Originally posted by Doc_Piptorious
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Much longer amatuer career than a pro one unfortunately.
Actually won stuff to a decent level in the unpaid ranks whereas scraped into the double figures in terms of bouts fought in the pro ranks. Never lost in the paid ranks but I was very much a low level guy who, if I had not been forced into coaching by an injury in my 20s, would have become a make up the numbers guy even if I did not believe that at the time. The closest I got to "fame" in the pro ranks was getting on the cover of a boxing mag for one of their "names to watch" lists and getting name checked by Jimmy Magee on RTE (Irish national tv and radio )
Sparred with some very good guys though and was a regular sparrer for a number of heavyweight title holders so if nothing else I know what a top guy hits like
Have coached to national level in two countries at amatuer level and coached (part of team) to world title level in the pro ranks, much of my practical pro coaching coming within the Kronk set up as got to shadow the best of the best there, so do have all my formal qualifications as well as complimentary qualifications in the likes of Sport psychology. Much better coaching career than an in ring one.
And in the past year or so have returned to my roots to coach at local level a few days a week in an ABC that decades ago was good enough to take me in when I was in Uni and in need of somewhere local to Uni in order to train for provincial and national bouts.
I fit in the coaching around my main day job which these days is being the part owner of a retail business.
Do have lots of stories but more than a few would get me into trouble if I started putting them up in public Lot of names in the sport might surprise people as to who were good guys and who were not so nice despite having nice public personas pushed for them.
But one massive perk was I got to meet a lot of my in ring heroes in the sport like Marvin Hagler (an absolute gentleman that oozed class. Got a pair of his shorts and gloves - as in ones he wore in the ring), Larry Holmes ( he put a hand print in plaster for me that I have mounted to this day. Fun fact, I have a bigger hand than Larry), Lennox Lewis (Got a glove from him that he signed on the spot too), George Foreman (really funny man who then went to my old ABC off the cuff and spent hours hanging with kids) and a ton of other all time greats.
Lots of more recent names I would have met too. The Klitschko brothers, Andy Lee (know him since his pre Kronk days), Henry Akinwande, Ricky Hatton, Tyson Fury, Andre Ward, Carl Froch, Jermain Taylor, Mikkel Kessler and others. They would be folk I spent a bit of time over the years with rather than people I met for a handshake or only shared a few words with.
Same on the coaching side of things. Met almost everyone I could have hoped to have met and worked under a few that would have been bucket list names for me. I never was or never will be on the level of those men and women, but what they instilled in me kicks in every time I prepare to enter a training facility of any kind and kicks in when I am in my darkest of places mentally.
Even now my respect for coaching sees me automatically drop to knowing my role when in another man or woman's place of work. As is the case since my GF and I have taken up Hapkido together since last year. I have a martial art background as well as a boxing one as trained in a branch of kung fu alongside my boxing training right back to my amatuer days as used one to compliment the other. Hapkido is fitting like a glove (pun intended) as a boxing background gives you a big advantage when training in it as your stand up striking is such that it compliments what you learn in Hapkido very very well. As does the years of learning balance.
What is making Hapkido a lot of fun for me is even though I am raw compared to a lot of folk there, my size, balance, striking and strength is getting me paired with smaller but far more skilled practioners than I. So I am being challenged greatly alomost every session and training with people far better than you only makes you better yourself.
I'm apparantly difficult to throw (big part of Hapkido is the throwing of an aggressor - be it off balance or to the ground outright) and when the smaller more skilled folk go to throw me, my natural balance kicks in and I often end up turning their attempted throw or hip toss into me lifting them clean from the mat and into a slamming position from which I can then strike them whilst prone. It generally teaches to avoid using brute strength and how to counter such, but as I bring good balance and training with my strength I become the Hapkido version of a southpaw doing things "wrong" for a righty.
So I get to be a less skilled but very awkward practise partner as I can also switch to a boxing stance when they go into a striking stance. Does mean I also pick up a few extra bruises as the much better than I folk try out new ways to put me down and keep me down
As a health related aside, I can whole heartedly endorse Hapkido as a great way to get fit, keep fit, discipline the mind further, meet great people and boost confidence should anyone here be thinking of taking up a martial art for fitness reasons or to compliment a current skillset.
Age is no limit when it comes to a martial art or any combat sport. You can go just for the physical and mental benefits and never spar or compete hard.
Actually won stuff to a decent level in the unpaid ranks whereas scraped into the double figures in terms of bouts fought in the pro ranks. Never lost in the paid ranks but I was very much a low level guy who, if I had not been forced into coaching by an injury in my 20s, would have become a make up the numbers guy even if I did not believe that at the time. The closest I got to "fame" in the pro ranks was getting on the cover of a boxing mag for one of their "names to watch" lists and getting name checked by Jimmy Magee on RTE (Irish national tv and radio )
Sparred with some very good guys though and was a regular sparrer for a number of heavyweight title holders so if nothing else I know what a top guy hits like
Have coached to national level in two countries at amatuer level and coached (part of team) to world title level in the pro ranks, much of my practical pro coaching coming within the Kronk set up as got to shadow the best of the best there, so do have all my formal qualifications as well as complimentary qualifications in the likes of Sport psychology. Much better coaching career than an in ring one.
And in the past year or so have returned to my roots to coach at local level a few days a week in an ABC that decades ago was good enough to take me in when I was in Uni and in need of somewhere local to Uni in order to train for provincial and national bouts.
I fit in the coaching around my main day job which these days is being the part owner of a retail business.
Do have lots of stories but more than a few would get me into trouble if I started putting them up in public
Lot of names in the sport might surprise people as to who were good guys and who were not so nice despite having nice public personas pushed for them.But one massive perk was I got to meet a lot of my in ring heroes in the sport like Marvin Hagler (an absolute gentleman that oozed class. Got a pair of his shorts and gloves - as in ones he wore in the ring), Larry Holmes ( he put a hand print in plaster for me that I have mounted to this day. Fun fact, I have a bigger hand than Larry), Lennox Lewis (Got a glove from him that he signed on the spot too), George Foreman (really funny man who then went to my old ABC off the cuff and spent hours hanging with kids) and a ton of other all time greats.
Lots of more recent names I would have met too. The Klitschko brothers, Andy Lee (know him since his pre Kronk days), Henry Akinwande, Ricky Hatton, Tyson Fury, Andre Ward, Carl Froch, Jermain Taylor, Mikkel Kessler and others. They would be folk I spent a bit of time over the years with rather than people I met for a handshake or only shared a few words with.
Same on the coaching side of things. Met almost everyone I could have hoped to have met and worked under a few that would have been bucket list names for me. I never was or never will be on the level of those men and women, but what they instilled in me kicks in every time I prepare to enter a training facility of any kind and kicks in when I am in my darkest of places mentally.
Even now my respect for coaching sees me automatically drop to knowing my role when in another man or woman's place of work. As is the case since my GF and I have taken up Hapkido together since last year. I have a martial art background as well as a boxing one as trained in a branch of kung fu alongside my boxing training right back to my amatuer days as used one to compliment the other. Hapkido is fitting like a glove (pun intended) as a boxing background gives you a big advantage when training in it as your stand up striking is such that it compliments what you learn in Hapkido very very well. As does the years of learning balance.
What is making Hapkido a lot of fun for me is even though I am raw compared to a lot of folk there, my size, balance, striking and strength is getting me paired with smaller but far more skilled practioners than I. So I am being challenged greatly alomost every session and training with people far better than you only makes you better yourself.
I'm apparantly difficult to throw (big part of Hapkido is the throwing of an aggressor - be it off balance or to the ground outright) and when the smaller more skilled folk go to throw me, my natural balance kicks in and I often end up turning their attempted throw or hip toss into me lifting them clean from the mat and into a slamming position from which I can then strike them whilst prone. It generally teaches to avoid using brute strength and how to counter such, but as I bring good balance and training with my strength I become the Hapkido version of a southpaw doing things "wrong" for a righty.
So I get to be a less skilled but very awkward practise partner as I can also switch to a boxing stance when they go into a striking stance. Does mean I also pick up a few extra bruises as the much better than I folk try out new ways to put me down and keep me down
As a health related aside, I can whole heartedly endorse Hapkido as a great way to get fit, keep fit, discipline the mind further, meet great people and boost confidence should anyone here be thinking of taking up a martial art for fitness reasons or to compliment a current skillset.
Age is no limit when it comes to a martial art or any combat sport. You can go just for the physical and mental benefits and never spar or compete hard.
It’s hard to beat boxing for what it gives young men in particular, in terms of discipline, courage, technique, self defence and real sense of achievement. I loved it growing up and it was life changing for me in my teens, as an angry brown kid growing up in Australia.
Love also that you’re still in the combat sports, think it’s something that can stay with your well into your sunset years, as long as you choose the right sport
I had the speed to catch pretty much whomever came down my flank and the size and singlemindedness to win my battles.
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