Team Training and Conditioning: No Sweat, I Mean, Lots of Sweat!

As part of the Kingsway Team, I am required to attend team training and conditioning every Saturday. We train from 11:00 - 12:30. Training consists of an assesment, basic training, cardio and sparring. 

Kingsway Boxing Club, Ring and Strength Training Area

If you have ever wondered why boxers are in such great shape, here is why:

ASSESSMENT: Shadow boxing in front of the coach, and the coach will grade you and provide feedback.

TRAINING:  Heavy bag work, speed bag, shadow boxing and pad work, 3 rounds of each.

CARDIO/CONDITIONING:  100 Push-ups, 50 Sit-ups, 50 Burpees, 100 Squats, 50 Jumping-Jacks, jogging around the gym for 2 rounds, speed punching with dumbbells for 2 rounds.

SPARRING: 6 rounds of contact sparring.

 Kingsway Boxing Club, Technical and Cardio Training Area

Once all this is done, you are expected to show up for one more conditioning class, which pretty well repeats the above condtioning. Plus, two more days for open training to practice your assessment results.
I remember my first conditioning class at this gym, I was so sore after. However, it has not been so bad lately. A sign that I am getting stronger.
On the road to becoming a World-Class athlete. Well, everyone needs a goal.

My next scheduled match: [TBA]
My current division and class: Master's 88 kg
My current record (Kingsway): 0 - 0 - 0  //0
My next scheduled camp: Kingsway Fight Camp, April 16-17

If you are interested in competition boxing, regardless of your skill or age, contact the Kingsway Boxing Club

Paul "The Comeback Kid"

BREAKING NEWS: We Interrupt This Blog and All Others For An Important Announcement

I have some really good news to share. After months of floating around trying to find a boxing gym willing to take me in and seriously train me, I have finally found one.
This is, of course, very important to me. I went in for regular training at Kingsway, and was invited to the team meeting after.  I have officially become a member of the Kingsway Boxing Club. Does this mean I can start competition again? Yes, eventually. However, the coaches feel that I am not quite ready. It does mean that they will work with me, to get me ready for competition. After so many months of not being taken seriously, poor coaching, and picking up bad habits, I need some brushing up.
Defense, as I mentioned in my last entry, but also footwork. Tim, my previous coach, said that my footwork was good. Well, is that "good" as in, good enough to compete, or "good" as in it needs work? It turns out that it needs work. The coaches at Kingsway noted that when I move, the distance between my feet changes. This is not good. When you move one foot, the other should move the same amount. I have always known this, but over the years have become sloppy, without an outside source to point it out. This has been one of my many frustrations. A good coach is there for his athletes, not only by just showing up, but to provide feedback.
I was also told that there is a Master's division in Ontario. What?  Really? I knew that some U.S. States had one, but not Ontario. Why...did...nobody...tell...me...this...before? See, this is more proof that I was not being taken seriously. Thus, more frustration.
Another thing I was told by Kingsway, is that my wraps were on incorrectly. The way I was shown to do my handwraps, and it was never corrected, would have got me disqualified for competition. The coach looked at my wraps, and said, "That is not amateur". Kind of a funny way of putting it. Anyway, another minor point that none of my other "coaches" bothered to point out.
It looks like, one of the goals of Kingsway is to get me into the Master's division. The next match is March 5, but I may not make that one. However, there is another on April 1. I am certainly going to work hard for that. As long as I have coaches who are willing to help me, I will do my best. I just appreciate somebody wanting to teach me properly.
I have met the team, and they are all a great bunch of people. There is another 40-something boxer on our team, but in a heavier class.
Apparently, the Master's division was created, because more people are getting into boxing later, or staying in it longer. It must be all part of the "fitness craze".  As I keep mentioning, there is nothing wrong with staying young.
One thing though, I now "belong" to the Kingsway Boxing Team. That means that I can no longer train anywhere else. That would be like a Hamilton Tiger-Cat player going to a Toronto Argros training camp. Although that may may be a good thing, because as we all know, the Ti-Cats suck, and can use all the help they can get. However, that is another discussion for another time.
For me, it means no more training with Tim or Junmar. Well, that is not a great loss. I have not been training with Tim for a while, because he was not showing up, and Junmar's classes were too crowded, and he is only teaching boxing for recreation, as he is not certified by Boxing Ontario.
This brings up something else. Odd things are happening at Bloor Street. They have dropped the word "boxing" from their name. They are no longer 'Bloor Boxing and Fitness'. They are now called 'Bloor Street Fitness'. Although they are located on Dundas Street, which has been bothering me for a while, but oh, well. They have really been pushing the fact that they are 24/7. Remember the Bloor Boxing Gym sign they removed? It was replaced by, take a guess...wait for it...A 24/7 sign! Here is a newsflash: Bloor Street Fitness did not invent 24/7. It is not uncommon for fitness centers to be open 24/7, at least not in Toronto.
I have a feeling that they will eventually drop boxing from their program all together. Which is fine, I can't train there anyway, but I can still go there for conditioning.
With all these sudden changes, it means changing my training schedule. Kingsway wants me there three times a week, plus the Team Training on Saturday. There is also a training camp coming up in April.

MY TRAINING SCHEDULE:
SUNDAY  Bloor Fitness, Cardio and strength training only
MONDAY  --- OFF ---
TUESDAY Kingsway Boxing Club, Techncial training and conditioning with coach
WEDNESDAY Kingsway Boxing Club, Open technical training
THURSDAY Kingsway Boxing Club, Technical training and conditioning with coach
FRIDAY Bloor Fitness, Cardio and strength training only
SATURDAY Kingsway Boxing Club, Team training and sparring

I am really looking forward to working with my new coaches.
It looks like Kingsway is going to be my new home for training.

My next scheduled match: [TBA]
My current division and class: Master's 88 kg
My current record (Kingsway): 0 - 0 - 0  //0
My next scheduled camp: Kingsway Fight Camp, April 16-17


Paul "The Comeback Kid"

De-fens...De-fens...De-fens !!!

I talked about having multiple coaches before, and I am beginning to see an advantage. The Bloor Street trainers are great at general training, but I like how Kingsway teaches defense. Apparently, after 15 (or so) years of boxing, I have picked up 15 years of bad habits. Especially defense. I was trained to be an offensive boxer. That means, just throw punches until I hit something. That apparently does not work any more, so I am being re-trained from scratch. The coaches at Kingsway want me to work on defense like crazy.
One of the advantages of having more than one coach is, I can find a style that I like, and work from that. I can even combine the styles of the different coaches to create something completely different.
As we all know, the best defense against a punch is to not be there. Bloor Street teaches that defense is all about "bobbing and weaving". Well, that is great, but it seem like a lot of extra work. Kingsway teaches a very easy form of defense: Shifting you weight between feet. If you shift your weight and your hips, you can dodge an attack quite easily without a lot of effort. The only difficult part about this, is that ones natural instinct is to duck away from the attack. However, in boxing, you duck into the attack. This is what makes this kind of defense confusing.
If you are attacked by a left jab, you shift to your right (opponent's left). Naturally, you will want to shift the other way, away from the punch. However, if you do, you are in perfect alignment with his right cross, not a good place to be. You do the opposite to defend against a right cross. If you lean into his attack, you clear yourself from both of his weapons, and are therefore safe against any attack.
This type of defense will, of course, only work against straight punches. It will not help against hooks and uppercuts. I guess that is in the next lesson.
Now for my rant. This week it is about Boxing Ontario. Yes, that under-regulated, over-controlling government-supported organization that all boxers in Ontario just love to death. Ontario is the only place I know where you need to be "licensed" to be a boxer. I know that I can go to Quebec and most states, get tested by the ringside doctor, and step into the ring. I don't understand why you need to pay a $50 fee and  submit a multitude of forms to Boxing Ontario every year, just to box. It is as if you need permission from the government. What other sport does this? That is why we have coaches. If your coach feels you are ready, he should just be able to register you for a match. I feel that having to pay a $50 fee for an amateur boxer is unreasonable. I am already paying over $200 a month for training, coaching and gym access expenses. Even if they want to say that it pays for the Boxing Ontario staff, well, that doesn't sit with me either. Look at it this way:  How many boxers are in Ontario?, How many staff work at Boxing Ontario?, How much are the staff payed? Now, there is no way this $50 is going to support the staff's wages, is it?
Not only that, but I am not overly happy with some of the Boxing Ontario officials. When I do photography at boxing events, there is this one woman official who always squawks at me. "You are using too much light", "You are too close to the ring"..."You are..." Squawk, Squawk...  I can understand that the officials are there to enforce the rules of boxing. However, there is nothing in the boxing regulations about photography. This woman is just being a pain in the ass. Lady, fuck off and let me do my job. Since when does Boxing Ontario know anything about photography? They barely know boxing.
I'm sorry to be so nasty, but do you understand the reason?
As far as I am concerned, right now, Boxing Ontario is not getting diddly-squat. I will compete outside of Ontario if I need. If it turns out that my coach wants me to compete within Ontario, we will look at it then. Right now, I am concentrating on the Master's in St. Louis, which does not require any license.

Paul "The Comeback Kid"

Bloor Street Renovation Update: Its Red!

Well, Paul's office is done., and the boxing area has been repainted, red!

Putting the finishing touches on the new office

New colour scheme 

I'm seeing a trend here.  Somebody likes red.
Paul's office is now finished, and the plexiglass window is in place.
Other than that, I really don't have much to report. I am still training for the Master's, which will hopefully lead to the Pan-Am Games.
Currently I train at Kingsway Boxing Club on Saturdays and Mondays. I train at Bloor Street on other days. It seems to be going well. I have about 6 months to complete training for the Master's in St. Louis. I am not sure what is happening at Bloor, but I am hoping to get some more coaching at Bloor Street in addition to what I am getting from Kingsway.
As for my TV show, 'The Boxer", I am still working on the initial script. I am hoping to be able to submit it sometime in March.

Paul "The Comeback Kid"