Time to find a new gym?

Some clubs are like that take responsability for your own learning and circuits

 

Depends on how advanced you are. My old gym was perfect for beginners--always a good half-hour of drills and whatnot, then a set schedule of training for all of us with the trainers helping us out. Very structured. That's what you want starting out, then once you've been at it for a while you can do the drills and incorporate them into a semi-supervised session.

Where I'm at now is a lot like your gym. The guys who want to spar come in early, and then after sparring we do what we want, wit hthe coach occasionally giving us something to do. then he leaves to go teach the beginners class (really absolute basics, then a circuit around the bags/mirrors/ring/etc.). So you're basically on your own.

I've noticed that since we spend so little time teaching newcomers (they're allowed to spar as soon as they want to after 1 or 2 classes) the only people who stick around are the real tough types. Because you're gonna take beating after beating until you get good. I'm still in the take-a-beating-every-time-you-go-to-the-gym stage...Sucks. I'm lucky I came in after having experience in another gym, or I'd never have stuck with it. Waaay too much physical punishment for my liking.

 

maybe talking out of turn here mate but sounds like you should be looking for a new gym! dont learn much from beating after beating!

my gym is very very structure they are hour long classes to start with and as you get better i got invited to go to an extra day which was on a saturday for a couple hours. But you could also go in whenever the gym was open too

 

True, unfortunately the only other gym within an hour's drive has their workouts while I'm still at work. Also, they come to my gym to spar on weekends, so that'd be kinda awkward if I had switched lol.

I'm gonna try to take a trip to my old gym once or twice a week once I get back into training though. And I guess I could use some toughening up in the meantime :!:

 

Man you have to be realistic here. The Boxing Coach is there to make a living not just support your "hobby". After you have learned the basics, what do you want him to work on with you? Once you are good enough to spar you are on a "personal journey" into Boxing.

What works for you, what doesn't, and conditioning. Beyond that? You need to start paying for personals. You may need someone to help you with mitt work (combos, stepping and punching, defensive/offensive footwork, etc...). Mitt work is a skilled job. Nobody is going to sit there with you 2-4 days a week holding mitts for you, for an hour, and getting sweaty as hell for free. Unless it is your buddy.

Unless you plan to "do something with your boxing"? All you can really ask from a Boxing gym is:

01 -- Beginner's classes
02 -- Floor space (rope, calisthenics, shadow) and bags (heavy, double end, uppercut, speed)
03 -- A ring
04 -- Sparring with a game group of guys willing to give you work when they see you on things you guys want to improve

You want personal coaching for free? C'mon man, you expect to get paid for your profession right?

 

:good Spot on.

 

Mate if you need to be tough to do well maybe you should think about another sport. Beatings are not good at any stage, if you can't protect yourself you should be doing partner drills until you are ready to spar and not take unnecessary damage.

 

I'm plenty ready to spar, it's just that the only dudes to spar with me at that gym are open class (and one is 220, the other is my size). I used to hold my own with guys who were mid-level novices (even some open class dudes), and most subnovice guys I've sparred have had the same problems with me that I have with these open class guys (aka I accidentally hurt them). I like to think it's just a question of levels...it's just that getting the **** beat out of you SUCKS.

It remains to be seen though. I've only been back to this gym once in the last year. I was sick at the time and coming off three months inactivity, but there was 9 months of SOLID work I put in before that at my other gym. It may have just been ring rust/out-of-shape-ness, but I expected to do a lot better than I did. I was doing alright too, but at the end of every round the dude just smacked me silly. I almost collapsed after I leaned over to get a drink out of the water fountain afterwards lol.

That was almost 3 months ago. So now I have about 6 months inactivity working against me, plus the fact that I was sick as **** all december/january. So I anticipate more beatings when I go back, whereas at my old gym I could work my way back into it with sparring drills/light sparring etc, at this gym I'll be in the ring taking a whoopin immediately. The coach prizes toughness above everything. He trains his guys like pros--a lot of jogging, a lot of rounds in the gym, a lot of sparring (up to 10x3min rounds at a time). They all have pro-type styles too--very slow-paced and hard-hitting.

But it is what it is. It's the only sparring I can get without taking a roadtrip. And I definitely learn from it and get better...it just sucks lol.

 

You're right. What the other guys were saying is more related to a traditional boxing gym where people can come and go as they please and the trainer works one-on-one with a few people regularly.

Your gym basically sounds like that, except you have to pay. There are definitely gyms out there that have the collective drills and such (My old gym was like that, same price as yours, full gym membership + actual boxing classes for different levels. The guys who want to fight came in on other days with the coaches and did extra sparring, mittwork, etc to gear up for fights. Got pretty good at holding mitts too lol.) There's a website with lists of gyms by area, maybe take a look at what's within your driving range and make some calls/visits.

But yeah, I'll take your side on this one and say you're not getting what you pay for. Boxing is largely personal, but if you're paying to go to the gym you might as well try to find one that has instruction included in the cost. Some trainers charge for personal instruction, but others get paid enough by the gym so they can train everybody (which is how it should be).

 

Fair enough. To be honest I think those sort of gyms kill talent. From the coaches perspective he sees it as the cream rising to the top. I see it as laziness from the coach if he demands his fighters to be tough from the word go. Everything needs to be developed and I can't stand 'old school' trainers. It's your life man but you sound like an intelligent guy so if I were you I'd question if I want to take unnecessary damage because your coach has old fashioned views on what being tough is. Training should be sport specific, if you're amateur you should be training like one instead of long slow training sessions. Sparring should be for working on your moves, not proving how hard you can punch or if you can last ten rounds. The best amateurs don't try to be tough guys, they are skilled athletes.

 

Definitely agree. To me it's only temporary though. I'll only be in the area for another year or two, and I still plan to go to my old gym on weekends whenever possible.

And yes, I agree it kills talent. We're letting beginners spar after 1 or two classes where they 'learn' footwork, all the punches, and how to hit the bag. All in an hour or two. And they're not sparring each other. They're sparring these guys that I spar. Of course they take it easy, but when you weigh 70lb more than someone and they walk into one of your lazy jabs, it can hurt them lol. Kids just come and go from that gym. These dudes have been there since they were teenagers.

Kinda gives kids an unrealistic view of what amateur boxing's all about imo.

 

my gym is great for beginners. the owner will give pointers as you work the heavy bag if he sees you using improper technique and if you want mitt work or anything like that you just got to let him know and he gladly does 3-4 rounds if you want. real nitpicky about basics and such. if you don't know how to use a piece of equipment, he'll teach you. we also have a former low-level pro who critiques and gives pointers. real helpful environment for people trying to get into it. few novices like myself who go and spar so i've had time to get in a few rounds and i may have lucked out since there's a southpaw who is just starting out like myself.

if you're trying to learn and get better, being at a place where you aren't really being taught anything isn't benefiting you. i'd change it up. i've seen a decent amount of boxing gyms listed for orlando.

 

I dislike the bulk of the work being doing what other people are doing.. either the beginners are SLAUGHTERED to the point of not being able to do anything useful by the middle of their workouts, or the advanced trainees are not getting enough work to be pushed.