The first thing a young boxer should learn in my opinion is

[wladimir1988]

Ya man

Hopkins is a real slick philly brotha


I took tips from him too with the balls in mouth technique

[shadeyfizzle]

Positioning........because you have to be in the right position to evade a punch and at the same time return a punch.i was working with my son today and he has solid defense but im trying to teach him to not remain in a shell and make his opponent pay for his mistakes........but you have to remain in position to accomplish that..next is timing.you have to time the miss and the punishment.it comes down to science and thats why i love this sport.1 wrong angle,one inch to close or to far and you cant accomplish your goal


please state you opinions on what you think are the important aspects

I actually teach my kids to stay in the shell and weather the storm. It teaches them not to panic in the face of pressure and develop a vision for sensing openings that can only be developed through experience. The rest can always be worked on later.

You wanna teach your kid to counter and evade at the same time which is fine but in order to do that he has to first recognize his windows of opportunity. He cant capitalize on openings if he's dancing around afraid to get hit

[Brother Jay]

I actually teach my kids to stay in the shell and weather the storm. It teaches them not to panic in the face of pressure and develop a vision for sensing openings that can only be developed through experience. The rest can always be worked on later.

You wanna teach your kid to counter and evade at the same time which is fine but in order to do that he has to first recognize his windows of opportunity. He cant capitalize on openings if he's dancing around afraid to get hit

These are the things you'd teach FIRST?

I guess.

IMO you jumped the gun. You've gotta build off of the fundamentals.

Ever wonder why so many pro's are arm punchers? Its because they've been throwing that way since they began because someone wanted them to get experience punching before the kid learned how to put his whole body into his punches.

Ever wonder why so many pro's sole defense is putting both hands up and covering up? Its because they didn't learn to stand and then move to take advantage of the ring. Boxing is a game of INCHES. Those trained properly don't have to move as much because they understand that.

Most boxers DO NOT understand that and either take the hits or unnecessarily jump out of the way.

How do you guys think Mayweather is in position to execute those amazing slip and counters? Its because he always knows where he's at because he's comfortable exactly where he is. If you aren't comfortable standing your ground and working from there, you'll always either run or take damage.

If Mayweather runs, its usually because someone is charging in to disrupt the balance of his position.

Without being trained to stand, your kid won't be doing what Sweet Pea did or what Mayweather does. Their greatest defensive and offensive moments came from being able to do stationary what others have to be mobile to do.

They have supreme confidence is their ability to judge INCHES .. and as such are almost always in position to punish a missed punch.

[shadeyfizzle]

These are the things you'd teach FIRST?

I guess.

IMO you jumped the gun. You've gotta build off of the fundamentals.

Ever wonder why so many pro's are arm punchers? Its because they've been throwing that way since they began because someone wanted them to get experience punching before the kid learned how to put his whole body into his punches.

Ever wonder why so many pro's sole defense is putting both hands up and covering up? Its because they didn't learn to stand and then move to take advantage of the ring. Boxing is a game of INCHES. Those trained properly don't have to move as much because they understand that.

Most boxers DO NOT understand that and either take the hits or unnecessarily jump out of the way.

How do you guys think Mayweather is in position to execute those amazing slip and counters? Its because he always knows where he's at because he's comfortable exactly where he is. If you aren't comfortable standing your ground and working from there, you'll always either run or take damage.

If Mayweather runs, its usually because someone is charging in to disrupt the balance of his position.

Without being trained to stand, your kid won't be doing what Sweet Pea did or what Mayweather does. Their greatest defensive and offensive moments came from being able to do stationary what others have to be mobile to do.

They have supreme confidence is their ability to judge INCHES .. and as such are almost always in position to punish a missed punch.

1st off its obviously not what I teach 1st. I was just responding to larry's sentiment of teaching his boy to move and counter simultaneously.

2ndly you just just elaborated on the same message im trying to convey.

you dont learn to become comfortable in the pocket if you're busy shuffling your feet. Thats why I teach my kids to stay in the shell at 1st. So they understand and feel confident that as long as their guard is tight they are never in danger even if the opponent throws the whole kitchen at them. From there it becomes easy to teach them to scan for openings and position themselves properly because they already discover it themselves to a degree from standing their ground and defending.

[Hallaqsillaq]

IMO they should learn how to throw a bunch of punches really fast and retreat.... really popular nowadays

That's basically Pac's bread and butter.

[Brother Jay]

1st off its obviously not what I teach 1st. I was just responding to larry's sentiment of teaching his boy to move and counter simultaneously.

2ndly you just just elaborated on the same message im trying to convey.

you dont learn to become comfortable in the pocket if you're busy shuffling your feet. Thats why I teach my kids to stay in the shell at 1st. So they understand and feel confident that as long as their guard is tight they are never in danger even if the opponent throws the whole kitchen at them. From there it becomes easy to teach them to scan for openings and position themselves properly because they already discover it themselves to a degree from standing their ground and defending.

1st, 2nd a 3rd ... if you don't write what you mean, you won't mean what you write.

You neglected to mention most of what I wrote, and then said you OBVIOUSLY meant it. There was nothing similar about what we wrote.

Go look at your post and tell me how staying in the shell and weathering the storm is the same as simply standing in position getting used to form, balance and weight distribution.

If anyone was conveying the same thing that I was, it was hookoffdajab.

You should start at the beginning, not the middle. The title of the thread is "The first thing a young boxer should learn in my opinion is", not the second or third thing.

That's exactly why I wrote my response in the way I did. Defense is NOT the first thing a beginner should learn. Neither is footwork. Neither is punching. Neither is slipping.

Its standing/stance, balance, weight distribution and breathing.

The basics. Oftentimes people who think the basics are obvious tend to neglect them in favor of producing a youngster who is impressive in action yet fundamentally flawed.

[Ko King 212]

Footwork, almost something that is never taught.

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

First thing I learned as a kid and what I teach now is the very first thing you teach is how to properly stand. Where to stand with your feet and where your arms and hands should be.

A proper stance is essential and the first thing someone should learn when boxing.

Next is movement from the waist down. Walking, stepping then pivoting etc.

Balance of course if all part of that but you should learn to walk in the ring and stand properly.

Positioning is kind of vague to be honest, what does that mean? Positioning as far as counter punching, distance, defense, offense?

[Hi-Dro]

1st, 2nd a 3rd ... if you don't write what you mean, you won't mean what you write.

You neglected to mention most of what I wrote, and then said you OBVIOUSLY meant it. There was nothing similar about what we wrote.

Go look at your post and tell me how staying in the shell and weathering the storm is the same as simply standing in position getting used to form, balance and weight distribution.

If anyone was conveying the same thing that I was, it was hookoffdajab.

You should start at the beginning, not the middle. The title of the thread is "The first thing a young boxer should learn in my opinion is", not the second or third thing.

That's exactly why I wrote my response in the way I did. Defense is NOT the first thing a beginner should learn. Neither is footwork. Neither is punching. Neither is slipping.

Its standing/stance, balance, weight distribution and breathing.

The basics. Oftentimes people who think the basics are obvious tend to neglect them in favor of producing a youngster who is impressive in action yet fundamentally flawed.

i agree with this guy

[zab191]

Depending on the weight class. HW division needs a Tyson, stick to the peek a boo technique.