Found a boxing gym near me so i'm going to check it out tonight. Any tips or advice? Also, it says price based on experience, so what should I be expecting as a raw beginner. How much is too much for a boxing gym? Anything else any of you want to add would be appreciated.
Cool, thanx man.
Keep you hands up.
If you think they are up, they are not.
Keep your hands higher than you think they need be.
If you think that they are too high, they are not.
Good luck.
And duck once in a while. Learn to bob and weave. And footwork, footwork, footwork.
So is it a fair bet that I'm gonna get punched in the face on my first day?
I hope so.
I doubt they'll let you spar on the first day. A trainer will probably ask your experience level, watch you hit the bag for a round or two, do a few rounds on the focus mitts, and go from there, based on their evaluation of your skill level.
When you start sparring, they'll probably have you go against someone really good, who will know how hard/light to go against you, and won't try to hurt you. Of course, if you go in throwing wild haymakers, then he'll probably teach you a hard lesson. At least, that's how the gyms I went to ran things, but I haven't been to a pure boxing gym in years.
Thank you Marco, that's kinda what I was looking for. I'll report back tonight how it went what was said.
Yeah, let us know how it went.
I just noticed that you said you're a raw beginner, so I wouldn't expect much out of the very first session. They'll probably just show you the basic stance, how to throw a jab and a straight right correctly, and maybe some footwork drills. No way in hell they'll have you sparring, if you have no prior experience. Good luck and have fun.
I'm back. I went to the place and there was no boxing gym, or any kind of gym for that matter. Kinda sad :-(
That suck to hear their was no gym man keep looking theirs got to be one close enough 
LOL, I relate to this. Boxing gyms don't like to update their websites or info in a regular responsible manner. I've literally driven to a sanctioned event listed by USA Boxing and found the gym boarded up. Hilarious, but you get used to it.
Your first time will be anti-climatic. If it's a traditional gym there will be no classes you'll be ignored unless you pay a trainer for privates. And you will get fleeced.
I suggest after the trainer takes you through a workout the first time do it yourself and ask him how much to just hold mitts for you for a few rounds. Tray and pay him for 3 rds of mitts regularly then work on stuff on your own. You'll get all the tips you need in those 3 rds, and if you develop a relationship he'll probably throw in some tips when you're on the bag, etc.
After a while ask him if you're ready for sparring. Try to set his expectations lower on whether you'll fight for him so he doesn't throw you in to, "see what you're made of" because it will suck for you.
Suck it up, work hard, develop your skills and you'll get a little respect. Never trust your trainer IMO. Sorry to be so pessimistic...
Thanks guys. Why the never trust the trainer OneScoup? Also thank you for the tips.
They don't really care about your health or well being for the most part. Many of them sort of care, but they're all desensitized to the brutality of the sport.
Just make sure you keep your own council.
Marco808 - When you start sparring, they'll probably have you go against someone really good, who will know how hard/light to go against you, and won't try to hurt you.
If you're lucky, yeah. Light sparring doesn't seem to exist in any boxing gym I've been to though, unlike in Muay Thai where just going light/technical is much more common.
dark Winter day -Marco808 - When you start sparring, they'll probably have you go against someone really good, who will know how hard/light to go against you, and won't try to hurt you.
If you're lucky, yeah. Light sparring doesn't seem to exist in any boxing gym I've been to though, unlike in Muay Thai where just going light/technical is much more common.
I too have yet to see light sparring in a traditional boxing gym. When people would post about it I always assumed my gym was just old school. But now that I've trained at 3 different gyms I agree with this.
dark Winter day -What I mean by "hard/light" is not that you decide with your partner ahead of time to do "hard sparring" or "light sparring". It's that for a novice sparring for the first time, they'll put in someone with enough experience to know when to go hard and when to go light during the round. ie. If the firstimer is really tentative and obviously doesn't know what he's doing, you're not going to go at him trying to knock his head off, are you? At least no one at my gym did. But then, like I said I haven't been to a pure boxing gym in a long time. Not since I was 17 or 18. Maybe things are different in adult boxing gyms.Marco808 - When you start sparring, they'll probably have you go against someone really good, who will know how hard/light to go against you, and won't try to hurt you.
If you're lucky, yeah. Light sparring doesn't seem to exist in any boxing gym I've been to though, unlike in Muay Thai where just going light/technical is much more common.
I've actually been doing MT the last year or so, and really like how they do technique sparring. I still feel naked in that open stance though, and have to force myself not to get back in the regular boxers stance I was taught when we're sparring.
The first gym I went to had a very old school trainer (in his late 50's, golden gloves, grew up/learned to box in Detroit, and has been either fighting or training people to box his whole life) who told me that the majority of your sparring should be lighter and more technical. He told me you should put some headgear on and spar hard sometimes, but you'll develop into a better fighter if you spar light more often because you can experiment and develop the timing to do new techniques without getting fucked up. He seemed a lot more focused on longevity with your training, though; he was almost 60 and could still spar 15 rounds with fresh guys getting rotated in. I've seen him spend 2 hours holding mitts with no rounds off before, as well.
I'm not judging light sparring in a bad light, I'd like that approach for boxing. I'm just saying I've not seen it at any of my gyms.
I understood, I was only mentioning in my own somewhat limited experience that the older, more traditional coach I knew was also a fan of this method.
I sent an email the night I went after I got back home. This is what I just got back today. Any thoughts?
Dear Patrick,
Yes the club is closed. We hope by the end of Sep. we are going to re open again and this time we are going to have a ring inside of our club. AJC boxing was a very good success to my wife and I. With our knowledge and training I was invited by UVA to train UVA Golden Gloves team. With training session that I give to them every week I can also include my current and new members.
I know what I am doing and that is why I am a part of UVA. Boxing is my passion and boxing is my style of living. You can learn a lot from and with me.
My price is very simple. We charge $75 per month and we have real training. This is not a boxing class some of sort. With me is more core of boxing and very tough work. You will hurt, sweat, learn and be very strong.
Sometimes we will have group exercise and sometimes we will do one on one. Either way you will be with me all the way until you learn and until I see how ready you are for next step.
If $75/month comes with regular one on one time with a trainer it might not be outrageous, but very high end. But that guy better hold mitts for you every time you show up, even if 4-5 times/week or that's too much.
You can definitely find cheaper though.