Improve your Boxing Skills so You’ll Never be the Betting Underdog
Boxing is one of the most ancient of sports, harking back to the classical era and the original Olympic Games.
Thankfully, things have moved on from the days of the cestus (boxing gloves fitted with metal spikes), but the primal combat remains as engaging as ever.
Improving can be difficult, but we’ve put together some tips to help you out:
You are what you Eat
Professional athletes can’t afford to be careless with their diet any more than their training regime, and this is especially true of boxers. The division by weight means that maintaining the right weight without going too far under the limit (meaning less muscle, all else being equal) is of critical importance. Even if you’re not concerned with the leap from amateur to professional, staying in good shape is essential to being competitive.
Tommy Langford is not only the former British middleweight champion, he’s also a qualified nutritionist, which is a handy feather in your cap when diet is so crucial. He’s written that he drinks a minimum of four litres of water a day.
On the food front, Langford’s preferred regimen includes black coffee, porridge (with peanut butter), chicken (with vegetables and rice) for both dinner and tea, and a couple of apples/bananas plus a CNP Pro-MR shake.
Obviously, do what works for you and fits in with your own body. Allergies, ethical and religious concerns (as well as just disliking certain foods) will help you tailor your diet. And there’s no reason a vegetarian can’t be in shape, as the gladiators of Rome ate almost entirely vegetarian diets.
Dietary discipline is important, but you’re not becoming a monk so the odd cheat meal is okay, and may help kickstart your metabolism (there’s some disagreement over that point, though). Langford’s cheat meals include the likes of chicken madras and curried goat, with one cheat meal per week. That is, however, the strict routine of a champion so don’t feel you need to immediately jump in at the deep end and be so disciplined from day one.
He also has a few tips to help people diet. Thinking of food as fuel rather than a treat and taking advantage of modern technology with apps can help people stick to their diet. Cutting out bread can work wonders. He also advocates preparing food ahead of time to make things easier.
Diets can be tough because tasty food is one of the main ways people relax and blow off steam after a tough day at work. Boxing fans and aspiring boxers can indulge themselves in other ways, though, such as betting on the sport, whether matches or title belt winners (or the specials bookies throw up now and then). This necessarily entails the risk of losing money, but one way around that is to take advantage of no deposit deals for the UK market that allow you to bet at casinos without having to put any of your own money on the line. This is possible through various bonus options that allow you to either bet using free cash offered by the casinos.
A Fitness-Based Approach
Cardiovascular fitness is both one of the main health benefits of boxing training, and critical to success in the ring. It’s all very well having a hammer for a hand, but if you’re dead on your feet whilst your opponent is bouncing around like Tigger on speed you’re done for.
For those interested in boxing on a more casual rather than competitive basis, England Boxing is aware that many prefer fitness-based studio boxing to clubs or actually fighting in the ring. After all, everyone can benefit from being fitter and stronger, regardless of age. And the organisation can help you get started if you’re interested in finding a gym for fitness based boxing.
Three Quick Ring Tips
Cornelius Carr, former BBBofC British Super-Middleweight and World Boxing Federation (WBF) World Middleweight Champion has some great tips, and here’s a small selection.
Keep your eyes on your opponent, otherwise you’ll be seeing stars.
Vary things. Jab soft, soft, hard. Don’t be predictable, and feel free to feint so your opponent doesn’t know what you’ll be doing next.
Think a step ahead. When your opponent moves to defend from a feint already be moving to hit him in an unprotected spot.
Be Prepared to Sacrifice
Away from the casual side, if you really want to make it in boxing then, as with most things in life, you’re going to have to prioritise it and make sacrifices. Not a fun thing to talk about but young boxers aiming high need to know about the downsides so they can go in with their eyes open (or, if they so choose, decide to go down another path).
Bradley Saunders, former WBO Inter-Continental title-holder, has raised a number of these challenges. For a start, you’re going to be running miles a day. Fitness, as mentioned above, is crucial, and you’ve got to work on that. The training generally eats into your time and reduces the space you have available for leisure activities and your social life (and even when you do meet up with friends, your diet’s going to limit what you can eat, as well as drink).Some jobs can last forever (writing, for example) but others, like boxing, or modelling, come with a definite shelf life. Even if things are rosy now you’ve got to plan for the future because you won’t be getting into the ring when you’re fifty (well, unless you’re Nigel Benn). Plan for a post-boxing career, for retirement, and for your pension. Yes, that isn’t a very cool topic to discuss, but any boxing career is time-limited and you need to know where you’re going after that.
And if you do become a professional, then you only get paid when you’re fighting. Sponsors can help, but if you’re not in the ring there’s no chance of getting them. Try and find a way to fight often (but without burning out) and keep your cash in order. Again, not exactly a sexy subject, but you’ve got to keep your head, both in the ring and when it comes to the money.