Struggling to learn boxing? Well, all of your problems will be solved if you...

 ...Come to class! As in- come to our boxing classes at TITLE Boxing Club in Pittsford. Okay, maybe not ALL of your problems but certainly those that relate to learning boxing.

As I will continue to say for the rest of my life - boxing is hard. It is not a natural thing to learn. Consciously or subconsciously, I've found that many people tend to think otherwise. They think that boxing is natural because fighting is natural or because a natural athlete would be able to learn it easily (not true) or because movies and TV show make it look easy or they think it's like taking any ol' group exercise class or God knows what. No matter what you have done before in life, no matter how many sports you have mastered, no matter how many street fights you have won, learning boxing technique is going to be awkward and unnatural at first. It's a brand new way to move, as well as a new language.

When someone tries their first boxing class, they never ace it. Some people take to certain things more than others, but nobody just kind of clicks right away. It requires time and practice to learn and really, the better you get, the more you realize that there are things to learn. That being said, I have noticed that if someone trains consistently, like at least twice a week, there will almost always be a pretty big change in the first month. The movements and terminology start becoming a little more comfortable and class kind of slows down for them, in a way.

This learning curve can be frustrating to some and I definitely understand that. As I have also talked about many times before, it is hard to be uncomfortable and feel like you're not getting it. Some people feel like if they don't get something right away, something is wrong and must be fixed. That is pretty natural. There are many ways to learn and "fix" things but I can tell you that 99.9% will be fixed if you keep coming to class consistently, listen to the coaches, and be willing to try.

Thus, you WILL pick this up over time, you just have to be consistent. If you train sporadically, coming once in a while, you may very likely continue to struggle. When someone comes to me and says they are not getting it, I of course try to help them with the specific issues they are having, but also repeat what I am saying here, that if they keep coming consistently and paying attention, they will get it. I have never had a person train consistently and earnestly for more than a month or two and not show significant improvement. Not one person. Again, no one becomes an expert in that short of time, but things start to click.

Another thing I tell people to do is this: if/when they are struggling with a particular punch or movement or general technique in class, make a mental note of it. At the end of every class, I tell people to come to me with any questions they may have and this is the perfect time to bring up what you had the most trouble with. Maybe you are brand new and feel like EVERYTHING was tough. That is normal too, but I would suggest focusing on one thing in particular . Maybe whatever gave you the most trouble or something you want to get good at. Or just pick something at random. We'll focus on that one thing and if you keep coming to class, it will get better and better.

It really is that simple. Be patient, be consistent, be mindful. Even if you are an experienced boxer, looking to level something up, remember that it is not going to necessarily happen in one day. I often compare learning boxing technique to gardening - as coaches we plant seeds in our student and water them consistently. Over time, they grow. Even when people intellectually know what to do, getting their bodies to actually do the thing is a different story.  For instance, on Day 1, I tell everybody new to boxing that every punch and defensive movement involves shifting weight from one foot to another. That is the key to boxing. The seed has been planted. Then when class starts, almost never does somebody actually do this. I cue them multiple times throughout class, I walk over and show them what I mean, watering the seed, but still, it is very unlikely that someone new to boxing will be able to get this on their first day. Again, they understand what I am telling them, it's just getting the body to respond. So we keep watering and watering and after more classes- voila! They start shifting their weight from one foot to another and a beautiful flower blooms!!!