Fist amateur fight in 6 weeks

[saintsFPS]

No, not really. You can outjab people that are taller than you with bigger reach, and you can even outjab southpaws in the same predicament. You also need to utilize your jab to get inside.

My advice would be
1. Footwork - Stay on your horse. Keep moving, use lateral movement, and get in and get out. Be out of range, get into range to attack and immediately get out of range either to one side or back and then to the side. Stay off the center line. Moving also makes your opponent continue to react to you.

2. Conditioning - Use the 3 types of conditioning. 1- Long distance runs (of at least 45-60 mins), better in the first couple of weeks 2- Tempo or faster runs (of around 30-40 minutes) I usually do minimum of 4 miles in 30 minutes, do the first and last mile a bit slower and the middle 2 faster. Try to start around 34-36 minutes for 4 miles and get your time down 2 mins each time you run it. Better in the middle weeks. 3- Sprints and incline sprints. (better in the last few weeks before your fight). I do two types of "sprints". Incline sprints on the treadmill or at a hill in my park when its not snowy/icy. Or 2 mins on 1 min off all out runs (run as fast as you can for the two minutes then take a 1 minute break then repeat). I can usually run a half a mile or so in the 2 minutes.

3. Mindset/Mental - Stay calm. Don't get too hyped. Try not to build it up in your mind, visualize winning and don't even think about losing, but also be at terms with the fact that losing is always an option. The outcome for your first fight is unimportant, of course we all want to win but better to get the experience and continue your journey. Try some breathing exercises, stay calm! Focus, breathe ,relax.

Best of luck! Also try to throw more punches and out work your opponent, usually the best way to win an amateur fight. I'd also recommend trying to settle in in the first minute or so rather than just go out there and try to blast each other (like most amateur fights). If anything try to avoid his initial onslaught and stay out of range.

Aight I feel I need to apologise for note replying a while ago, I have a terrible memory and completely forgot I posted this thread in the first place, anyway

Yeah i do have some trouble with that, like I can get in range real quick but i sometimes forget to back out and kinda just stay there, like idk i have an alright chin so i can handle the punches and i sometimes just forget to get back out of range, it's a bad habit i know i need to work on


That's actually funny, i tried measuring out the distance i ran this morning with google maps and it said 6.4K just shy of 4 miles, idk if thats a good pace or what
atm i'm trying to do those runs 3 times a week and 2 days of sprints, is that alright to do?

Yeah i'm worried about how i'll handle loosing, i really love this sport and I really want to be great in it, and i don't handle loosing very well, and if i'm being honest i'll probably be incredibly crushed if I do. Thanks for the help.

[saintsFPS]

There's been some really good advice so far. Here's some additional advice. Work the heavy bag - but not in the way you think.

One of the main points of the heavy bag is to practice movement, both body and head, to get better angles. I'd spend 3 rounds a day working the bag but not punching it (mostly).

Use the first round to find range and position yourself against the still heavy bag. All you do is move in and out, around the bag and jab to see where your range is. You quite literally never land a solid punch against the bag. It's ALL about the movement, footwork and finding your range in the first round.

Get and keep it swinging in the second round and move your body around it. Punch it enough to keep it moving but the exercise is to reposition yourself against this swinging target to maintain range and learn to create angles. This round is all about lateral movement. Keep moving side to side, concentrating on your footwork and avoiding the swinging bag while maintaining the range you worked on in around 1.

The third round involves trying to use body and head movement to avoid the bag. Look to move your shoulders and your head while staying in the pocket. Your movement should be in-and-out more than laterally, using your head and shoulders to avoid the bag while getting yourself in position to strike at optimal range. While there will be some lateral movement, during this round you want to slip, engage, slip and disengage in a back-and-forth motion.

That's 9 beautiful minutes of movement and positioning which really pay off in the ring. First round is to figure out the range, the second is on footwork around the opponent and the third is to engage/disengage at the correct range. That's how you work the bag. If you do it right you will be sweating buckets.

Beginning amateur fights tend to go either go one of two ways. Either guys are throwing haymakers or they're so cautious it's pity-pat jabbing. If it's haymakers by the time the first round is over most guys are tanked. Hell, by the time the first minute is over most amateurs are tanked. Weather the storm and then fire back. If it's a jabber in many cases you can walk through the jab, trap that guy in the corner and work the body with a few hooks and uppercuts thrown in. Those guys tend to cave.

Either way KEEP WORKING. So many amateurs are brave until they get hit once (everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth) and then they tend to become very cautious. Many beginning amateur fights end up with the opponents essentially staring at each other for most of the 3rd round. If you get it in your head to KEEP WORKING it helps overcome the reluctance to getting hit and allows you to force the action. You should make an effort to actually increase your work rate from round 1 to round 3, not decrease it.

hmm thats really interesting, generally my coach just leaves me to lock up once he needs to leave cause i like to continue training, so i'll try that tomorrow.

I was thinking about coming out with like 2 hard punches and then letting him fire back, and trying to get him to expend his energy, although this is just an idea and idk if its a good one, and I know everything changes when actually fighting and plans go out the window.

I generally keep working when i get hit because my trainer always yells out this thing when i get hit, it's something like "that was a second ago think about now" It really helps me pretty much forget about just getting hit, as a fair bit of the time when i get hit, it's more about the fact that i got hit big and i start doubting myself instead of actual pain. No way am i gonna be not doing much in the 3rd round, I may be gassed out by then but if i can move i aint stopping, not until the final bell goes or he's layed out on the canvas.

[saintsFPS]

What is the date of fight? Posting any video?

No idea of when, my coach generally tells me like 2 days before something that where doing something, like going to another gym to spar etc, which is a little inconvenient as a lot of the time I have to cancel plans or pay my friends like 5 bucks to take my shift at "work" (macdonalds) lol,

regardless with a fight I should have at least a weeks notice so i'll update everyone as soon as i know if i remember.

I was suppose to have a exhibition last weekend in Brunswick to help prepare for the fight, but the people setting it up cancelled on us a day before because apparently there where like 25 fights that night. My trainer said he will still get me a exhibition before the fight, so i'll do my best to get someone to record it and post it here, i'll record the fight too.

[saintsFPS]

Keep your hands up and throw straight punches. Be in shape to throw hard for 3 rounds. That's what you should work on because most of the other stuff u know will go out the window once the bell rings.

Thanks, i'll try to make sure to throw straight, i generally always do anyway, throwing wide haymakers is something i don't actually do much at all anymore, one bad habbit i do have when i get pissed off cause im getting hit a lot is throw like a fast 15 punch combo which will take away my energy, and since my sparring partners are more experience they'll just cover up and only like 3 of the punches will land and i'll waste a lot of energy, so that's something i need to work on, but i may resort back to real bad form in a full on fight, i hope not though, i'll do my best to keep calm and be collected. Cardio i'm really trying to work on, it's not where I want it to be, partially because before I started training i'd get gassed after a minute of skipping no joke, but i'm really trying to improve it.

[saintsFPS]

Thanks everyone heaps for all the help, the fact that you guys are spending time replying really means so much to me.

[Granath]

hmm thats really interesting, generally my coach just leaves me to lock up once he needs to leave cause i like to continue training, so i'll try that tomorrow.

I was thinking about coming out with like 2 hard punches and then letting him fire back, and trying to get him to expend his energy, although this is just an idea and idk if its a good one, and I know everything changes when actually fighting and plans go out the window.

I generally keep working when i get hit because my trainer always yells out this thing when i get hit, it's something like "that was a second ago think about now" It really helps me pretty much forget about just getting hit, as a fair bit of the time when i get hit, it's more about the fact that i got hit big and i start doubting myself instead of actual pain. No way am i gonna be not doing much in the 3rd round, I may be gassed out by then but if i can move i aint stopping, not until the final bell goes or he's layed out on the canvas.

Good luck and let me know how it goes with the heavy bag. I find it really helps in figuring out your range and it should be a great workout.

As for the fight, I wouldn't worry about scripting it too much. Just try to do what you do best and stay in your comfort zone.