one of our better coaches if not the best. In conversation He mentioned to me that He missed the Game mostly the training, I said well why not join a club, they would snatch you up. He told me He had tried, but because of his pro license as a ref He had been refused. I couldnt believe it they must be Fucking mad, now we have a Pro training the National Squad no problem. But to refuse Roys Help they must be crazy, cant get my head round it.

[Jacumba Hooker]

FOOLS!!! He can come and coach with me Scrap. It's a bit of a bus ride though!

Speaking of styles..... apparently lots of pro fighters used to go and watch Charley Burley fight and some tried to immitate him in the gym. It is said that Burley used to tell them that if they tried to copy his style they would get killed (not literally of course) because only he could fight that way.

To some extent style is a function of personality.