Comments From the Ring: "Reach"

ENTRY 297

Reach

My last weigh-in was on Monday, and I was 81.7 kg, that converts to 179.7 lbs.

That means I am one pound away from the Light-Heavy class, that is one half of a kilogram.

Although, I am two pounds from my goal. I feel that this is not a problem.

I have been working very hard. I train for a minimum of 90 minutes a day for six days a week. That is at least nine hours a week.

That seems like a lot for an amateur athlete.

Apparently, it is not enough, for a fighter anyway.

According to this article, a fighter should train for a minimum of three hours a day, five days a week.

That might be aimed more at a professional fighter.

Seriously, what amateur boxer has that kind of time?

Although, you should always train for more than what is required in competition.

For example, my rounds are one and a half minutes long, so I spend four and a half minutes in the ring, not including the time between rounds.

Therefore, I should be sparring for at least six minutes, or more.

I should also be sparring different guys each time, and not always the same people. Regardless of age or skill. Simply because I don't know who my next opponent is going to be when I step into that ring at the Bronze Gloves, or anywhere for that matter.

If your goal is the middle bar, aim for the top one. If you go for the middle, and miss, you will fall flat on your face, but if you go for the top one and miss, you can grab the middle one --meet your goal. Always reach for more than your expectations.

It is just like this song, called "Reach" which is very inspiring to me right now.

Definitely worth a listen if you need the inspiration to 'Reach' your goal:

'REACH'

Bronze Gloves Training Update and Sparring

Training with Will on Sunday.

I did five rounds on the bag, and five rounds of drills where I could practise defence.

We also did that sidestep drill around the ring.

Jackie took us through the abs, legs, and shoulder/arm conditioning.

For some reason, during sidestep drills, Will had me do two rounds in the middle of the ring in a plank.

Then Jackie did plank drills as pert of the shoulder/arm conditioning.

I did a lot of planking on Sunday.

You know, I am getting sick and freaking tired of the plank. It is not one of my favourite exercises. I don't really like abs conditioning, either. While I am on the topic, I also don't like doing push-ups.

However, I still have to do all of them because they are part of training for the sport, but I don't have to like them. Part of the dedication to the sport, and succeeding.

I do like doing dips and squats.

For those who don't know what a dip is, it is the opposite of a push-up. You put your arms behind you, and push up that way. It is for upper back and triceps.

I usually do 80-100 of those during each session, but I generally do only 30-50 push-ups. Ideally, you should do an equal number of both.

I am now up to 200 squats per session.

When Jackie did her legs training, I had no problem keeping up.

She would have us do something called a Sumo Squat. I'm not really sure of the difference between that and a regular squat that I do.

Then she does lunges, one set in each direction, each leg.

That is a total of five leg exercises. Each one for 20 seconds. One minute for each set, done five times.

I did hers, plus my own squats, and had no problem with any of it. I guess I am blessed with strong legs. Of course with all the walking I do, plus the squats, it is no surprise.

You know what that means, though?

I need to do more now.

When you no longer 'feel' your exercise, it is no longer working.

That means upping my number of squats to 250 per session, and doing Jackie's complete leg conditioning every day on my own.

That will be in addition to everything else. Including my favourite push-ups and abs work.

There was no sparring on Sunday, but I did four 3-minute rounds on Monday.

Hopefully some on Tuesday, and every other day this week.

Practise makes perfect.

Will is on vacation, so he will not be in this coming Sunday.

However, Matt just got his coaching cert. Congratulations, by-the-way.

Matt will be coaching on Sunday instead of Will.

I look forward to working with Matt. I think he will be a really good coach.

I was going to take Sunday off, because it is supposed to get really cold this weekend. The forecast calls for a high of -18 C. It is also a holiday weekend (Monday), so the gym may not even be open.

Although, I really should not take any time off. Not this close to a fight, anyway.

Stockyards Fight Night

If you are interested in seeing what Stockyards Boxing is all about, come out on February 20 to see our live boxing show. You can also drop by any time the gym is open, and have a look around, talk to a coach, and say 'hi'.

You will probably see me there, since I practically live there.

Visit us at 215 Ryding Avenue, one block south of St. Clair Avenue, between Keele Street and Runnymede Road.