So technically not Amateur boxing, but .. i signed up for a White Collar boxing event on 11th December. Its for people with little/no boxing experience and training started yesterday. i will be getting paired up with somebody i will be training with, havent been matched up yet. Has anybody ever done any of these events ? Does anybody have any tips/advice for me ? I did attend a boxing gym for a couple of months and picked up the basics, but have never sparred or anything before.
I suggest you go back to the gym and spar. I know a few white collar guys and they got some skills. Some of them were former amateur boxers and couldn't carry on as there is an age limit of 34/35 here in the UK. But some have no fighting experience but have trained and sparred for more than a couple of months. Of course you may be matched against someone you could easily beat but I say I you want to win.....and not just take part. Spar to prepare yourself even though it may be just a charity event. Friends and family will be watching you...right? so you'll want to impress!
This is the perfect advice. Get as much sparring in as you possibly can. Train with the white collar group, but do what you can to get to another gym for more 1 on 1 training and better calibre sparring. You'll have no idea who your opponent is until just before the fight. And you may never know just how long some of the guys have been in gyms before. So do what you can and take full ownership for being in the best possible shape and the best trained you can be.
Our gym regularly takes part in white collar boxing. It is for exactly what you say beginners with little to no experience! HOWEVER we train incredibly hard for it and spar regularly and train like any fight! I was training for my first fight (which never happened ) but i was sparring regularly 2-3 times a week. Also you have to be careful in that no one has snuck in with more experience. Its got alot better aparantly here in the Uk but still have to be careful Thankfully i knew i had a coach looking out for me. He told me he got me a fight! I said great can't wait then immeadiatly said but i turned it down! he'd done his research and the guy had 5 fights and had been boxing for years and years! And was a bit bigger than me! For that reason id have no reservations about doing it in the future as i know he's looking out for his fighters !
If you've never been in the ring before, the most important thing to learn is how to take a punch and keep calm. Couple things to remember: 1. Don't turn away. Most guys natural reaction, as a beginner, is to turn their face away when the punches come in. Obviously, this opens you up to get pummeled and not throw any meaningful in return because you can't see your target. The only way to get over that natural reaction is to get hit more and become confident in your defense. It doesn't happen over night, but when you've gotten over it you will be more relaxed and that is the biggest advantage you can have. 2. Keep your gloves tight against your head. If you don't, when you get hit your head will rattle around inside your hands like a bell clapper and make the punch seem worse. 3. Practice movement and footwork. Keeping your balance is the #1 lesson to learn in boxing. You can't throw a solid punch if you are off balance. You can't take a punch if you are off balance. You can't throw a combination if you are off balance. You can't move if you are off balance. 4. Don't come straight in and out. Move side to side, circle, mix it up. If you always come straight in you are predictable and you are walking straight into counter punches. Come in from an angle and you might land a punch he doesn't see coming, or you might catch him off balance and get a knockdown or even a stoppage. The punches you don't see coming hurt the worst. Good luck!
Cheers for all the advice guys, some very helpful tips. So we trained as a group yesterday, and like everybody else i was eyeing everybody up to see who they might match me with. First thing i noticed was that the majority of guys had a much more muscular physique than me. A lot of guys that go to the gym and probably do weights reguarly, whereas i have always played football (soccer) so i have a much less musular frame. I know larger muscles doesnt always mean stronger punches are generated, but i think strengthwise, i'll be at a slight disadvantage and will probably have to be a bit cleverer in the ring than most. A few of guys turned up with there own gloves and hand wraps which also made me think a few guys at least have a bit of experience, so hopefully i wont be getting matched with them. We'll be using 18oz gloves, and wearing headgear, which doesnt mean much to me, but im guessing if somebody hits you with them on, you'll still feel it. I think like a few guys mentioned getting some sparring under my belt will be really beneficial. I have a friend who has recently moved to a nearby city and is coaching at a gym, so im probably going to go there to do a bit of sparring, hopefully with somebody who can bang, so i can at least get used to being hit. Through my very basic knowledge of boxing, my plan is going to be to keep moving but because i am not particuarly tall 5'8, and dont have long arms, i wont be able to fight at range which is a bit of a worry. A lot of people talk about smaller boxers 'fighting on the inside' .. is this where you get in close to an opponent, thus not giving them the space to gain momentum on their punches ? ... Is this something i should try, or is this way too risky for novice ?? My mindset has changed so much, at first i was like, wow, id love to fight and really impress, then it was, wow, id love to fight and be happy with a narrow win, and now after seeing the other guys .. im like wow .. i hope i survive the three rounds !!
i wouldnt think about it in winning or loosing terms just experience. also its good to think about what you will do but it will probably go out the window. Nothing will prepare you for how tired it will make you feel except more and more sparring. Im very fit and train all the time and nothing prepared me for my first round sparring. So thinking about "moving" around the ring is probably a bit advanced All you can do it commit to it, train hard, get as much sparring in as possible and do your best to remember what youve been taught come fight night good luck
