We start every live with a prayer. Here is what came out of the Hard Punching Q&A stream on November 4 from St. Cloud, MN, where I showed up without my boxing gloves and made it work anyway.
1. No gloves? Go to plan B.
I forgot my boxing gloves. I might have thrown them away, since they were all busted up. So I got the plan B MMA gloves on, and it felt like I was not even wearing gloves. You are not always going to have what you planned on. Work with what you have and keep moving.
2. Variability is experience.
When I want to throw weak punches, I throw weak punches. When I want to throw strong punches, I throw strong punches. That range is called experience. The less you can do that, the less experience you have. Little kids focus on punching hard.
3. Balance before power.
Even in my warm-up I am focusing on my balance more than power punching. Most people focus on power because it looks the coolest. It is like a trick. It is a trap.
4. Real fights do not look like the highlight reel.
Everybody pitches the big knockout picture because it looks cool. In reality you are probably going to tie up with the guy, get exhausted and wrestle, because that is what people do when they are tired. It is probably not going to look cool in real life.
5. Look below the water.
A lot of things in boxing are hard to measure, so people default to punching hard, because thinking about balance is hard. People look at the iceberg above the water and never think about what is underneath. Most people skip over blocking. Coaches can guide you, but you have to walk that path yourself.
Your turn: what is one thing you skip in your training because it is hard to see or measure? Tell me in the comments.
We stream live Monday through Saturday at 5:00 PM Central on YouTube at @JonathonGuyerBoxing. Join the list below and I will send you what the gym teaches: technique, discipline and faith, with no selling. God bless, Jonathon
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