Tag Archives: fighting

In Defense of Defensive Boxing

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Muhammad Ali won the Rumble in the Jungle by using his opponent George Foreman's weaknesses against him.

Muhammad Ali won the Rumble in the Jungle by using his opponent George Foreman’s weaknesses against him.

Boxing lessons can teach you how to fight and how to best train yourself for said fighting, but they can’t tell you what kind of fighter you’ll be. However, boxing is a sport of strategy, as much as it is a display of brute force and athletic power. And any good boxing lessons will help you learn that strategy, in turn helping you define yourself and your abilities as a fighter. The question is, do you want to use that strategy to fight offensively or defensively?

Consider what Muhammad Ali did in the Rumble in the Jungle – one of the most talked about techniques ever implemented in boxing history, which helped Ali win one of the most crucial fights of his career. He withstood punishment and took all the hits he could for a number of rounds, and when he opponent was finally weakened after wailing on him for all that time, Ali pounced and knocked out George Foreman, then the Heavyweight champion. (Ali then claimed the title of course.)

That’s not to say that boxing defensively is for everyone, or every fight for that matter. Ali won a number of fights through sheer aggression as opposed to endurance. But if you know you can’t knock your opponent out clean that easily, and if you need a little extra something to win, play defensively. Use the ring to your advantage. And know when to let your opponent beat themselves.

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Boxing Lessons in NYC: How Raging Bull 2 Was Almost A Thing

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The sad thing is, this was very nearly a reality.

The sad thing is, this was very nearly a reality.

If you’re feeling particularly excited about your boxing lessons in NYC, and in the mood to augment them with a good movie, you might feel like throwing on Raging Bull one of these days, and why not? It’s a perfect film, and a great boxing movie at that – a visceral, deeply heartfelt examination of an animal of a man, who cannot help but destroy everything he touches with the same fearless sense of self-destruction that helps him succeed in the ring. So of course, they were trying to make a sequel to it. Wait, what?

Yes, yes. Previously this summer, shooting began on what was once titled Raging Bull 2. It seemed unthinkable that such a concept could ever slip through all the necessary cracks – how did Scorsese or De Niro not stop this thing at some point down the line, considering how neither is involved? No one from the original film was, or is even, yet this is where it gets interesting. Jake La Motta, subject of the original Raging Bull, used his life rights as the subject for the sequel, yet MGM (the studio behind the original) has a contractural exclusive on La Motta’s life rights, thus enabling them to disavow the sequel as they did one month ago. And so like that, Raging Bull 2 became The Bronx Bull, and all association was severed.

If you’re in the mood for a great movie and a great boxing movie to toss on and use to get excited about your boxing lessons in NYC, just be glad that we have Raging Bull, and not the sequel. Besides, if it ain’t broke…

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Boxing Lessons in NYC: Rocky IV is the Rosetta Stone of Modern Sequels

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Why yes, there is a talking robot in <em>Rocky IV</em>.

Why yes, there is a talking robot in Rocky IV.

If you’re taking boxing lessons in NYC, I can almost guarantee that you’ve seen Rocky. In fact, if you’re a culturally aware human being who has been alive for at least the last twenty years, I can almost guarantee that you’ve seen Rocky – the film has just entered that level of popular signifier, that even if you haven’t seen it, you know it. Yet, as good as Rocky is, and as mediocre as Rocky II, and as generally solid as Rocky Balboa is, there’s another movie so earnest and influential in its willful absurdity that it deserves special mention: Rocky IV. Yes, the one where he goes to Russia.

In a way, the plot of Rocky III is the plot of all sequels. Rocky is on top of the world He’s won a number of fights, he’s universally regarded as the best, and he has a talking robot manservant for some reason. Things are going pretty good for Rocky. But then comes Ivan Drago (played naturally by Dolph freaking Lundgren), who callously beats Apollo Creed to death in the ring faster than you can say “this time it’s personal.” So what does Rocky do? He gets humble, heads to Russia to lick his wounds, and indulge in what is effectively one giant amazing training montage. Y’all ain’t ready.

The thing is, this is basically the same plot as Rocky III. Yet Rocky IV manages to transcend that sequel (which says something – that movie had Mr. T) because of its full on devotion to the craziness of its premise. Oh, you thought it was heartbreaking when Burgess Meredith got killed in Rocky III? This time we’re gonna kill Carl Weathers. Hey, you thought the training montage in the last one was cool? The second act of this movie = one big training montage (albeit without “Eye of the Tiger,” but again, the robot makes up for it.) And isn’t that what sequels are about nowadays? Constantly upping the ante to a state of vaguely self-aware lunacy? At the very least, we like to think so.

So watch Rocky IV, and get inspired to take some boxing lessons in NYC. Ivan Drago may not have killed your old friend, but hey, if you do well enough, you could still get the talking robot.

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Get Inspired to Take Boxing Lessons in NYC by Teddy Roosevelt

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Teddy Roosevelt was such an interesting dude that he didn't even need to be a vampire hunter to be one of the coolest presidents ever.

Teddy Roosevelt was such an interesting dude that he didn’t even need to be a vampire hunter to be one of the coolest presidents ever.

Theodore Roosevelt was an all around beast of a human being. He started off life a sickly child, inflicted with asthma, who grew up to not only hold the highest office in the United States, but also did crazy crap like hunt elephants on safari in his spare time, just cause he totally could. In short, Teddy Roosevelt was pretty much the Ron Swanson of presidents. But if that wasn’t enough, the man was also a boxer too, and one with a story that is very much conducive to inspiring boxing lessons in NYC.

In fact, young Roosevelt’s early physical condition was so dire that his father actively encouraged him to take up boxing so as to combat illness. Yes, that is correct. Teddy Roosevelt literally boxed his way through asthma. For many men, that would be enough, but Teddy Roosevelt was only just getting started. He kept fighting, until at Harvard (where he also dabbled in rowing, because evidently being a world champion type means having an endless supply of free time) he won second place in the school’s boxing tournament.

Sure, Teddy had to give up boxing in order to pursue other semi-noteworthy ambitions, like the office of the presidency and such, but we like to think his stature as a fighter carried across the rest of his life. After all, it’s one thing to speak softly and carry a big stick, but it’s another to maintain that attitude while knowing that you could easily beat the crap out of a rival national ruler (big stick or not). That has to count for something right?

So if you’re ever feeling down about boxing lessons in NYC, or unmotivated about your boxing training, just remember – Teddy Roosevelt first killed it as a boxer as an ill child with asthma. What’s your excuse?

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The Best Exercises for Boxing Lessons in NYC

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Whether you're looking to get stronger or faster, you can't go wrong with the speed bag.

Whether you’re looking to get stronger or faster, you can’t go wrong with the speed bag.

Looking to make the most out of your boxing lessons in NYC? Boxing is around 80% anaerobic and 20% aerobic, which is why it’s important to vary your workout routine while still focusing on fundamentals such as interval and strength training. And all the same, even if you don’t want to use your boxing lessons in NYC to become a professional fighter or anything, these exercises are tremendously useful in terms of maintaining strength, agility, and speed, thus rendering them useful for all athletic endeavors. But as far as boxing in particular in concerned, you can’t go wrong with these essential exercises.

Jumping Rope

It’s cardio, but unlike hitting the treadmill or the elliptical, the rope keeps your reflexes sharp too. Coordination and control are vital to a fighter’s form, and jumping rope helps you train those skills while providing a great service to your heart as well. As far as boxing exercises is concerned, this one is crucial.

Speed Bag

An oldie but a goodie. If you want to give your punches a little more punch, focus on speed, or even just practice for bouts in this ring, this exercise has many purposes – all of which are vital for maintaining discipline while boxing.

Weight Work

If you’re boxing, you’re going to want to keep building your muscles, particularly in the upper body. Push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, and bicep curls are all encouraged in a big way, but it’s also important to implement exercises that condition your whole body. Squats in particular are great for working just about every muscle group – after all, you can’t neglect your legs, since a good fighter is as fast on their feet as they is quick with their hands.

If you’d like to get more into the martial arts, we can help! If you’re in the New York City area, check out the boxing classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect boxing training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have boxing training buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!
If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than boxing, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

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This Might Be The Best Ad for Boxing Lessons in NYC Ever

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Church Street Boxing knows how to separate itself from the pack.

Church Street Boxing knows how to separate itself from the pack.

It’s easy to get discouraged about boxing lessons in NYC. After all, boxing is a sport that lends itself to self-aggrandizement and inherent solemn self-regard, and if you’re just looking to blow off some steam after work one day, that all can be a bit… much.

Enter the geniuses at Church Street Boxing.

Church Street Boxing recognizes that your boxing lessons in NYC shouldn’t feel like a chore or homework, and as such, have constructed a terrific little ad that feels more indebted to “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” than any inspirational sports movie. It’s self-deprecating, it’s unpredictable, and it’s very very funny. And the best part? In a very strange and twisted way, it actually makes you want to start boxing! Ain’t that some kind of miracle?

If you’d like to get more into the martial arts, we can help! If you’re in the New York City area, check out the boxing classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect boxing training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have boxing training buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!
If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than boxing, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

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Boxing Lessons in NYC: Olympic Boxing vs. Regular Boxing

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The use of protective headgear is just one way in which Olympic boxing is distinct.

The use of protective headgear is just one way in which Olympic boxing is distinct.

If you’re experiences in boxing lessons in NYC, or at least know a thing or two about boxing, watching the boxing matches during the Olympics may momentarily confuse you. Not to worry though – no matter if you’re a novice with only a faint understanding of the sport or a dyed-in-the-wool expert with years of boxing lessons in NYC under your belt, there’s still plenty to learn. Hopefully, that’s where we can help.

For one thing, the Olympics still implement protective headgear during their matches. Olympic fights are also effectively color-coded too, with a designated red corner and blue corner and matching colored materials separating both fighters.

However, the differences aren’t all so outwardly superficial – even the fights themselves are slightly different in how they play out too. While professional fights generally last twelve rounds, in the men’s competition, fights take place over three three-minute rounds, with scoring determined based on the punches dolled out over that allotted time period. (Of course, a knockout is always a knockout, Olympics or otherwise.) Similarly, the fights in the female competition transpire over the course of four two-minute rounds.

But hey, these differences noted, boxing is still boxing, and we’ll still be watching eagerly in less than a month’s time as the U.S. fighters take on challengers from around the globe in London, no matter what color their corner may be.

If you’d like to get more into the martial arts, we can help! If you’re in the New York City area, check out the boxing classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect boxing training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have boxing training buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!
If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than boxing, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

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Boxing Lessons in NYC: In Appreciation of Out of Sight

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<em>Out of Sight</em> is a movie so great that even Jennifer Lopez does a pretty decent job in it.

Out of Sight is a movie so great that even Jennifer Lopez does a pretty decent job in it.

If you love your boxing lessons in NYC but need a way to cool down after an intense practice, check out Out Of Sight!

Steven Soderbergh can do anything. In the past year alone, he’s leapfrogged across genres from ultra-realistic bio-horror (Contagion) to goofy male stripper comedy/potently modern national economic allegory (Magic Mike), with next year also promising a sci-fi thriller too. Yet in the midst of all of Soderbergh’s formal experimentation, perhaps his most refined talent as a filmmaker is knowing how to let a story unfold at just the right pace, while setting an ultra-cool, removed tone in which the right cast can flourish.

And it is for this reason that 1998’s Elmore Leonard adaptations Out of Sight remains one of Soderbergh’s most distinct cinematic pleasures. Besides, hey, there’s a whole lot of boxing in there too.

In true Leonard form, Out of Sight (beautifully adapted by Scott Frank) operates based on the central machination of a few vital pieces in orbit. There’s a girl (a federal marshal, played by a shockingly endearing Jennifer Lopez), a guy (a career bank robber just escaped from jail, played naturally by George Clooney), and some guns that are stuffed into a car trunk in the midst of a prison break. Somehow, a very strange romance blossoms.

The robber goes on his way to settle the score with a crooked millionaire (Albert Brooks, in a trial run for his role in Drive), and the fed finds herself falling further for the robber the closer she gets to him. And in the midst of all this, a psychotic Detroit boxer named Snoopy (Don Cheadle) rolls in and decides to get in on the action.

Why do they call him Snoopy? Back in the prison yard, if you gave him enough money (and pet him enough), he’d roll over in the ring and throw a fight for you, and it’s strange little character touches like that which give this movie such a unique, infectiously enjoyable energy.

There’s action, comedy, romance, a very cool little twisty crime plot, and a lot to appreciate if you’ve taken boxing lessons in NYC. So check out Out of Sight, because not only is it an immensely entertaining watch, but it’s one that’ll make you appreciate your boxing lessons in NYC even more.

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Boxing Lessons in NYC: In Appreciation of Snatch

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In <em>Snatch</em>, unlicensened boxing is depicted as being ultra-violent, out of control, and supremely entertaining. Naturally.

In Snatch, unlicensened boxing is depicted as being ultra-violent, out of control, and supremely entertaining. Naturally.

If you love your boxing lessons in NYC but are looking for a way to relax after an intense practice, look no further than this awesome movie about boxing!

Guy Ritchie has made some questionable choices in his career so far. Sherlock Holmes 2. Swept Away. Madonna. But we keep giving him chances, and it’s not just because we get the occasional RocknRolla as a result – rather, Guy Ritchie’s earned our good graces because the two films he came out of the gate with were so assured, so fun, and so irrefutably cool, that everything else has been worth it. And as great as Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is, it doesn’t have Brad Pitt as a mush-mouthed, incomprehensible Irish boxing god.

The plot of Snatch is far too convoluted to be satisfactorily conveyed by simple summary, but such is part of the charm of Ritchie’s frankly deranged narrative and impressively enthusiastic disregard for realism – this is a movie with the central purposes of leaving you entertained, and boy, does it ever.

Between Pitt’s aforementioned king of the ring and the typically unhinged depiction of “Frankie Four-Fingers” by Benicio del Toro (so great recently in Oliver Stone’s Savages), every element of Snatch feels like a big, proudly splashy on-screen comic book, and as such it’s presented with undeniable skill. The pieces are laid out with an idiosyncratic attention to detail that helps you understand how it all ties together by the end when things start getting really bloody and even more complicated.

But Snatch is about the journey, not the destination, and it’s a journey made all the more enjoyable if you’ve had the boxing lessons in NYC to fully immerse yourself in the grimy but supremely visceral fight scenes on display. Watch Snatch for sure, but not without getting some boxing lessons in NYC first – if nothing else, they’ll lend you further appreciation for the measured lunacy that is Brad Pitt’s performance.

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Boxing Lessons In NYC: Upcoming Fights To Look Forward To

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Garcia vs. Khan was majorly hyped, but there's plenty to look forward to after it.

Garcia vs. Khan was majorly hyped, but there’s plenty to look forward to after it.

Check this out if you’re taking boxing lessons in NYC and are looking for other ways to get involved in the sport—

This past Saturday night, Danny Garcia and Amir Kahn faced off in a heavily hyped-off twelve round match that (though the outcome is still unknown as of the time of writing) determined the fate of the junior welterweight championship. But despair not – if you’re a full-on boxing enthusiast or just someone looking to get the most out of their boxing lessons in NYC, there’s a ton of great stuff coming up to get excited about. So either if you want to get excited about your own boxing lessons in NYC or you just want to some great fighting, here’s what events on the horizon promise to be well worth catching.

July 20th – Juan Carlos Burgos vs. Cesar Vazquez in Laughlin for Ten Rounds in the junior lightweight; catch it on ESPN2/ESPN3

July 21st – Adrien Broner vs. Vicente Escobedo in Cincinnati for Twelve Rounds, determining the junior lightweight title (currently held by Broner); catch it on HBO

July 27th – Juan Carlos Burgos vs. Cesar Vazquez in Laughlin for Ten Rounds in the junior lightweight; catch it on ESPN2/ESPN3

July 28th – Richard Pierson vs. Farah Ennis in Atlantic City for Ten Rounds in the super middleweight division; catch it on ESPN2/ESPN3

If you’d like to get more into the martial arts, we can help! If you’re in the New York City area, check out the boxing classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect boxing training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have boxing training buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!
If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than boxing, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

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