Walk Like A Boxer

[Sidney Carton]

Walk Like A Boxer

by Bobby Franklin June 2, 2016
https://www.boxingoverbroadway.com/walk-like-boxer/

There was a time when you could tell a man was a boxer just by seeing him walking. You might be in a restaurant or hanging out on a street corner when a guy would walk by and you could see in his step that he had spent time in the ring. I’m not talking about a fighter who may have taken too many punches and was “walking on his heels”. I’m talking about the light step that most boxers possessed in the days before they were trained to bulk up using weights and muscle building. A well-trained and conditioned boxer was always thinking about staying loose and limber. Even years after retiring, you would see that same agile way of moving in a former boxer. (I’m not sure former boxer is an appropriate term as it is something that, once you have done it, stays in your blood all of your life.)

“Stay away from the weights” was a line heard often from the old time trainers, “They only make you tight and slow.” Back in the days when boxing was taught as an art and not a strong man contest, speed, accuracy, and staying loose was emphasized. “Speed beats power”, “If you are too tense you will be more susceptible to being knocked out”, “Get up on your toes and move”, “Stick and move”, I can still hear these words echoing in my head from my days in the various boxing gyms I trained in.

Now, many people may think I am just talking about the stick and move boxers, but you will see this in the vast majority of boxers regardless of their style.

The ferocious Jack Dempsey moved like a cat stalking his prey.In the Willard fight he is darting in and out. His body is lean and not muscle bound. He has a boxer’s physique, strong in all the right places without being encumbered by bulging muscles that would only slow him down.

When I was young I got to meet Dempsey in NYC. To this day I remember seeing him walking through his restaurant to greet visitors. He was up there in age and suffering from arthritis in his hips, but he still moved as if he were gliding across the floor, ready to move left or right and throw a counterpunch. Jack Dempsey still had it.

Today’s boxers are missing out on so much with the focus being on building up muscle. Weight trainers are brought in and muscle is layered on. While a fighter has to be strong, there are different types of strength. So often now a days, the spectacle that takes place at the weigh in before a match looks more like a pose-off at a body building competition with the fighters tensing and pumping up their muscles while mugging for the cameras. These bulky muscles are not only useless in the ring, but they are actually a hindrance as they make it almost impossible to use proper punching technique. It also results in more arm punches being tossed than shots that come from the hips with the full force of the body behind them. Fighters are also more susceptible to being knocked out because of how tight they are. It is much more difficult to “roll with the punches” when carrying that kind of muscle. Of course, that is pretty much a moot topic seeing that fighters are no longer taught defensive moves such as that.

I recently watched a brief video of Jake LaMotta training for a fight. It showed him climbing the stairs up to Bobby Gleason’s Gym in The Bronx where he was working out. Now Jake is hardly remembered as a dancing master, but you can see how light he is on his feet as he bounds up the steps. After the workout, he is seen outside walking down the street. If you had no idea who he was you would still know he was a boxer by the way he was moving along the sidewalk.



If you had no idea who he was you would still know he was a boxer by the way he was moving along the sidewalk.
Why the difference between those fighters from earlier days and the boxers of today? Well, when you went into a gym years back you would see fighters shadow boxing, moving in front of a mirror practicing their form, stretching and shaking out their arms and legs. They were very focused on staying limber. When they would hit the heavy bag they would “work it”, which meant boxing it. Instead of just standing in front of the bag they would circle it and practice footwork as well as punching. In the older gyms there was usually space around the bag so the fighters would have room to do this. In many gyms today the bags are lined up close to each other. Now, you often see fighters just standing flatfooted in front of the bag, their feet planted while they are winding up with punches that are telegraphed as if they were being sent by Western Union. It’s no wonder that is happening since most of the time they spend working with a trainer is wasted while going through the silly mitt punching routine that reinforces these bad habits.

A good boxer has to know how to use his entire body. He needs the grace of a ballet dancer combined with the reflexive power of a trip hammer. Most importantly, he has to be taught how to think in the ring, not to just go through mindless motions. Think, stay loose, find rhythm, treat the sport like the art form it once was.

etc.

[Caractacus]

They walk up the stairs just like the Baseball players use to walk out of the dugout back then.
( like Joe DiMagio and Mickey Mantle use to)
anyway this subject was touched on last year.I will try and bump it up.

[Sequitorian]

Well ... he's right about one thing ... that boxing should be regarded as as art-form ...

... and a well-trained boxer does have a distinctive gait ... especially if he's aware of that fact and works at it ...

... and I agree that a lot of the posing that goes on at weigh-ins is just plain stupid ... more of an embarrassment than anything else ...

... but otherwise it's mostly just an old man whose mind is almost gone (unlike my own ) lamenting about how much better things were back in the day ... and most of what he says is not only nonsense ... it's just plain wrong ...

The old-fool has no idea what he's talking about ...

[Sidney Carton]

When they would hit the heavy bag they would “work it”, which meant boxing it. Instead of just standing in front of the bag they would circle it and practice footwork as well as punching. In the older gyms there was usually space around the bag so the fighters would have room to do this.

In many gyms today the bags are lined up close to each other. Now, you often see fighters just standing flatfooted in front of the bag, their feet planted while they are winding up with punches that are telegraphed as if they were being sent by Western Union.

It’s no wonder that is happening since most of the time they spend working with a trainer is wasted while going through the silly mitt punching routine that reinforces these bad habits.

[Sequitorian]

No real Boxing Gym I've ever been in has the bags too close together ... and boxers still "work" the heavy bag the same as always ...

... but the heavy-bag is also useful in working on the form and power of a single punch wherein one stands more-or-less flatfooted in the same place and repeats the same punch over and over and over again ...

... and there's nothing "silly" about working the mitts ... (even if Mayweather turned it into a kind of performance art) ... ...

[BoxBuzz]

Are we talkin' the way Rocky was walkin' down the street in the original movie? lol. He seemed to be "loosening up" in most scenes.

[Sidney Carton]

Are we talkin' the way Rocky was walkin' down the street in the original movie? lol. He seemed to be "loosening up" in most scenes.

Yep. That's the place to get real info on boxing---from Hollywood movies,.

[Caractacus]

[Sidney Carton]

Jack Dempsey Hits Heavybag

[jamamb]

you need to go to more gyms if you believe boxers no longer circle around etc. and a lot of what goes on at press sessions is largely for show

dempsey seems to be having a grand time on that bag

[Sequitorian]

dempsey seems to be having a grand time on that bag

... no doubt ... but it shows how sloppy and undisciplined he was ...

[BoxBuzz]

Are we talkin' the way Rocky was walkin' down the street in the original movie? lol. He seemed to be "loosening up" in most scenes.

Yep. That's the place to get real info on boxing---from Hollywood movies,.

Stop it now, you'll confuse the kids.

[Sequitorian]

Stallone knew his way around the ring ... probably could've gone 10 & 0 as a pro if managed right before running into more legit competition ...

[Sidney Carton]

dempsey seems to be having a grand time on that bag

... no doubt ... but it shows how sloppy and undisciplined he was ...

Stallone knew his way around the ring ... probably could've gone 10 & 0 as a pro if managed right before running into more legit competition ...

So Dempsey ain't so good, but Sylvester Stallone " knew his way around the ring ."

LOL

[BoxBuzz]

Now now Sidster, I don't think he was implying that at all. I imagine everyone here gives Jack Dempsey his full earned respect. However there may well be an actor or two on the planet, that knows as much as let's say....me...or perhaps YOU about boxing.

Wouldn't ya think? But overall I'll bet pert' near everybody would give Jack the edge over Sylvester. That don't mean you, or I, or Sly, don't know Jack Squat. Just means we may not be at the top of the food chain on the subject.


Hope that clears up any confusion that may have been floatin' about.

[gilgamesh]

I'm just gonna say it. I don't think Mick could've taught 'ol Rock to eat lightning, and crap thunder enough for Dempsey, but then again Rock stood up to Drago's worst, and Drago straight kilt Creed

Jack Dempsey against Thunderlips! That's the match I wanna see

[Caractacus]

dempsey seems to be having a grand time on that bag

... no doubt ... but it shows how sloppy and undisciplined he was ...

Maybe that is a 500 lb bag he is punching ?
( full of Colorado lead ore)

[Sidney Carton]

Now now Sidster, I don't think he was implying that at all. I imagine everyone here gives Jack Dempsey his full earned respect. However there may well be an actor or two on the planet, that knows as much as let's say....me...or perhaps YOU about boxing.

Wouldn't ya think? But overall I'll bet pert' near everybody would give Jack the edge over Sylvester. That don't mean you, or I, or Sly, don't know Jack Squat. Just means we may not be at the top of the food chain on the subject.


Hope that clears up any confusion that may have been floatin' about.

Thank you for your effort, but you just added to the 'confusion.'

" But overall I'll bet pert' near everybody would give Jack the edge over Sylvester. "

Gosh, isn't that generous of them.

Fiction versus reality.

I'll take the reality.

[Sidney Carton]

dempsey seems to be having a grand time on that bag

... no doubt ... but it shows how sloppy and undisciplined he was ...

Sequitorian could give lessons to Jack Dempsey on hitting the heavy bag.

And I'm sure he could give Rembrandt lessons on light and shade.

And he could give John Keats lessons on writing poetry.

[Sequitorian]

I can turn the gray sky blue ...

I can make it rain, whenever I want it to, oh I ...

I can build a castle from a single grain of sand ...

I can make a ship sail, on dry land tell 'em yeah ...

But my life is incomplete and I'm so blue ...

'Cause I can't get next to you ... ...

[BoxBuzz]

Now now Sidster, I don't think he was implying that at all. I imagine everyone here gives Jack Dempsey his full earned respect. However there may well be an actor or two on the planet, that knows as much as let's say....me...or perhaps YOU about boxing.

Wouldn't ya think? But overall I'll bet pert' near everybody would give Jack the edge over Sylvester. That don't mean you, or I, or Sly, don't know Jack Squat. Just means we may not be at the top of the food chain on the subject.


Hope that clears up any confusion that may have been floatin' about.

Thank you for your effort, but you just added to the 'confusion.'

" But overall I'll bet pert' near everybody would give Jack the edge over Sylvester. "

Gosh, isn't that generous of them.

Fiction versus reality.

I'll take the reality.

You mean those few folks that lie outside of the "pert near" parameter? There's always going to be a few opinions that verge on the fantasy......and some of those actually work out to be true.....like Douglas over Tyson, Braddock over Baer, Trump over Clinton etc. Ya can't count out the outliers on a wholesale level. Gotta give some room, sort of the "Any given Sunday" scenario.

[Caractacus]

Check out how "the Man" walks here.

[Yuzo]

you need to go to more gyms if you believe boxers no longer circle around etc. and a lot of what goes on at press sessions is largely for show

dempsey seems to be having a grand time on that bag

what a lot of guys do now is they throw pity pat punches. nobody ever gets follow through on the bag.

[Sequitorian]

you need to go to more gyms if you believe boxers no longer circle around etc. and a lot of what goes on at press sessions is largely for show

dempsey seems to be having a grand time on that bag

what a lot of guys do now is they throw pity pat punches. nobody ever gets follow through on the bag.

How 'bout that! ... (I must be the only one left) ... ...

[Sidney Carton]

Now now Sidster, I don't think he was implying that at all. I imagine everyone here gives Jack Dempsey his full earned respect. However there may well be an actor or two on the planet, that knows as much as let's say....me...or perhaps YOU about boxing.

Wouldn't ya think? But overall I'll bet pert' near everybody would give Jack the edge over Sylvester. That don't mean you, or I, or Sly, don't know Jack Squat. Just means we may not be at the top of the food chain on the subject.


Hope that clears up any confusion that may have been floatin' about.

Thank you for your effort, but you just added to the 'confusion.'

" But overall I'll bet pert' near everybody would give Jack the edge over Sylvester. "

Gosh, isn't that generous of them.

Fiction versus reality.

I'll take the reality.

You mean those few folks that lie outside of the "pert near" parameter? There's always going to be a few opinions that verge on the fantasy......and some of those actually work out to be true.....like Douglas over Tyson, Braddock over Baer, Trump over Clinton etc. Ya can't count out the outliers on a wholesale level. Gotta give some room, sort of the "Any given Sunday" scenario.

Fiction in place of reality never works out.