Class vs Personal Training

[wdcbox]

Hey there. Long time viewer, first time poster.

I love the sport and now that work is calming down I'm looking to finally getting out to the gym and start learning. I'm 36. I'm not worried about my age, just want to learn the science and eventually get some spar time.

My question is whether you think it's worth the extra money to get personal lessons combined with classes to start. I'm a very technique driven person and would like to get it right the first time. I don't have any experience fighting. To me it seems like it would be worth the extra expense but just want to hear others thoughts. What should I expect from an hour of personal time?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[wdcbox]

Also, if anyone had recommendations for a gym in the downtown Atlanta area. I'm going to check out the Decatur boxing gym and see what they are about.

[HtotheZ]

If I were you I would take classes before you put money into personal training to see if boxing is something you like doing

[Ray Corso]

Find a gym that is active in the amatuer ranks as far as competing! There will always be good sparring that way. If theres more than 2 trainers you can have a better chance to get some individual instruction to get you going. In a boxing gym your graded on "effort" not so much skill level. Theres all kinds of levels in a good gym.
If you have any skills after you learn solid basics you can help the younger guys get ready for fights and tournys! Years ago in my gym we had 3 or 4 older guys who were very valuable to me and my kids to further their education. Most times the individual sessions will be a waste of money but they might be usefull once you get your feet wet!
Go watch how a gym works and see how the trainers operate, use common sence and see if you see yourself involved in the culture! Ray

[wdcbox]

I figured I would do 30 days or so of classes to see if it really was something I could get into. I couldn't seem to find anything through the search on the benefits of personal training. I understand it depends in the trainer, but if anyone could give me a quick rundown from their personal experience of one vs the other. I assume it would be combination of both. What kind of additional advantages of having an hour a week of dedicated time?

[wdcbox]

Thanks for the response Ray. I appreciate the input.

[- Ram Raid -]

Your question can be difficult to answer because it really depends on the quality of the trainer both in terms of their competence and how well they are able to articulate what it is they want you to do. If we make the assumption that you find a decent trainer, then:

Obviously, a one-on-one session gives scope for more intensive instruction, technique can be corrected and knowledge imparted in a more focused manner. It can be very beneficial. But, it's really only a supplement to the work that you'll do in the gym as part a collective, for want of a better word, and a good trainer will do those things anyway with varying degrees of subtlety.

Most of your learning comes from observing and practising with the other boxers. The head trainer is overseeing the sessions and will offer correction when he feels it's needed. That being done in a group environment, when he corrects one (or seemingly no one in particular) he corrects all, so you'll learn by others mistakes. Initially, it's the more senior boxers that he's already instructed that your going to learn the most from, and most of that will be non verbal as you watch them and train with them.

It helps to bare in mind that boxing gyms have a high turnover of people that only attend a handful of sessions so the trainers will invariably be looking for signs of dedication from you before they invest heavily with their time and energy.

Focused one-on-one instruction is just that. Instruction. You still have go away and work on that with hours, weeks, months of repetition and conscious practice. Your skill will develop in small increments and despite your best intentions you're not going to get it right first time, let alone perfect it. Whenever we learn a set of new complex movements our brains have to lay down new neural pathways before that movement becomes ingrained and feels effortless. That takes time and repetition.

I'd advice that you get a couple of months under your belt before you consider paying for any extra one-on-one sessions. I've had them whilst training in Muay Thai before I ever set foot in a boxing gym. They were beneficial because the trainer was excellent and world renowned in that sport so it felt like a privilege that I didn't mind paying a little extra for. They were a great psychological boost.

However. Boxing gyms tend to have a very different ethos and aren't run primarily for profit. I have trained at a gym that 'offered' one-on-one sessions at an extra cost (to an already high fee per session) and also the 'opportunity' to partake in white collar boxing for an extortionate amount of money. I partook in neither as I found them to be morally dubious and completely against the spirit of the sport at a grass roots level. The best gym I ever trained in asked for ? a session for running costs. Your dedication and respect for the sport were what they were most interested in.

[helloimanton]

You should go to a trial class or something first. Otherwise, start of with some group classes (as they are cheaper) to see if boxing is really for you before spedning $$$ on private lessons.