Boxing Levels

**ignatzami** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 9:21am

The Rochester Boxing and Fitness Center is a few miles from my current apartment. I visited the other day and found them to be open receptive and the gym spacious and well equipped but they have a unique system for teaching boxing and I'd like to get peoples opinions on it.

http://rocboxing.com/

Learn boxing from our one-of-a-kind Five Level Boxing Program:
Level 1: learn proper stance, Jab and power punch technique
Level 2: learn proper footwork, and how to throw proper hooks and uppercuts
Level 3: learn how to catch, block, slip and parry punches and some basic counter punch technique
Level 4: learn more counter punches, and work both offense and defense
Level 5: learn how to fight inside, put everything together for full contact sparring

Now, I've never boxed but this seems to be an interesting way to go about it. They advance you in a level when then feel your ready and if you want to. It's fully ok to stay at a level even once the trainers feel you should advance.

You begin light sparring at level three and work your way up to full contact by level five. I didn't get a feel for how long that would be, frankly forgot to ask.

They change $45 a month, or $20 a class. Every level above 1 is an additional 10$ a month. But your entitled to go to all classes at or below your level.

Thoughts? More questions I should ask them? Etc.

**Hesperus** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 12:08pm

I'm confused about the pricing...you only get 2.25 classes a month?

**dinstitute** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 12:20pm

This almost seems like "belt ranks" for a Boxing Curriculum. Kind of a cool idea.

**truepwrz** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 1:32pm

Originally Posted by Hesperus

I'm confused about the pricing...you only get 2.25 classes a month?

no 20 is for one class only, where 45 wil get you a month a training there and you contact them for classes

**Scott Larson** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 1:36pm

This is getting to be pretty common now. Do you know the average timespan for each level?

**ignatzami** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 1:45pm

Originally Posted by Hesperus

I'm confused about the pricing...you only get 2.25 classes a month?

No, no. The $45 dollars is a month membership. If you don't want a membership their drop in rate is $20 a class, sorta a mat fee.

**ignatzami** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 1:46pm

Originally Posted by Scott_Larson

This is getting to be pretty common now. Do you know the average timespan for each level?

I don't sadly, but I'm assuming a matter of months if you train regularly. I was told that it was not uncommon for people to be sparring full contact within a year. So two to three months a level?

**Scott Larson** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 2:04pm

Cool. If that's the case, it sounds good.

I worry about students having the patience for it though. Not many people want to jab, cross for 3 months. (I'm assuming power punch = cross)

**ignatzami** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 2:14pm

Originally Posted by Scott_Larson

Cool. If that's the case, it sounds good.

I worry about students having the patience for it though. Not many people want to jab, cross for 3 months. (I'm assuming power punch = cross)

I think the early levels are treated more as cardio for those not really looking to fight. I would also assume that there is no real set schedule.

**Torakaka** · Posted On: 7/02/2008 3:28pm

I don't really like this "formula" for teaching students. Not that I disagree with certain aspects of it (like making sure you have down your stance before putting more things on your plate, people often never learn the value of balance in favor of trying to best figure out how to land that overhand right/uppercut/whatever), but having a formula for teaching students like this seems to really take away from the idea of individualized training.

My old boxing coach would look at each student and determine what they, in particular, needed to focus on and pound it into their skulls. He had this one guy focusing on really getting down keeping his arms relaxed when throwing punches for at least several weeks. And he would stand their chewing on his tooth pick really driving it into the guy during the classes.

Taking a student aside and really working with them on specific things they need to work on is something that has been really lacking with a lot of the classes that I've been in. That kind of attention not only helped with whatever techniques I was working on at the time, but also gave me a basis for how to self coach and really nail down what needed work and what needed to be changed and how to do that.

Paying by the "level" (like paying per technique?) seems a little mcdojo to me, though the price and the fact that you pay by the month is a pretty good deal. Even paying $95 month to month once you actually start sparring is better than what I'm paying for at Knuckle Up (they have me and Kat on a 14 month contract paying $100/month) for the muay thai program. That is, as long as you're getting at least 4-5 classes /week with free use of the gym facilities.

Go check it out and see what you think of the place and how the coaches work with the students. Look for how much the coaches are paying attention to each student and how much they work with them, and not just in the level one class (pretty much every instructor will have a tendency to work with someone in particular for their first couple classes to make sure they come back).