Workout #41

I've been a bit sick and getting ready for a long business trip. I'll be gone for the next three weeks. My plan is to do some kind of cardio, shadow box, and do other things to keep me in shape. It may actually be good for me to take a break. The only problem is when I get back I only have two weeks before my match. Such is the life of the white collar boxer, it's important but we're not professionals so we do what we can.

Rounds: 7

1. Jump rope 1
2. Shadow boxing 2
3. Speed bag 2
4. Heavy bag 1
5.  Double bag 1

Workout #40

Total rounds 12:

1. Jump rope - 1.5
2. Shadow - 2.5
3. Speed bag - 3.5

• I finally feel like a boxer on the speed bag. Out of all the things I do, it's the one thing that makes me feel like I'm not a beginner. I'm not advanced, but I have the coordination now to feel I can go pretty hard and work on my accuracy and continue for several minutes at a pretty high speed on the speed bag. 
• I think I'm much more accurate than a beginner b/c of my speed bag emphasis. I don't hit the heavy bag a whole lot, I'm not that concerned about power since I'm more a defensive fighter/want to win on points and accuracy. Also an accurate punch causes a lot more damage than a more powerful less than accurate shot. Anyways, I've decided to focus on accuracy.

4. Mitts - 2
5. Sparring - 3

I sparred a new guy today. About 5'8 and maybe my age. We didn't hit really, just kind of did really light sparring. I was taller so I was able to tag him fairly easily with my jab. He had no uppercut, so he started coming in a bit to hit me with bodyshots but once I got him with a jab or even once with an uppercut he was more hesitant. I think if I spar like this I won't get a whole lot of damage, but if I go any harder I will. It's still helpful sparring even at only 10% or even shadow sparring with no hitting at all. Today's session was good, really light tapping. It gives us a good basic foundation to learn.

Workout #39

My ribs are hurting from my sparring match. My opponent got me with so many body shots.

Total rounds: 11

1. Jump rope - 1

2. Shadow - 2

3. Speed Bag - 3

4. Double bag - 1

5. Mitts - 2

6. Sparring - 2

I sparred RockyM a quick, thick, and powerful little guy. He's 41 years old but has been boxing a while, and is incredible quick for someone who is 41. He realized that he could get inside on me at will so he threw a lot of body shots. I was timid for a while, but then realized he was going to hit me many times unless I started doing something. I moved my head so it was hard for him to hit unless he came inside. But then, I got him once pretty hard with an uppercut so he was hesitant. After that, he started just going to the body. He got me everytime to my left ribs and it really hurt/it's bruised, but when he did come in I started hitting him with a left jab and a quick short hook to his head. I didn't hit him very hard, but he knew that if he did come in he was going to get hit twice b/c of my range. Overall it's good b/c I can work on certain strategies, but not sure how beneficial it is for me to spar someone so much smaller. However, it is better to spar than not spar. 

Workout #38

Total rounds: 10

1. Jump rope - 1
2. Shadow boxing - 3
3. Speed bag - 3

• This guy walked by me and said I was really skilled at the speed bag. I can't say I'm skilled, but I can now hit it at fairly high speeds alternating hands. For the most part, I know my hand eye coordination is significantly better b/c of the speed bag. 

4. Sparring 3

• I was kind of dreading sparring MikeT. He's so much better than me, and he's also big which means I have no advantage over him whatsoever. On top of that he's a southpaw, which means he's used to fighting orthodox fighters like me while I'm not used to fighting guys like him. 
• The first round, he came in pretty hard. He had already sparred another guy for 2 rounds, so he was going on his 3rd and 4th rounds with me. He came in to the head, body, basically got me at will. I didn't want to spar so hard, so when he came in I retaliated and got him a number of times with jabs and straight rights and a few uppercuts, so he hit even harder. I just couldn't stop his combo. It usually consisted of a fast jab, twisting uppercut, and then a straight left. Or he'd go uppercut, body shot, hook, straight right. Or he'd go jab, then right hook. B/c his jabs came with the right hand, I just couldn't block very well. I wasn't fast enough or basically good enough. 
• The previous trainer told me to make sure my foot is on the inside of his foot when I jab to close the gap, even though I did that he was so skilled at counterpunching. My head is still ringing. The 2nd round he came at me even harder, and I was tired so I tried to dance and move around a bit in the ring. He was very gracious afterwards, and though I did get him a bunch of times, if we went 3 rounds he may have knocked me out. 

• I sparred with a new guy today who said it was his first week back after not boxing for over a year. He was only about 180 lbs but really tall, about 6'2. He wasn't very fast with his punches, but he was able to move his head back really fast so I couldn't get him a whole lot with my jabs. I noticed he preferred to move his head to his left/my right, so I faked or just pumped my jabs and then hit him a bunch of times with my right hand. 
• We didn't go too hard, maybe 30%. I was going 3 rounds straight, so I was dead tired. I said I couldn't do it, but the head trainer said I could and threw this guy in there. I also had to close the gap on my jab since he was taller than me, so had to jab up. Now I know how hard it is to fight someone taller than you. He tried going into the body, but didn't have nearly the skill or speed that MikeT had so I was able to tag him in the face with my jab. 

Overall it was a productive session today even though my head is ringing. Two other guys sparred after us and were hitting really hard. I said whoa, and the assistant trainer said everyone is getting ready for the tournament so is really amped up and training hard. I have to do the same. 

I have a 12 day international trip coming up soon. I won't have access to a boxing gym, so I'll have to be careful about my diet and do lots of cardio and shadow boxing. I'm hoping the rest would be good for my shoulders and recovery. 

Head Injuries

Injuries in boxing are common, even for amateurs. The moment one spars, there can be injuries. I've had shoulder pain so severe that I could barely lift my arms over my head. This was when I was on a 5x/week schedule. I've reduced my training to 2-3x/week with the other times doing cardio (biking) or shadow boxing at home. I'm going to write down just my head injuries since they worry me the most for the future.

#2 - Oct 20, 2013

My head finally stopped ringing yesterday, 4 days after I sparred GerryC on Oct 15. Today, I sparred MikeT the hardest hitter in our gym and one of only 2-3 heavyweights. He's only 22, basically half my age. At 6'1 200lbs he packs a mean punch, and he was going quite hard today and got me with so many hooks and straight rights. My head was ringing again. Normally, it doesn't ring since I mostly spar lighter/smaller guys, but when I spar guys my own weight we hit quite hard and they're big so my head ends up ringing even if I end up hitting them quite a bit as well. I noticed after the match that my mouth was full of blood. I wasn't sure where it was coming from and I felt fine. It's now 6 hours later and I went to brush my teeth and there's still blood in my mouth. (I've had dinner in between, didn't feel anything.) I don't know where it's coming from. I look and the crown of my back molars on my right side are red. I'm sure it's b/c I got hit by MikeT and even with a mouthpiece and full face headguard, I'm still bleeding.

MikeT got me in the ribs several times too and it hurts to stand up or sit down, I expect pains in boxing, it's one of the most dangerous sports b/c of repeated blows to the head. For the most part, I'm just nowhere near his skill level + my age and even in sparring going less than 100% there's a high chance of injury. Either way, I'm getting more and more concerned about how long I should continue in this sport... Maybe I'll get better and be able to block better, but for the most part even pro boxers get head injuries. Something to think about for the future, I'm committed to my match on Nov 30 no matter what.

Update: It has been 24 hours and my mouth is still bleeding. My left rear teeth are still red, and when I was brushing my teeth my mouth was bleeding.

#1 - Oct 15, 2013

It has been 3 days since my last sparring match and my head is still ringing. I sparred GerryC and we were in the corner and both hit one another. I wouldn't say it was too hard and we were wearing headgear, but since we were in the corner for a while we did hit one another many times. He only got me in the head probably 4 times in 2 rounds, though one of them was a really hard hook, and I probably got him 12 times or more, but the majority of those were jabs which are not really as strong. I'm not sure how he felt, but my head is ringing and I have a huge headache. I'm leaning towards perhaps taking up another sport.

Some people enjoy the boxing training, but I remember Mike Tyson in an interview said boxing training is so boring. There are only 6 punches, and so a lot of the skill comes in a) conditioning, and b) going over drills a thousand times/a million times, and then c) sparring. Without sparring, I wouldn't be boxing it would be boxercise. That's OK if you enjoy it, but I don't particularly enjoy it. I am getting concerned since I spar frequently. I could cut down on how much I spar, but it's hard to motivate oneself to do something without the sparring. I can see why boxing has waned in popularity for amateurs vs. something like Brazilian jiu jitsu which has grown leaps and bounds as a sport. One can get hurt in BJJ, but it's nowhere near the severity of boxing and it's in the body not to the head. 

I plan on reducing the number of times I spar to maybe just once/week, and being careful about my head. After my November 30 match, I'm going to have to think long and hard about whether to continue in this sport. The fitness is great, but to compete there is a danger. We have people in our gym who do nothing but train, they don't even spar. I'm sure they don't have many issues, but it's getting hit repeatedly in the head. Even someone as skilled as Ali eventually develop a condition. This is the 1st time since I've started this journey, that I'm actually pondering whether I should continue or not. 

Workout #37

Total rounds: 14

1. Jump rope 1

2. Shadow boxing 3

3. Shadow footwork 1

4. Double bag 2

5. Speed bag 3

6. Mitts 2

7. Sparring 2

I sparred a new guy. He's in his early 30's and has been boxing for 7 yrs but took a 2 yr break and is coming back.

He was small but thick and quick, maybe 5'7 and 155 lbs. Really strong punches for a guy his size. 

In round 1, I went really light but he started hitting hard to the body so I hit a bit harder w/my jabs. He got me a number of times to the body, I got him w my jabs when he came in but unlike previous partners he was able to get in and out quickly. Still my height, length, and jab speed gave me a significant advantage. I got him multiple times w/my jab and my backsteppping worked. I was able to avoid most of his hits. 

In the 2nd round, he was much more aggressive. He came in a lot but after a while I kept on double jabbing so he was a bit more tentative. Still out of the smaller guys he had great aim and timing and was able to get me a number of times. I was surprised at how hard he hit for a smaller guy, but overall my size was too much for him even though he was much more skilled than I was. Once I got him in the corner, just putting my body next to his allowed me to push him so it was kind of unfair. 

I really enjoy sparring, if I could just avoid getting hit in the head! Even w/my headgear, I can still feel the blows and that's just from sparring. Smaller guys like this guy are OK of course, but if anyone is near my weight their punching power is quite strong even if we spar at only 50%. Of course I spar a lot more than the avg person there since the head trainer wants to prepare me for my match.

If not for the hits to the head, I wouldn't even think about going something else but I'm thinking about cross-training with another combat sport maybe MMA/BJJ, in particular BJJ/grappling allows someone to spar at full speed with less/minimal injuries for the older person. (People still get injured of course, but it's not like boxing - which is the very same reason I enjoy it so much but know the dangers for a beginner/older fella like myself.) 

Workout #36

Today the trainer had to go, so I was in an open gym time. I had the whole gym to myself. While some people can break a sweat and work out really hard by themselves, that's much harder for me to do. I need others around me. This was the lightest workout I've had since I've started boxing.

Rounds: 12

1. Jump rope 2
2. Shadow boxing 2
3. Shadow footwork 2
4. Heavy bag 1
5. Speed 5

Without mitts or sparring, I realize that it's hard to break a full sweat especially now that it's winter. Again, some others can push themselves really hard in the gym even if they are alone, but I can't do that. I guess that's why I like sparring so much. 

Workout #35

For the last 2 months since I started boxing, the majority of the weeks I have been home I've gone 5x/week. The last few weeks I've gone a lot less, and this week I've gone 2x. My shoulder pain has been increasing, and so I've decided to go less. Maybe 2-3x/week depending on how my shoulders feel. The other times, I'm trying to work on my conditioning for my match.

Total rounds: 13

1. Jump rope - 1

2. Shadow boxing - 3.5

3. Sparring - 2

• This is my 2nd time sparring GerryC. He has no interest in entering any matches or even sparring much. 
• He has a really strong right and a powerful left hook. I remember last time when he got me with a straight right pretty hard, so this time I tried to reign jabs on him. I tried varying single, double, feints, side, moving around, etc. Of course my conditioning still prevented me from doing all that I wanted to do. 
• The first round was kind of light, but as I was able to get him with my jab he started coming inside more. He's very quick to the body, but again like most of us beginners he keeps his head down too long so I pretty much simultaneously hit his head with my jab or uppercut when he went to the body. That's probably a good trade-off for a short 3 round fight vs. a 15 round fight when the body will eventually wear you down. 
• The 2nd round, I was really tired. GerryC is in great shape, and so he kept on coming. The last minute or so, he swung really hard a few times and I was able to surprisingly move away from most of them. I've been practicing the jab, lean back, jab move and so once I started incorporating it I just ended up leaning back even though I didn't see his right. This rhythm is important. 
• Right before the bell, he came inside and hit me at least 5 times with the body a few times to the head, and I probably hit him 8-10 times in the head. I did jabs, uppercuts, hooks, and just went left-right-left-right-left-right, and after a while he felt his head bouncing around a lot so he kind of backed off a bit. Of course we were only going about 50% with full face headgear, but he felt it more than I did mostly b/c I had leverage. The more I hit him in the head his body shots were getting weaker so I couldn't feel them much. Still, it's the most I've ever hit anyone and the most I've ever been hit. 
• The head trainer says although it's a good tradeoff, after I hit him a bunch of times I may want to get out of there by back stepping or spinning around since he could always get me with a wild strike if I stay inside too long since my back was to the corner ropes. 

4. Mitts - 2

5. Speed bag - 3.5

6. Shadow footwork - 1

Workout #34

Today was my toughest workout in 34 workouts. I've been riding my bike for 2hours total throughout the day commuting, so I was pretty tired before going to the gym. See below:

Total rounds: 10

1. Jump Rope - 1
2. Shadow Boxing - 2.5
3. Light Sparring - 2

• The trainer told me to spar before I do mitts so he can see again what I need to work on. He told me only do jabs or jan-rights, and told me not to do any uppercuts until I can learn how to slip better. 
• Mostly it's my conditioning. SugarRayL is in fantastic shape. We only touched so didn't hit very hard, and he tapped me multiple times to the body, to the head, even though I was taller than him. I did get him a few times with my jabs and rights, but overall he got me multiple times and would have one for sure if we were in a real match. 
• He's so fast and moves so quickly, that by the 2nd round I was so darn tired and it showed. I quit moving my feet and I quit keeping my guard up. 
• The reason the tough trainer is telling me not to use uppercuts is that he said that for uppercuts one has to slip so one's head is to the side, not only to generate power but it's much easier to block and harder to hit. He said my uppercuts are such that my head doesn't move at all. He said I could get hit very easily. I then asked him what I should do in terms of the uppercut, and he said forget it I'm not at that stage. He said if I want to do well in the match, just focus on my jabs which are my strength, and then when I get the opportunity really hammer hard with my right. He said the variety of doing 1-2, or 1-1-2, can easily win me my match in my beginner division. 
• I'm not sure I agree with him. He's making it seem as if I'll be boxing a really advanced guy. I still feel like my uppercuts, especially my long range ones can keep someone at bay. If someone comes inside, he's telling me to back up and use my conditioning to go outside. Of course my conditioning is poor so that's hard to do. I have to really think about this. I've had good success with my uppercuts since I'm mostly boxing beginners. I may wait until the 3rd round to use the uppercut since my guy will be tired and his counters won't be as strong. 

3. Mitts - 2.5

• He really worked me on the mitts today. He made me hit, then move around the ring, and then came at me and told me to dance/do footwork/and run. He said when your body is tired, even though running is tiring, it's the only way not to get punched. He said to jab, then just dance out there backwards like Ali. 
• I almost collapsed on the 3rd (or 2.5th round) round it was so difficult. My arms were so heavy and so tired. 

4. Shadow footwork - 2

• He then had me chased me around the area and told me to evade him by using footwork only. He's a little guy, about 5'6 and 125 lbs, but incredibly fast. He told me to keep my jab out, not a powerful one, but keep my arm extended as I jab, but don't let it touch my opponent. He said the arm will let me know when he's in hitting range, so long as my arm is out and it's not touching him I won't be in hitting range. (Of course my opponent may be taller/have longer arms, but it's a good general rule.) 
• He said be like Ali. When one is tired, one can't punch, so rather than trading punches and getting hurt, he said dancing (using footwork like Ali moving backwards) with one's feet can really tired the other guy out more too chasing you. He said then I can gain energy and look for an opening to be in hitting range again or wait for the round. 
• He chased me so fast and most of the time I couldn't escape him at all. 
• My calves were burning, my arms were hurting, and my heart race was racing so high. This is why I enjoy boxing! If I did this kind of workout just 3x/week I'd be totally prepared for my match. The problem is that it's hard to do this by yourself. This trainer pushes me, but he only comes once/week on Tuesdays and I have to leave early so I don't have much time with him an hour max total and I have to warm up, and the like. 
• It was so conditioning focused, that my shoulders didn't hurt very much. Though, that's b/c we did more footwork than punching it felt like. 

Anyways, it gives me a blueprint for what to do next time. Work harder, and work smarter. It looks like he wants my strategy for the fight to be 1) jab, every variety, step back/step forward, lean back/forward, and the like. 2) use my right hand in a 1-2 combination when there is an opening. 3) use more footwork rather than stay within striking range. This tough trainer doesn't want me to fight inside but rather move around more, keep the fight a much more defensive fight. I'm not sure that's my best strategy, I've had better success going inside - but I get hit too so it is risky. He thinks my best chances are stay outside, utilize my jabs, and just dance around more/move more. Tough proposition when I'm still not in great shape, but I am getting better. Today's workout would have been impossible 2 months ago, and in 2 months I've seen a lot of progress. 

Workout #33

My shoulder was hurting still, and so I wasn't going to go in but decided I should have a light workout.

Total rounds: 6

1. Jump rope - 1
2. Shadow boxing - 2
3. Speed - 1
4. Shadow sparring - 2

This was probably the lowest numbers of rounds I've done. I still think it's fruitful. I want to have at least one light workout per week with no mitts and not sparring unless it's shadow sparring where we don't really touch. (Maybe not quite as light as today, wish I could have done more speed bag and shadow boxing at least.) My brother told me of a famous quote by former Mr. Olympia Lee Haney: stimulate, don't annihilate. Really wise words in boxing as well, esp. for a 40+ year old beginner.

I want to train hard, but I'm going to try and do more cardio. Ride my bike as much as possible when I need to get anywhere, ride it to the gym as much as possible, and the like. I'm still not sure I'll make weight for the match on Nov. 30.

Side note: I've been wondering if cross training would benefit a middle aged athlete more than a younger guy. For example, my shoulders only feel better if I give it at least 2-3 days rest or better yet 1-2 days of rest and a really light workout at home or in the gym. Would it be more fruitful to do boxing+ cardio for a week, or do boxing + another sport but just not as intensely as boxing? For example, boxing + a day of nothing but swimming, or a day of martial arts, or a day of kick boxing, or something like that. The idea is that as you get older, your body just doesn't recover as quickly and so your muscles (for beginners like myself) get annihilated, but by cross training/doing something else one ends up stimulating just a little bit. So this is a bit like being a jack of more trades (not all trades) vs. mastering just one. In the end, it may end up being better. I'm not sure how my body responds, but I can no longer workout hard 5x/week. Even working out hard in boxing 4x/week is too taxing on my body. I either have to find another sport, or find some other form of cardio to do. 

Workout #32

Today I had to go to the gym around noon, which is different from my normal schedule. I rode my bike there, and though it would take only about 20 minutes by distance, it often takes me 40-45 minutes b/c there are so many lights/so many people/so many cars, etc. So I don't go very fast. I wanted a better workout, so I put it on the highest gear of my 21-speed bike. Going from stopping on the highest gear is fairly slow, but gives you a great workout. My legs were pretty tired by the time I arrived in the gym.

Total rounds: 10

1. Jump rope - 1
2. Shadow boxing - 3
3. Mitts - 2
4. Speed bag - 3
5. Heavy bag - 1

Today I didn't have as much time. 10 rounds is only 30 minutes of actual work. If I just did another round of mitts, but there were a few people waiting so the trainer could only give me 2 rounds. I was pretty tired afterwards, but I like pushing myself hard on that 3rd round. On non-sparring days, it's much harder to get a real intense workout so I have to push myself.

While I was there I saw a sparring match. They were light, maybe around 5'8 and 130 pounds each. Both were fairly skilled. Towards the middle of the 1st 3 minute round, they started to trade a lot of punches. By the last 30 seconds, one of the guys could barely move and the other guy tapped him multiple times. (They were probably going only at 50% or so.) Clearly one of the guys was better conditioned than the other, even though they looked the same. Afterwards, I saw the less conditioned guy hit the heavy bag. He was excellent, with great form, was really quick, moved very well on his feet. Yet, his conditioning wasn't up to par with the other guy. Interesting really how great he looked on the bag, but in the ring couldn't really stand up to par with the other guy. A reminder to get much better conditioned. 

Workout #31

Total rounds: 11

1. Jump rope - 2
2. Shadow boxing - 3
3. Mitts - 3
4. Speed - 1
5. Sparring - 2

• I was about to leave around 12:15, and another person showed up. He was only about 5'6 and 135 pounds or so. The trainer said he's really skilled, so told me to watch out. 
• He was a very nice guy with a smile on his face the whole time. I have never seen a guy move that fast thus far, the fastest guy I've sparred with so far. His hands were like a blaze. He was like a little gnat in the ring, I couldn't do anything the 1st round really as I was trying to jab him. 
• The 2nd round however, I changed up my style and worked hard to cut off the ring so he had nowhere to go. He also came in a bit more inside, got me a few times in the head (not easy since I'm so much taller) and several times in the body. B/c of my height however, I was able to get him in the face/head the same time. My nearly 90 pound weight advantage showed, one hit from me and his whole body rocked back. I guess size does matter, if you do get hit. 
• He still came in to hit me, but once I got in a rhythm I was able to block or counter with a jab. Normally, I've hit almost everyone I've sparred with my jab - even MikeT who is an excellent boxer and even SugarRayL who is also an excellent boxer with great conditioning - but this guy was on another level. I didn't hit him once with my jab, and had to be counter puncher. He was so fast, he got me with a straight right, went for a hook which I blocked, and I saw it coming (rare for me) and so I blocked and fired off what I thought was a really fast jab and he slipped it so quickly. 
• It was a good experience for me, and probably for him too. He never really got cornered or tried anything inside, he'd get hit pretty hard by me if he was trapped. Just one time I got him trapped in the corner, and he blocked a few times and I was about to him him with a right hook, and he slipped and just stepped away. It was kind like trying to fight a mongoose. 
• Afterwards, he thanked me with a big smile. I bet I could have learned a lot from him, totally different styles and the size difference was too big, but wow it was great sparring with someone so skilled. 
• Not many take-aways, b/c our sizes were so different and he didn't come inside at all/I was too slow to hit him and his punches didn't hurt even when they hit b/c he was too light. Cutting off the ring would be something I could work on. I doubt even Mike Tyson at his fastest wasn't as fast as this guy, how could he be when he only weighed 135 lbs. 

I went in at 11am today, which is unusual for me. There was nobody there except the head trainer. I rode my bike about 35 minutes one way, so I was pretty warmed up by the time I got there. I asked my trainer some advice, and he told me that I have to fit my style. He said as he's watched me spar, my style is a standup style. It's a style that relies on jabs, uppercuts, but doesn't bend much (at the waist) and doesn't turn much. So he said I need to learn to move more forwards and backwards, rather than try to slip. So he showed me a bunch of really helpful techniques like:

- Jabbing, and then stepping back, and forward. Two forward, one back, etc.
- Doing combinations both forward and back, both stepping and just leaning.
- He also said to spin around more, since I'm a straight up boxer I don't want to be in the way.

One reason I'm a standup fighter is well, I'm old and not in boxing shape for sure. Another reason is that my best punch is my jab, so I want to counter with my straight right which means 80-90% of my punches will be jabs. My style is almost identical to Wladmir Kitschko, who never slips punches really. He stands straight up and jabs jabs jabs, and then 1-2, or 1-2-3. Of course I'm only 6ft and Klitschko is 6'6 with really long arms, so it's different. I have slow feet, which means I need to be well conditioned to have busy feet. (Kind like in basketball there are excellent defenders who are not very athletic or quick hands/feet, but they stick to their man like glue and are in great shape so they run as hard in the 1st quarter as the 4th quarter. I'm nowhere near this, but I can get there.)

It's good to know I have a style, and I already guessed at it, but having an amazing former undefeated pro tell me that after watching me confirms this is the style I need to work on more. 

Workout #30

I have two more months until the match. I'm still a good 20 lbs from my goal. If I can get to 210 or so, I can drop weight the last week by cutting out salt, most carbs, and just eating a diet of protein, green veggies, and oil. Hopefully I can lost 15 this month and 10 next month, so I won't have to resort to unhealthy tactics. I tried taking a few more days off b/c of my shoulder. My right shoulder feels better, but my left one is still a bit sore. I'm going to go lighter tomorrow. I'm going to think about going harder vs. going lighter. The toughest thing is sparring, but the toughest thing on my shoulder is actually mitts. I've been going 3 rounds lately, so I hit those mitts pretty hard. I can feel my shoulders are getting more muscular and stronger.

Total rounds: 13

1. Jumpe rope - 2
2. Shadow - 4
3. Speed bag - 3
4. Double - 2
5. Sparring - 2

• DavidT and I have no sparred a few times, so we know what the other is like. I can jab him, and he can hit me with a lot of hooks and counter easily. 
• So today, I decided to do maybe 90% jabs. Just to try and learn. 
• The tough trainer told me during the fight I need to jab even more, and that just when he gets used to the jab/blocking it, I need to come in with a 1-2-3, or a 1-2-1 since that's even faster. I've never done a 1-2-1 in sparring, so I'll have to work on that. 
• He said, that I need to use my height more. (He told DavidT, he needs to go inside more and hit me with more bodyshots rather than going for my head.) 
• DavidT is a much more skilled fighter than I am. However, I'm 3-4 inches taller and 40 lbs heavier, so he's got a real disadvantage against me. His shots are still a lot more powerful than mine. Just like last time, we started off light but then he came in, I hit him hard, he hit me hard, and we were probably going 80% or so by the time the sparring session was over. 
• DavidT seems to like going either 5% or 90% it seems like, either really light barely touching one another or going really hard. I noticed he's more accurate, can bait me, moves quickly, and has a wicked counter hook and the like. 
• The tough trainer told me to quit my uppercuts, and use jabs and an overhead right from up top since I'm taller. So when he comes in, he said to block and come with an overhand right since DavidT will most likely be fighting on the inside. 
• My neck hurts, he got me with a left hook real hard. He almost does no jabs, but just waits to set up his other punches. This is probably another reason I can jab him to death. He's quick, but not super quick and so once I start coming in I can tag him with my jab, but that still leaves me open to his counter shots. The tough trainer said again, I need more stamina to be able to last 3 rounds! 
• We do two 3 minute rounds in sparring sessions, but the match will be 3 two minute rounds. Plus I won't have a full faceguard, which means I have to be even more careful about counters.