A Tax Exempt Corporation Registered in Nevada
AN AMATEUR SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT FARM PROGRAM
MODELED AFTER SUCCESSES IN OTHER SPORTS
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SELECTING TRAINERS SOME GENERAL OBSERVATIONS Understanding A head coach must have a good understanding of boxing to select the right assistant trainers, and he must also understand the specific skills and needs of each of his boxers. He must choose an assistant trainer who can tailor his training regimen and lead priorities specific to each boxer's physical dimensions, genetic gifts, physical and natural symmetry (or lack thereof), overall natural boxing skills, and belief system. The trainer must be able to explain, in detail, not just in cliches and generalities, what he's going to do to teach and why. Training should not be routine -- it should be tailored specific to the boxer. It will likely vary from week to week depending on the boxer's development, what he can and cannot execute well, and the style and lead patterns of the boxer he's fighting. Every Fighter is Different No two boxers are the same. The practice, therefore, should vary from boxer to boxer, depending on his strengths and weaknesses, and from fight to fight, depending on the next opponent. A good analogy is football. The composition of practice depends on the coach's team's strengths and weaknesses and those of the team they are playing next. Priorities of leads will always differ between boxers of different height. Training priorities will even differ for boxers of the same size because each fighter is different. One may lack symmetry, e.g., he may have great form in his left hook, but the form in his right hook is poor. Some fighters never throw a right hook. Each boxer has different physical dimensions and gifts and psychological makeup. Skill priorities and lead emphasis for a 6' 1" heavyweight are totally different than for a 6' 8" heavyweight. Some trainers have every fighter set everything up with a jab and would not consider leading with any other punch. A good trainer must make accurate evaluations of the boxer's specific skills and prioritize accordingly. A training regimen is developed based upon the results of careful evaluation. NAME RECOGNITION AND RECORD Most managers hire a trainer based upon his name recognition and track record, i.e., the fighters he's trained and the fighter's record. They don't have the skill to do anything else. John Wooden wouldn't. He would say that boxing coaches should not be considered great because they were blessed by being selected to work in the corner of a world champion. This kind of name recognition is often as misleading as a boxer's 20-0 record who's never fought anyone of note. Just being seen several times on television in the corner of a world champions is, in itself, instant credibility to most managers, TV color commentators, and naive boxing writers. Believe it or not, some cornermen are there because they are "great motivators," or speak Spanish. Some think that a "father-son relationship" is important. That's baloney. Affinity IS important, but only because it enhances communication. Good communication is important in teaching. The best person to tell you whether someone is a good teacher of boxing is probably a person who is himself good trainer. An ex-world champion is often hired because it's assumed that he understands boxing and he knows how to teach it. Joe Clough, a former Olympic coach and winner of three national coach of the year awards, once remarked that he was surprised that so many great boxers knew so little about boxing. He said it was sometimes difficult for him to teach in the gym when an ex-world champion was there because trying to convince them about tactics often broke up the flow of teaching. Joe would say, and we agree, that there is no necessary correlation between being a good boxer and being a good trainer. Many outstanding boxers make poor trainers (and poor managers) for a variety of reasons. Some managers, "advisors," and promoters get into boxing because they're fans and they see the money in the sport. Some were successful music promoters and they loved boxing. Many of them were sissies who got beat up on the playground, couldn't fight or wouldn't, and are living out their dreams vicariously through fighters they manage or promote. They are the ones with big cigars who talk tough and cuss a lot. They're sometimes referred to as brave managers. For them to select a good trainer is like an avid football fan trying to select a good football coach. A good coach can select another good coach, just like a good cardiologist can select another good cardiologist. The chances are that an avid fan won't be able to make a good judgment about a trainer's expertise without trial and error at the expense of the fighter. This farm club grassroots development program has to be managed by someone who can recognize excellent recruiters and trainers and can hire the best assistants for each aspect of the program. SKILLS IN CONTEXT If a trainer has a track record, a manager must evaluate that track record in the context of what they understand about boxing, teaching methods, specificity, the boxers with whom they've had success, the styles they have taught, and whether they started them out or started training them after they'd won a gold medal in the Nationals or Olympics. Most coaches teach the style they were taught when they boxed, and that may not necessarily be appropriate for another fighter. Good mittwork comprised of moves practiced with a tall, lean, very fast, outside lightweight fighter with great reaction time and defensive skills, who ties opponents up inside, will not be appropriate for a short strong heavyweight. A 5' 9" trainer may be an outstanding mittman to catch the combinations of a short strong heavyweight, but he wouldn't have the height to force that same heavyweight to slip or go under the jabs of a 6' 5" heavyweight to get inside. In a sense, selecting a mittman is like selecting a sparring partner. A tall mittman would be more appropriate, expecially if he works the mitts both defensively and offensively, throwing and countering. Training David Tua and Lennox Lewis requires totally different mittwork. They must learn an entirely different set of skills and lead patterns (methods of attacking). Their priority of leads are different. A variety of deceptive leads for a short fighter to get inside without getting hit is crucial. Once they're inside, the mittman must move differently to develop the short fighter's skills to stay inside. The value of a trainer's track record depends on the context. Cus D'Amato, notwithstanding his success with the "peekaboo" style with Patterson, Torres, and Tyson, may not have done well with Ali or Lennox Lewis. Dick Saddler, bless his soul, gained prominence as a trainer by taking George Foreman from an Olympic championship in Mexico City to a world title. Dick Saddler would have been considered a great choice by many managers because of his name and track record. His accomplishment with George Foreman would have been considered sufficient. Great coaches are great not because they made an Olympic Gold Medalist into a World Champion, but because they understand the components of their sport and are great teachers. Many of them, as John Wooden says in his book, are unrecognized. They were often not very good at "doing" their sport. Jerry Tarkanian was not an exceptional basketball player but was an exceptional coach. Recruiting and coaching gifts are an entirely different set of skills. This is also true in other professions. MORE ABOUT TAILORED TRAINING It is a given that the trainer is a good communicator and can develop affinity and rapport. The trainer must also have the understanding of how to structure the training regimen specifically to the fighter. He has to be able to explain how he analyzes and measures the fighters skills to accurately prescribe a training regimen. Ther may be a need for balance or symmetry in technique. How does he intend to correct it? Most managers and promoters won't ask these questions. If he's the wrong height, he must select a mittman with the appropriate height, physical skills (strong shoulders and elbows), who is willing to work the hand pads with a boxer according to his instructions, working on specific things repetitiously. A mittman must be coachable himself. A good line coach in football must be coachable and able to focus his training to develop skills consistent with the strategy formulated by the head coach. Very few good trainers are young and have the right height, reach, and shoulder-strength for today's heavyweights. He must be conditioned to move and execute offense and defense with the hand pads in a structured way, teaching and drilling repetitiously on one move long enough every day to efficiently achieve stable gains in the components before putting the components together. Too often, trainers will tell the boxer he doesn't have to hit his hardest, that, "We're only working on technique." Once the fighter's technique is where you want it, and it's stable, you can't make a straight line straighter. At this point, the emphasis should shift to acceleration and power, combinations, and reducing time between punches in a combination. If this takes a toll on a middle-aged trainer of average height, he must not let his physical limitations limit the intensity or duration of the mittwork. To develop speed and power, the boxer must practice using speed and power. ANALYTICAL AND TEACHING SKILLS In evaluating a trainer's knowledge, ask him questions about the components of boxing. For discussion purposes, you can group them in two categories -- physical and technique. The head coach is responsible for developing the boxer physically and his technique. To evaluate your prospective trainer's skills, ask him to analyze physical and boxing components individually and prioritize them for development in the context of the boxer's physical dimensions, symmetry (since he must execute combinations leading from both sides), and psychological makeup (heart, belief system, learning attitude). Pose a specific hypothetical opponent to determine how well he can analyze their physical and technique components and style in the context of the fighter you want him to train. The trainer you select must be sensitive to the psychological demands of boxing and the importance and effect of what he says -- literally the words he uses -- in the gym every day. Boxing is a very confrontational sport. Pschologically, some boxers have very aggressive personalities and others are very quick to react defensively. The latter are usually difficult to hit with the first punch of a combination. They think defense first. They are psychologically more suited to develop into counterpunchers. It takes superior conditioning and a special will to lead aggressively with combinations with no fear of missing two to land one, and stay in position after a miss to counter everything -- including countering a counter. If a boxer is a defensive minded counterpuncher, teach him to feint effectively and be quick to counter with a combination. Bruce Lee said the best lead is a great counter. Think about that for a moment. It may strike you initially as a contradiction in terms. The selected trainer must be able to evaluate your fighter's components (both physically and in terms of boxing skills) and the strength and weaknesses of specific opponents in order to develop a rational strategy. PHYSICAL COMPONENTS The physical components are coordination and balance, weight, height and reach, body fat percentage, strength, speed, quickness (reaction time), acceleration, and power-to-weight ratio (a function of acceleration and mass). Leverage is a function of biomechanics, balance, height and reach (arm length and shoulder width), and has a direct effect on how efficiently mass (body weight) is accelerated. For example, where the boxer's elbow is when he makes contact throwing a hook is important in determining how much of his mass is transferred through his forearm and fist. Mass times acceleration is what knocks out a fighter. A good head coach will evaluate each of the physical components and prioritize the training regimen based upon the results. Each aspect of the training must have accurate methods for not only determining imbalances, but correcting them. Imbalances must be addressed to maximize power executed from either side without preferences. A good head coach will incorporate methods for measuring baselines and periodically measuring his improvement. If he's improving, it's important that both the trainer and the fighter know it. TECHNIQUE COMPONENTS This entire subject warrants a book. It's all about the form (biomechanics) of straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts, a variety of leads and the advantages and appropriateness or rationale of each against different styles. Technique includes the probabilities and rationale of combination sequence and speed of combinations to take advantage of probabilities. This discussion of technique and probabilities will be limited to general principles. In boxing, as in all other sports, a coach must plan a strategy which, when executed, recognizes and takes advantage of the probabilities based upon an upcoming opponent's previous fight patterns. A good coach must be accurate in his pattern recognition and be able to pose hypothetical situations to demonstrate that he can plan a strategy based upon those patterns. Then he must articulate a plan for training which focuses on the specific elements of that strategy. For example, if the opponent moves quickly on his feet, changes direction frequently, and stays far enough away to not get hit, but close enough to quickly counter in rapid combinations from a set position, the trainer chosen must recognize that pattern and be able to counter it by developing and practicing footwork and distance drills reducing reaction time to a change in direction while maintaining a certain distance, keeping far enough away to avoid a lead but close enough to lead or counter a lead, staying closely in front of a moving opponent who frequently changes directions, moving with him while executing combinations, "smothering" him to reduce his space to move in, staying in front of him, as opposed to following him, and giving him room to box. Ask the prospective trainer to discuss technique in two categories -- offensive and defensive. Defensive should always be drilled to set up offense. All of the acceleration, balance, leverage, and power in the world will not knock someone out with a purely defensive move. For example, if the trainer teaches a short fighter to parry a jab with his right hand, his parry will always keep him outside. It may frustrate an opponent, but it won't knock him out. If your defensive technique for a taller opponent's left jab is to slip outside of it and keep your right hand on the left side of your face in a defensive position to parry the opponent's straight right hand in case he throws it, you have used a defensive technique which set up leverage for offense from your right side but took your right hand out of position to throw by putting it in a defensive position to parry. The trainer must demonstrate to the interviewing manager that he teaches defense which sets up offense. A good coach in any sport puts good defense in the context of positioning to be able to score points, execute good offense. Good defense in ball sports is intended to get the ball in the basket or over the goal line. Defense must put you in position to score. SELECTING TRAINERS FOR AN ALL HEAVYWEIGHT FARM CLUB An honest trainer will tell you he can only do so much without talent. He'll also tell you that even with talent, it takes a lot more devotion and teaching skills to develop an athlete from scratch into a National or Olympic champion than it does to be hired to train a boxer who is already an Olympic medalist and develop him into an undefeated world contender. Coach Wooden's statement that many great basketball coaches will never receive the acclaim they deserve simply because they have not been blessed with the talent could be paraphrased for boxing, "There are many great boxing coaches you've never heard of because they were never blessed by being hired to train a boxer who had won an Olympic Gold Medal." A farm program to find and develop talent without experience will require great teachers of good fundamentals. Whether the trainers are well-known or not is irrelevant -- being in the corner with enough contenders and champions with names will get you credibility as a trainer, maybe even voted trainer of the year by boxing writers. Coach John Wooden would say boxing writers associate trainer's faces with fighter's faces and aren't good judges of good coaches. Other coaches are. Coach Wooden would say look for a junior high coach because he always has beginners, and look for one who consistently develops strong teams. Give him the best natural talent in every position and good assistants, and he will create a championship team -- guaranteed. We know who and where the best teachers of fundamentals are. They would relish training inexperienced, gifted athletes. They are highly qualified to hand-pick an all super heavyweight team of beginners for our farm club. That's like giving an NFL coach all the draft choices. We'll hit the ground running with a tremendous advantage of talent. Much of the training in most of the boxing gyms is the same today as it was 50 years ago. There are variations only in the sequence of each facet of the training and number of rounds spent stretching, shadow boxing, sparring, heavy bag work, punch mitts, speedbag, double-ender, and jump rope -- sometimes some situps and pushups. And, of course, the traditional three or four miles of roadwork early in the morning. If a coach is training the same way today that he did ten years ago, it’s for one of two reasons -- either there was nothing new to learn in those ten years -- or, if there were anything new to learn, he didn’t learn it. The last 20 years' of literature is full of papers publishing the results of human performance lab studies on strength, speed, plyometrics, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, leverage/biomechanics, and muscle fiber typing. There is a tremendous amount to learn if you take the time to learn it and keep an open mind. |
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