Kids And Boxing Round 2

By Dennis (Derbymanc)

Round 1 can be found http://www.v2boxing.co.uk/#!Kids-And-Boxing/c1xmj/ECD9D32D-A0D8-4E83-89E2-DB1ADE544339

It’s now been over a month since the twins started boxing and the passion and drive is still there, despite them only being able to train once a week, as they are not allowed under any circumstances to spar with each other. (The technician against the brawler may look good on TV, but not in the front room,) and Dad didn’t want to teach bad habits (yet.) I also know that if I did let them spar at this age, the Mrs would have a fit!

After being asked when they could start going to the gym more often, I decided to dust the pads off anyway and run them through a few combinations just to keep their enthusiasm up. Mistake number 1 was thinking training was as easy as picking up the pads, I should have read round one again, and number 2 was teaching them 1 combination over and over and over again, no movement just hook, hook, hook, hook, uppercut. They did very well with it but alas got so used to it that in their next lesson as soon as the left hook went, they automatically went to go into the combination which is a problem when Kierans got the pad elsewhere. Thankfully they’re a lot smarter than Dad, so overcame it, but it has shown me that I needed a bit of help, which thanks to Kieran, one of the lads on the forum and Youtube I decided to work on basic movement and punches, working up to slightly complicated combinations.

The kids complained at first, this is too easy, you don’t move around enough but I eventually started to get the hang of it and got confident enough to grab the pads sometimes in training. The more experienced kids aren’t interested (they’re not going to learn anything off the guy that tells you to hit it 3 times and stop) but it’s good to help some of the smaller kids sometimes, and I’ve noticed that my daughter starts off her new combinations with pitter patter punches and then goes for it once she has learnt it, which doesn’t take long for her.

As mentioned, I’m never going to be ‘that Dad in the corner’ but for the time being I’m able to be a part of the training and as I haven’t had a telling off from Kieran yet, I assume I’m helping the pair of them.

Back to the kids though and they’ve both come on leaps and bounds, more so as I never noticed properly how much they take in everything they’re told. I’ve no idea how he’s done it but my daughter now moves around the ring properly rather than like a crab, her head movement has started (slightly) and she’s not throwing so many ‘scoring’ punches but now puts a little bit of oomph into it. She’s still terrified of getting hit back but there’s a few years before she has to worry about it properly.

My lad looks to me like he’s becoming a little bundle of dynamite, he moves effortlessly round the ring watching the pads and seemingly anticipating where he’s being moved to. Once the pads are out it is boom, boom, boom. This week he was taught not too leave his chin hanging out which led to a bit of fun where Kieran left his own out for him to hit (braver man than me,) but the Wee Lad, being told he’s not allowed to hit anything other than pads, stood there waiting. He eventually got it.

Observations from the Mum;

My two have been boxing with Kieran for a few weeks now, and each week I have noticed that he does certain things, which at the time, you think, why is he doing that. As the weeks have passed, I have realised that the part at the end of the session, where each kid is given the chance to ‘take Kieran on’, if you follow what you have been taught earlier in the session, the longer you survive before he gets you on the ground. There’s lots of little things like that, that are all just starting to fit into place as to why he does certain things. At first, I thought it was all just fun for the kids, but it prepares the kids which is why he does it that way. My two love going, but I don’t think they were that keen on the ’50 sit ups’ that they were asked to do at the last session, after god knows how many press ups, star jumps and the like. It keeps them fit though, and they always want to go back. So it can’t be that bad.

Have fun all, and if your interested contact Kieran Farrell via The Peoples Gym on Facebook, or www.thepeoplesgym.net
If you have any questions please contact me via dennis@v2boxing.co.uk.

http://www.v2boxing.co.uk/#!Kids-And-Boxing-Round-Two/c1xmj/553e1cf30cf2487416f230a2