My trainer is obsessed with doing drills with one person having their foot in a tire. This person jabs while the person outside of the tire slips and counters. He says that the tire is important to keep that person from "running away" from the counter. I always though that the point of the tire was for both people to have their feet inside - to keep them close. I think it feels very awkward and unnatural to be jabbing at someone while your foot is stuck in a car tire, and then having the defend counters while your foot is stuck and you can't move or balance properly. I can't step with the jab. I can't use footwork. It's starting to give me bad back strain. I mentioned this to the trainer and he said "you must use it, it stops you from running around". Has anyone ever heard of this method. Seems bogus to me and I think I'm going to change gyms.
Yeah your trainer is a moron. You're supposed to do it with both people in the tire. They need to have a test that trainers are supposed to take in order to own a gym or be affiliated with the progression of a fighters skills in any way. It is ridiculous seeing morons who think they know boxing just because they've been doing it wrong for 30 years. There are far more bad trainers than good. If you get the slightest inclination that your trainer is doing something wrong ditch 'em quick. It doesn't take a genius to know how to prepare to fight another human being.
He's making you do this, probably because you run away too much rather than rely on your defense. That's probably the most common issue with new boxers, lack of confidence with their defense so they constantly back out rather than learn to block, slip & counter. I can see the benefit of this, in terms of standing your ground and learning to use your defense. Calling him a "moron" assumes that you know exactly how this kid spars and you know better than his coach. Either you trust your coach, because he sees what you can't. Or ditch him. Either way, you gotta put your full trust in your coach before deciding if he knows what he's doing or not. It's possible he's not a good coach. But between a new boxer, and a boxing coach - more often than not, he knows better than you. Otherwise why have a coach? Just train yourself if you know better than anyone else. The younger generation has a problem with consistently sticking to a plan and making gradual progress. They expect instant results. Listen to your coach, put in the effort and accept that you're not going to see results overnight.
Putting your foot in a tire doesn't make you stop running. It makes you fight off balance and with..ya know...a foot in a tire. Most newbie boxers are going to "run" there first spar or few, it is called instinct. Through natural selection humans have developed the instinct to do everything to avoid anything seen as a threat. Being punched in the face = threat. If his coach wants him to stop running then it is up to him to say "Start coming forward" you have to actively think about it, it isn't just an instinct. One guy having a foot in a tire and being peppered with punches is definitely moronic. Just because someone owns a gym and trains fighters doesn't mean they are outside the eligibility to be called a moron.
He's never told me that I run too much in sparring. This is a drill that the whole class does together. From the newbies to the guys who fight. When he said "it stops you running around" he just meant in general, not specifically me.
