Training Diary: Week 9

THE beast has been uncaged and he's hungry!
I have noticed over the past week or so a big improvement in my boxing, and particularly my aggression.
There is no more Mr Nice Guy and I am on a mission to lay down some pain!
I really enjoyed Sunday's session and came out with a renewed sense of confidence.
Unfortunately I am nursing ANOTHER injury and one which isn't to be heeling.
Having gone over my ankle celebrating City's famous FA Cup win two weeks ago it still really hurts when I put weight on it - which isn't a good sign.
Now luckily I can still punch but it is affecting my speed and footwork - which was pretty much my whole fight strategy.
Anyway, we started the session with some very very intense circuit training. I had to take it a little easy due to my poorly foot but it was still absolutely shattering.
We had to do a quick shuttle run, ten press ups, 20 leg pull ups, and 30 squats, then repeat for half an hour.
It hurt, it hurt me a lot.
We then paired up with a partner to do a bit of sparring. I chose Carl, who despite approaching 50 is one of the fittest men I have seen (in a health type way...).
I put my new found aggression to the test and I was a lot better. I am no longer throwing my punches leaning back, as I was frightened of getting hit, and am finally getting a bit more stuck in.
After a bit of bag work the session was over and I could go home and stick my foot in ice.

Now last week I did a bit of 'extra training' which will all be unveiled on Wednesday (avec video).
All to be revealed.

Training Diary: Week 8.1

SO just three weeks to go.
Part of me is excited, the other absolutely terrified.
Will I end up a bloody mess, in a heap on the floor, or a valiant champion? Only time will tell...
As I am now matched up training last night was mainly bag and stamina work which was a welcome change.
While sparring i great to get you prepared for the physical nature of the fight I hadn't worked on the bags or my fitness for some time.
After the usual warms ups and three rounds shadow boxing I moved onto the bags.
Pretty much spent 45 minutes doing two minutes rounds going hell to leather.
Was so tiring but one of those sessions which I felt was a real benefit. Noticing much more power in my punching, especially my body shots.
I am also keeping my guard up now which is a big boost!

So not loads to report this week but its getting close. And any suggestions for my entrance song are welcome! I have a couple of ideas but need some more inspiration!

Training Diary: Week 8.1

 

 

NO backing out now.

The fight is set and my opponent selected. It's on!

After a week away from training in the Arctic Circle I was back at it yesterday. However things were quite tricky as I have seemed to have sprained my ankle celebrating the football on Saturday (worth it!).

Still, like always, I laughed pain in the face and battled on with training (after several ibuprofen and spraying a can of Deep Heat).

After warming up half of us were taken to one side and did 20 minutes or so of sparring in a bid to try and match some of us up.

With just four weeks to go until the fight its important that we actually know who we will be facing so we can begin focussing our training.

My first sparring partner was bigger, stronger and better than me. Although I was no way embarrassed I think he came out on top.

I was then put in the ring against someone else. This time it was much more even. He caught me a few times but I also landed a few, especially a nice right hook counter right on his chin which sent him back.

My immediate reaction was to apologise - which isn't the point of boxing - to the surprise of everyone watching I think.

I have to remember the aim of boxing is to hit and hurt people!!

After the two minute round we were asked how we would feel fighting each other and we were matched up.

He's a bit bigger than me and a stronger puncher but I think my reach is a little bit better.

I am not a big puncher and I have decided to try and concentrate on counter punching as I think I am quite quick. I held my guard up a lot better this session but I need to stop punching leaning back.

I do not notice I am doing it and one of the coaches did some pad work with me afterwards to try and address it.

I could definitely see an improvement in my punching and I actually had a little bit of power to my surprise! Those protein shakes may be working...

After the sparring we did some circuit training which was horrible - and difficult with a sprained ankle!

It was 12 minutes of non stop circuits. We started with 30 seconds of press ups, 30 seconds of squats, 30 seconds of running with high knees, and 30 seconds of burpees. This was repeated six times with no breaks.

If you want to feel pain do this!!

Anyway with the days counting down the realisation of what I am doing has actually set in...oh god!

If anyone wants tickets they can email me or call Paul on 07834 129 097 or Crain on 07966 298765 or Shaun 07798 771013. There are only a few left so call quick!

Training Diary: Week 6.1

"IF YOU want the rainbow you got to put up with the rain."

You know which "philosopher" said that? Dolly Parton. And people say she's just a...

Anyway. It pretty much sums up my week of boxing. 

After feeling like hanging up my gloves on Sunday night after my battering in the ring I decided tonight will be a fresh start. Things couldn't get much worse anyway.

Tonight we started with five rounds of shadow boxing. Tiring but it really does show how fit I have got in the past two months. 

I used to struggle to do a round, now I can comfortably do five. However this means nothing when you get into the ring as I will come onto...

After this I was once again taken to one side and spent the next 50 minutes or so sparring... absolutely knackering. 

But to my horror I was once again facing the boxer - or as I have christened him Ivan Drago - who destroyed me on Sunday.

This time Crain was in my corner giving me tips and luckily he was told to take it and not throw much back. 

Its all about building up my confidence and getting out that inner beast which I am desperate to find. And I think tonight he made an appearance. 

I unloaded using my jab, ducking, weaving and trying to connect that right hook.

I landed a few but it was about getting aggressive.

I also learnt that I need to control my punch rate as I went in all guns blazing and was kanckered after 30 seconds. And the nerves of the night won't help if I cannot pace myself.

I also keep dropping my left hand once I have thrown a jab which leave me exposed to a counter jab or left hook which I need to sort out. 

After two rounds I then did some lighter sparring with Ben, who is a similar size and ability, for 10 minutes or so. 

We have been sparring together since we started and both noticed a big improvement in each other. 

It was pretty close as Ben is great at blocking so we both got a lot out. I handed a sweet jab on his nose but we got me - as expected - with a good left hook on the chin which I am still feeling now (in my right ear surprisingly, must of jarred it).

Thinking it was over I was then thrown into the ring again to sparr with someone new. He was a bit bigger than me but I had the speed and  just kept stepping in, firing a couple of jabs, and stepping out. Got hit a few times but definitely felt a lot better and feeling more confident now. 

This will be my last update for 10 days or so as I am in Norway doing altitude training. Im going to keep on the shadow boxing though to try and make keeping my left hand covering my face a natural reaction. 

Training Diary: Week 6

SORRY for the late post but I have been nursing my wounds...
Yesterday I took an absolute pounding.
I had been worried about my nose all along - well its finally be smashed so im not too bothered about that anymore...
After the usual warm ups one of the trainers took me into the round again to do three rounds of sparring.
Now I thought he would go easy on me but to keep me on my toes, blocking and working he didn't hold back the punches and I took a lot to the face!
It didn't help that my head guard was sliding all over the place blocking most of my vision.
Anyway after catching a lot in my face and nose I was pretty stunned and really struggling.
I need to find something to light a fire in me as at the moment I am missing that 'agression' in the ring and holding back.
And I was punished for it yesterday.
By the third ring I could hardly move and my punches couldn't swat a fly.
Still its all good experience and at least I have now 'boxed' three rounds. And I hope that was a 'worst case scenario'.
After a few minutes rest I hit the bags for a few more rounds before doing some pad work.
I am definitely more comfortable with my jab rather than my right hand which is strange and is something I need work on.
So not all good and with the clock ticking I need to start making some major improvements!

Training Diary: Week 5.1

BE aggressive.
Thats the advice I've been given and to be honest its something I agree with.
Ive been too frightened of hurting someone and lets be honest, isn't that the whole point of boxing?
So from now on I am a mean, lean, aggressive fighting machine!
Anyway, after warming up boxing coach Crain took me aside and did some one on one with me in the boxing ring.
He started off getting me to move about by throwing punches at me and keeping me on my toes.
It went really well and I could really feel my footwork getting better and my movement around the ring.
We then worked on my jabbing and keeping my hands up after i've thrown a punch.
We then worked on body shots and transferring my weight from leg to leg to throw a mean hook.
All in all it was some very valuable one on one time.
I then did a bit of light sparring with another partner for a few minutes.
With Crains advice of "be aggressive" ringing through my mind I was determined not to be pushed about this time.
So from the off I was more in  his face using my jab constantly to attack and keep him off me.
He got through a couple of times but there was a definite improvement tonight which is good.
For the first time I actually think I may make this alive...

Anyway, I will have tickets on Sunday so let me know if you want some!! Need to shift at least 30!

Training Diary: Week 5

WELL its Sunday but sadly nothing to report today.
 Decided to give training a miss to rest my wrist as its still not good. Hopefully a week off will do it some good and am keeping it compressed.
Getting worried about it now and if it keeps hurting each time I box i'll have to see a doctor. Not good.

Gutted to miss training though, especially as I am going to have to miss a week in May. Although I do have a secret weapon up my sleave...all to be revealed soon.

Training Diary: Week 4.1

SO not really much to report after tonight's session.
Staying away from the bags and heavy stuff while my wrist gets better.
Again we did the usual warm ups and four rounds of shadow boxing which is getting easier that shows im getting fitter.
I used to shattered afterwards but can now easily make it through and still punching decent shots by the end.
Were a lot of us tonight so we split into three groups; some on the bags, some doing some touch sparring and my group some circuit training.
We do this exercise every week now and again is getting easier.
It basically consists of running across the hall three times, doing 10 press ups, running three times again, doing 10 sits ups, running again and do starjumps, etc for about 10 minutes. Absolutely knackering.
After that and I had my breathe back I paired up with Deano and we did a bit of block and jabbing practice.
After watching him duck and weave I decided to try and adopt this and gave it a bash. As I am quick I sort of took to it quite well and he struggled to hit me.
I used to just stand there and get hit but now I am actually moving out the way.
Anyway, not wildly exciting tonight sorry. Until next time.

Training Diary: Week 4

GEORGE Chuvalo was a Canadian heavyweight who was never knocked down in 93 fights.
He is regarded as having the greatest ever chin in the sport.
Lucky for George this record looks set to remain unbroken as it took me just two sparring rounds before landing bottom first on the canvas.
Now I must stress that I pretty much fell over my own feet rather than being floored by a haymaker but its still pretty embarrassing either way...
Anyway, putting that behind me my biggest concern at the moment is my wrist. I tried to do some bag work again today but knew as soon as I threw my first punch with my right arm that it wasn't good.
Not quite sure what is wrong with it but as soon as I hit a bag it hurts. Don't know if its a sprain or anything but its not good.
Going to see how it goes over the next few days but the best thing may be to take a week or so off which is the last thing I need at the moment.
So while everyone else was doing bag work I had to watch and do some skipping on my own - which is the most frustrating thing in the world.
Crain then took me a aside to do some one on one with my footwork. He's trying to get me to use my back leg properly and to push out of it rather than jumping. Despite spending 10 minutes with me I just couldn't get it right.
We then moved onto some fitness work which I do not wish to talk about as it was horrendous and involved carrying our partners, crawling and hopping from one end to another, press ups, sits ups and other such torture.
We then moved onto some technical work as we always do where we throw jabs and block.
It was then when we started sparring. Now I pray I do not get paired up with this guy as he was just bigger and better in every way. He just wouldn't step away from me and was constantly throwing punches.
My blocking is getting better and I cannot actually remember him connecting to my face but he did throw a lethal body shot.
My instinct was to go down, like you would on a football pitch when someones just booted one full pelt in your stomach, but I knew I had to stay up and just ride it out which I did. But I can still feel it typing this.
Most people think boxing is about the big head shots but until you have been hit by one you really do not know how much a good body shot can hurt.
Still it wasn't all one way and I did connect with a few nice jabs and a sweet counter right between the eyes which sent him back.
But he just kept coming and pushing me back and after a few to the body I stepped back, stood on my own feet and sort of lost my balance.
Down I went...but I was up straight away.
I need some work and need to be so much more aggressive in the ring as both sparring sessions now I am the one following, not setting the pace.

Training Diary: Week 3.1

TONIGHT I learnt two things.
One, don't box with a migraine.
Two, I quite like being punched in the face.
After suffering a all-day headache it probably wasn't a great idea to go to training tonight.
And it probably wasn't smart to volunteer to take part in my first real sparring session.
We started with warm ups and shadow boxing again before moving onto circuits.
Once we were nice and 'fresh' we went into twos and jabbed each other switching to southpaw and back again. Quite tricky but its nice to see training getting a bit more physical now and I landed a couple of sweet shots - and also received a few.
Today also saw the competition of our training ring.
So after being asked "who wants to sparr?" I thought i'd have a bit of that and stepped forward.
Watching some of the other guys going at it I was chomping at the bit for my chance - although with a head guard only as I am still too pretty to get cut.
And there here it was. My first real fight. It was only a 90 second round but it was exhausting.
The guy I faced had a slightly bigger reach and was going for my face. My blocking is also still not good enough and I keep instinctively putting my hands down after throwing a punch.
Because of this I got caught with a quick right/left combination in the head - but I stayed on my feet.
I've decided I am all about the speed and I did a bit of ducking and diving and landed a couple of nice counter jabs, knocking my sparring partner off balance at one stage and onto the ropes - I thought I'd scored a knockdown at one stage!
After it ended I wanted to go again but it was time to take the gloves off and head home.
I look forward to my next rumble in the ring.

Training Diary: Week 3

SO that's how it feels to get hit...
Today we started cranking up the sparring pretty much going full pelt at each other to try and practice our blocking.
Now for someone whose only fight has been as Guile in Street Fighter on my old Amiga it was a real eye opener (luckily not literally).
Blocking a jab is quite easy when its being thrown like they are splashing paint onto a wall but when its coming at you full speed its quite tricky to stop.
By the end I was just whaling my arms about aimlessly managing to parry a few away - but unfortunately letting a couple through.
We started off with the usual warm ups of shadow boxing for three rounds. Have to admit this is getting easier which is a good sign.
My arms no longer feel like lead afterwards. Still, not there quite yet and I need to carry on with my cardio if I am to dazzle in the ring and float like a butterfly - not sink like a 1p coin.
After some truly horrific circuits we moved onto the bags...
Disaster - I sustained an injury. I jarred one of my punches which hurt my right wrist (or my main 'hurtin bomb').
I bravely carried on but had to give up, as the last thing I want is a long term injury, so just did some rope work which is absolutely knackering.
We then moved onto the blocking/sparring before coach Crain did some one-on-one with me.
If you think boxing is about two blokes aimlessly knocking seven bells out of each other think again.
There really is an art to throwing a correct punch, choosing when to throw it and keeping on balance at the same time.
Needless to say I need work but Crain showed me the basics of trowing an across right using your body, not your arm strength, to really get the power.
He also gave me a few pointers on my footwork - which is everything - and how to land those damaging hooks to the body.
Hopefully my wrist will be ok for Wednesday, last thing I need is to get behind - because I really really really need the practice.

Training Diary: Week 2.1

Only a short one.
Just got back from a pretty hardcore session tonight.
But the big news is I have a blister on my knuckle! That's right. I feel like a real pro now with sports related injuries and everything.
Tonight consisted of the usual warm-ups before shadow boxing and more jabbing and blocking practice.
We then moved onto the bags and had our punches counted over three 2 minute rounds. Surprisingly I throw about 150 punches per minute which seems quite high...I think I may have to change my style and become a brawler!
Still not protecting my face properly, really need to get it into my head to bring my hands up or I am going down!!
Right my arms kill and typing is not making it better so I am off for a protein shake!

I miss the days where I sat watching TV all day and the only exercise was walking to my car in the morning.

Training Diary: Week 2

TWO weeks down and I can already feel myself getting fitter and also slightly bigger.

After becoming utterly and completely obsessed with exercise and boxing we have now started to step things up a notch.

Training is focusing more on bag work and 'light sparring' than cardio.

Last Sunday we did the usual warm ups and shadow boxing - which is getting better - before having a go on the bags.

I am still having problems keeping my guard up and naturally drop my hands to my chest rather than keeping them up to protect my face.

Now obviously this is something I need to address before the big fight otherwise I am going to smashed to the floor quicker than you can say "And in the blue corner".

I am also a little bit 'too energetic' and need to stop bouncing around like Richard Simmons on a sugar rush and conserve my energy.

Now onto the bag work...

We were given six minutes - 3x2 minute rounds - on the bags which is the time we will be in the ring.

Again this proved to be difficult as unlike shadow boxing I am actually meeting some resistance now. Still I managed to stay on my feet although I wasn't throwing the six punch combinations in three action packed rounds that I had hoped I would be.

And I still wasn't being hit at the other end...

We then moved on to more blocking training but this time partner was a bit more aggressive than my previous one and kept shouting at me to hit him the face! I think he was holding back on me though to be honest.

I am still getting sore shoulders and arms and need to work on building these up if I am to deliver any sort of power.

Now at home I have started to take on a more bizarre ritual.

I have never actually been hit before so could end up having a chin like Jake Lamotta or a glass statue. In order to try and find out I have taken to hitting myself - hard - in the face and stomach with a boxing glove. A bit strange for any passers by or my neighbours looking in I am sure but I think it's helping...

Am now looking forward to my first proper sparring session to see how I will actually cope, because at the moment I have no idea!!

Training Diary: Week 1

 

THE last time I stepped inside a boxing ring I was knocked to the floor by a girl.

In my defence I was a 12-year-old boy at the time but the shame and horror of that fateful night still haunts me to this day.

So 13 years later, and desperate to seek my vengeance, I have decided to give the fight game one last crack.

Foolishly I have stepped forward to take part in a white collar boxing fight – a charity event where novice boxers with cushy desk jobs like me fight each other - in Milnrow in June.

Organisers and friends Crain Fisher, Paul Wallis and Shaun Clancy, held a similar event last October and hope the latest bash will raise thousands of pounds for Springhill Hospice.

So always keen for a challenge and for a good cause I signed the dotted line and prepared for an intensive 10 week boxing camp.

On telling my friends, colleagues and family members that I planned to risk my rugged good looks by going hell-to-leather for three rounds, the most common response has been hysterical laugher and exclamations of 'You're doing what?!".

Now I'll admit that I've always been more of a peace and love kind of guy.

But boxing has always been a sport I've enjoyed following and feel my speed and agility is on a par with Muhammed Ali – whether in his youth or old age we will find out.

After beginning my roadwork weeks ago and starting a new diet of protein shakes I turned up to my first training session last week - completely unaware of what to expect.

Myself and about 40 other guys and girls who have signed up for the event all turned up to Doughty's Gym.

After some skipping, jogging and shuttles we started off with dreaded circuit training.

It consisted of four minutes of bag work, followed by four minutes of press ups, squat thrusts and bench push ups.

I'll admit that at this stage the thought of "what on earth are you doing?" did shoot through my mind.

After what felt like an eternity of circuit training we finally all got on our backs.

"Excellent" I thought, "time for a rest". Sadly the worst was still to come.

I lost count of the sit ups, pull ups, thrusts, press ups we did and a whole manner of other exercises which felt more like medieval torture.

I'd like to think I am quite fit but this was something else.

My stomach felt like it was on fire and my arms like they were weighed down with concrete.

But the worst was to come the following day as I woke up in absolute agony which pretty much wiped me out for two days.

After three days of 'rest' and still aching I attended my second session at Milnrow Soccer Village.

Thankfully, well so I thought, this was just going to be about boxing technique.

How hard can throwing a few jabs here and straights there be?

Very is the answer.

After learning the basics of footwork, handwork and block we shadow boxed for six minutes – the length of time we will spend in the ring – which was absolute torture.

By the end I was throwing punches which would struggle to dent a sponge, never mind floor an opponents.

Still, there are nearly three months to go and I hope by the end of it I can at least land one punch and not lose to many teeth...

As well as raising money for Springhill Hospice on the night I am also personally raising money for The Stroke Association.

You can donate by visiting www.justgiving.com/simon-coyle

The white collar boxing night will take place at the Soccer Village, Wildhouse Lane, Milnrow on Saturday, June 11, 2011.

Ticket details are expected to be announced in the next few weeks.