Getting into boxing at a later age.

:roll:

Nobody who runs any such classes (and in some cases they do have backgrounds in the sport, be they former competitors or coaches) is going to claim of any of what they show "this is something you should use in sparring". They're entry-level conditioning boot camps, which is absolutely fine at entry-level. To act like there will be some detrimental programming that can't be corrected once someone links up with a real boxing coach to learn the intricacies of technique is again, staggeringly arrogant on your part, and false.

Yes, "real boxing people" look down their noses at those kind of 'get the soccer mom and her entire minivan full of tots in the door to generate some cash flow' type classes - but we at the same time recognize that for a novice they can't hurt to get one's foot in the door and preview what's ahead should they decide to pursue the sport more vigorously. (at which point, yes, absolutely, they need an experienced coach in a 1-on-1 setting)

There's no shame in starting with training wheels. Scoffing at someone who's never ridden a bike doing anything short of hopping on a Butterfly Trek Madone and banging out 50km at once is stupid. Or, should they worry about learning bad habits before they even begin cycling?

 

Scoffing and arrogance? What the **** are you going on about?

I'm saying it's a waste of time going to classes where you're going to ingrain bad habits that you're going to have to do hundreds of repetitions to relearn.

It looks ok conditioning wise, and I have no problem with the class itself, but if the guys's goal is to actually box he's better off waiting for actual boxing training technique wise.

 

dude, don't go and watch a class, just rock up with a some gloves and hand wraps and get into it. Or, book a private session and just get in there and stop over-thinking.

Also, lol at 10 miles on a bike. My grandpa can ride 10 miles. If you want to do some basic preparation, you'd be better off running, skipping and also start doing sit-ups.

 

10's fine, just go faster. :good

Otherwise you'll be spending all your time cycling.

 

I disagree on both counts: it being a waste of time (at least until he can decide whether he wants to free up enough of his available time for the rather large commitment of actual boxing training on a full-time basis) and the risk of bad habits being ingrained. Never in my experience observing, participating in or teaching such classes (in a variety of types of gym, ranging from dingy ones run by ex-pugs and coaches who loathe such classes themselves but tolerate having them in order to keep the lights on, to more white-collar oriented gyms where hardly anybody is there with the goal of competing but rather more of a yuppie health club) has anyone ever said "this is the correct way to punch in combination" - nor has anybody throwing flurries at the bag as part of a conditioning routine later had their punching technique suffer for it when they graduate to 1-on-1 coaching sessions or eventually sparring. They're blank slates like anybody else would be; the simulated boxing movements in between the cardio elements of those classes aren't ruining anyone's chances of learning proper technique once they hook up with a real coach.

They are in fact a very good introductory way for a complete beginner who is currently not athletically inclined to gauge where their conditioning is and how far off they are from being able to hack, if not a true boxing workout, at least a rough idea of the intervals involving and alternating aerobic and anaerobic elements over a sustained period of time.

 

One thing nobody's mentioned: swimming.

You can actually skip the cycling altogether if you swim.

Many feel it trumps roadwork.

 

I didn't say it ruins the chances of somebody becoming a boxer. I'm saying that it's a waste of time to learn and ingrain bad habits that have to be relearned.

It takes thousands of repetitions to get a movement pattern down. It takes around 3 times that to relearn a movement. Can you not see how that is an incredible amount of time and effort wasted?

Learn it correctly from the beginning and there is no issue.

There are better ways of testing your fitness than pretending to box.

 

There is no such thing as being too old to start boxing. We have lads in our gym who are new beginners in their 40's, its about getting fit and doing something they enjoy.

If you want to compete or even just spar that's great, but even if you don't boxing is excellent for fitness and keeping in shape (hence the rise of boxfit classes in the UK)

Get down to the gym and take it at your own pace, see where it takes you. I took up boxing at 21, I've not had a fight yet, I don't even know if I'll ever be good enough to compete as an amateur, but even if I'm not I enjoy the gym work and sparring.

 

I'll agree with this solely based on experience. Been training with good coaches for a long time, then I went to a gym during my Spring Break in another city where the coach says "Your gonna forget everything you learned before here and your gonna fight my way and only my way. " He'd yell if he even saw my stance differently than the classic 'Forced Heavy Front Foot L-Stance', then complained how I could barely slip any punches cause I felt immobilized and I was already familiar that the stance doesn't give the fighter a great amount of mobility.

When I got back home, my footwork had felt out of touch for the past two weeks and only with a lot of practice have I started to find it again.. but now it feels like I've taken one step forward and three steps back, I had to drill it all once more just cause of a week of trying to learn boxing from a guy who is clearly not training fighters.