Beginner questions (sparring and studying footage)

[JPSmyth]

Hey guys,

I'm new to boxing, I recently joined a gym and have been there a few times already. I love it so far, and my trainer said my technique is good for a beginner (this might be from just watching a ton of youtube videos/fights and practicing in the mirror)

I lot of people go to the gym to just lose weight and get in shape, but I am there to actually learn how to box. I'm already in pretty good shape (or better than most) and I am more interesting in learning proper technique, than just wailing on a bag to work up a sweat.

The gym is an hour and half commute for me (no gyms closer), so I can only get there twice a week. With 2x a week training sessions at a boxing gym, and working on a heavy bag/shadow boxing/conditioning on my own, how long do you guys think I should train before considering sparring? I feel like that would be the best learning experience for me, but I don't want to step into a ring to early and just get destroyed by someone with more experience.

Also, I have been downloading videos of some of my favorite fighters fighting and training (most recently canelo) and watching them in slow motion and frame by frame to observe their form, can you guys recommend me any fighters who have very solid technique for me to study? or any specific videos even? thanks!

[sammiza567]

not really a specific video, but for any fight really. you see a guy land a shot or combination. watch him and rewind it a few times. watch how he sets it up. where he moves after he throws it. then rewind it again and watch the guy who got hit. watch what he does in the few second leading up to it, what he did that caused him to be open for it. this is one of the keys to becoming a great fighter. not just in the gym, listening to someone else. im not saying other people are wrong, but rather than take them at their word, study tape and understand it for yourself.

[sammiza567]

watch wrinky wright vs trinidad it made me realize the jab is the most important punch in boxing. watch alot of prime dela hoya, he showed me how to truly throw in combination. mike tyson was an amazing technical fighter to learn how to get inside on a guy. another thing, if your a tall fighter dont only watch other tall fighters. learn about all styles. if you are tall you learn about the inside fighters style and what he is looking to do to you. on the other side, as a short fighter you should not only watch short guys but also tall lanky guys. and watch every hopkins fight you can get your hands on. pure genius.

[JPSmyth]

thanks man, I'll definitely watch a lot of hopkins. I'm going to watch Rigondeaux as well, I feel like he is one of the best technical boxers of today. What about sparring though? Should I wait a few months before I consider it?

[_original_]

I'm gonna go with recent fighters that are great to watch/study and their whole catalog of fights is almost all on youtube.

Floyd Mayweather Jr
James Toney
Juan Manuel Marquez
Andre Ward
Guillermo Rigondeux

About sparring, many will probably advice you to wait but I think it solely depends on how you feel and the feedback you're getting from you trainer/coaches. Also, do you train at home; shadow box, punching bag, speed bag, ect.?

[JPSmyth]

all I can do at home is shadow box, but my gym (weight training, not boxing) has a few heavy bags I can work on, and I have access to those almost any time

[Pez]

I recommend taking baby steps and watch basic textbook fighters like Marquez, Barrera, Ward, De La Hoya and most top European fighters. Watch guys that you can follow so forget about Mayweather, Rigondeaux, and Toney for now because even though they're amazing, you're most likely not going to pull off what they do.

I follow this guy on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/expertboxing he has good tips for beginners.

[greynotsoold]

Watch Ricardo Lopez; he boxes like a textbook. Joe Louis, real simple, real effective style and text-book perfect punching technique.
Before you are ready to spar, you need to know not only how to throw punches, but how to defend against them. Basic catches, parries, and blocks.

[JPSmyth]

I just watched ricardo lopez highlights, I feel like the throws his left hook pretty wide, doesn't he? other than that his style looks amazing. what do you think about Canelo? I've been downloading footage of his and using Final Cut Pro to slow it down a lot so I can evaluate it better.

[SlySlickSmooth]

James Toney and Juan Manuel Marquez are great fighters to study from.

Just don't try to emulate their stance/form when you KNOW you're not at their level yet. Since you started keep basic form (KEEP THE DAMN HANDS UP, LEFT HAND EYE LEVEL KEEP THE RIGHT NEAR TO YOUR CHIN) and watch where you center your weight.. is it on the backfoot, frontfoot, in the middle? What is your goal in the ring, what are you trying to practice?