Boxing Training Methods

Boxing training is one of the toughest out there

[Image Credit https://twitter.com/bangtanbxtch]

To keep fit and maintain our health and well-being, training and exercising on a regular basis is essential. It’s that simple, really. A healthy body usually results in a healthy mind, as they say.

With a vast array of training techniques out there, with all different kinds of athletes training in different ways depending on what suits them and their body best, we’ve decided to focus on boxing and the typical excises and fitness routines that a boxer might undertake.

Whether you’re looking to become the next Rocky Balboa - a phenomenon that has spawned numerous movies and even online games - or simply keen to keep fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle, boxing training is arguably the hardest training to do and the most effective way to achieve any fitness goals you might have.

Actor Sylvester Stallone had to train like a boxer and a bodybuilder for the role, which he certainly aced, didn’t he?

Below are a few typical training exercises that a boxer might undertake ahead of a big fight or even just enjoy during a light exercise routine.

The Dragon Flag

We’re starting a bit extreme here, admittedly. First coming into prominence following the Rocky films, ‘The Dragon Flag’ exercise is a highly effective ab exercise which forces the muscles of the stomach to eccentrically contract. They are in tension, but lengthening. This is very similar to the downward phase of a bicep curl.

How to Dragon Flag:

1. Lay on floor whilst holding onto something stable with your hands by your head
2. With only your head and shoulders in contact with the floor, raise your entire body from the floor
3. Keeping as straight as possible, lower yourself to the ground
4. Pause for one second when at the bottom of the exercise
5. Then return back in an upright position
6. All the time ensuring only your head and shoulders are in contact with the floor

[Image Credit https://twitter.com/ProBodyweight]

Strength Training Myth

A theory even Rocky’s trainer in the movie had, that to win fights and be at peak performance, strength training and therefore building muscle tone is vitally important. According to the Strength and Conditioning Journal, despite this theory coming from a classic movie, it’s actually correct.

They say: "Many boxing traditionalists and trainers mistakenly believe that strength training will have a detrimental effect on boxers, making them slow or muscle bound. The boxer can greatly benefit from the proven effects of a proper strength-training program.”

Jump Rope Sans Rope

Jump rope is a boxing exercise most of you are probably familiar with. Either you’ve attempted it yourself as a standard jump rope warm-up or you’ve seen a boxer do it, perhaps. Believe it or not, though, you don’t actually need a rope to carry out this exercise. Simply take a minute to jump in place, moving your arms in small circular motion as though you are actually holding a jump rope. It’s an excellent way to get the heart pumping at the beginning of your workout session and will certainly wake your whole body up before you get into full flow.

Shadow Boxing

Boxing fans will certainly be aware of this one. It really is the pièce de résistance. You don’t necessarily need pads to gain the full effect of this exercise. By simply punching the air, keeping your fists up to your face, keeping your knees soft and your weight forward on your toes, shadow boxing for a few minutes can certainly tire the body out.

Underwater Archery

TORONTO ARCHERY LESSONS

As unusual exercises and bizarre sports go, Underwater Archery should certainly rank up there.

It is certainly feasibly to do, but the range a person can achieve accuracy, the speed of the arrow, and even visibility is significantly reduced.

The problem is that the density of the water (as opposed to air) slows the arrows down significantly, so the distance a person can shoot is immediately hampered during the release, and the arrow slows quickly.

The usable range would be similar or less than a speargun or harpoon gun, which have an operational range of about 10 meters.

So do people compete at Underwater Archery?

Nope, not yet.

Could someone organize an Underwater Archery tournament? Probably someone could do it as a joke. It would be more amusing than anything else.

It doesn't make sense for fishing either. Bowfishing is easier to do from the surface when you are shooting at fish that are in relatively shallow water, that way the arrows are not slowed down too much upon impact.

As demonstrated below Underwater Archery is mostly for the purposes of photography.

The Assassin's Trail - Archery Fantasy Book

Hello Archery Fans!

Some of my archery students know that I also write fiction and non-fiction. eg. I sometimes publish articles in Archery Focus Magazine.

Regarding my fiction work back in April I published a paperback of one of my older books, The Assassin's Trail.

The Assassin's Trail paperback is available on Amazon.ca for $10.43.

Or if you prefer the ebook version, you can get The Assassin's Trail ebook for $2.99.

Plot Snippet:

Five years after undergoing the Test of Manhood, young Wrathgar is tasked with bringing back the head of the murderer Muddenklaw who sought vengeance against his own people and murdered innocents. But Muddenklaw has escaped from the Snowfell Mountains and fled south past the dreaded Ogre Swamp to the more civilized lands to the south, becoming a murderer-for-hire. Will Wrathgar be able to find the murderer, and bring about justice for those who were killed? Or will Muddenklaw escape into a world of assassins who hide in the shadows waiting to strike? Who will win in the showdown between the barbarian ranger and the assassin?

So is there archery in the book? Of course there is. Lots of it, plus also tracking, woodsman skills, flintknapping, murder, mayhem, magic and more! I am currently editing Book Two of the series, wherein Wrathgar and a team of other characters are faced with even deadlier dangers fighting the priests and followers of a dark god of murder. I am hoping to have Book Two available before Christmas 2019.

Happy Reading and Happy Shooting!

Sincerely,
Charles Moffat
CardioTrek.ca

Archery Biathlon Scoring

Q

How does scoring work in an archery biathlon?

A

In the regular biathlon (skiing with rifles) the Biathletes ski as fast as they can, then they must quickly calm down to shoot a target the size of a loonie 50 meters (55 yards) away from a prone position and shoot a second target the size of a Tim Horton's coffee cup lid from a standing position. Each time they miss they have to ski a penalty loop that is 150 meters long, which costs them a lot of valuable time.

Thus it is definitely a race. The first one across the finishing line wins.

So technically there is no scoring. You either get across the finishing line first or your don't.

There are also a number of challenges the biathletes face: How much wax they have on their skis, whether the snow is soft or hard or muddy, wind, rain, snow, fog. It is a true challenge and every competition will be uniquely different due to the snow and weather conditions.

The Archery Biathlon is very similar. They still have the challenge of skiing in adverse conditions and then calming down to shoot, but shooting a bow is much more challenging as they have to be very calm to get more accuracy.

So what are the differences?

#1. Archers don't shoot from a prone position, although they could in theory shoot from a kneeling position.
#2. They shoot three arrows instead of two bullets.
#3. They must hit a 20 cm wide target that is 20 meters away. It doesn't matter where they hit on the target (center or edge), so long as it is a confirmed hit.

So for every arrow that misses they still have to do the penalty loop, which is normally* 150 meters.

* The exact rules of archery biathlons can sometimes vary upon who is hosting them. The hosts make the rules.

Note - During the summer archers could still do something similar if they wanted to. "Run Archery" is a similar sport, but archers could also in theory use roller-blades or other methods of transportation to create their own sport. eg. Equestrian archers could use the above rules to compete on horseback.

Fun Fact

The Norse god Ullr is quite literally the god of the archery biathlon.

Trust the Norse to actually have a god for this sport, which back then was also a matter of hunting, survival and warfare.

Fast Flight Bowstrings vs Vintage Bows

Q

"I have a question if you have a second.

That [vintage Black Hawk Scorpion] bow I sent pics of. My buddy Forrest made me a string for free but its ff [fast flight]. Will that hurt it?

- Parker S."

The bow in question, a Black Hawk Scorpion:

A

Hey Parker!

Risky. I wouldn't use fast flight on any of my vintage bows.

It was good you asked before trying it. Would be a real shame to see a Black Hawk ruined.

So weird thing... you know how bowstrings are usually 14 or 16 strands, right? So if people really want their bow to shoot faster they can also just make a bowstring that is 10 or 12 strands instead. The weight reduction on the bow string is what makes fast flight string faster, but other strings can do the same thing, you just have to use less of it. It does lower the life expectancy of the bowstring because it is then less durable, but if speed is what the person wants then it doesn't matter.

 

The downside of fast flight string is that it tends to damage bows by cutting into the wood / fibreglass. A friend of mine once experimented with making a bowstring made out of fishing line, which turned out to be a very idea. Even worse than FF judging by the amount of damage it did.

Parker: Ok thank you. I think he just wasn't thinking about it when he made it. What should I use? B50?

Yep.

Also if you ever get into making your own bowstrings, expect the first 5 to be horrible but usable. By the time you make #10 you will be probably be happy with their quality. It is a fast learning curve.

Parker: Ok thank you very much.

Funny Archery Shirt

Okay so maybe it isn't "Haha Funny!", but I still enjoyed it. Archery humour sometimes has a pretty low bar for what we consider to be funny.

And if you don't get the joke, it is because archery is really difficult.

On a scale of difficulty I had a science teacher who explained how different kinds of science is considered more difficult.

1 - Chemistry. Pretty easy.
2 - Physics and Engineering. Twice as hard.
3 - Rocket Science and Orbital Mechanics. Four times harder, because you have to balance the weight of the rocket with the weight of the fuel, the thrust the fuel actually produces, the orbital velocity, the reentry velocity and angle... it gets super complicated in a hurry.
4 - Quantum Physics. Imagine trying to hit an electron traveling at the speed of light with a photon that is also traveling at the speed of light, while on a planet that is rotating at 460 meters per second and orbiting the sun at 30 km per second... and trying to determine where an electron will be at any given moment... theoretically. Yeah, have fun with that.
5 - Archery. Basically impossible to get perfect 100% of the time. There are too many unknown factors that you cannot account for all of them.

Yep, archery is hard.

This is why it is so challenging, but also so very fulfilling. You are constantly chasing perfection, but the realization that you will never achieve perfection. Sure, you get a bullseye once in awhile, more often if you take archery lessons and practice often, but the enjoyment of hitting the target is spliced with the enjoyment in the knowledge that you are getting better. Becoming a better archer, and hopefully closer to that perfection you seek.

Ideally you might even become a better person too, which is a nice bonus. Humbled by the beauty of the universe.

The Traditional Bowyers Bible - Volume I

On a side topic related to archery, for those people who are thinking of making their own bow or their own arrows, I recommend reading the following book:

The Traditional Bowyers Bible - Volume I

The good news is that book isn't that hard to find. You can get it at Basically Bows (Gary's shop at 940 Queen Street East), or you can purchase it on Amazon.

Or you download an epub version of it online for free.

If you are really serious about making your own bows and arrows I can also recommend a local bowyer who teaches bowmaking. I took a course with him years ago before I got married and it was invaluable.

Or alternatively, if books are more your thing, there are also Volumes II, III and IV of the Traditional Bowyer's Bible to check out.

I purchased all 4 books years ago from Gary's shop and they have been a valuable resource both for own bowmaking and also as a source of research for my fiction writing (which features archery frequently).

Win Two Archery Lessons from Cardio Trek

Hey Toronto!

So one of my archery students has run into a scheduling snafu. His boss has decided to give him a lot of overtime, even on weekends, and this has cut into his ability to practice archery / take archery lessons in Toronto.

Rather than have his archery lessons go to waste however he has asked me to donate them to a worthy student who needs help. So he purchased 10 archery lessons, got to use 8 of them, and had 2 lessons remaining.

So that is two archery lessons up for grabs. The value of the lessons is $120 CDN, and not redeemable for cash.

But how do I decide who is worthy? How do I tell who REALLY wants the two archery lessons?

What if I had some sort of contest, or a draw, or maybe a combination of the two?

I am thinking a combination of both a contest/draw. So how would that work?

Well, I am going to make it a social media contest, and the number of entries determines how many times a person's name is put into the draw.

How to Win Two Archery Lessons from Cardio Trek

1. If you want to enter your name in the draw the first thing you have to do is post an archery themed image on a social media account (Twitter, Instagram, your blog/website, etc) and include a link to www.cardiotrek.ca/p/archery-lessons.html

2. The site must be publicly accessible by non-members so that I can view it and confirm the archery image and link exists without needing to join/login. eg. If you post the link on a private Facebook account or a private group I cannot see then it doesn't count.

3. Then you need to email me via cardiotrek@gmail.com and include the link(s) in your email to where you posted on social media platforms to be included in the draw.

If you have any questions about this contest or cannot wait to book your archery lessons, simply email me. You can always just book your archery lessons and then maybe win extra archery lessons. That works too, right?

The contest is also open to former students who want more archery lessons, so that is certainly an option too.

4. For each time you posted on a different social media account your name will be included multiple times in the draw, using the following system:

1. Posted once on social media = 1 copy of your name in the draw.
2. Post twice = 3 copies in the draw.
3. Post thrice = 5 copies in the draw.
4. Post four times = 7 copies in the draw.
5. Post 5 times = 9 copies in the draw.
6. Post 6 times = 11 copies in the draw.
7. Etc. The formula is X + (X-1) = D. Or X2 - 1 = D. Whichever. This system rewards the people who put the most effort in to the process, while still giving the person who did one Twitter post a chance.

So for example if you post on 10 different accounts your name is included in the draw 19 times. Remember - Posting on the same social media account multiple times gets you nothing extra. It only counts if you do it on multiple different social media platforms.

5. The winner will be randomly chosen from a hat (my brown Ducks Unlimited Hat) on May 28th (after the May 2-4 Long Weekend) by my toddler son Richard. I will record the draw on my cellphone, mostly because Richard is a toddler and very cute. So it is rather mandatory that when he is doing something adorable that he is being recorded. :)

6. Everyone who enters the contest automatically gets 10% off the purchase of one archery lesson. So even if you don't win you can still sign up for archery lessons and get a discount. Note - This is not cumulative with my Seniors Discount or my Veterans Discount. You can only get 1 discount at a time.

7. If you win the contest you can also choose to give your archery lessons away to a friend using one of my Gift Vouchers.

Doing my Income Taxes / Veterans Discount

So I am doing my income taxes today and looking at my records for 2018.

And sometimes I come across some weird numbers, which I realize are either due to the Seniors Discount or I was offering some kind of sale at the time.

I also realized that, overall, offering a Seniors Discount doesn't really cost me much, but it sure is a highlight when it comes to teaching archery. Teaching archery to seniors is very enjoyable and it gives me a whole fresh perspective on the sport when conversing with such enthusiastic students who are really there because they love the sport so much.

I have been offering a 10% seniors discount for years now and I plan to continue to offer the discount.

I have also considered offering a Veterans discount, for anyone who has served in the Canadian military - with proof of your military service, such as a Veterans card. It wouldn't take much convincing to get me to offer that, so I really should make it official. Lets do that right now. From now on Canadian Veterans (with proof of service such as a Canadian Armed Forces veterans card) get a 10% discount.

Who gives their kid the first name Jones? That is clearly a last name.

Note - The 10% discount is only applied once. If you are both a senior and a veteran you only get the one discount.

And for fun, check out the photo below of someone in 1965 using dynamite on the end of an arrow to destroy ice jams on a river. Because hey, why not. Sure hope the archer didn't hurt himself.

Spring 2019 Toronto Archery Lessons Availability

Attention Archery Students!

Due to time constraints I will only be teaching Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays during the Spring 2019 archery season.

So if you are looking for weekday archery lessons in Toronto, Thursdays is basically the only day available at present, and whomever books lessons first gets the best time slots.

Otherwise Saturday and Sunday time slots are still available, with the most availability being on Sundays.

In the meantime, check out the Turkish hornbows that a friend brought to the archery range recently. 44 lbs and 78 lbs respectfully.