Get Technbical With Me

 

    ENTRY 502 | JUNE 23 /2023

GETTING TECHNICAL

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working on some technical drills instead of sparring since our ring is out of service for upgrades.

Both Coach Johnny and Martin have been working very closely and carefully with me.

I have to say that the coaches at Cabbagetown Boxing Club have been the absolute best out of all of the coaches I have ever had. Although Marting is not officially a coach at Cabbagetown, he is certified as a coach by Boxing Ontario, so as far as I am concerned he is a coach.

Johnny likes to focus mostly on offense while Martin like to do a lot of defensive techniques. That is good. I get the best of both. It is like in football where you have a defensive coach and an offensive coach.  Apparently, boxing has that as well.

Johnny has been working with me a lot on the jab, left uppercut, hook, and the jab, right uppercut, hook, and straight right. 

I like both of those combinations.

Martin has been focusing on slips and ducks with counters. For example: slip the jab and then come back with a little pop to the ribs.

Everything in boxing flows. That is what makes boxing a sport. One move flows into another. Most of the time boxers move too fast to notice, but that is what is happening. 

If your opponent is standing Orthodox and throws a jab, the defense is to slip away from it to your right (his left). You would not slip to his right because you would be right in line with his right and likely get nailed. Then, on the way back to your reset potion, you throw a right counter because you are already in the correct position to do that. You would not try to throw a left because it would be awkward and put you off-balance. You would slip the other way to defend a straight riht.

If you were to defend a hook. An Orthodox opponent would not throw a right hook to the head, so it would be a left hook. Normally, you would duck the hook or roll. You would roll to the right and pop a little uppercut to the ribs on the way back to the reset position.

If your opponent is Southpaw, of course, everything would be the opposite 

You could also just simply block an incoming attack, but that is usually only done to defend against a jab.  Quite often you would follow up with a jab of your own.

Lots of work lately with the coaches, but the idea is to get faster and not have to think about what I am doing each time.

Thank you to Johnny and Martin for working with me.

Reminder: Next weekend is a holiday weekend (Canada Day) so there will be no "Comments From the Ring". The next entry will b July 7.

NEXT ENTRY: July 7 /2023 

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer and has been training for over 12 years.

STATS:

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario) 

2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association) 

1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission) 

DIVISION:

Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:

71 kg (160 lbs.)  

TRAINING STATUS:

ACTIVE

COMPETITION STATUS:

ALMOST READY -- PENDING

STANCE:

Orthodox (left lead)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:

Cabbagetown Boxing Club

Toronto

COACH:

Johnny Kalbhenn

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:

TBA

 

Used To Be A Boxer?

 

    ENTRY 501 | JUNE 16 /2023

PUBLIC FIGURES AND BOXING

These guys were boxers or trained with boxers before they became public figures or currently support the sport.

• Denzel Washington

• Drake

• Mark Wahlberg

• Jack Nicholson

• Justin Bieber

• Justin Trudeau

   

Just to name a few. This is an exhaustive list.

Who remembers when Justin Trudeau was a boxer?

I recently viewed a video on YouTube of him in a charity match that must have been a long time ago...and, .well, he isn't that good. There are guys at Cabbagetown who are better. Let me change that, everyone at Cabbagetown is better.

He is as good a boxer as he is a Prime Minister.

Yes, Canada. This is our Prime Minister in his prime.  

You know, they always show boxing with boxers who are decent. What I would like to see is a match where both boxers suck. Like Justin Trudeau vs. Jake Paul. I don't think anyone would pay to see that but it would be interesting to see who could possibly win. 

Unlimited rounds, just keep going until it looks like one is winning. Five days later they are still going and neither seems close to winning.

NEXT ENTRY: June 23 /2023 

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer and has been training for over 12 years.

STATS:

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario) 

2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association) 

1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission) 

DIVISION:

Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:

71 kg (160 lbs.)  

TRAINING STATUS:

ACTIVE

COMPETITION STATUS:

ALMOST READY -- PENDING

STANCE:

Orthodox (left lead)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:

Cabbagetown Boxing Club

Toronto

COACH:

Johnny Kalbhenn

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:

TBA

 

500th Entry! and Am I As Fast As Mike Tyson?

 

    ENTRY 500 | JUNE 6 /2023

 LEFT...LEFT...LEFT...RIGHT!

The coach has still been focusing on the left jab, left uppercut, and left hook combo with me, but he has added something: A straight right.

When I first started working on this with the coach a few weeks ago I was very slow with it. I had to think about what I was doing, but now. I am super-fast.

My speed overall is getting much better. This is of course thanks to the great work of the coach.

Could I possibly be as fast as a prime Mike Tyson?

Oh, yeah. Damn right.

Bring it.

NUMBER 500

This is it. The 500th entry of the blog.

I originally wanted to do something special but couldn't think of anything. 

Although, over the years this blog has seen many changes including a recent title change. The popularity with readers has been up and down as well. 

Also, for three years there were no entries because there was nothing to enter.  Once I started writing the blog again earlier this year, there was a peak in readers but it has since cropped off and leveled off. Even though I do not get paid for this blog, when people read it, it gives me the incentive to want to write more, so the more readers this blog gets, the better content it will contain.

I am currently also working on some other writing projects including a full-length novel and some short articles.

Therefore, I am considering not guaranteeing a blog entry every week but only when I have something to report. In that way, I can focus on my other writing projects. 

It is just a mild consideration at this time.

NEXT ENTRY: June 16 /2023 

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Like me on Facebook, 

Visit my WEBSITE.

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer and has been training for over 12 years.

STATS:

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario) 

2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association) 

1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission) 

DIVISION:

Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:

71 kg (160 lbs.)  

TRAINING STATUS:

ACTIVE

COMPETITION STATUS:

ALMOST READY -- PENDING

STANCE:

Orthodox (left lead)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:

Cabbagetown Boxing Club

Toronto

COACH:

Johnny Kalbhenn

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:

TBA

 

No Quebéc Tournament For You and Have You Registered That Body Part?

 

    ENTRY 499 | JUNE 2 /2023

WHY BOXING?

I have had people ask why I chose boxing as a sport, 

It is a very good question that has a very good answer.

When I was younger I was not very athletic. In my teens I was as skinny as a rail and then into my mid-twenties and into my thirties, I started to go the other way. I became overweight. It got to the point when my physician at the time said that if I didn't start taking care of myself, I would get very sick. I had decided at that point that I needed to do something.

I started slowly, going to a fitness center and doing light exercise and some fast walking on the treadmill. As I began to get used to it, I started to pick it up. After a few years of building my fitness level, I decided to become an athlete, but what sport?  

I did try boxing a bit in the past but not seriously but it still interested me. Although, boxing is said to be the world's most challenging sport, why would someone not athletic want to try the most difficult sport? 

Another very good question with a very good answer.

It is because if I learn the most difficult sport first it means learning every other sport would be that much easier. Plus, boxing is one of the best things for you even if you are not a competitor. 

Boxing has been increasing in popularity likely due to people realizing how good it is for one's overall fitness.

Boxing is no longer an inexpensive hobby thanks to its growing popularity. The average cost to attend a boxing gym in Toronto is now about $120 a month, with some as high as $200, and all of the gyms are doing well. I remember a time when boxing gyms could not get anyone to join and now people are lining up at the door to get in. At least one boxing facility in Toronto has had to stop accepting new members because they have reached capacity.

Did I make the right choice in deciding to learn boxing at a competitive level?

Yes, Without question.

DID YOU REGISTER THAT BODY PART???

Another question that I sometimes get is "Do you have to register your hands as weapons?"

I have actually never heard of that. That may be an American thing. I'm not sure where that comes from, but it is definitely not a Canadian thing.

The law in Canada from what I was able to find out is that a boxer must announce that he is a boxer in the case that it needs to be used for defense purposes. I am not sure of the reason for that. I don't think it makes any difference if one is a boxer or not, but the law is the law.,

That being said, hands are not the weapon anyway. In the case of boxing the whole body is used to create power. The hands just happen to be the point of impact. Technically, the whole body is the weapon. 

Besides, how do you register a body part? 

NO QUEBÉC TOURNAMENT FOR YOU...OR YOU...OR YOU...

A few weeks ago Boxing Ontario sent a notice that there would be invites to the Québec Open. 

I was under the assumption that all Ontario boxers would be invited. However, and not surprising to me, I did not receive an invite.

This week, Boxing Ontario released the list of boxers from Ontario who would be going, and, also not surprising to me, not one was a Master. Although Masters are welcome to the Quebéc Open, Ontario is not sending any, so it looks like no Master was invited by Boxing Ontario.

Needless to say, that pissed me right off. It is another example of the general treatment of Masters boxers in Ontario. We are generally forgotten, except when it is time for Boxing Ontario to get paid its yearly dues. They don't forget that. 

We pay the same as the Elite class, but we compete less. Our fees should be lower. USA Boxing fees for Masters are lower than what the Elite boxers pay because Masters don't compete as often. Should Boxing Ontario do the same? 

Yes.

Will they?

No.

That is because everything is about money with them.

...and yes, I would have liked to go to that tournament. It would have been nice to look out the window and see something other than Southern Ontario for a change.

READY TO GO?

Yes.

I feel that I am getting very close to stepping into the ring to compete again.

I have been working very hard with the coach, and I still feel that I should be in the annual Cabbagetown Festival show. As I had mentioned in a previous post, that show should represent all Cabbagetown boxers. The Cabbagetown Festival is in September so I have about three months still to get ready, and I feel that I can do it. Ultimately, it will be up to the coach, but if he asks me how I feel I will tell him exactly how I feel: I'll be ready.

That being said, I am not sure if we will be doing a show this year since the takeover by the Kiwanis Club. 

I don't see anything changing, but you never know. 

I don't want to compete often, just enough to say that I am still in it. I am happy with it once or twice a year.

I do want to be ready because going in there and looking like shit makes everyone involved look like shit. I have a lot of respect for my co-athletes, gym, and coaches to go in there and look like shit. That is why I am giving it a bit of time. Time to tweak and to make absolutely sure.

NEXT ENTRY: June 9 /2023 "The 500th Entry Special!"

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Like me on Facebook, 

Visit my WEBSITE.

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer and has been training for over 12 years.

STATS:

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario) 

2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association) 

1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission) 

DIVISION:

Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:

70 kg (158 lbs.)  

TRAINING STATUS:

ACTIVE

COMPETITION STATUS:

ALMOST READY -- PENDING

STANCE:

Orthodox (left lead)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:

Cabbagetown Boxing Club

Toronto

COACH:

Johnny Kalbhenn

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:

TBA