I am interested to learn, what are the key attributes/skills that a good trainer should possess? i.e. if you were to write a job description of a boxing trainer - what would you put on it? What are the key challenges or most difficult challenges that they encounter in the job i.e. judging a prospects potential, grasping a fighters mental strength or weakness etc. Thanks:good
There are a few different attributes that make up a legendary trainer. First and foremost, it's what they have done with their stable of fighters. If a trainer has a number of great skilled fighters who show up on their doorstep ready to fight already groomed by someone else, this I don't count. A truly great trainer needs to mold a fighter, educate them, carry them to greatness while showing consistency, professionalism and dedication all throughout their (trainer's) career. A great trainer is patient, and careful. They don't let their fighter get hurt when hopeless is the only feeling left in their heart. They don't allow their fighter to slack off, otherwise ending their relationship. A great trainer must have a mental and emotional connection with the fighter, feeling what his fighter feels, and being able to see what the fighter is seeing. Trainers don't give up on their boxers, and never let them feel unappreciated and incomplete. Hard work, proper passing of knowledge, dedication, consistency, respect, understanding, attention to detail and authenticity are crucial to a working boxer/trainer relationship. A trainer who can throw in the towel when fighter is in trouble is a great trainer. A trainer who can lift the fighter's spirits in the corner during a fight, is a great trainer. A trainer who can give their fighter energy and drive, is a great trainer. A trainer who is in it for the quick buck is not a good trainer. A trainer who sees their fighter as property or a pet, is not a good trainer. A trainer who doesn't make their fighter a priority, is not at all a good trainer. Even if the fighter becomes a champion of the world.
That is a very insightful post, and makes so much sense, thanks for taking the time to explain, much appreciated:good
To add to the great summary posted above, I think being able to communicate is very important. Being able to show a fighter what he's doing right or wrong, why it does or doesn't make sense, and how to correct or maximize it in the context of a fight against a live opponent. A great trainer should have the patience to turn the slowest-learning athlete into a competent technical competitor provided he has the dedication to put in the time and effort. Fighters can't cut corners when it comes to not only intensity but learning and application, and neither should a good trainer.
my old trainer was very old school. train yourself to death everyday and so on. He would also yell insults at you thinking it could help/motivate you. For an example. i had trained 2 months and was sparring a dude with 16 months experince. I was doing fairly good, considering my experince, and he would yell i was nothing, (was true at the time) that i would never be anything and that i wasn't serious enough because i wasn't as good as the other guy. that certainly didn't motivate me or make me better in any way. It only made me a little self concious every time he observed me. Now if he in the breaks between rounds or after training had told me what to do differently, it would have helped me alot. So i would say know your fighter, what motivates/doesn't motivate him. And give advice in a sound way, breaking it down so your fighter understands what he did wrong. just my two cents but probably a lot of better advice from other more experinced fighters though.
To add to what's been posted (good post atberry), a good trainer needs to see things that fans and fighters can't see, subtle things. A good trainer needs to recognise something as small as an elbow lifting a little too early and correct it. On world level a world class trainer needs to see weaknesses in their opponent that can be drawn out and exploited by their fighter.
