How would you build a fighter?

[Larry the boss]

Lets say you got a raw kid, He is young, I know every case is different as different people have different traits. How would you start him off and what would you focus on?

[daggum]

pump him full of roids and hgh at an early age so he looks devastating and powerful and attracts the casual idiot. teach him to clinch, lowblow, and headbutt so he wins at all costs and attracts the hardcore idiot who loves that sh-it. get him a powerful promoter who can exploit both markets. sit back and rake in the cash. MONEYYYYY

[R-C]

Sign him with Top Rank or GBP and make sure he stays away from Mayweather Promotions

[b Murphington]

Lets say you got a raw kid, He is young, I know every case is different as different people have different traits. How would you start him off and what would you focus on?

Getting the kids in the ring now huh?

[mlac]

i would diddle him and control every aspect of his life so i could shape and mould the boy. i.e cus / tyson.

[Pechorin]

Lets say you got a raw kid, He is young, I know every case is different as different people have different traits. How would you start him off and what would you focus on?

Wtf?!

[Larry the boss]

Is it impossible to have an actual boxing conversation here?

[billeau2]

Larry

We have to make some assumptions. The kid has to want to fight, the kid has to have some talents, some drive...

First thing I would do is take my basic inventory: I do this as a martial arts teacher, If the kid is very talented his biggest problem is going go be sticking with it, I just know this from experience. Then we have the romanticists... "fighting will be fun! like Ali dancing in the clouds!" We get these in the martial arts all the time lol. These kids have to be disabused of these notions right away.

From there we get different levels of experience, those who are used to physical confrontation, those who are not, and this is where we start:

a) First thing is to teach a kid that getting hit is not a death sentence. kid has to learn what it means to get hit and hit back and not back off automatically. This is the psychological training that starts things off.

b) Now we have to teach footwork...anyone can punch, some harder than others, but the devil is in the details and the body has to be trained from the ground up. We learn angles, moving the body properly, out of line, just out of range, in range to draw with feints, etc. The body yes but it is the feet and I want their whole body moving properly before we start shortening up the movements.

c) Now, when we get good enough where a kid knows if I can reach them, or how far off I am from just seeing our relative body positions we start to use angles, lines of attack, this is where we start to do segmented body movements, for example, moving the shoulders, independent of the waist, to create a defense and a position. We learn to turn the waist properly, and to use the right lines and angles to cut the ring off. We also start to use the opponent's weight and force to set up and to turn him using his shoulders, etc.

d) Now we focus on incorporating punching, starting with hitting things hard, working with speed all primed to develop the quality of explosiveness. Exploding the punches takes relaxed shoulders and waist.... remember the body work we did? the punches should flow from the relaxed and proper distance and footwork... jabs and feints, and moving into an around the opponent should be second nature.

This is how I would proceed. And Larry, a wise martial artist once taught me something valuable that I would constantly emphasize...in my case I had to be taken apart and put back together again... MISTAKES TAKE TWICE AS LONG TO CORRECT AS LEARNING PROPERLY IN THE FIRST PLACE. Actually more like three or four times as long to correct. Just something to remember.

[Larry the boss]

Larry

We have to make some assumptions. The kid has to want to fight, the kid has to have some talents, some drive...

First thing I would do is take my basic inventory: I do this as a martial arts teacher, If the kid is very talented his biggest problem is going go be sticking with it, I just know this from experience. Then we have the romanticists... "fighting will be fun! like Ali dancing in the clouds!" We get these in the martial arts all the time lol. These kids have to be disabused of these notions right away.

From there we get different levels of experience, those who are used to physical confrontation, those who are not, and this is where we start:

a) First thing is to teach a kid that getting hit is not a death sentence. kid has to learn what it means to get hit and hit back and not back off automatically. This is the psychological training that starts things off.

b) Now we have to teach footwork...anyone can punch, some harder than others, but the devil is in the details and the body has to be trained from the ground up. We learn angles, moving the body properly, out of line, just out of range, in range to draw with feints, etc. The body yes but it is the feet and I want their whole body moving properly before we start shortening up the movements.

c) Now, when we get good enough where a kid knows if I can reach them, or how far off I am from just seeing our relative body positions we start to use angles, lines of attack, this is where we start to do segmented body movements, for example, moving the shoulders, independent of the waist, to create a defense and a position. We learn to turn the waist properly, and to use the right lines and angles to cut the ring off. We also start to use the opponent's weight and force to set up and to turn him using his shoulders, etc.

d) Now we focus on incorporating punching, starting with hitting things hard, working with speed all primed to develop the quality of explosiveness. Exploding the punches takes relaxed shoulders and waist.... remember the body work we did? the punches should flow from the relaxed and proper distance and footwork... jabs and feints, and moving into an around the opponent should be second nature.

This is how I would proceed. And Larry, a wise martial artist once taught me something valuable that I would constantly emphasize...in my case I had to be taken apart and put back together again... MISTAKES TAKE TWICE AS LONG TO CORRECT AS LEARNING PROPERLY IN THE FIRST PLACE. Actually more like three or four times as long to correct. Just something to remember.

This is a beautiful insightful post man, full of knowledge!!!!

[billeau2]

This is a beautiful insightful post man, full of knowledge!!!!

Thanks its a good topic and deserves thoughtful responses.