Experience before coaching?

Discussion in 'Boxing Training' started by GorillaDawg, Jun 14, 2011.


  1. GorillaDawg

    GorillaDawg Member Full Member

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    How much experience did you have in amatuer boxing before your started coaching?
    How old were you?
    Did you have experience in any other areas of fitness training?
    Thanks in advance
     
  2. Dish

    Dish Member Full Member

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    Dec 25, 2009
    a decade of training and competing in the amateurs.

    I never went pro, and I never coached a pro.
     
  3. brown bomber

    brown bomber 2010 Poster of the Year Full Member

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    A few years championship open class amateur

    Top ten pro career fought against world, British, commonwealth and European champions

    Qualified as a fitness instructor level 2 then a personal trainer level 3 (a level)

    Study and read about fitness every day

    17 wins and 4 losses as a coach so far

    Learn most of my stuff from one of the top coaches britain has ever produced and nick bits and bobs from anywhere and everywhere.

    Work alongside my trainer Kevin Maree, who out qualifies me by some distance and train alongside former commonwealth games champion kenny Anderson

    Also work as a personal trainer for my job and coach a professional rugby player and a pro golfer as well as normal people so my job allows me to experiment with different methods and find out what is most effective.

    I'm a good all rounder but I'll not consider myself a proper trainer until I have nurtured a professional champion and that will take a while as I'm only 29
     
  4. GorillaDawg

    GorillaDawg Member Full Member

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    May 2, 2011
    do you think its essential to have alot of experience as an amateur to coach them?
     
  5. KillSomething

    KillSomething Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Dec 1, 2009
    As an actual coach, yes. You need to be able to help your fighters from experience because you've been in the situations they're in. They're going to ask you how to cut weight, how to gain weight, what gear to use, whether to go to a doctor for injuries, how to structure their programs, what drills to use, what to do if an opponent does x, when/how often to run, etc.

    You need to be able to corner your guys and give the appropriate advice between and during rounds. You need to have a gameplan and adjust it. You need to see the tendencies and weaknesses of opponents.

    So yeah, if it's you by yourself coaching, you need a lot of experience.

    That said, it takes very little experience to be an assistant coach. If you've got a head coach who knows all the stuff, assistant coaches don't have to be terribly experienced. We had a guy as an assistant coach who only had 8 fights, but he was really good at teaching and helping beginners. He also had a solid fitness background (went to college for it). I learned a TON from him.

    So if you're coaching competitive fighters, experience is going to be a big thing. If you're helping beginners, all that's required is that you be past the beginner stage and have some sort of teaching/coaching ability. Preferably some personal training knowledge/experience as well.
     
  6. brown bomber

    brown bomber 2010 Poster of the Year Full Member

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    Yep but I do think someone insightful could possibly learn what is and isn't effective