An excerpt from Ray Arcel’s biography: “One day I brought Larry [Holmes] around to Ray’s apartment. One thing led to another, and in the space of one afternoon Ray taught him 23 ways to use a jab, including how to deliberately miss with it.” Are fans shocked by this? This content is protected
Ray Arcel was a decent boxing trainer. Knowledgeable. But he did not re-invent the wheel. A good trainer is a good trainer. Some were around for longer, and were better at providing good copy for reporters. I find it is no coincidence that the trainers that went down as being the greatest trainers were also the ones that were good at telling a story. No doubt it was written that Ray Arcel taught Larry how to jab, but think about it. Does anyone think Larry boxed his whole life, made it to Olympic trials jabbing like he was famous for jabbing during that time, and not knowing how to jab?
There is knowing how to throw a jab, and there is knowing how to use a jab. Sometimes they are the same, many times they are not. I'm sure that as an amateur Holmes knew the former quite well but didn't understand too much about the second. I'm equally sure that would he would acknowledge that his understanding of "the jab" changed and expanded greatly. Whether Ray Arcel taught him all that, I don't know. Maybe he figured it out on his own, he had enough fights. One of the first things you figure out is that trying to land every jab is a waste of mental and physical energy.
exactly, trainers get too much credit and too much criticism on message boards. The fighter does the fighting and unless I get proven wrong one day, I believe that fighters have a certain mindset that a trainer can't change. We have a 5-3 fighter who wants to fight outside, he knows where he needs to be, he has all the tools to be effective on the inside, but his personality/mindset makes him fight outside. We had a 6-3 light heavyweight who was extremely athletic, had good power, conditioning, everything and he wanted to fight inside. Couldn't get him to jab or throw a 1-2, but he'd go the body with wide punches. Couldn't change him either. Emmanuel Stewart gets so much credit for Lennox Lewis. He did a good job, but anybody who trained a 6-5, 240 pound, athletic, Olympic Gold Medalist would have probably looked all right. Lewis was good before Stewart and he would have been good with anybody who stressed the basics. If Arcel could teach the Larry Holmes jab in one afternoon, the other fighters he trained should be pissed that he didn't teach it to them.
The quote does not say that Arcel taught Holmes how to jab; it says he taught him different ways to use the jab. Given that Arcel had close to 60 years in boxing at the time of the conversation, it is very possible that he knew a few things most people do not know. Holmes found enough value in it that he subsequently brought Arcel in to work with him for several fights. I believe that conversation happened in 78, 79. I read it in a biography of Arcel, as soon as I find the book I'll share the title.
Great post. You are so right about some kids instinctively fighting the wrong way for their physique. People really don’t understand the ratio of people who take up boxing versus the ones that even make it into the ring, never mind ones that make it to competitive level. The greatest trainer of all time couldn’t make a fighter out the huge numbers that dont make it into the ring of other gyms. These celebrity trainers are actually good trainers in their own right, but often, because they talk such a good game and can schmooze newspaper men, they make good copy in the press and wind up with all the best fighters wanting to train with them. Even an average trainer can look amazing if all the best fighters want to be coached by him. Imagine a good one. There is no coincidence that best trainers, the famous ones, are really good at promoting themselves. Some of the best trainers hardly talk. I remember a guy who kids would quew up to do the pads with when at the same gym there was a better coach who never talked, just poked kids into position before they punched then angled the pads in such a way that they were forced to throw a only a correct blow with their feet hips and elbows in with full leverage every time. He would alternate the distance without allowing them to move. Straight away any novice would feel the improvement. But the guy had no charisma. He wouldn’t encourage the kids in the way they wanted to be encouraged. The other coach was flamboyant cheerleader and was giving himself more of a workout hitting the pads off their gloves. The kids loved the noise and the attention of this guy over the better guy.
Boxing is a strange one when it comes to coaches. When I first walked in the gym all those years ago I thought the coach was great. He was brilliant for my confidence and treated my ego like a champ. He basically taught me to box like him which suited me great and worked well. As time went on I realised he taught everyone like that. As the years rolled by though and I learned the game, boxing or any form of a martial art, can only be properly taught by very few. An important part of coaching is knowing your own strengths and thinking ahead, before your fighter thinks for himself.
