Soviet school of boxing

[The-Boxer]

Hi, I was watching some russian's amateur fights and wow, I have to recognize that these guys know what they are doing... so...

What do yo think about the soviet boxing? russia, ukraine, etc... what's the difference between east europeans and american and cuban school? What's the difference between their workouts?

I have seen a lot of southpaws, someone can tell me if exist any special reason?

For example, I saw this guy and he seems amazing!, any of yours know his name?
w ww.youtube.com/watch?v=egIfayF05Gg
(I have no permission yet to post videos, so to watch it, put the initial "w" together with the rest of the link)

[CheckHookArtist]

To be honest I don't know a lot about the differences in training but what I will say is take a look at the Klitschko brothers.

They fight in that classic, upright, Eastern European orthodox scientific style, the jab is highly prominent in the majority of the fighters from that whole part of the world, some people would class the way some of them fight as boring, those people tend to be casual boxing fans looking for quick first round knockouts.

Cuba has produced the greatest amateur boxers in the world bar none; Rigondeaux, Savon, Stevenson, Kindelán, Romero, Bartelemí and Gamboa to name but a few. They are all technically brilliant, look at Rigondeaux, Abril and Lara in the pro's right now.

[SBleeder]

In America, CJ Ross robs fighters.

In Soviet Russia, fighters rob CJ Ross.

[HeadBodyBodyBody]

Regarding the OP's question, I don't know too much about it but I watched the vid & I liked the look of the exercise where they are throwing a medicine ball to each in partners

[Mike_Erm]

I personally think its 100% the mindset...
This is my just my opinion...

American Fighters- For the most part the culture we live in has become all about technology: video games, phones, computers...ext.... Everyone is over emotional, narcissistic, and dependent on hand outs and they don't know how to work hard without someone patting them on the back all the time...
"This isn't everyone but it seems like the majority."

Cuban Fighters-I think they stay in the ammys to long but thats probably because if they leave there's no coming back to family friends and it more political... All i know is thats all they do if you have eat, sleep and breath boxing you're going to be good.

Russians- Russia is a tough place in most cases this is there only way out and they attack there dream from a young age with extreme professionalism and work ethic ... The don't over think and don't care about the pressure it just a fight...They are the kind of people that say where and win and hang up the phone no negotiations about weight or money... .... It's very hard to explain just look at the "serberian rocky", GGG, and the Russian light hwt that is on HBO on demand right now... These dudes don't crack under pressure they just fight... Like a lot of the Mexican and puerto rican fighters.




Just went off on another rant on here but i hope you understand what im saying... The Cubans and Russians are training with a purpose and it seems the american fighters aren't.

[alextheassassin]

I have studied the Soviet athletic system for about 5 years now, simply the biggest difference I can see for Soviet v. American boxing is that Soviets think "Athlete first, Boxer second". What I mean by that is that they focus on developing an athlete and then working on tuning that athlete to be a boxer, this ensures that the athlete will convert to the specific sport (boxing) most clearly. Its kind of hard to explain in one post.

Most Soviet boxers were great athletes, most American boxers were and MAY not necessarily great athletes. Any boxer that went to a Soviet Sports School most likely also did weightlifting, gymnastics, soccer, ect in preparation for specializing in boxing, most American boxers just box.

Think about it, it's 2014 and boxing trainers in the USA STILL think lifting weights is bad for you! In the Soviet Union not only did boxers lift weights they did so in the same complex as Olympic Lifting champions, not only did the Soviet boxers have strength and conditioning programs they also had dietary programs and sport psychology programs. The way athletes trained in the Soviet Union was sooo advanced compared to what we do here even today.

[frosty-g]

I have studied the Soviet athletic system for about 5 years now, simply the biggest difference I can see for Soviet v. American boxing is that Soviets think "Athlete first, Boxer second". What I mean by that is that they focus on developing an athlete and then working on tuning that athlete to be a boxer, this ensures that the athlete will convert to the specific sport (boxing) most clearly. Its kind of hard to explain in one post.

Most Soviet boxers were great athletes, most American boxers were and MAY not necessarily great athletes. Any boxer that went to a Soviet Sports School most likely also did weightlifting, gymnastics, soccer, ect in preparation for specializing in boxing, most American boxers just box.

Think about it, it's 2014 and boxing trainers in the USA STILL think lifting weights is bad for you! In the Soviet Union not only did boxers lift weights they did so in the same complex as Olympic Lifting champions, not only did the Soviet boxers have strength and conditioning programs they also had dietary programs and sport psychology programs. The way athletes trained in the Soviet Union was sooo advanced compared to what we do here even today.

nice post, interesting stuff. I know quite a lot about the Cuban system, which developed from the Soviet system, though I don't know much about the Soviet side of things specifically.
But yes, the fact of the matter is that there IS A SYSTEM (unlike in most countries) which youngsters get channeled into and developed through. This is a comprehensive system with all the things you mentioned but also most of the time includes education.
The other thing that really sets such systems apart is the methodologies that they use, just like weightlifters use training and peaking, but also for the very basics right through there are systems to develop the athletes/boxers, all well-rooted in science and experience. Not to say this is the only way to do things but it sure is a method of quality control. Different trainers and gyms have a different slant on things of course but there is a real solid core of shared knowledge and experience used as a foundation for the teaching and coaching methods, if you read about some of the old American trainers you may hear of a bar called the Neutral Corner where loads of them used to go plus fighters, matchmakers, the lot and that was a real hotbed for exchange of information and had great results, similar principal but in Cuba for example that is all formalised and is ongoing.
I have a good old Soviet textbook on boxing by Degtariov if I remember the name correctly (don't have it to hand), translated into Spanish for the Cubans.

[frosty-g]

this isn't specifically about boxing here, but the lady speaking in the first one (Vika), talks about her experience of being an athlete in the Soviet Union and she compares this to her role as a coach over in England nowadays:



A few interesting points I remember are that the level of discipline and commitment are much lower in England, with the athletes wanting to pick and choose which exercises they want to do (rather than what the highly experienced coach knows they need to do), and that they train much less frequently here for various reasons.
I have a hard time with most boxers over here getting them to pay proper attention to footwork because it isn't glamourous or exciting in their eyes, yet it's pretty much what enables all the greatest fighters to do their thing. The ones who do listen to it get great results.
In Cuba you work on it every day, simple as that.

Also, she was talking about the lack of money in weightlifting over here, largely the same for boxing although it has picked up relatively speaking.
There's a shedload of coaches here getting paid what? Ah yeah, all voluntary. There's a hell of a lot of qualified sport scientists/psychologists etc and where's the jobs for them tied into sports programmes, clubs and teams? They're so minimal its a bad joke.

It was funny actually, just after listening to that podcast I saw a re-run of the Kovalev -vs- Cleverly fight. It's not necessarily a perfect example but it illustrates how much of a difference a solid foundation makes. Kovalev has great balance, his footwork isn't pretty but it is very effective, and physically he is exceptional. It is extremely obvious that he is very well schooled and developed in all aspects across the board.
Cleverly looks physically very underdeveloped, I know he's younger but he ain't that young. His technique generally was really poor, with a few good attributes thrown in here and there. He is a classic example of someone who has too much autonomy, deciding what he wants when others know much better. Just a ****y kid really. I can only speculate but I imagine he would have been a hell of a lot better if he'd stuck with Enzo Calzaghe.

[MDPopescu]

Kovalev is a top "Soviet school" example. He reminds me of Lemeshev, who unfortunately had a short career (and life) because of his drinking problem.

[frosty-g]

Kovalev is a top "Soviet school" example. He reminds me of Lemeshev, who unfortunately had a short career (and life) because of his drinking problem.

thanks for that, wasn't a boxer i knew. looks like he was damn good though.

a lot of people get too caught up in kovalev's power to realise what level of skill he really has. same as golovkin that. and of course its the skills that allow them to deliver the power more frequently and in more situations, as well as contributing to the power in the first place