Comments From the Ring

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Time To Move On and My 30th Anniversary

ENTRY 377

============================================================

THIS BLOG IN ADDITION TO CONTAINING INFORMATION BASED ON RESEARCH, ALSO CONTAINS OPINION, SATIRE, AND CREATIVE PRESENTATION.

IF YOU HAVE NO SENSE OF CREATIVITY OR ARE EASILY OFFENDED, AND/OR HAVE NO DESIRE TO LEARN, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

DO NOT COMPLAIN TO ME LATER BECAUSE I AM NOT GOING TO CARE.

============================================================

TIME TO PICK UP AND MOVE ON

I would like to thank everyone for all the support.
I kind of put it out there about what happened last weekend, and how I felt about it.
I received a huge response, mostly positive.
A lot of response came from the Masters Boxing Division Facebook group.
Basically speaking, I should not at all feel humiliated about what happened. It is part of the sport.
Just as I always say how much I respect boxers for what they do, others feel the same way.
The fact that I lost in a really bad way does not matter. I am respected for just stepping into the ring in the first place.
I should pick myself up, dust off, and move on. Find out what happened, and not to let it happen again.

That being said, is Scott Turnbull a bully?
Maybe he is.
However, that should not matter. A skilled boxer should be able to take care of a bully or brawler, whatever you want to call it.
A brawler uses very little boxing skill, but waits for the skilled boxer to make a mistake and then takes advantage with the big powerful punch.
That is exactly what happened to me.
I now see two things I did incorrectly.
One was that I built up too much confidence, That is a very dangerous thing to do in any sport. Never under-estimate your opponent.
I don't know what happened, but I was in Beast Mode while in training, but lost it when I entered the ring to compete.
It is what I mentioned once before. I bring the sport into the ring, but often forget to bring the combat.
That has a lot to do with the second point.
I am still in 'Boxing Ontario' mode. I am no longer with Boxing Ontario. The OBA is different,.
Comparing the two, I find that Boxing Onatrio is a bit "too safe".
That does not mean that the OBA is not safe, but the safety net is not as wide. The OBA relies on the boxer having some skill as opposed to having a full safety net in front of the boxer.
People box for the same reason as they skydive, mountain bike, or skateboard.

Life at times can be boring, so we need some adventure. We get that adventure by participating in activities that have some chance of danger. If we complete such activity without being mangled, we then laugh at danger and say 'I beat you this time'.
Boxing would not be fun unless there was that small chance of being injured.
Making the sport too safe by giving boxers a false sense of security does not help.
The OBA has longer rounds and uses smaller gloves than Boxing Ontario (2 minute rounds as opposed to 1.5 minutes and 12 oz. gloves as opposed to 16 oz.), and I hope that does not change. It forces boxers to take some of the responsibility for being safe.
When I stepped into the ring last Saturday, I was still expecting that wide safety net, and it wasn't there.

Ultimately, it does not matter whether Scott was a bully or not, nor does it matter if he thinks I am being 'cocky'. I don't care what he thinks.
However, I made a mistake, and the only thing to do now is to learn from it and move on. Be ready for the next one.

If I do decide to enter the OBA Golden Gloves in the spring, it could be possible that I may meet Scott Turnbull in the ring again.
Am I going to let him finish me again?
No.
That will not happen a second time.

Once my suspension is over, I will have at least four weeks to train for the Golden Gloves. That is more than enough time now that I know what I need to do.

...and if Scott or anyone else thinks that I am being 'cocky', go right ahead and think that. I really do not give a crap.

MY 30th ANNIVERSARY OF BOXING

This week is my 30th anniversary of completion boxing.

My very first bout was this week in 1986.

December 20 to be exact.

At that time, I was well on my way to training at McGrory's Boxing Club in Hamilton, but for some reason McGrory's would still not let me compete.

I knew someone who was a boxing coach in West Palm Beach, Florida, and it just so happened that he needed someone in my weight class for a boxing demonstration.

I was a lightweight at that time (135 lbs.).

There was a combat sports show happening at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Since I would be off for Christmas Break, I went down there to compete on his show.

I trained for a couple of days at his gym in West Palm beach, and then the team went up to Orlando for the demonstration.

I won that match by default.

When it was my turn to step into the ring, my opponent was not there.

After a few minutes, I was declared the winner due to my opponent forfeiting.

Coach told me that he forfeited because he "did not want to fight a guy from Canada".

True story.

I wonder if that would still work today?

You know, the Ringside Masters Tournament is coming up, in Kansas City, Missouri, Overland Park.

Hmmmmm....

As a footnote, I was in the blue corner in Orlando, and that is one of the reasons for the name of this blog.

An homage to my very first bout 30 years ago.

BLOG BREAK AND CHANGES

"Comments From the Blue Corner" blog will revert to weekly posts. Starting January, the Wednesday publication of this blog will be cancelled until further notice. There will be one vlog during the week, and this blog will be posted on either Saturday or Sunday once per week.

"Comments From the Blue Corner" will be taking a break for the upcoming Holiday season.

There will be no "Blue Corner" on the following days: December 24, December 28, and December 31.

We will ring in 2017 with our first entry of the new year on ~~January 4~~ January 7 or 8.

Happy Holidays to all.

==============================================================

===============================================================

'THE BRICK' TRAINS AT:

2389 St.Clair Ave. W. Toronto

Tuesday and Thursday, some Wednesdays

--and--

2295 Dundas St. W. Toronto

Friday and Saturday

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LISTEN LIVE--Link on the right --->

------------------

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Its A Knockout (Sort Of) and Concussion Testing

ENTRY 376

VIOLENCE

PARENTAL WARNING

THIS BLOG ENTRY DESCRIBES IN DETAIL A VIOLENT ACT AGAINST A HUMAN

============================================================

THIS BLOG IN ADDITION TO CONTAINING INFORMATION BASED ON RESEARCH, ALSO CONTAINS OPINION, SATIRE, AND CREATIVE PRESENTATION.
IF YOU HAVE NO SENSE OF CREATIVITY OR ARE EASILY OFFENDED, AND/OR HAVE NO DESIRE TO LEARN, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
DO NOT COMPLAIN TO ME LATER BECAUSE I AM NOT GOING TO CARE.

============================================================

I certainly have a lot to cover on this entry. I am making up for the last few 'lame' ones.

Let's get right to it.

WHAT ITS LIKE TO BE (SORT OF) KNOCKED OUT

My bout on Saturday did not go quite as planned. Actually, my worst case nightmare happened.

I have always been worried about looking bad in the ring, and I guess being knocked out looks pretty bad, especially right at the start of the first round.

My opponent did not seem to have any boxing technique at all.
His hands were low most of the time, and I was able to jab him in the face without much effort. I even got a few good body shots off.

I started to feel confident. This was going to be easy.
That may have been a mistake.

At about half-way through the first round, he nailed me real good with a left hook to the jaw.

It must have been a really wide hook, because I didn't see it coming, obviously.

He threw this oddball haymaker left hook. A technique which goes against any boxing training I have even had.

I felt it land, and saw a bright flash, and after that I don't remember much.
I was conscious, at least I don't remember going out.
I could still see, but everything was vibrating and shaking, but other than that I had no control of any of my body. I could not hear, smell, feel, speak, nor did I have any feeling of any kind, but as I said I could see but the room was shaking like I was in an earthquake.
I didn't fall because the ropes were holding me up.
I am not sure how long I was there.
After getting hit, the next thing I remember was somebody talking to me and saying 'the fight is over.' It was the ringside physician, but it took me a few seconds to clue in to who it was.

I had to be escorted out of the ring by my corner, Brock and Kyle.
I was taken to the back to sit for a while, but I was told that I would have to go back to see the ringside doctor again.

The ringside physician said that I had a concussion which is amazing with the 10-second ringside test he did.
My physician said that I was fine, but to contact him if anything 'odd' happens.
So far (as of midnight Wednesday) nothing 'odd' had happened. Until today I have had a constant mild headache, but it has recently subsided.

That all being said, this is a sport. It is not about throwing crazy haymakers and hoping to get in a good shot. This is about being a boxer and testing your skills. Otherwise, why bother learning how to box?
I don't understand why any man would intentionally want to cause serious injury to another man in an amateur boxing competition. It is supposed to be fun. This must be a different definition of 'fun' that I missed in elementary school.
Any big dumb guy can throw a lucky punch without any skill. If you want to do that, go join Fight Club.
That kind of behaviour has no place in amateur boxing competition.
Who does that?
Ultimately it is Scott Turnbull's fault as he is the one who hit me, but the attitude comes from his coach. Anything an athlete does can always be traced back to the coach.
I am very surprised that his coach allowed that to happen.
It goes back to the famous film quote, "There is no such thing as bad student...only bad teacher...teacher say...student do..."
Of all of the coaches I have had, none of them have promoted that kind of behaviour in the ring. They all promoted being technical.
The disturbing part is that his coach is the son of the president of the Ontario Boxing Association.

The question that comes up is, 'Why did he do that?'

That is a good question that has a very good answer.
He sent me a message via Facebook on Monday.
Apparently, he was pissed off about something that was in one of my blogs.
It was the 'coupon'.

I really do not see how this is in any way offensives or a direct attack.
This was a way of saying that I have a strategy in place without actually revealing the strategy.
I mean, what athlete does not have a strategy?
If any athlete thinks he can just jump into any sport without knowing what he is doing, is just plain stupid.
I thought this coupon was a hilarious way to explain what was going on.

He also said that it was 'sketchy' that I contacted him about competing long before the bout was planned.
Why?
My coach told me about it. How else would I have possibly known about it?
I happen to be very busy, and I need to make sure I can get time off work for these, so I kind of would like to know what is going on well in advance.
I was contacting him because I thought his coach had already told him, and I was confirming.

He was also annoyed by one of my vlog entries. Also produced with some creativity, but removed due to being so extremely offensives. Simply because I was screwing around about making sure I had room on my trophy shelf for after I win on December 10.

Really?

If his strategy was to kill me based entirely on something I wrote or said, isn't that kind of childish? Isn't that how teenagers settle things?
How old is he? 13?
If he had no problem contacting me after the bout, he certainly could have contacted me before to let me know that something was bothering him.
I don't edit blogs after they have been published, but I would have explained it to him.

If people need creativity explained, something is seriously wrong with our society, and
I can tell you exactly what it is. Reality television, and overall crappy entertainment,
I am serious.
Over the past few years, all forms of entertainment have been seriously lacking in creativity.
People are so used to 'bland' entertainment that when we experience something remotely creative, we get offended and take it personally.

The moment someone says something that can be remotely considered as an opinion. it is either sexist or racist.
People have to stop taking things so personally.

I mean, I spent three years in college. Mohawk College ironically, to learn broadcasting and how to create interesting and creative programming.
I guess that means nothing anymore.

That is why I now have a disclaimer on these entries, that will remain as long as it needs to.

The rule is simple: Nobody is forcing anybody to read my blogs or watch my vlogs.

BASELINE CONCUSSION TEST, WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT?

Ironically:

The Ontario Boxing Association sprung a surprise on me on Saturday.
Possibly a miscommunication, but still it was a surprise (piss-off).
They now want all of their athletes to take a yearly baseline concussion test.
The test cost $35 that the boxers have to pay, and I had no idea about this until I was there.

How it works is the best way to describe it as a mini IQ test.
Four stations:
The first is just gathering your name, likely so they can track your 'progress'.
The second is that they have you read a series of numbers of off a paper as fast a you can.
The third, they read you some words and numbers verbally and you have to repeat them plus you have to balance on a line, like a DUI test.
On the fourth stage, they ask you to do things like balance on one foot with your eyes closed.

My question is, What exactly is this test going to tell you?
This test is supposed to let you know that you *may* have had a concussion sometime within the last 12 months.
Okay...and...?

In addition, the test is inconclusive.
The part of the test where I had to balance on one foot, I fell.
So, what?
I was never able to do that.
It does not mean that I have had a concussion.
It proves is that I am not a flamingo, and I don't need a test to tell me that.

I like the Ontario Boxing Association, but I don't like having to pay for something that I really don't see as being useful. To me that is a waste of money.

From the research I have done, I could not find any scientific evidence that it is possible to test for previous concussions. I have even spoken to a neurologist, who has confirmed this. Once a concussion heals, there is little to no evidence that one ever existed.
You can only test for a recent one. (Before healing).
Some useful information is contained within this wiki.

A concussion is a bruise on the surface of the brain.
The brain floats on a liquid which for the most part protects it from shock. However, an extreme direct blow to the skull can cause the liquid to splosh around and the brain to strike the side of the skull. That will in most cases cause bruising on the surface of the brain (concussion).
The brain is very smart (Surprised the crap out of me, too).
Anyway, what happens when the brain is injured, is that in order to allow the affected area to heal, it moves what is normally processed in that area to another area of the brain.

The brain has a map of itself so it can find things faster. This is just like the FAT on a hard drive. A computer can access information on a hard drive quickly because of the file allocation table (FAT, or the more modern NTFS).
When something on the drive is moved to another location, the FAT is updated.
However, when the brain has to move something, due to a concussion or another reason, it does not update its map. It redirects.
That means that it takes longer to access.
Obviously, that means a slower reaction time and blurry vision. The blurry vision is caused because we tend to move our eyes very quickly and our brain under normal conditions can focus very quickly. However, when our brain is redirecting access, it can no longer focus fast enough to keep up with our eye movements, so it seems that our vision is blurred when in fact it is just that our brain can not keep up.
This is very similar to being drunk.

Once the affected area of the brain has healed, the brain then resumes normal processing and there is little if any evidence of any injury.
The neurologist I spoke with said that a concussion generally takes about three weeks to completely heal and for the brain to return to normal processing.

It is likely for permanent damage to occur if the same part of the brain is injured again before being completely healed from a previous and recent injury.
However, the chances of that happening are very rare, and if it does, you may want to reconsider your choices of activities.

There is currently ongoing research into the long-term affects of a concussion. but it is still in research stage. Meaning that there is still no conclusive evidence that a concussion causes long-term cognitive problems.
It is really too early to assume that a test conducted by a third-party can detect past concussions.
Also, as I mentioned before, even if it could there is really nothing that can be done about it now.

Oh, and another sign of a concussion is irritability.
Irritability?
That is me all the way.
I am that way because people keep pissing me off.
It has nothing to do with a concussion, it has everything to do with STOP PISSING ME OFF!

I may have had my brain rattled recently, but I still wasn't born yesterday.

Boxing is already an expensive sport. Gear is very costly and registration is costly.
One of the reasons I switched to the OBA from Boxing Ontario is that the registration fee is (was) lower.
Now with this new test, yearly registration for the OBA is now higher than Boxing Ontario. Since Boxing Ontario does not do the concussion test, yet.

Honestly, this just adds additional cost to an already expensive sport, and I really don't see how this test is going to help anyone except the company conducting it.

CHANGES TO TRAINING PENDING SUSPENSION

Since I have been suspended from training until February 8, I will be cutting back on gym time during the suspension period.
Starting now, I will only be training twice a week at the Boxing Academy. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and maybe the odd Wednesday. On Fridays and Saturdays, I will work on cardio and strength training at Bloor Fitness.

I don't know how this is going to affect the Golden Gloves, since those are in the spring.
However, I am having second thoughts about continuing to compete.
I have a couple of months to think about it since I do not have to renew my registration until after the suspension. Whether that be with the OBA again, or go back to Boxing Ontario.
I am really not sure.

I would like to thank coach Brock Arthur, the Durham coaching staff, and the Durham team for their support.
Understanding, this is a very disturbing situation. It is difficult to overcome the trauma of getting hit in the head that hard. It is something I will never forget.

I have a lot more to say, but this has already become a Stephen King novel, so I will cut it off here.

Thank you for reading.

BLOG BREAK AND CHANGES

"Comments From the Blue Corner" blog will revert to weekly posts. Starting January, the Wednesday publication of this blog will be cancelled until further notice. There will be one vlog during the week, and this blog will be posted on either Saturday or Sunday once per week.

"Comments From the Blue Corner" will be taking a break for the upcoming Holiday season.
There will be no "Blue Corner" on the following days: December 24, December 28, and December 31.
We will ring in 2017 with our first entry of the new year on ~~January 4~~ January 7 or 8.
Happy Holidays to all.
.

==============================================================

===============================================================

'THE BRICK' TRAINS AT:

2389 St.Clair Ave. W. Toronto

Tuesday and Thursday, some Wednesdays

--and--

2295 Dundas St. W. Toronto

Friday and Saturday

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LISTEN LIVE--Link on the right --->

------------------

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

My Secret Technique...So Secret That Coach Does Not Even Know

ENTRY 375

LAST DAY OF TRAINING

Thursday will be the last morning of training before meeting Turnbull in the ring on Saturday evening.
I will be going into Hamilton on Thursday afternoon and staying until Sunday evening.
I have to be back by Monday afternoon to be home to receive the new sectional sofa the wife ordered.

This will also be the last post until after my bout.

Once again, good luck to all competitors at the Arnie on Saturday.
Boxing is a hard sport and it is even harder when you have to put on your best performance in front of a large audience.

Everybody in the Hamilton area, please come on out at 7 PM to the Mohawk College student Centre (map below). Help support amateur athletes.

TOP SECRET TECHNIQUE (SORT OF)

I have a secret technique up in my gloves. It is so secret that nobody knows about this idea. Not even my coach.
This is not a new technique. I have seen professional boxers use it, but I am not a professional boxer.
I am not sure if I am going to do this. or if I will be able to.
This technique is very dangerous. If it does not work as I have it planned, it could cause me to knocked right the F* out. However, if it does work, yay me, but it will likely only work once as I doubt he will fall for it a second time.
It is a secret because it is very difficult to execute successfully. It is also a good example of what to not do in the ring.

I also have an introductory special.
Since Turnbull has never met me in the ring before, he will get The Brick Round One Special absolutely free!

BLOG BREAK AND CHANGES

Due to a decline in readers and the introduction of the new vlog, the "Comments From the Blue Corner" blog will revert to weekly posts. Starting January, the Wednesday publication of this blog will be cancelled until further notice. There will be one vlog during the week, and this blog will be posted on either Saturday or Sunday once per week.

"Comments From the Blue Corner" will be taking a break for the upcoming Holiday season.
There will be no "Blue Corner" on the following days: December 24, December 28, and December 31.
We will ring in 2017 with our first entry of the new year on ~~January 4~~ January 7 or 8.
Happy Holidays to all.
.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON CARD IN HAMILTON (20 SCHEDULED BOUTS)

Here is the December 10 card at the Arnie (Mohawk College Student Centre).
First bout at about 7 PM. They have added a couple of bouts, so now we are up to 23.
This is the largest amateur card I have ever seen, and it is going to be great!
~~Eight~~ seven boxers from the fabulous Durham Boxing Academy team are scheduled to be on the card.

As sanctioned by the Ontario Boxing Association and hosted by the Hamilton Boxing Club.

[subject to change]

Names in BOLD are from the Durham team, with head coach Brock Arthur in the corner.

1: Arif Esufali/Rival Grants VS. Josh Lush/Adanac
2: John Mutton/ McEwans VS Jim Dean/Destiny
3: Ashley Ann/ Hamilton EXH. Madeline Carscallen/Diamond fitness
4: Hyder khan/ McEwans VS Allan Blackett/ Durham
5: Mandy Taylor-Bartley/River City VS. Natalie Yip/Grants Rival
6: Simon Phillip/Rival Grants VS. Johnny Aguirre/K1
7: Drake Olchowecki/ Hamilton VS Darren Matte /Durham
8: Ryan Huggett/ River City VS Cody Kelly/ TwinTigers.
9: Jesse Sallows/ Boones VS Steve Nicholson/ Durham.
10: Kiefer Ritter/Inception VS Connor Mcrae/ River City.
11: Colin Douglas/ Hamilton EXH Jose Fuentes/ Hamilton.
12: Sarah Lo/Durham VS Jynelle Bourne/Destiny
13: Will Whyte/ Hamilton VS Derek Charbonneau/ Inception
14: Kyle Murray/River City VS Brendan Sweet/Diamond fitness
15: Jason Mcintyre/ Hamilton VS Nick Hammond/School of Hard Knox
16: Peter Temoche/K1 VS Eric Walker/River City
17: Mitchell Eakins/ Hamilton VS Bruce Chaplin/ Inception
18: Nick Kambasis/ Durham VS Blake Loxton/River city
19: Scott Turnbull/ Hamilton VS Paul Brechbuhler/ Durham.
20: Andrew Slade/ Hamilton VS Garrett Mole/ Durham

CANCELLED BOUTS:

~~Katie Lynch/ Hamilton EXH Megan Fiona Mosgrove/Bomanville~~
Dylan Taylorr/River City VS Kyle McLaughlin/ Durham
~~Adrian Bell/Undisputed VS Trevor Clark/Radalofi.~~

Contact HAMILTON BOXING CLUB for more information.

The event will be held at the Mohawk College Student Centre. 135 Fennell Avenue West, Hamilton. (One block west of West 5th Street)

Cheers,

'The Brick'

This guy in a few days :

DECEMBER 10

==============================================================

WITH A LITTLE EFFORT AND A LOT OF DETERMINATION, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

===============================================================

'The Brick' is proud to be a member of

http://www.ontarioboxing.ca/

'THE BRICK' TRAINS AT:

2389 St.Clair Ave. W. Toronto

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and some Saturday

--and--

2295 Dundas St. W. Toronto

Friday

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LISTEN LIVE--Link on the right --->

------------------

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Last Weekend of Training

ENTRY 374

SATURDAY MORNING TRAINING

Four rounds of sparring and some pad work with the coach on Saturday morning.
I then discussed some strategy with him.

Together we came up with some good ideas.
As always, I do not reveal training techniques this close to a bout. If you want to see what I have been doing over the last few weeks, all you have to do is show up at the Arnie on Saturday at 7 PM.
It will be a great card with 23 bout scheduled.
Please come out to support your amateur athletes. We compete for the fun and exercise and to test our skill. Not for money.
It takes a lot of work to be a boxer, and a lot of guts to get into that ring in front of an audience.
Respect to all boxers. Good luck to all competitors on Saturday.

There will be no blog on Saturday, but maybe one this coming Wednesday.
Regular blogs return December 14 for a bit before taking a break for the Holidays.

DECEMBER 10 CARD (23 SCHEDULED BOUTS)

Here is the December 10 card at the Arnie (Mohawk College Student Centre).
First bout at about 7 PM. They have added a couple of bouts, so now we are up to 23.
This is the largest amateur card I have ever seen, and it is going to be great!
Eight boxers from the fabulous Durham Boxing Academy team are scheduled to be on the card.

As sanctioned by the Ontario Boxing Association and hosted by the Hamilton Boxing Club.

[subject to change]

Names in BOLD are from the Durham team, with head coach Brock Arthur in the corner.

1: Arif Esufali/Rival Grants Vs. Josh Lush/Adanac
2: John Mutton/ McEwans VS Jim Dean/Destiny
3: Ashley Ann/ Hamilton EXH. Madeline Carscallen/Bomanville
4: Hyder Khan/ McEwans VS Allan Blackett/ Durham
5: Katie Lynch/ Hamilton EXH Megan Fiona Mosgrove/Bomanville
6: Mandy Taylor-Bartley/River City VS. Natalie Yip/Grants Rival
7: Simon Phillip/Rival Grants VS. Johnny Aguirre/K1
8: Sarah Ro/ Durham VS Jynelle Bourne/Destiny
9: Ryan Huggett/ River City VS Cody Kelly/ TwinTigers.
10:Jesse Sallows/ Boones VS Steve Nicholson/ Durham.
11: Kiefer Ritter/Inception VS Connor Mcrae/ River City.
12: Colin Douglas/ Hamilton EXH Jose Fuentes/ Hamilton.
13: Dylan Taylorr/River City VS Kyle McLaughlin/ Durham
14: Will Whyte/ Hamilton VS Derek Charbonneau/ Inception
15: Adrian Bell/Undisputed VS Trevor Clark/Radalofi.
16: Drake Olchowecki/ Hamilton VS Darren Matte/ Durham
17: Kyle Murray/River City VS Brendan Sweet/ Bowman.
18: Jason Mcintyre/ Hamilton VS Nick Hammond/School of Hard Knox
19: Peter Temoche/K1 VS Eric Walker/River City
20: Mitchell Eakins/ Hamilton VS Bruce Chaplin/ Inception
21: Nick Kambasis/ Durham VS Blake Loxton/River city
22: Scott Turnbull/ Hamilton VS Paul Brechbuhler/ Durham.
23: Andrew Slade/ Hamilton VS Garrett Mole/ Durham

Contact HAMILTON BOXING CLUB for more information.

The event will be held at the Mohawk College Student Centre. 135 Fennell Avenue West, Hamilton. (One block west of West 5th Street)

BLOG BREAK

"Comments From the Blue Corner" will be taking a break for the upcoming Holiday season.
There will be no "Blue Corner" on the following days: December 24, December 28, and December 31.
We will ring in 2017 with our first entry of the new year on January 4.
Happy Holidays to all.

Cheers,

'The Brick'

This guy in one week:

DECEMBER 10

==============================================================

WITH A LITTLE EFFORT AND A LOT OF DETERMINATION, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

===============================================================

'The Brick' is proud to be a member of

http://www.ontarioboxing.ca/

'THE BRICK' TRAINS AT:

2389 St.Clair Ave. W. Toronto

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and some Saturday

--and--

2295 Dundas St. W. Toronto

Friday

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LISTEN LIVE--Link on the right --->

------------------

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Practical Drills With Coach and An Updated December 10 Card !

ENTRY 373

PRACTICAL TECHNICAL DRILLS WITH COACH BROCK

Tuesday was an interesting session at the Boxing Academy.
Brock had me doing practical defence drills.
I have to say it was one of the most useful and intelligent drills I had ever done.
In the past I have done drills where the coach would call out a combination, and the guy on offence would throw said combination, and I had to use any defence.
Well, thinking about it, that is not practical because when in competition your opponent does not warn you of what he is going to throw.
What Coach Brock does with his drill is he has the offence throw anything. Then the person practising defence had no idea what is coming.
A very good drill and an excellent test of ones defence ability.

It is getting to crunch time with only about a week to go to my last bout of the year.
It has been a bad year for boxing for me.
In addition to having to move to a different gym and find a new coach, I am so far winless for the year. I can not let this year end without a win.

As for finding a new coach, I may turn out to be a good thing.
So far, i have been quite happy with Brock, and the Durham team are a great bunch of people.

On December 10, eight members of the Durham team will be competing. Which, I believe is the entire team.
This will be a great card now with 23 bouts scheduled.
As I mentioned in this week's vlog, I want to see people coming out to support amateur boxers. We thrive on the audience.
Please find time to come out to this great card put on by the Hamilton Boxing Club and sanctioned by the great people at the Ontario Boxing Association.

DECEMBER 10 CARD (RECENTLY UPDATED, MORE BOUTS !)

Here is the December 10 card at the Arnie (Mohawk College Student Centre).
First bout at about 7 PM. They have added a couple of bouts, so now we are up to 23.
This is the largest amateur card I have ever seen, and it is going to be great!
Eight boxers from the fabulous Durham Boxing Academy team are scheduled to be on the card.

As sanctioned by the Ontario Boxing Association and hosted by the Hamilton Boxing Club.

[subject to change]

Names in BOLD are from the Durham team, with head coach Brock Arthur in the corner.

Contact HAMILTON BOXING CLUB for more information.

The event will be held at the Mohawk College Student Centre. 135 Fennell Avenue West, Hamilton. (One block west of West 5th Street)

FAILS OF THE MONTH

I like to sometimes do these extra (non-boxing related) things when I don't have a lot to put into an entry.

"The Brick" now presents Photo Fails of the Month.

I don't think these need any captions. Use your imagination.
Although, I added captions anyway, because I just had to.