Coach Vs State Silver Medalist....who is right? (Western Boxing)

**Katriona1992** · Posted On: 11/17/2011 7:03am

One of the joys of training at a community funded boxing gym is the freedom. You pop in and the coach just sits there. Apart from a 'good everning' and/or a handshake, you can have no intereaction with the coach whatsoever that point onwards. If you want advice- sure, you can go up and ask for it. If you don't- you can just spend the entire evening on the bags alone, ask a friend to hold pads/mitts for you or, even, ask someone who is not a coach to teach you instead (that is if they are willing of course). I've always preferred to train that way since (a) my university hours are wierd and I don't want to arrive late and leave early in normal structured classes and (b) I just like the feeling of working independently sometimes.

However, this began to cause problems yesterday night.

In truth, the fiasco last night had been brewing for a while now. The coach at my boxing gym is actually relatively new. He's been there for less than a year. The guys who used to train there before his arrival don't like him much since the coach accuses them of doing 'boxercise' instead of real 'fighting'.

Yesterday, I was sparring and I decided to use some of the stuff the NSW welterweight silver medalist taught me (he was one of the guys who had trained at the gym for the last five years- definately before the coach came). He taught me how to parry, bob and weave. Now, the coach recommends a highly agressive style in which a boxer will literally lean and stay on the shoulder of their opponent for the majority of the match, demolishing them with hooks and uppercuts. He was not impressed with my adding of such technique. He reckons that this "fancy ****" (as he calls it) is "useless" since most boxers hands are "too fast to see let alone block" and by parrying especially, will open gaps for the your opponent to counter. Besides, he argued, even if it did work, people like Mexican boxers who have been training since they were children will definately be more skilled than you in that department. Instead, he told me to take the punches full on with my guard up, causing my arms to look like two joints of ham today even though I did manage to get inside in the end.

Sooo...the question is...whose advice do I follow? Doesn't famous boxers like Tyson, Ali and even Pacqiao have amazing bobbing and weaving abilities (especially Tyson with his head movement)? Ultimately, should I start to learn how to bob/weave/parry/avoid punches or do I just do what I have always been doing?

Thank you!

P.S. This is my third thread in the last two weeks- I apologise but I just have sooo much to learn!

**Katriona1992** · Posted On: 11/17/2011 7:12am

Due to fear that my poor writing skills did not do justice in describing the coach's style, I have added this video which features boxer Michael Kirby (who was taught by him) demonstrating it. He is the one with the little pony tail, dark brown hair and no tattoos.

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 11/17/2011 11:25am

Tell me the weights of the three people involved. Your old coach your new coach and you.

I think I know the answer but i want to make sure.

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 11/17/2011 2:10pm

Well since you aren't answering fast and may be in a different timezone I'll let the cat out of the bag.

They are both right. Boxing is a ruleset not a martial art with kata and catalogued forms. They are describing two different styles of fighting and depending on your size and speed and preferences one may more right FOR YOU. Without a lot more information about you I probably can't give you much direction. I think i remember you saying that you are light and short and right handed though from other threads. It would seem unlikely to me that a straight up take punishment style would be well suited to you.

**Katriona1992** · Posted On: 11/17/2011 3:42pm

Originally Posted by WhiteShark

Tell me the weights of the three people involved. Your old coach your new coach and you.

I think I know the answer but i want to make sure.

I am 115 pounds, the old coach is around 140 pounds and the new coach is definately 180 pounds + . The old coach is shorter than me by half a head (and even then I am only like 5'5) and the new coach is around 6'2 (give or take).

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 11/17/2011 4:04pm

Yeah, thats what I thought. Don't listen to the new coach. You have to craft a style for yourself that takes into account your own abilities and dimensions. For an extreme example: A compact Orthodox fighter can't ever fight the same style as a lanky Southpaw.

Imagine Matt Serra trying to fight with the same style as Anderson Silva.

PS respond to the height question topic. People like to know if their advice works/is understood.

**kenny_free** · Posted On: 11/17/2011 4:22pm

All the great fighters you described had one thing in common, they developed unique and frightening styles based off of what was effective for them. If your not Ricky Hatton, don't be the hitman. If you feel your other technique is successful against live opposition, than stick with it.