Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” was quite a story in and of itself. Clocking in at over five minutes it slowly but steadily builds to a tremendous climax before falling back into a long quiet ending that lands as soft as a feather.

The innovation required to record the song was extraordinary, requiring 100 hours to record. Take the lush vocals of the interludes, for instance. Sung in a recording studio? Nope. Try St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University where the acoustics were provided by the church’s tiled dome. And an 8-track recorder (the state-of-the-art standard at the time) just wasn’t enough. So two 8-track recorders running in sync were required to record all the necessary vocal tracks. It was the first 16 track recording ever made, although Simon said later it was a “b—-” to get the two recorders to work together.

Then there was that thunderous drum part underneath those vocals. Hal Blaine, the incomparable veteran session drummer, was responsible for those. Played in a recording studio? Nope, part II. But they didn’t use a church for the drums. They used an office, specifically in front of an elevator at Columbia Record’s offices. Blaine pounded and producer Roy Halee added the reverb. And it worked. The part that didn’t work was when an elevator arrived and an elderly security guard walked out and got the surprise of a lifetime.

But probably the biggest innovation came from the lyrics. The song began with imagery Simon had picked up while reading the Bible in hotel rooms (“workman’s wages” and “seeking out the poorer quarters” are derived from New Testament verses). Simon had composed a flowing five verse story of poverty and resilience, where the singer (like a boxer) is beaten down but tenaciously holds on to take more punishment even as he voices his desire to give up and leave. One could easily imagine Simon had someone specific in mind (similar to the way he used Joe DiMaggio’s name in “Mrs. Robinson”). Well, he did have somebody in mind but it wasn’t someone from the boxing world.

It was himself.

From the beginning of their commercial success in 1966 the duo had praise lavished on them from both critics and fans alike. But it didn’t last. Popular music critics began to accuse them of not being real folk artists. The pummeling continued though Simon felt the criticism wasn’t fair. As he recalled in an interview with Playboy Magazine in 1984, “I think the song was about me: everybody’s beating me up, and I’m telling you now I’m going to go away if you don’t stop.”

In this article, I’m going to tell you what you need to do to increase your punching speed whether it’s for boxing, Thai boxing or MMA. One thing to keep in mind is that punching speed is much more than the time it takes for your fist to go from A to B, anyone with experience knows this. To increase your punching speed you have to look at your overall game, there are no quick solutions and the painful truth is that anything gained in the art of combat involves a lot of hard work. Now, hard work doesn’t mean you have to discount being smart, and it is possible that you are currently focusing your efforts in the wrong way. So, read what I have to say, make the adjustments that are required, and I guarantee that you will increase your punching speed.

1) Throw twice the amount of punches you are currently throwing per workout – to punch quickly you need to punch efficiently, and throwing lots of punches is the only way to communicate with the muscle fibres that perform this action. It’s too bad you couldn’t just send them an email telling them to pick things up, but unfortunately, in order to become more efficient you have to throw thousands of punches. In order to punch efficiently, you need the least amount of muscle fibres to activate in order to execute the action, and you need the surrounding muscle fibres to relax so that the necessary fibres can function without restriction. Repetitive sport specific movement is the only way to accomplish this.

I would say that most good amateur boxers throw about 200 punches per 3 minute round, some of the best can crank it up to 300 punches per round. If you’re putting in 6 rounds on the heavybag, some double-end bag work, speed bag, shadowboxing, and focus mitts, then you are probably going to hit somewhere in the 2500 punch range. Now consider that some top pros are throwing 5,000 – 6,000 punches per workout. If you want to punch fast, throw a lot of punches. At the end of the day, efficiency = speed

2) Punch fast when you train – Imagine running four sets of 400m against a few of your friends. Let’s say they consistently run it in 1:15s and even though you could run it in 60 secs, you opt to run each set at 85% and come in under 1:10 secs. You could probably do this all day long and not get tired. Now, throw in a guy who runs it in under 55 secs and watch what happens to your energy levels as you try to catch him. I guarantee you’ll tire out in a couple trials. Everybody has their threshold for speed, and if you consistently train at 85% of your max punch speed then you can expect to punch at 85% of your potential. Too many fighters punch at 85% in the gym, and gas out in the fight when it’s all on the line and speed really counts. Try to constantly push your speed threshold. To be fast, you have to train fast.

3) Work on your footwork – Some people don’t realize this but there is a difference between hand speed in throwing combinations on the inside, and punching speed when closing the distance from the outside. Some fighters are able to rip combinations together with lightning speed, but are at a loss when they are on the outside against an opponent with fast feet. If you are fighting from the outside, your hand speed is limited by the ability of your feet to take you to your target, in other words, if your feet can’t take you there fast enough your punch will be short. Invest in rounds improving your footwork.

4) Increase your total sparring rounds – I recommend 3 sparring sessions a week if you are not already at that level. Sparring is the ultimate in simulating a real fight situation where speed is paramount. As well, all other aspects of punching speed such as timing, distance, reaction, feinting, and set-ups come in to play.

Depending on your level and your sparring partners, it can be a bit rough doing that much sparring, but you don’t have to train like this all the time. Set a period of a few weeks and stick to an enhanced schedule. Needless to say, there are some gyms that advocate sparring 5 days a week up until fight time, I agree with this as long as the fighters are putting in the rest of their work, and not just leaving the gym once sparring is over.

5) Sprints/Tabatas – It’s easy to have speed in the first minute of a fight, but the best fighters are able to maintain their punching speed throughout the rounds as the match goes on. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to just simply be in better shape overall and to have your body conditioned to deliver speed over and over again. The most effective way to do this is to incorporate speed work into your training. Try to perform two speed workouts per week. My recommendation is Tabata sets; this is where you sprint for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. Traditional testing has held this at 8 total sets per Tabata workout, which is already challenging enough, but eventually can try and pick it up to 14-16 total sets and possibly more. If you are just starting out, then 6 sets is a good way to get in the groove.

6) Flexibility – This is the most overlooked aspect of speed. But tight muscles are like tight rubber bands all over your body, they will only slow you down. The more flexible you are in your hips, hamstrings, chest, shoulders, and upper back, the less restriction you will have on your movement. The only thing restricting a flexible body is gravity and the air around you.

Motivation, or lack thereof is one of the biggest factors in determining how far you go in the sport of boxing. We all come to this sport with a drive, a will to be better, to dominate and to win. The biggest problem I found throughout my training was not how to stay motivated, but rather how to prevent becoming unmotivated. Life finds ways of eating at your positive energy and there are things I believe you can do to mitigate these erosive factors. The wear and tear of training, sparring and fighting take its toll, staying motivated even when life is perfect is not guaranteed, it’s easy to give in to guilty indulgence at almost any time. In a punishing sport like boxing, what not to do becomes just has important as what TO do.

1) Keep your relationships simple. There is only so much you can do to stop the demands of a parent or spouse. Even the most considerate will draw you into their world and away from yours. Boxing requires time, energy and focus that some people will never understand. Nevertheless, the spouse or parent is the least of your worries, at least they are predictable and have most likely been in your life for awhile. What you need to be concerned with are any new women in your life, especially if you are young (between 14 – 24). They are hard to resist, rendering the word ‘no’ almost impossible to utter.

If you want your boxing to stay level, then beware of lust, love and the women that inspire it. Don’t underestimate the power of the dopamine rush they will send to your brain. Training sessions will be replaced with ‘hangin’ out’, runs will be replaced with phone calls, and pugilistic thoughts will be replaced with poetry and sexting. Remember, the line from the first Rocky movie, “Women weaken legs!” They also weaken minds. It’s actually quite easy to convince a woman of your dedication and have them understand, the problem you’ll most likely face is that you will want to spend time with them over boxing. You’ll lay your own trap and walk right into unbeknownst to yourself. Don’t give yourself too much credit when it comes to willpower with women, just stick to training hard.

2) Keep your financial house in order. Less energy spent chasing money means more energy spent in the gym, however you should still chase hard after the money you need to sustain yourself. If you are young and need money for clothes, a phone, transportation and the occasional outing then make sure you’re not dropping your dollars on frivolous things. You can probably downgrade from the pair of Jordan’s and extra bling until they discover a gene for Jordan and bling dependency. Spend only what you need and get in the habit of putting money aside if you can afford to. If you are out of school then this advice is all the more meaningful. It’s great to know that you are dedicated to boxing and don’t want work to get in the way of your ‘future’, but sometimes you need to suck it up and put in the hours, or get the job that has the hours. I spent the early part of my twenties broke doing part-time jobs and had lots of time for boxing, I can tell you that the blow to your pride and self-esteem from barely making ends meet will leave you laying around on the couch all day instead of doing roadwork. A busy person tends to stay busy, don’t beat yourself up if you had to work overtime and missed a workout. I know what it’s like to wash dishes until 5am and go home beat. Hold on to some cash and focus on needs, not wants. Keep your financial house and your independence in tact, train your ass off when you have the time, you’ll go much further.

3) Stay away from drugs, alcohol, sugar, and fast food. Do I need to say more on this? Nothing will bring your training to a halt faster than occasional use of a substance that becomes too occasional, and trust me it will, so why even bother? Your prime will be over by your mid to late twenties, and by then you’ll know if you have potential, after that you’ll have the rest of your life to ruin, why start now?

As for sugar and fast food, don’t be fooled by the fact that they’re natural substances, so is asbestos! Do some research on sugar and the hormone dopamine and it’s psychological effects. You are an addict and don’t even know it. Too much sugar will leave you wanting another late snack, it’ll make you want to leave the gym a bit earlier than you should, and will kill you when it comes time to making weight. A good fighter should stay in good shape year round (Ricky Hatton the exception) and always be ready to fight. Get in the habit now of treating yourself right, when your fight career is over you’re not gonna like being known as the fat guy who used to box.

Let Wei, also known as Burmese boxing or Myanma traditional boxing, is a violent martial art recently “discovered” by muay thai fanatics. Sharing a common past with muay boran and pradal serey, Let Wei was practiced by Burmese warriors since the 12th century but not much was known about it until a few years ago. Myanmar’s past fifty years of self-seclusion kept this ancient native form of combat hidden away from the attention of martial arts practitioners. It evolved from battlefields to matches held in round sand pits during temples’ fairs or important events patronized by Burmese kings, similarly to those organized in old Siam.

Every fight used to be “to the end”, with no time limit, often ending with one winner and an unconscious loser. Boxers were specifically trained to endure pain and to keep on attacking even after being repeatedly knocked down and revived during the match. Head-butts, gouging and biting were also allowed. Therefore, many fights resulted in the death of one contender.

Let Wei, also known as Burmese boxing or Myanma traditional boxing, is a violent martial art recently “discovered” by muay thai fanatics. Sharing a common past with muay boran and praadal serey, Let Wei was practiced by Burmese warriors since the 12th century but not much was known about it until a few years ago. Myanmar’s past fifty years of self-seclusion kept this ancient native form of combat hidden away from the attention of martial arts practitioners. It evolved from battlefields to matches held in round sand pits during temples’ fairs or important events patronized by Burmese kings, similarly to those organized in old Siam. The famous Nai Kanomthom’s story comes from those times. More recently (beginning of 20th century), rudimentary wooden rings were erected on temple or royal palace’s grounds.

Every fight used to be “to the end”, with no time limit, often ending with one winner and an unconscious loser. Boxers were specifically trained to endure pain and to keep on attacking even after being repeatedly knocked down and revived during the match. Head-butts, gouging and biting were also allowed. Therefore, many fights resulted in the death of one contender.

The Myanma Traditional Boxing, founded in 1996 with government support to promote Let Wei as a native sport, like the Thais did with muay thai, has defined the rules, the categories and the techniques allowed in the ring. Nowadays fights have 5 rounds of 3 minutes each on proper rings. Boxers still fight without gloves, using only cotton or elastic hand bands. Rules are now roughly similar to muay thai but still permit the use of head butts, wrestling and powerful take-downs. It is also allowed to strike an opponent when falling down (this used to be allowed in muay thai, too). Elbows and knees are the weapons of choice for all fighters, used with full force without any protection. I personally saw a few teeth fly out of a guy’s mouth in Yangon after a powerful reverse-elbow hit him. Amazingly, the referee allowed him to continue the fight even though he was bleeding profusely, could barely stand and was visibly spaced-out by the blow.

From a spectator’s point of view, Let Wei is fast, messy and brutally violent. Often both fighters attack simultaneously, hitting each other with powerful combinations of punches, elbows and kicks; the focus doesn’t seem to be on defending themselves against the opponents’ powerful blows but rather on attacking, all the time.

Let Wei fights are not “clean”, in terms of techniques, but appear a lot more exciting than the majority of Lumpini’s muay thai fights, which in comparison appear static, almost dull. In a Let Wei fight you’ll see plenty of jump-flying knees, pull downs and all sort of tricks involving elbows. And all those vicious muay boran moves not allowed anymore in Thailand. Unfortunately, the fights can only be viewed in Yangon on weekends and during festivities upcountry. It’s not easy to move around Myanmar (compared to Thailand) and such events are not tourist-oriented like in Bangkok.

A beautiful opportunity to see something very similar to Burmese boxing falls every year in April, during the Songkran festivities shared by all Buddhist countries in South East Asia. In the Thai town of Mae Sot, on a ring near the border, Burmese fighters meet their Siamese counterparts for a ancient-style (no gloves, old rules) boxing competition. The rivalry between the two old foes becomes alive every year and it’s boosted by the great amount of betting going on around the ring. This event is recaptured in the Thai movie “Ong Bak” (2004), a Thai-made budget movie which generated great interest and demand for muay boran.

Even though there are well known Let Wei champions actively fighting in Myanmar, due to the brutality of certain techniques and Myanmar’s government travel restrictions on its citizens, they aren’t allow to compete neither in Thailand nor anywhere else outside their country.

Leo Rwabwogo is officially recorded as having been born on June 3 1949, but some of his family members place his date of birth as being as far back as 1942. Rwabwogo died on January 14, 2009 (some sources state, January 15, 2009), when he collapsed while tending to his crop plantation that included bananas, in western Uganda. He likely died from heart failure.

Leo Rwabwogo was one of the most prominent of Uganda’s amateur boxing fighters during the 1960’s. Rwabwogo’s international prominence came with the African Boxing Championships that were held in Zambia’s capital Lusaka in June 1968. Rwabwogo, as a flyweight, emerged as gold-medalist with a win over Mohamed Selim of Egypt.

The memorable Olympic Games of 1968 (October 12 to October 27), were held in the populous Mexico capital of Mexico City. Rwabwogo started in the preliminaries by defeating Sang Byung-Soo of South Korea by 5-0. Next came the quarter-finals, and Rwabwogo managed to beat Tibor Badari of Hungary, by 3-2. Because of his incredible speed and efficiency, muscular and well-conditioned Rwabwogo was suspected of having inhaled marijuana. There was no proof that Rwabwogo had broken any rules! Next came the semi-finals in which Rwabwogo was pitted against Artur Olec of Poland. Unfortunately, Rwabwogo was judged as having lost the bout by 2-3. Nevertheless, Leo Rwabwogo, by winning the bronze medal, became Uganda’s first Olympic medalist. His name would become cemented into Uganda’s sports history, forever!

Subsequently, Artur Olec was defeated by Ricardo Delgado (Ricardo Delgado Nogales) of Mexico, in the finals. Delgado turned professional in 1969, but his professional record is mediocre with about half as wins and half as defeats by points. Delgado retired from professional boxing in 1975.

In 1970, Leo Rwabwogo would shine as a contributor to Uganda’s emergence as top Commonwealth boxing nation. The 1970 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh in Scotland during July 17-24. In the quarterfinals, flyweight Leo Rwabwogo shone by defeating Leon Nissen of Australia with the referee stopping the bout in the second round. In the semi-finals, Rwabwogo was pitted against David Larmour of Ireland. Rwabwogo won by a majority points decision. However, in the finals, Rwabwogo was defeated 4-1 by Dave Needham of England. Rwabwogo became honored with a silver medal. Dave “the Artful Dodger” Needham is legendary in the British Empire, and won several British professional titles.

Rwabwogo next mainly shone in the next Olympics. Rwabwogo notably maintained his weight and represented Uganda, again as a flyweight at the 1972 Olympics that were held from August 28 to September 10. In the preliminaries, Rwabwogo would overwhelmingly defeat Jorge Acuna of Uruguay by 5-0. Next, muscular Rwabwogo technically knocked out Maurice O’Sullivan of Great Britain in the first round. The next preliminary bout would again favor Rwabwogo with a 4-1 win over Orn-Chim Chawalit of Thailand. Rwabwogo then moved on to the quarter-finals and delivered with a third-round technical knockout of Neil McLaughlin of Ireland. And in the semi-finals, notwithstanding the outstanding dominance of Cubans at the 1972 Games and in world amateur boxing as a whole, Leo Rwabwogo was able to convincingly defeat Douglas Rodriguez of Cuba by 3-2. The Cubans dominated boxing at these Olympic Games, and though Rodriguez was defeated by Rwabwogo and settled for bronze, later at the World Amateur boxing Championships held in Havana, Rodriguez would capture gold.

Unfortunately, in the final of the 1972 Olympics, Rwabwogo lost to Georgi Kostadinov of Bulgaria by 5-0. Rwabwogo had allegedly accumulated a thumb injury that may well have been a major factor in the loss. Nevertheless, Leo Rwabwogo had further cemented himself in Uganda history as the only Ugandan to have won two Olympic medals. No Ugandan has ever re-enacted Rwabwogo’s feat. Furthermore, because Rwabwogo won more Olympic boxing medals than any other Ugandan boxer, Rwabwogo is regarded by many as Uganda’s top amateur boxer. this is a moot issue, given that several other Ugandans, such as James Odwori, Mohamed Muruli, and Ayub Kalule won more gold medals in their international competitions. But again, many regard the Olympics as the traditional hallmark of international competition!

Let it also be considered that in Rwabwogo’s next major international outing, that is the All-Africa Games (held in Nigerian capital Lagos from January 7-18 1973) Leo Rwabwogo (only 3 months after his silver medal win at the Olympics) was in his very first preliminary eliminated (3-2) by Laha Ratavi of Madagascar! Ratavi was virtually unknown in the boxing world just as Madagascar’s stance in the boxing world was abysmally low. Next, Laha Ratavi was defeated in the quarter-finals by Isaac Maiawa of Kenya. Maiawa eventually became the silver-medalist. Ratavi was never heard of, again, as regards international boxing! Furthermore, Leo Rwabwogo would little be heard of again as regards fighting for his native Uganda nation. Rwabwogo is not even listed amongst Uganda’s team of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, that eventually boycotted the Games’. Even in retrospect, Rwabwogo was not included in the 1974 Uganda teams of the African Boxing Championships, the Commonwealth Games, and the World Amateur Boxing Championships.

Maybe age and injuries had caught up with famed Uganda amateur boxer, Leo Rwabwogo; maybe the national coaches considered upcoming younger boxers as more competent than Leo Rwabwogo. Rwabwogo never moved into the professional ranks, but he sometimes lamented that he was denied the opportunity when Uganda boxing officials either blocked his chances or were discouraging! Rwabwogo, in history, still persists as one of the most skillful, strong, agile and well-conditioned of Uganda’s boxers

One common accident that occurs to a boxer is losing a tooth after a fight. Hard-knocking punches may have the power to break a boxer’s teeth. In case this happens, there is a dental remedy-using dental implants. Here are ways to be on your feet and teeth again.

(1) Refrain from heavy training for a while. A boxer who loses not only the fight but also his teeth gets up with new strength: the capability to take much stronger punches. But this does not happen immediately; it takes a lot of proper rest and good mindset. The lost tooth or teeth can never be reinstalled. Preparing for a dental implant, a boxer needs to be in good health; he must stop from heavy training before (or after) the operation.

(2) Go to a dentist. Dental implants are more durable than replacement teeth. Its root is made from titanium, a very strong metal; the artificial tooth is the same with the ones used in removable dentures (or maybe not). The operation involves money and time. After some preliminary examinations, a dentist drills hole in the jawbone. The screw then is inserted to act as implant root. After weeks (or maybe months, according to certain conditions), the artificial tooth/teeth and other things may be placed.

(3) Time to heal. Placement of implant may take weeks and even months to totally heal and be able to withstand power punch. A boxer must eat healthy foods rich in calcium; abstain from training: it may cause defects in the implant and even to his general health.

(4) Ready to box again. When teeth are ready, he must make sure the past accident never happens again. He must also have a regular check up with his dentist for more development. Also he must choose a durable mouth piece to protect his teeth. He must be conscious with the safety of his teeth and that will affect his sparring. But true fighters never lose hope and confidence – it sounds trivial but true.

Win the fight and never lose teeth with dental implants. This piece of dental technology adds strength and power. To be strong is not only a matter of natural capability of the body; it also consists of proper training and mindset-and maybe reliable teeth.

Often times when we hear of a knockout or concussion, they are usually not used correctly. It is important to know that they are NOT one in the same. Especially as a fighter you should understand that they are not to be used interchangeably and are actually very different. First off, it is very important to remember that you should not be the one diagnosing your head injury. If you do get hurt by a punch you should see a doctor without question. Remember that just because you didn’t get knocked out unconscious, doesn’t mean you don’t have an injury. With that being said, let’s observe the difference between the two.

What Is a Knockout?

Obviously a knockout is mostly used when it comes to boxing and a boxing match, and it is when one of the fighters fall and doesn’t get up before the referees count is over. Just because you have been knocked out, doesn’t mean that you have endured a serious brain injury; however, a knockout is caused from the skull being moved around by the blow in which the fighter endured. It is the brains inertia that causes it to hit against the skulls inside, occurring near the skulls base. The areas of the brain impacted include the cerebellum and the brain stem in which when hit against the skull, they cause either loss of motor control or loss of consciousness.

What Is a Concussion?

Concussion is different than a knockout because it is not always associated with the loss of consciousness. It also involves a different part of the brain, specifically towards the top of the spinal cord. Basically, a concussion can do damage to the “wires” in which the brain is connected and it does so by reducing the efficiency in which signals travel. It is possible to endure a concussion without ever getting knocked out. After a concussion because of its seriousness, often times boxers will be asked to sit out from boxing for at least thirty days.

Being Aware

As a boxer and a fighter, it is crucial to know your injury and therefore know the difference between a knockout and concussion. In boxing you may or may not endure either of these injuries but in the meantime, you should also be sure to use equipment to protect yourself when you are both fighting or sparing. Just because you take hard blows to the head does not mean you are tough. It is dangerous and can put you at risk for an injury that can impact your life.

The jab is the king of all punches: it’s versatile, it sets up the big ‘payday’ shots like the right hand, left hook, and uppercut. You can throw it while moving in almost any direction and it leaves your balance intact. It goes without saying that having a good jab can take you from average to above average, and from good to great. What constitutes a good jab lies in how you deliver it, your ability to use it frequently to clear the road ahead, and to apply it in various scenarios to suit your purpose. The jab is a thinking man’s (or woman’s) punch.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS (the description below assumes an orthodox fighter who jabs with his left hand)

The delivery of the jab is critical for both your offense and defence. You need it to be fast and efficient to set up ensuing shots while at the same time leaving you covered against potential counters.

Here are some absolutely essential aspects on delivering the jab.

1) Keep the elbow down until the last second when you deliver the jab and extend your arm. A flared up elbow will leave your jab coming sideways (in some cases you will want this, but not for a basic jab) and it will also leave your jab a bit short, throw that jab with the elbow down and deliver it like it’s being thrown down a pipe.

2) Turn the fist over. There is a time and place for the backfisted jab and the intentionally misplaced jab, in most cases however, you need the jab to come straight through to the opponent’s chin. When you turn the fist over with your pinky finger facing the ceiling your shoulder will roll up that bit higher to protect your chin. Of course, you also need to remember to tuck your chin like you’re holding a wad of cash to your upper chest.

3) Do NOT drop your fist even in the slightest upon delivery. This is the biggest mistake I see beginners make, they drop their fist an inch or two from their face before throwing the jab straight out. The only time to drop the hand before throwing the jab is when you’re faking a punch and are following up with something or if you are in a position with your hand down. To train this habit, get yourself close to a mirror, right up close, just couple feet away. Throw a hundred spontaneous jabs and keep your eyes on your punch. It should come out almost like you are punching over a table that is at the height of your neck. Do NOT drop that hand.

4) Twist your body and extend your shoulder so that your back is rounded on the jab side, you want to stretch your shoulder blade forwards. Just doing this will put your shoulder to your chin when you finish the shot to give you extra coverage.

5) Do not move the right hand when you jab, it should be planted on your face with your upper arm resting comfortably on your ribs. A lot of fighters pull a ‘shot gun’ pose when they jab, it’s easy to catch these guys with the left hook. Some fighters open up their arm near the ribcage and are susceptible to a counter left uppercut. Don’t give anything away for free, you can prevent a lot of shots from scoring simply by keeping the opposite protective hand in position. To train this you need to spend time shadowboxing and thinking about the non-punching hand when you throw combos. Bodily self-awareness is critical in boxing.

6) For most jabs your arm should be loose and relaxed, and the punch should snap without telegraphing. The best way to train this is to train in front of a mirror and watch yourself for telegraphing cues. Your hand snaps and the rest of you is calm like an unrippled pond. This doesn’t mean that you aren’t moving the rest of your body, it just means that you are in a rhythm and do not have any fist pumps or tensing up that gives you away. In your mind you are thinking “stay loose, maintain rhythm, and fast delivery”. That being said, not all jabs need to be loose and snappy, sometimes you need to stiff arm them just a bit to drive somebody back, the key is to apply force without leaving your arm extended for longer than a millisecond.

Manny Pacquiao was born as Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines on December 17, 1978. He grew up in Glan, Sarangani, Philippines but currently resides in General Santos City, Philippines with his wife Maria Geraldine “Jinkee” Pacquiao and their four children.

Manny grew up facing the hard life of poverty which led him to only finishing an elementary school education to start working at a very young age. Nonetheless, he still considers education as a very important tool to ones success that made him decide to take a high school equivalency exam and passed. He then enrolled in college to further educate himself as he has invested his earnings as a boxer and product endorser to a few businesses.

The Boxer

Manny Pacquiao, fondly called as “Pacman” by every boxing enthusiast, is the Filipino Boxing Superstar. The Philippines’ pride is currently the WBO World Welterweight Champion and Ring Magazine and IBO Light Welterweight Champion. He is also rated by Ring Magazine as the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world as he is the first boxer in the history of boxing to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions. The only boxer to win the lineal championship tagged as “the man who beat the man” in four different weight classes.

The belts he has won were the WBC World Lightweight Champion, WBC World Super Featherweight Champion, IBF World Super Bantamweight Champion, WBC World Flyweight Champion, Ring Magazine Featherweight and Super Featherweight Champion. The success has been recognized by different organizations all over the world and was greatly recognized by the Philippine government as he was awarded the Sikatuna Award with the Rank of Datu by the President, the prestigious award given to many personalities who had greatly contributed to the local society.

The Philanthropist

Manny Pacquiao is not just the World Champion or the current number one pound-for-pound, but also a champion to every Filipino he has helped as he is also a Philanthropist. His motivation every time he steps inside the ring is to uplift and inspire his countrymen. As a Champ with a good heart, one of his greatest dreams is to help improve every Filipinos lives. The reason why Manny Pacquiao Foundation was created to have his dreams becomes a reality.

The foundation is designed to give any support they could to many Filipinos who are underprivileged. His success had given him the opportunity to give back to the unprivileged men of the Philippines. He holds a special heart for every individuals suffering as he was once in the same situation.

The Entertainer

Manny Pacquiao is also known in the Philippines as the singer/actor, not only just the Peoples Champ. Despite his busy schedules being a boxer, he still had time to record and was able to released two albums. Tracks from his albums speak on how proud he is as a Filipino and that music is a great way to reach and inspire his countrymen. He had even managed to held shows to promote the albums and had also made music an opportunity to help the Filipinos in distress after the calamities.

As an actor, he has done three movies. Unfortunately, all three movies were not a success since he lacked time to promote his movies aside from the negative intrigues linking him to his leading ladies. He has also two television shows that are keeping him busy if he is no incoming fight to prepare. Currently, he is on leave on both shows as he is rigidly on training to defend his title against Joshua Clottey. The Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight is called “The Event” will be held on March 13, 2010 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Summer usually means going to the beach or simply hanging out somewhere where there’s a pool. I believe that this season needs preparation, lots of it actually.

I would like to introduce you to my friend Angela who is a model and an actress. She is also one of my good and supportive clients and I’m here to tell you about her workout regimen.

Here’s a sample one- week program I designed for Angela:

Monday: 45 MINUTES

30 minutes on the treadmill: constant change up every 2-3 minutes—lunges, running, jogging, walking, side lunges (Talking about interval training at its best)

15 minutes: constant timed intervals focusing on the whole body using resistance bands, body bar and swiss ball (Angela does not like using machines)

Tuesday: BOXING DAY 1 HOUR

Interval Shadow boxing with hand weights

6- 8 rounds of mitt work

5 minutes full body plyometrics

2 rounds interval jump ropes

Intense full abdominal work: 50- 100 repetitions per exercise (10 exercises)

Wednesday: 20 MINUTES

Swimming day: 10 laps freestyle, 10 laps side stroke, 10 laps back stroke, 10 laps breast stroke (she doesn’t know how to do butterflies)

Thursday: BOXING DAY 1 HOUR

5 rounds: heavy bag drills (speed and power every 30 seconds)

5 rounds: mitt work (focusing on speed and power)

3 rounds burpees: 30secs burpees, 30secs shadow boxing then switch)

Intense full abdominal workout: slow and controlled movements (75reps each exercise)

Friday: 45 MINUTES

She does one of my recommended non- boxing routines from my Train Like a Boxer e-book: How to Achieve a Leaner and Stronger Body with Limited Time, Space and Equipment. (Lawrence@trainlikeaboxer.com to request your copy TODAY).

Saturday: REST

Sunday: Angela plays in a recreational softball league (she says she kicks butt); tennis during the winter.

As you can see, no workout is the same in a week. This is one sample workout and the routines after each week change per Angela’s request to KEEP IT FRESH! The result? A leaner and stronger body!

To view Angela’s photos, visit http://www.myspace.com/angiemarie029