I'm beginning to realize that there are alot of guys on this forum with a depth of experience in and/or around the ring, and also alot of young fighters who come on to learn something. It could be that this has already been done, or that I am overestimating the need for something like this, but if not, I figured a thread where young guys could pick their brains might be helpful. It will either catch fire or die a fast death. To kick it off, I pulled a couple of posts from two ring experienced posters from another thread that I started on Smartest Fighters. Myself, I won't have much to add, since I have no ring experience and am well past the age of embarking on a career in the ring. I would just encourage the young guys to see it for what it could be: a chance to learn something from the hard-knock experience of others, also to not be shy about asking advice; the only dumb questions are the ones we don't ask, and of course, to be grateful and respectful even if it's not what you want to hear. And I'll ask the teachers on this thread to be forthcoming, to realize that what they've learned firsthand could only range from valuable to priceless. These two posts were in response to my question that asked, "What is the most important thing an amateur or a novice-pro must learn if he is to be able to turn that first big bend and start to make some real noise in the game..."
A good way to start would be for a young fighter to post something about his style, his ring experience so far, include clips if you have them, and talk about what you think you do well but more importantly, what's nagging at you, what you see as your weaknesses and ask what could be done about them. I could be crazy, but this seems a natural for a forum like this, an opportunity for young guys to grow leaps and bounds. Give it a shot. At least you know that leading with your face in this environment will only bloody your ego.
