got my first cut today...and it feels good

so today I was working with my trainer and he came up with a creative drill....he taped a glove to a bamboo stick and had me bobbing and weaving. Honestly, I dodged 99% of the shots, but the one time I got hit, the bamboo behind the limited padding (12 oz. I think) pushed into the area right above my eye and I instantly knew it was cut. Initially it pissed me off and all I could think was making sure I was quick enough to not get hit at all, and how it was a good simulation of a real fight because you will be forced to fight through things like that (until they stop the fight).....in retrospect, I'm glad it happened....it's the type of experience any boxer needs....the pain builds the toughness. Of course I won't be sparring until it heals, but overall a good learning experience.

 

glove taped on to it

considering I'm not fighting soon, I don't see the problem.

yeah, I know, but scientifically speaking, that was virtually impossible. The bamboo stick may have been behind the padding, but given the surface area of the glove, highly improbable. point still taken though.

it's more specific than sparring. It stimulated my defense more.

 

thank you. it's a great drill. These days, boxers are moving away from hardbody training methods, calling them risky and stupid. ****ing 8 year-old kids in thailand are forced to kick trees to kill nerve cells so that the kicking doesn't hurt anymore. and you're right, you can lose an eye, break a bone in any situation, so it's not some big deal...if it happens, it happens. it's good to see someone who doesn't decry stuff like this.

another example is at my old gym, before I started going...my friend experienced it. it was an mma class. the same guy had them squat, and he would hit their thighs with a bamboo stick, which is a perfect simulation of an mma fight because leg kicks are the most common and have a devastating effect in large amounts. so, one kid gets internal bleeding. To me, this is a hardcore, fundamental drill that builds fortitude. My guess is that 90% of the people on this forum would call it insane....the same people who call themselves fighters, which entails being able to take punishment.

 

it's the same ****. since the bamboo stick is longer, it's different.

nor do I. I was commenting on how people will call certain drills crazy when taking pain is just part of the sport....not everything can be perfectly controlled.

we also do this. he throws punches with the pads, sometimes consecutively, or just randomely when I'm not expecting it. Every time we do pads, he's throwing punches to make sure I am aware and creating angles. But the bamboo stick is more motivating. it makes you sharper. wtf do I care if I get tagged with a pad? but if I'm dodging something like that, it will improve my defense much more.