Every gym has its rules. I was thinking about that and wondering what kinds of rules people have come across in their travels across boxing. I think there’s a few that are universal (or should be): No sparring without supervision — two guys want to spar and the coach/gym manager is not there, they need to wait. Too much bad can happen and someone needs to be on hand in case. No hitting the bags without gloves — the bag or hands could be damaged. No kicking the bags — maybe there are karate/MMA gyms where this is allowed or maybe they have special kinds of bags for that, but in boxing gyms I’ve ever visited, this was always a no-no; could damage the bag, and those things aren’t cheaply replaced. Beyond those, I can’t think of any that are basically understood to be the rules wherever you go. Someone may think of others. The ground rules and culture of every gym, apart from such basics, vary from my experience. Here’s one I encountered elsewhere and a few of ours when I was running the place: When visiting England, I wanted to find a boxing gym to get a workout or two and to also see how they do things. I did my research and was able to locate the Collyhurst and Moston Lads Club above a co-op grocery in Manchester, run by Brian Hughes, with whom I became friends (he even sent a heavyweight over to work at our place for a spell). Their one big rule: no cursing in the gym. It was posted on the walls. I made the mistake of saying ‘bloody,’ which I had learned from TV was a British term — Brian stopped me before the next syllable came out of my mouth and pointed at the sign on the wall and said, ‘You’re welcome here, but if you say that again I will ask you to leave and not return.’ I told him I didn’t know that was considered a curse word and apologize, mindful never to utter it there again (or any other off-color term). We weren’t so strict on language at our gym, but I had a few that we did zealously enforce: 1) No jewelry. Male or female, from earrings to necklaces to watches and rings (including wedding rings), if anyone walked through the doors with jewelry they were quickly ushered out and told to take it off and put it in their car or somewhere before returning. Why? It can only lead to trouble — someone wears a necklace sparring and two guys get tangled up and it breaks, the boxer gets upset or wants to halt the session until he secures it and fumble around trying to see if he can fix it. Someone loses their wedding ring when they take it off to spar or hit bags, he’s also going to be upset and maybe he accuses someone of stealing it. Or maybe someone actually does steal it. No good can come of it, and no harm in not bringing it along … you’re there to work, not accessorize. 2) No cheering or clapping or rooting for (or against) anyone during sparring. We allowed gym members to watch sparring (provided they didn’t need to be doing something else workout-wise), but they were to keep their comments to themselves. No ooh-ing and aah-ing, no ‘man you just cleaned his clock,’ no instruction except from the coaches (we may be working with a fighter on a particular thing and don’t need a third party trying to interject their ideas). That was true when our guys sparred with each other or when we invited guests from other gyms to spar — even rival gyms. I would tell them, ‘You want to be a cheerleader, go find some pom-poms; you want to be a boxer in this gym, keep it to yourself.’ Someone in a sparring situation is practicing and he (or she) doesn’t need the peanut gallery’s input, or to worry about impressing anyone. When we wanted more live-situation sparring like a fight, we’d set up a sparring session with some other gyms (at our place or one of theirs) where we’d bring guys and pair them off and allow some spectators to come to get them used to the atmosphere when people are cheering or reacting. But not in regular sparring situations when we were working out. 3) If you wanted to do your own workout to exercise, you could go about it however you saw fit. But if you asked for instruction, you had to do as told — if I or another coach says do four rounds on the heavy bag working just on the jab, you do it or you don’t work out; if we say in the middle of a sparring round ‘you just broke your right hand, you can’t use it, now work only with your left for the rest of the round,’ you do it … or you could go back to doing it your own way, but don’t ask for instruction again. If you want to be taught, you have to follow instructions. You don’t get to decide that sit-ups aren’t for you, or that you don’t need to shadowbox, etc., and only take instruction which pleases you. To borrow a non-cursing British saying: In for a penny, in for a pound. Those are the ones that come to mind. What are some that you’ve encountered?
