Nerdcore Boxing

This new gym I found has much nicer facilities than my current local, I could actually do all my strength and conditioning there too. Plus it’s an MMA gym.

In theory I’ve wanted to get back into MMA, but MMA gyms usually offer limited boxing programs and are super expensive. The problem with them is that they need to offer MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Muay Thai classes in addition to Boxing and Wrestling. This means that they employ 4X the number of trainers, and their boxing classes are usually 1 hr slots 2-3 times/week. This is not enough training time for me.

I hope I don’t piss off the Muay Thai and BJJ advocates with what I’m about to say, and I preface my comments by saying that I’ve been out of the MMA game recently so my perspective may be ignorant. But it seems to me that MMA gyms focus too much on BJJ and Muay Thai classes when in their MMA training they’re most likely to be boxing and wrestling along with MMA specific skills. Yeah there’s kicking, kneeing and submissions in MMA, but those things are far less common than the other components. So why not focus more on Boxing, Wrestling and integrated MMA classes, and make BJJ and Muay Thai secondary?

Well this new gym I’m thinking about takes this Boxing/Wrestling/MMA approach. This is great for me because there’s lots of Boxing classes and people competing in pro/am Boxing to spar with. And there is the additional advantage that when I go back to MMA I already wanted to focus on developing Wrestling skill so I can impose my Boxing. Wrestling, while it doesn’t include submissions, teaches one to control the transition between striking and grappling. Basically if you have superior Wrestling you get to decide if it’s a grappling or striking match.

Apparently I’m not the only guy who likes this approach because 3 former UFC and two current WEC fighters train at this gym. In a week or two I’m going to visit this gym, then if I like it decide when/how to break it off with my trainer.

Some of the boxing bloggers on the net (like Lawyer Boxer and Earning a Nickname) are more open about posting the name of their gyms or sparring partners. Personally I don’t do this because my anonymity makes me feel more comfortable discuss my trainers and sparring partners without it affecting our relationships.

My long time readers know that I never come on here and bash people I train with, so I don’t worry about hurting people’s feelings. All the same it would be awkward if one of my sparring partners subscribed to this blog and showed up to the gym saying, “so you thought you owned me with your jab in the first round last night…”

I made this anonymity decision 3 years ago and I’m convinced it’s the right decision. If I do go forward with switching gyms I’ll continue to post details, but I’m going to withhold the gym name.

I was surfing the interwebs last Friday trying to narrow down the overwhelming list of 30 boxing gyms nearby and found a prospect. I was really excited to stumble onto a gym between home and work that appears to meet all of my needs and offers additional goodies.

Before I began my search, my mental checklist included the following: must be a legit boxing club that caters to amateurs, must be close by, must have training times I can make, and it must be reasonably priced.

This new place trains amateur and pros, and is within 10 minutes of home. I can make 4 training slots/week, which is more than my current club offers. Training fees are $100/month, which is more than the measly $35/month I pay now, but far less than many of the $200+ gyms in my area.

More to come…

I lost 6+ lbs last week. I’m not sure if this is due to being sick, or the fact that it included 3-4 lbs of weight I held for only about 2 weeks. In any case I’ll take it.

This week I’m planning on running, doing 3 sessions with my boxing trainer plus a little work on the side. My goal is to lose another 2 lbs and weigh in at 185lbs.

My little boy is a 3 ft tall Ebola monkey, constantly infecting me with the latest flu virus or cold inducing bacteria. I spent the last 8 years rarely getting ill, now I’m catching 4+ colds per year.

I just got over my latest illness and only have a little chest congestion left. Unfortunately this wiped out 5 days of workouts. I did some calisthenics last night and I’m going to do a mini-workout tonight to gear up for my scheduled Friday workout with the trainer. Friday night is going to suck.

As far as switching gyms I’m not going to do anything for a few weeks. I need to get back in shape and despite the inconvenience traveling to foreign gyms for sparring, it can be fun. Once I’m almost back in shape I’ll make my decision.

Finding a boxing gym in Los Angeles is a massive undertaking. I did a search on BoxingGyms.com for clubs within close driving distance and there are 30+ boxing gyms! No that’s not a typo, 30+ gyms. I’m very familiar with a few nearby, but I know them because my trainer has relationships with them, so switching might be awkward.

The other issue is money. A dedicated boxing gym, as apposed to an MMA or martial arts school with a boxing class, usually segregates their “customers” into several demographics which get different qualities of service. If I had to breakdown the demographics I’d put them as follows: professional boxers, amateurs with bright futures and yuppies who pay a fortune for private lessons. I’m not really in any of these categories, I’m 34, I’ll never go pro and I can’t spend $2-300/month.

Realistically even if I switch gyms I want to get in better shape first and brush off some of the ring rust. So I’m not going anywhere in the next few weeks. And besides maybe my gym’s situation can be resolved in the next few weeks.

No, I am not dreaming of leaving my wife for a 25 year old, I’m metaphorically referring to the demise of my boxing club and possibly switching boxing gyms.

The thought of switching gyms and trainers is both sad and enticing. I’m not a creature of habit, I like trying out new things and moving to new places. A fresh start and a new trainer who could teach me different skills is exciting. Even better would be more frequent and convenient training times.

I definitely consider my trainer’s hours to be non-optimal and the club sort of doesn’t have open training times. When the trainers are gone they lock off the ring, most of the bags and all the mirrors, leaving only a single heavy bag with limited floor space. I’d love to be at a gym that had trainers available ever weeknight and Saturday, or at least had open gym hours where I had access to all the equipment.

What to do, what to do…

My boxing club is the second club I’ve trained at. It’s out of the YMCA where it’s been for 10 years. It doesn’t have a big name, it’s not sexy, but it’s a good amateur program and from my travels to local gyms I can tell you we’re well respected.

The boxing club is the most popular program at my gym and has gotten lots of support from management, until a few weeks ago. Aparently some pinhead was hired into an executive role a few weeks back and decided to ban sparring with contact! We’re not allowed to hit each other! Unbelievable.

This new guy is apparently attempting to end a decade long tradition of training amateur boxers and force the club to become a family friendly fitness class.

Of course many people are trying to fight this decision. And to get around it my trainer is taking us to local gyms several times/week for sparring. Tonight they are going to a boxing gym in Compton at 5PM. That’s is too early to get off work and drive to, and this puts me in a bad position requiring me to show up additional nights just to spar.

I don’t see how this can work for me. What do I do? Do I switch clubs?

After 5 years at the same club, it’s not just switching gyms, it’s a divorce. There may very well be hard feelings if I leave my trainer. Right now I’m just confused.

In case you haven’t heard, UFC President Dana White has been in talks with current heavyweight boxer and future Hall Of Famer James Toney about fighting in the UFC. Toney has actually been floating this idea in the media for years but more recently started showing up to UFCs and getting in Dana White’s ear.

Last year former heavyweight champ Hasim Rahman said he’s now training for MMA. Ricardo Mayorga has a fight lined up against former UFC fighter Din Thomas on March 6 in Florida’s Shine Fights. Kermit Cintron and even Evander Holyfield have also attempted to court the UFC in the media.

As a boxing and MMA fan I’d love to see elite boxers in MMA, and I love James Toney. I worship slickness and defense, and therefore Toney is one of my favorite boxers of this era. Toney is a genius as a boxer. But I just don’t see it working out for him in MMA. He’s changed up his style of boxing a few times in his career and I think he could adapt it for MMA and learn to grapple, but based on his comments in the media he won’t. Toney doesn’t have any respect for MMA, nor any interest in learning the game.

Toney seems to think he can just step into the UFC and win fights. Personally having originally came from MMA, I know how difficult it is to keep the fight standing against a good grappler. No boxer is going to be able to keep the fight standing in the UFC unless they learn to wrestle and to integrate this with their boxing. If Toney gets a few fights he’ll probably score a spectacular KO here or there, but most of the time he’ll immediately end up on his back and then get submitted pronto.

Now that the UFC is generating enough income to supposedly pay 18 fighters 7 figures per year, they should poach some boxers. MMA has a history of skimming top guys from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling and Kickboxing, and should start recruiting from the top of Boxing. But instead of signing 40 something Hall of Famers like Toney or Holyfield, how about getting a few elite boxers who are closer to 30 and who have the motivation to spend a few years learning the MMA game?

I weighed in Saturday morning at 191 lbs, which is 2 lbs up from before the holidays. Then I went running Saturday and Sunday, 1.5 miles each day with sprints and got in some intense intervals of shadow boxing. I also lifted weights Sunday.

My plan is to sit down with my trainer tonight and talk about training for an upcoming fight. I’m curious what time frame he’s looking for, because I think I need to drop 15 lbs. From here on out all I will worry about is showing up to my boxing club on the designated nights and listening to my trainer.