Boxing question for Coach Jones

[hammer_2020]

Here's one for Coach Jones.

I'm getting started up in boxing again under my coach here, and he's a big believer in roadwork. Of course, I'm going to do it no matter what during sessions with him since he's calling the shots and I trust him when he says it benefits footwork in the ring by strengthening the ankles for repeated springing movements, but I was wondering if, in my own training, there are other things I can do that would serve just as well. For instance, I haven't been doing any running or skipping for the past few months, but my footwork fundamentals seemed quite unaffected when I had occasion to test them lately. I know your advice as expressed in Going Ballistic, but my question relates more to running and skipping as GPP for boxing rather than the SPP-related issues addressed in the manual.

So, in brief, to build wind and the ability to dance, should I run and skip (in my own training), or can I get away with high-rep clubbell/k-bell work and shadowboxing? :D

[Coach Jones]

So, in brief, to build wind and the ability to dance, should I run and skip (in my own training), or can I get away with high-rep Clubbell®/k-bell work and shadowboxing? :D


Well, here's the deal...

First let me start by saying that you are 100% right in following your coaches advice. far too many people nowadays don't and then they wonder why they're not getting any better, So, with that said, any conflicting advice I may give you should be either brought up with your coach or ignored while you train with him. I'm a huge believer in athletes following their coaches instruction - ABSOLUTELY.

Your question is actually fairly complex. LSD (long slow distance running) is completely inappropriate for the sport of boxing or MMA for that matter. However, there are things gained, benefits that LSD gives that apply to the bigger picture Things such as general caloric burn, and changes in the system that happen over the long haul as well as tesing your mental toughness. All those are good things but generally speaking I would only advocate that type of training during prolonged down time or right after an event and the recovery phase that should follow.

The reason is because the energy systems used in boxing (or any combat sport) are unlike that of LSD. Fight sports, by and large, have a burst-recover-burst pattern. It's not going fairly light, consistently for a long period of time with no break until the end. "Roadwork" should turn into sprints and sprints into even more specific training as time goes on.

Everything in your training really depends on you. On where you are and what you need to work on. You only have so much energy and time and if you're spending a lot of time on LSD and really don't need to be - it's a waste of those resources.

As far as getting by with high repetition CB/KB work...

No.;)

You could , almost certainly achive the same or greater level of "cardio" training while increasing your muscular endurance over more of your body - but again that energy profile is not realistic for your sport. You need to be working toward training in a burst-recover-burst mode that better addresses that profile. You can use that method with CB/KB or bodyweight exercises.

Depending on where you are and what your working on you will need to alter the scope of your training. Are you focusing on strength, strength endurance, endurance, speed, etc.?

you mentioned footwork so let me address that in terms of your question about rope/running. While it is true that those excercises will help strengthen the muscles and tendons to help you better deal with force transmission. the joints are actually being beaten with those exercises. Better to focus on the ROM. IntuFlow sessions everyday is a necessity.

For footwork, shadowboxing COULD be what you need to further develop your footwork. I say could because it all depends on whether or not you can do it. One of the big problems I see is that a lot of fighters haven't developed their basics to the point where shadowboxing helps them at all beyond just getting their heart rate up and sometimes it actually hurts them because they just engrain bad habits. If your happy with your mechanics and your coach is happy (more importantly) then shadowboxing is great. Along with that, I like to use some dynamic, plyometric type agililty drills incorporating one or movements done as rapidly as possible for you to do CORRECTLY -but again within the burst-recover burst context.

Basically, every training method has merit in some way. Unfortunately we often do things because "that's the way it's always been done" and we don't realy think of them in terms of what they really are - ways of solving a problem. If I have a guy come to me from a different sport, who can easily run ten miles, my putting him on a schedule where he now runs 3 miles at the same pace is stupid. He doesn't have a problem that needs solving in that way. It all depends on the individual athlete.

Hope this answers your question. Good luck in your training.

[hammer_2020]

Cheers, Coach Jones. That was a very detailed and informative answer.

Since I won't be competing for quite a while yet, I'm going to run and skip when my coach is looking, and do high-rep KB/CB work when he's not :D Only one day in each training week, though. I'm actually much more inclined towards interval and circuit work myself. My constant-intensity LSD work is really only for active recovery and to keep myself from being too completely focused on intermittent high-intensity work. Could also do with a bit more aerobic endurance, to tell the truth!

[Coach Jones]

As long as you're using it for active recovery (the LSD) you should be fine with that. Just pay close attention to when you're becoming taxed and how that affects your performance with your other training. Keep a training log, they're invaluable.

I hear you about being able to do with a little more aerobic endurance, just remember though that the endurance you build up through LSD isn't necessarily going to translate to the ring.

A marathon runner will get exhausted after fighting a couple rounds. The energy systems are different and the key to performance increase in sport is specialization.

In a very simple example, I would use LSD training in the following manner:

LSD
Interval Sprints
Plyometric Type Agility Drills (specific to boxing footwork)

In a perfect world and under the perfect conditions (which never seem to come together) each of these types of training would be followed at the exclusion of the others for the duration of a cycle. I would make the other conditioning during this time correspond using, for example high repetition CB/KB work alongside the LSD, Interval type training of a burst-recover-burst protocol during the sprinting phase and finally more ballistic and plyometric type work during that phase. Training not only the musculature but the specific energy sytems.

To that, the inclusion - always, of Intuflow.

In addition, I can't overstate the value of the RESET program. It is worlds above anything on the market at addressing recovery rate.

Best of luck. Keep on training.