We all know that training in martial arts come with many benefits. One of the biggest takeaways is fitness, both physical and mental. The arts can help develop things like strength, provide a well-rounded ... Continue Reading
The Dying Breed of Natural Athletes
Earlier this year, I wrote about the passing of weightlifting great Tommy Kono. Recently, we saw the passing of two more of the greatest athletes in sports. The first was boxing’s Muhammad Ali who called ... Continue Reading
The Difference Between Weight Classes in Boxing and Weightlifting
My weightlifting comrades and I have often discussed what makes for the ideal body weight for athletes in our sport. My discussion on triple-division boxing champs also brings up the question of the ideal ... Continue Reading
The Triple Crown: A History of Boxing’s True Champions
Last week, I took a look at various aspects of the rare Triple Crown champions in weightlifting. This week, I'm going to take a look at their counterparts in another sport - boxing. Last week, ... Continue Reading
5 Ways to Improve Your Defense and Win More Fights
"The best fighters hit the most and get hit the least." - Rocky Marciano There’s an adage in boxing that the best defense is to not get hit. Being a proficient defender is the key part of not getting ... Continue Reading
Anaerobic Capacity Essential for High-Level Boxers
Understanding the needs of combat athletes can be a difficult task. A recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research tested the acid-base balance, an important aspect of fatigue, for the ... Continue Reading
Why Boxing Is the Toughest Sport
One of the hotly contested debates in sport is which sport produces the best athlete? The age-old debate does not necessarily have a definitive answer, although there are clear-cut favorites. ... Continue Reading
What Makes Floyd Mayweather, Jr. So Great?
Five years ago, when both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. reigned supreme, you were either a Manny guy or a Floyd guy. The debate raged as to who was the true pound-for-pound king of the ring. I ... Continue Reading
The 4 Paradoxes of Boxing (and Fighting)
“One of the paradoxes of boxing is that the viewer inhabits a consciousness so very different from that of the boxer as to suggest a counter-world.” - Joyce Carol Oates Having studied boxing and the ... Continue Reading
Crack That Whip: The Jab Is the Most Important Punch
The most important punch is the jab. The jab doesn’t end fights, but it sets up everything that does. You can’t get your opponent in checkmate without first moving your pawns properly. Jabs keep your ... Continue Reading
Shadow Boxing: The Art and Purpose of the Warm Up Ritual
I shadow box. All the time. At home, in front of the mirror, at the boxing gym, and yes, at the regular gym. We’ve all seen that guy shadow boxing in the mirror in the weight room and honestly, I’m that ... Continue Reading
How to Prepare for and Win a Fight
In many scenarios in sport and in life we are called to do battle. How do we know what the best way is to prepare? How do we know when we are victorious? The answer isn’t always obvious. A helpful place to ... Continue Reading
When Enough Is Enough: Knowing When To Quit
I recently watched the documentary Driven about former UFC Lightweight champion Jens Pulver. It’s a fascinating perspective on Jens preparing for what would be his last UFC fight. The documentary film ... Continue Reading
Rhythm Is an Athlete: 3 Tools for Learning Rhythm
Years ago when I used to do musical theater, there were two types of people who performed in musicals, those who could dance and those who learned the steps. I was definitely the latter. Despite my mother ... Continue Reading
Step On the Gas: How to Throw a Killer Left Hook
The prettiest punch by far in boxing is the left hook. It’s precise, it’s technically sound, and it’s gorgeous. The left hook is the closest power punch to your opponent if you are right handed, and most ... Continue Reading
Analysis of the Liver Shot: Throwing and Defending
I've only dropped someone to the canvas once with a body shot, but it felt like hitting a ball over the fence or a perfect 250-yard drive - exhilarating. A perfectly executed punch is a thing of beauty and ... Continue Reading
Winning Combinations: How to Create Punching Combos
We all know many winning combinations - Laurel and Hardy, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lennon and McCartney, and of course, peanut butter and jelly come to mind. Fighters may fight alone, but fighters win with ... Continue Reading
Chess Boxing: The Sweet Science Meets the Royal Game
Photos provided by WCBO.org. Multi-taskers and equivocators rejoice! Have you ever wanted to punch someone but also challenge him or her to a game of strategy? Have you ever had difficulty deciding ... Continue Reading
Speed Is Power, But It’s Not Everything
“Speed is the absolute essence of any form of combat” - Jeff Cooper You see it in any and every athletic endeavor - speed is power. It isn’t always the biggest golfer who hits the ball 300 yards, ... Continue Reading
Living Life Like a Boxer: Making and Breaking the Rules
Some of the many things that attract me to boxing and the martial arts are the countless ways in which they correlate to real life. As I noted in an article recently, “fighting” is a part of life. While ... Continue Reading
