Reviews

4 Reasons Boxers Need Blogs

admin — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:09:00 -0400

Lack of focus and motivation are two killers of any good workout or training plan. Most people will drift from workout to workout without much thought of why they are doing what that magazine has told them to do. There is an even better chance that you are not documenting everything you can about your training.

Blogs, like the ones found at Thoughts.com (the subject of this review), are quick and easy ways to keep your training on track. Places like Thoughts.com are online blogging communities that bring together a whole bunch of blogs written by other people. Hopefully, I'll convince you that starting a blog or other type of journal to document your training is a good thing.

Thoughts.com - Blogging Community

Blogs are basically journals - a place that you can write a short post and publish it for the world to see (or not depending on the privacy you assign to it, which is a feature present at Thoughts.com) The posts are generally organized chronologically by date and can cover a wide variety of subjects.

Some people's blogs stick to a central theme (like the How to Box Boxing Blog) while others are a mish mash of anything and everything. Thoughts.com does give you the ability to organize your posts by category which makes your blog more like a website or resource - and a whole lot more useful in the long run.

Places like Thoughts.com, Myspace, Blogger, and Livejournal bring thousands of people's blogs together into one place and give them the tools to write. Some blogs such as Myspace and Livejournal offer a lot of customization and design capability - allowing you to add widgets of all sorts to your blog. Things like MP3's, whacky backgrounds, animations, scrolling marquees and so on. Basically anything and everything making your blog an unreadable mess.

Thoughts.com differs from what has become standard and the only customization I could find was the background color which ensures everything remains readable. I'm telling you right now, don't complain about the lack of customization capabilities. This is a good thing.

Like Thoughts.com, here at How to Box, you also have the option of keeping a blog (accessible via your profile page) to monitor your progress, keep yourself motivated, and inspire others. This used with the progress reports feature allows you to keep a complete history of your training - and more importantly the results you have achieved.

Now you're probably asking yourself why bother blogging about your training? Well, if you're a competitive athlete or aspire to be the best in your sport, here are the...

Top 4 reasons you should be blogging:

To Ensure Your Training Plan is Progressive. Your body is going to adapt to any workout you do over time. The only way to keep increasing your level of conditioning is to force your body to exert effort. If you don't track what you did last workout, how do you know for certain that you have increased the intensity for this workout. This is especially true for strength training. You need to track how many reps and how much weight you use from workout to workout and from week to week. You always want to push a little harder and try to beat what you did the previous workout. It is also a necessity for tracking your nutrition and calorie intake - especially if you are trying to achieve a certain weight.
It's a Source of Motivation. Writing things down and tracking your progress gives you something to look back on. Take a look at the progress reports on How to Box. If you started boxing and had a gut hanging to the floor and then 3 months later had a six pack and could see that transformation, it is not only inspiring to you - but to others as well. Why do you think The Biggest Loser is such a hit on TV? Basically you are watching their diet and exercise blog - documented over 12 weeks or whatever it is.
It's a Source of Release. It's a spot you can get the thoughts out of your head - the negative thoughts and the positive thoughts so that you can concentrate and reaffirm every day what it is you are doing. It keeps you focused and on track to reach your goals.
To Promote Yourself. Athletes require publicity to attract trainers, managers, promoters, and fans. Keeping a blog up to date attracts people who like what you read and how you train. You develop a following, and a solid base of fans from which you can draw support. If you're a boxer and have any dreams of making a lot of money from the sport - you have to come up with a character and publicize that character. If you own a boxing gym or a boxing trainer, there really is no better way to attract new members and to keep the ones you have on track. Offering up great advice advances your status as an expert in your field and generally makes your gym or services more popular.

Thoughts.com, like your blog on How to Box, is a minimalist type of blogging platform and in a crowd of blogging sites trying to push the latest design widget on you, it is refreshing. It hasn't changed a whole lot from the first blogging platforms that came out - kind of like retro arcade games like Pacman - the functionality doesn't go out of style. It is basically a page of words that you can actually read and focus on the message the writer is trying to get across.

I do have to issue one warning though. Blogging and browsing through sites like Thoughts.com WILL take up a lot of your time. For the benefit you receive in the long run, especially how it keeps you focused on your boxing training, I consider the writing time well spent. How much time you waste browsing the wierd stories and lives people are living is a whole other story.

Oh, and these tools are free by the way, so there really is no reason not to start your blog today.

Supplements for Stronger Nutrition?

admin — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:39:34 -0400

There are thousands of websites and businesses out there trying to sell you nutritional supplements. It is an industry worth billions of dollars. One of many nutritional supplements dealers on the web, Stronger Nutrition, is the subject of this review. They have over 3500 products, unfortunately, most of them probably aren't worth the ink on their labels. For every supplement that does offer some type of nutritional benefit, there are hundreds more that probably hurt more than they help.

Is There Such Thing as a Good Supplement?

Well, as I've stated before, I believe there are two supplements that have benefit: protein powder, and creatine. Everything else is suspect in my books and I'd recommend you truly look into whatever claims that supplement is making before laying down your money to buy it. Chances are it is being marketed to your emotions, hopes, and dreams and any money you do pay for it, you may as well have thrown in the garbage. The supplements that make the sales will be known as super supplements whether they do anything or not.

What is Stronger Nutrition?

Stronger Nutrition is an online store that sells nutritional supplements and... I wish I could tell you more about the company, but when I went to their About Page -- wait a minute -- there is no about page! So, I really don't know who they are, except that they are based out of the United States judging by where they ship to. As far as online stores go, it is a clean interface and there isn't really anything about Stronger Nutrition that makes it truly stand out among the gazillion other nutritional supplement businesses as the goto place for online supplement shopping.

What's Useful About Stronger Nutrition?

Amazon has lead the way in online shopping, and Stronger Nutrition was wise to include reviews in their product pages. Especially in the supplement industry where you are trying to figure out if you should bother wasting money on another pill or powder. At least when there is a review, and if you can trust that review, you can ride the back of someone who's already spent the money.

Only problem here is that Stronger Nutrition is either a new site or an infrequently shopped site and there aren't a whole lot of reviews there to advise you. The ones I did find are quite suspect - consisting of one line, positively promoting the product, and no indication of who left it. Just a date. Deduce from that what you want.

On the plus side, the internet is a big place, so if there is no review on Stronger Nutrition, a quick google for the product plus the word review will likely yield some interesting results. I'd suggest you take a minute and do that before purchasing any.

Shop by Goal

Shop by Goal

A decent feature of the site is the ability for you to shop by goal. Really just a way to categorize supplements, but an intuitive way. If you want to gain muscle, you are presented with the supplements that claim to do that. If you want to lose weight, you are presented with the supplements that claim to do that. This is handy and at least sets you in the right direction when you're thinking you need a boost by supplementing your diet.

Is it a Good Site to Buy Supplements From?

If you're going to buy supplements, then there are plenty to choose from. Stronger Nutrition has a wide and varied selection and a rewards program designed to keep you coming back (and refer others). Guess what, though, most every supplement site on the internet has that.

They have a forum, which is pretty much standard, but again, lack of traffic or interest or time means you can read every post in their forum in about twenty minutes.

The only thing left that may entice you to buy from Sports Nutrition is price. So, I compared this muscle milk on Stronger Nutrition with the same muscle milk at the highly trafficked Bodybuilding.com supersite. Stronger Nutrition sells the product for $4.01 less. To be honest, I was actually stunned for a sec when I saw that as I usually buy my protein powder from Bodybuilding.com thinking that as far as supplement sites go, it was the granddaddy of them all and should naturally have lower prices.

Looks like I may be buying my protein powder from Stronger Nutrition from now on...

How to Find Boxing Fights on the Internet

admin — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 12:46:43 -0400

Want to be a better boxer? Then watch boxing.

I really hope that what I just said is nothing new to you. I'm really hoping you have already figured it out. If you haven't, I won't say you're slow cause that would just be mean, but...

You learn in a number of different ways. You learn by audio, visual, and of course by doing. So does it not make sense to maximize your learning ability from all angles?

Of course it does. And there is nothing more motivating than watching a good boxing match (or movie) to get you in the mood to go train. Watching a professional can give you some important clues to work on and some things to avoid. If, of course you learn how to watch a boxing fight.

Today, I'm going to show you how to find boxing fights to download on the internet. It is up to you to decide which of these four methods you are interested in using, and some are a lot better than others, but all together you should never miss out on a boxing fight again. I recommend, (in order of usefulness):

1. Easynews

#1 Choice:
EasynewsEasy what? It is a newsgroup server and if that means nothing to you, don't worry about it. What you need to know is that the Easynews service is the best place to download boxing fights (and anything else you might ever want so careful what you search for). It is not speed limited. You will be able to download as fast as your connection can handle EVERYTIME. I can download a full length DIVX boxing match in about 20 minutes on my DSL connection which maxes out at about 540KB/sec. There is no share ratio meaning you can download as much as you want and never have to upload. There has never been a boxing match I've wanted to watch that I haven't found. Another plus is that the file formats range from DVD to DIVX to whatever meaning you can play these things on your TV and all you need is a web browser to use it. If you are reading this, you are good to go. However, it is not an archival service and it is not free. You have to pay a monthly fee and the fights only last there for about 30 days unless the are reposted by people (which happens often). Personally, the speed of downloads and sheer variety of downloads is well worth the price. Learn how to download boxing fights at easynewsguide.com.

2. World Boxing Video Archive

#2 Choice:
World Boxing
Video ArchiveThis boxing download site is a bittorrent tracker specializing in boxing fights. It has an awesome variety and a good community that responds to requests. If you are looking for an older fight or a classic, you will likely find it here. Issues I have with it are that it is a bittorent site, so all the inherent piss offs inherent with bittorrent are present. Things like share ratios (you have to upload a certain amount in order to download), limited speeds (speed depends on how many seeders and leechers there are and how fast they are permitting people to download from them), and incomplete files (sometimes people turn off their computers before you are down the transfer). It is free though and the selection is usually good. Quality depends on the file - some are great, some aren't.

3. Youtube

#3 Choice:
YoutubeYou can find plenty of fights on youtube and I'm sure you are familiar with their quality. Most abundant are the ad hoc backyard boxing variety or short rounds of major matches. It is rare to find a complete match and copyright rules will likely make that even harder as Google figures out how to eliminate them all from Youtube. Quality is not so good as the files are optimized for speed, but the plus side is you don't have to wait for a download - it is streamed direct to your computer so you can begin watching it instantly.

4. StreamTV Now

#4 Choice:
StreamTVIf you want to watch a live pay per view show or broadcast, then this is the place to go. Don't expect a lot of support in setting this up, as it appears their email and contact info has been removed, but you can watch live pay per view shows in progress after becoming a member. Don't ask me if this is legal - doesn't seem like it can be when the membership costs about $3 a month and you have access to pay per view fights being streamed that cost $49.95 a fight. You can make up your own mind there, but I can tell you I've seen it working. The quality is good and with over 51000 members, at least some people think it's legal or don't really care.

So there you have it. Now you have no excuse not to be able to participate in the forums and discuss how boxers did in their latest fight here on How to Box. You can see everyone of the boxing matches in the comfort of your own home.

Anyone have any other great resources they want to share with us?

The Speed Bag Bible - Review

admin — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:38:35 -0400

NTSC

Running Time: Depends on set. 2-6 hours.

Buy Now from $24.99

This review has been three months in the making. Alan Kahn, author and producer of The Speed Bag Bible sent me a package just before Christmas in 2006 and it has taken me nearly three months to get through it due to the sheer volume of information his speed bag program provides. I don't want to explicitly compare Alan's program to others I've looked at, but I will say that Alan has created his program to be highly adaptive and flexible and there is nothing I have seen that compares in this regard. He teaches 24 individual punching and elbow striking techniques that can be combined into hundreds of combinations. His program will basically unleash your imagination and his training will have you hitting the speed bag with rhythm and style. In essence, you can create speed bag music and a good portion of his training shows you how to hit to music using the speed bag as a drum.

The most important difference I've seen between Alan's speed bag training program and others is that the Speed Bag Bible shows you how to move around the speed bag and throw punches. This training will not lock you into one position with your feet but will also show you hooks, pivots and punches from all angles. Obviously, this has important training implications for those of us using the speed bag to improve boxing skills. The other difference is the use of transition techniques so that anyone of the 24 base combinations he teaches can be combined with others. That means the number of REAL combinations you could learn on the speedbag is limited only by your imagination. (Actually, if you are a math whiz, it would be a factor of 24 -- virtually unlimited especially if you consider that you can extend the combination as long as you want...wrap your head around that one!)

Another unique, selling point of Alan's speedbag training program is a book he wrote to accompany the DVD. To be honest, picking up the book and flipping to the middle of it would have you putting it down as quick as you picked it up. It is full of formulas and long strings of letters which in reality are combinations. Here's an example:

Basic LLRR...(FSP)'''(O-D 4way)''(RSP)''(FSP)'''(FCP)...Repeat

Nice eh? It's gibberish and brings back bad memories of math class, but if you take the time to learn what the abbreviations mean -- starting at the beginning of the book rather than the middle -- all becomes clear. The book is a nice complement to the DVDs and an excellent resource if your DVD player isn't in the same room as your speed bag.

Alan figures that 20-30 minutes 2-3 times a week will have you mastering these techniques in about a month. I decided to see if that was true and while I'm no master, I am getting quite impressive if I do say so myself and having a lot more fun with my speed bag workouts. Working combinations into music and actually moving around the speed bag add a whole new dimension to speed bag training.

So, what do you get?

When I opened the package, I was blown away by what was inside. There were six DVDs and a 230 page book. I mean, it's a speed bag, how much is there to learn about it... Apparently a lot more than I thought. Four of the DVDs are the 24 techniques in extreme depth and detail and make up Alan's speed bag training program. One of the DVDs was a condensed version of the four disc set and is a two hour training program. The last disc is a Rhythm and Rehab disc aimed at disabled persons. Alan's company is Rehab & Sports Consulting and he has shown many handicapped persons and those undergoing rehabilitation the benefits of exercising with the speed bag. Chalk another one up for boxing helping people.

So, to clarify Alan basically has four products:

Very detailed speed bag training program consisting of four DVDs and a book: Equipment and Basic Punching, Elbow Striking, Side Punching techniques, and Advanced punching combinations.
A condensed version of the speed bag training consisting of one DVD and a book
The speed bag bible book itself.
A rhythm and rehab program plus book that is designed for those in wheelchairs or undergoing sports rehabilitation

Like I said, it took me three months to go through all of this material. I can tell you outright it has improved my speed bag technique and opened doors in terms of speed bag training that I had not considered. It's funny how one can think they have done it all and then a program like this shows up and shows you you don't really know anything. Life lesson number 10 - keep your mind open and continue to learn.

Anyways, I digress, whether you pick up the 2 hour training program or the 4 disc set, you will appreciate the method of instruction Alan uses to teach you how to hit that little bag with speed and technique. I found the videos a little slow but it is simply because Alan leaves absolutely nothing out. He goes through the speed bag in EXTREME detail starting at the absolute basics. This program is designed for someone who has never seen a speed bag and progresses to techniques so advanced it is hard to believe anyone could possibly learn them. Alan demonstrates these advanced techniques, and as you can see from the sample video on this page, it is quite amazing. Best of all, the techniques are within your grasp with enough practice.

No matter which set you look at they all cover front punches, reverse punches, side punches, elbow strikes and the part I liked the best, movement. Until I viewed Alan's program I had not seen speed bag workouts incorporate hooks and movement around the speed bag. Boxing is all about movement and timing and implementing these hooks and pivots while maintaining the speed bag rhythm has beneficial crossover to what is happening in the ring.

What didn't I like?

Alan is very, very thorough in his explanations. For most this is a good thing, but personally, I found it a little tedious at times simply because I was anxious to get to the actual meat of the workout -- hitting the bag. This would have been alleviated if Alan's discs had a menu from which I could skip to a particular combination or part of the disk. Unfortunately, there are no DVD menus so you have to watch through everything and note the time on the disk where you are interested in returning. Chapters or scenes would have made the disks much more intuitive to use. Being able to skip over the parts of the speedbag or what type of platform to buy or why not to wear gloves and so on would have been nice. The fast forward works, but isn't always the best way to stop and find a segment or return to something previously viewed.

For most though, especially beginners, this information is essential and everything he says is useful. I'd much rather have the information and detail Alan goes into than not.

The Speed Bag Bible book itself requires a lot of brain power to master and understand. Like I mentioned if you pick the book up and flip to the middle, you will not have a clue what it is talking about. If you take it from page 1 and add techniques to your repertoire as you go you won't have a problem and I'm sure the book was written that way. Quite frankly I do not believe there are any other books available that cover speed bag instruction, so whether you like the format or not, if you want a book, you're going to be looking at this one. Thankfully, the book does have an index so you can quickly find an answer to something you're looking for.

What I'm neutral about?

The filming is nothing special but is more than adequate and better than other videos I've seen. It breaks techniques down and does not obscure the rhythm of the speedbag with voice over. The cadence, which is very important in learning the speedbag, is clear and easy to hear, even when music is brought into the mix. All of the techniques have slow motion video when appropriate to clarify what is happening. This is another difference -- the speed bag bible training show slow motion technique both at eye level and from underneath the bag giving a more complete understanding of the forces at play.

The packaging is professionally done, clean and inviting so it isn't going to be an eyesore on your shelf. Quite frankly, this means absolutely nothing to me as long as the content is good, and it is. However, I know there are one or two finicky people out there.

Final Words

The Speed Bag Bible is an all encompassing, highly detailed, incredibly thorough, effective speed bag training program. I've looked at a couple of speed bag training programs in order to learn the techniques involved. Most people, even in boxing gyms do not know how to hit a speed bag. I've found this out time and time again as I go from gym to gym. Even worse is that those who do are not effective at teaching the techniques required to master it. Alan Kahn has devoted the last 12-13 years to teach the speed bag to the public. He has got to be one of the top ten authorities on the speed bag and his program is absolutely second to none. I highly recommend you add it to your collection. I have not found a better program for learning to hit the speed bag from square one. It has become an integral part of my speed bag training (whether I am consciously aware of it or not ). Make it part of yours as well.

Buy Now from $24.99

21 Combinations of the Speedbag DVD - Review

admin — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:09:11 -0400

Price: $24.95
(includes S&H)

NTSC (US) Format Only

running time: approx 69 minutes

Did you know there are 21 different combinations you can do on a speedbag? In all reality, there are probably a lot more, but 21 is definitely a good start. This instructional video is nothing short of a miracle for anyone trying to figure out how to hit that little ball and make it look like you actually know what you're doing.

The speedbag is an elusive little ball that is completely unforgiving. Either you have the technique or you don't, there really is no inbetween. And that's really too bad, because that rapid little thump, thump, thump looks and sounds awesome. It's kind of therapeutic. Every major Hollywood boxing movie has some scene where the champ is training on it (Rocky, Million Dollar Baby, etc...). When someone is hitting it with the proper technique, one doesn't really see it being hit at all - it just moves really damn fast.

And that's where the problem lies. It requires technique. Far too often the aspiring boxer ends up frustrated with their new wall ornament because no one can actually teach them how to hit the speedbag. I've been to enough gyms where the coaches put you in front of that hanging little menace for 3 minutes and say "Hit it." "Great", you think to yourself and proceed to flail away hoping someone will take pity on you and share a bit of its secret with you. I know this, I was there, and Steve, wherever you are, I am forever grateful for the time you took to show me that one pattern.

Let me save you from that experience and introduce you to Sifu Herb Patus, a 7th degree black belt and the world's highest-ranking martial artist to offer an instructional speed bag DVD to the public. I know what you're thinking, "what does a martial artist have to do with boxing?"

I was thinking the same thing and it wasn't until I reviewed his video that I felt comfortable endorsing it even though I've known about it for quite some time, and had seen the same sample speedbag video that is present on this page. Let me explain.

Herb (far right) and Ali

Herb started his martial arts training in 1973 and has continued ever since. He has taught, fought, and trained intensely for longer than many of you have been alive. Still, you're wondering, as was I, how boxing fit into his Kenpo training. Well, for two of those years, he was roommates with Tom Cook, an ex-professional boxer. Those were not just two years of casual acquantaince. They trained together daily and Tom was able to instill the usefulness of boxing in martial arts, especially when you are up close and personal with your opponent. Speed bag training was a major part of that and it is reflected in this video.

This instructional video is perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to hit the speedbag AND train on the speedbag. Not only will you be shown precisely how to make it go a million beats a minute (I exaggerate a little...), but you will also learn the fundamentals and building blocks that will let you actually use it as a training tool -- that will make you better in the ring. It's one thing to look good and quite another thing to be good.

Honestly, when Herb sent me one to review, it took awhile to show up which was really the fault of the Canadian Post Office and nothing to do with Herb. Throughout the ordeal he was incredibly patient and helpful. That in itself is a selling point. When it did arrive at my doorstep, I opened the package and immediately thought the video looked a little amateurish. The cover shows a not so clear picture taken from the video and I secretly hoped the footage itself wasn't going to be as grainy. I suddently had visions of the DVD looking like the sample video running on Google, even though Herb had assured me prior that the DVD video is much better.

Long story short, don't judge a book by it's cover. The video quality, while not Hollywood, is more than adequate to teach you what you need to know. There are a couple of little things that bugged me. First, the opening intro took awhile to get to the point of the video. It took me a few moments to figure out exactly what it was introducing. Initially I thought maybe Herb had sent me the wrong DVD, but after a few minutes all became clear. Second was the bamboo background used throughout the video -- just seemed strange and I'll leave it at that. Both of these are small gripes in what I rate as an excellent training video.

Now that I'm done picking away at things that mean absolutely nothing in terms of the instructional value of this video, I'll tell you what you will get. There are 21 combinations to work away at and learn. The video is narrated and covers each combination in depth, sometimes going into slow motion so one can see exactly what is going on. Subsequent combinations tend to build on initial ones and when required they review earlier taught techniques. Approximately half of the combinations use both punches and elbow strikes. While elbow strikes are not exactly required in boxing, it goes to show what one could do with them in an inside battle.

Personally, I think Herb Patus has put together a very useful video. Anyone wanting to develop any skills at all on the speedbag should have it in their collection. It is well worth the money. He passed on more information in 70 minutes than I received in a year at a gym. Oh, and if you are interested in nunchukas, Herb has a video for them too.