It All Went A Bit Wrong At The Boxing Club

Not sure what happened, but today was one of those days. We were one Boxing Coach down, and the Boxers and Keep Fitters were pouring through the door. To top it off we had a batch of new starters who were clearly fish out of water. We took our time to put them on the right track, but some just weren't 'getting' it. We were clearly out numbered and struggled to stay on top of things.

The Boxers who are fighting for the championships this weekend, were arriving 45 minutes and then some into the session, dragging their feet. People were wandering off, standing around chatting doing their own thing. Not paying attention, being reckless. Head Coach Khan soon reminded them,

"You're here to train! This is not Boxercise. We train like Boxers. If you Don't like it, F**k off out the door!".

They soon focused on the task in front of them, but enthusiasm began to fade. It soon became clear that as we rounded up for circuit training, the club was frustrated. The Coaches were frustrated. The atmosphere was bleak. Head Coach Khan started, Cj continued. after a series of grueling bodyweight pieces, we truly finished them off with a Coach Skala classic....

Burpee Ladder

Burpee x 10
Burpee x 20
Burpee x 30
Burpee x 40

By the second set, the scale of the task ahead became apparent to all at the gym, and voices of discontent became louder. Frustrated, swearing, grunting and all sorts of medieval noises could be heard. Some at the club were even cheating and cutting corners. Cj took a different track to keep the boxers motivated from the third set.


"When I've finished counting to 30. You know if you've done 30 burpees or not. If you haven't, continue until you have completed."

Cj was surrounded by miserable faces. He continued,

"Don't do this for me. Don't do this for Sid (Head Coach). Do it for yourself. Do it because it will make you fitter. Do it because it will make you stronger physically and mentally. Do it because you will be better off for it."


Did some people still cheat in the third and fourth set? you bet they did. But a large number continued to complete their Burpees even when Cj had finished counting. A large number understood that by cheating, they were only cheating themselves. That what mattered in the end, is that at any one time they honestly gave it all they had.

That's what made today a valuable session for not only the boxers, but the Coaches as well.