Boxing Clever: Part I…

I have now joined the white collar boxing gym I sampled some weeks ago with a try-out session and I decide to head on in there when it’s quiet to suss out the run of the place and get to grips with the equipment. This way I won’t look like a total tool when there are other people about.

Fortunately most of the equipment is stuff I’m familiar with so the heavy bags, speed balls, uppercut bags, free weights and weight machines hold no major surprises for me. I also take a little notebook so I can chart my progress and keep a track of what I’m doing and not miss anything out before I establish a training routine I know by heart.

The notebook has a picture of a pig on it. This was a present from the Missus and is based on one of my terms of affection for her, namely 'I love you more than any pig' which is a line from Blackadder. This may not be a particularly macho possession to display in a boxing gym but I like it nonetheless and it makes me smile.

The initial boxing battleplan is for me to get my basic skills in shape over a few weeks then I can hit the ground (not literally) running when I start using my personal training sessions. I soon learn, however, that delivering rapid-fire roundhouse kicks to punchbags is frowned upon.

I can sort of understand this as I wouldn’t walk into a hapkido dojang and start karate training. It’s also quite a good discipline as when I’m at the boxing gym I’m boxing and not working on anything else.

After a 45-minute workout of stretching, weights and working various punchbags I learn another two important lessons, though.

Lesson one is not to get carried away on the heavy bags. Just because they can take a lot of punishment it doesn’t mean my wrists, arms and fists can. My left arm was ready to drop off an hour after training. Slowly, slowly seems to be the key here…

Lesson number two is on tying my hand wraps. I sort of rushed doing these because I was very self-conscious of not looking like an idiot but they form a vital layer of protection for the knuckles and they also provide additional support for the wrists. A well-tied wrap could be the difference between a broken knuckle and a sprained wrist and keeping everything in working order.

Apart from that, though, all is good in the land of pugilism. If a bit tiring to start off with…