What kind of training were you doing? I just started almost a month ago and I go to these classes the boxing gym has. We do: warm-up, shadow boxing (technique), practice combos with partner and some mitts, then conditioning. We only work on the punches though. Haven't learned footwork or anything. Did you guys start out like this too? The classes I go to are taught by one guy but the head coach doesn't do the classes (Mike Moffa, I think he won gold in the olympics), I don't know how I can start training with him though, maybe you have to be amateur level at least.
Boys and Girls club when I was about 7 years old, for the first two weeks I stood in front of a ****nig mirror with my hands up and chin down.... That **** was boring as all hell, but from there basicly I started to learn how to use my feet first how to move with my hands up and also move my head... The first three months was mostly just moving my feet and slipping and rolling under shots, after that a jab was added, then a jab right hand, then the follow up hook, **** it was a long process....
Thats the way to do it though! I started out the same way as mlg321. A year and a half and 12 fights later, my footwork is still ****.
I beleive my footwork is better than my hand work to be honest with you, My trainer was old school, he took a used tire had you put your lead foot in it and basicly it taught you have to piviot either dirrection, also small steps in a circle left or right. Then you would do rounds with both feet on the tire, in your stance, and you were supposed to shadow box like that, the idea was so that you learned how to keep balanced, and keep your knees bent... alot of old school **** from our old gym back in the day and they just dont teach that way now and days.....
First 9 months of training, my coach taught me nothing but to jab. That's it! How to stand throwing it. How to snap it. The footwork involved. Getting back to guard. Jab, jab, jab. Anything else I did I had to do when he wasn't looking or on my own. Even in sparring when I'd put combos together, he'd stop me and get all pissed off, "What the hell you doing? Did I say you can do that? jab gotdammit!" So at 13 yrs old I had my first martch, and what did I know, nothing, but to jab. Fighting a guy 2 years older, with lbs on me. Scared shitless. Well, I almost jabbed that poor fuker to death! hahah. Was allll I knew! But damn did I throw it right, and throw it a lot. He smiled at me after an said, "Okay, now you ready to learn how to box." Funny thing is, since learning all this other stuff last few years, my jab has seemed to have completely gone by the wayside. Almost nearly forgot everything he taught me about it, and it was all gold. I guess the point I'm trying to make is, learning the basic jab is important. Not just for it's effectiveness, but also getting used of using that hand for all the other things it will eventually do. As well, I think it is important in boxing to always go back and relearn those basics, as we can so easily forget them. If anythng, my jab now is prob. my weakest element. I could propbabely use a back to the drawing board, "What the hell you doin, jab gotdammit!"