THE BOXING GYM
The approach all head coaches should take is to understand that ONE person can't operate a successful boxing
gym on his own. Put aside the nonsense and your ego and allow other parents, coaches and boxers to help you
create a strong united team. As an amateur boxer I was able to experience quite a few training camps at the
Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Having a team work together builds confidence and character. When
you step into the ring after a 6 week training camp it's a good feeling knowing that you have a group of supporters
that will be cheering you on. I remember in a dual meet vs 96 Olympian Phil Boudreault in which the team started
chanting, "USA! USA! USA!" while I was in the ring. The energy and motivation that gave me heading into the final
minute of the bout is indescribable.
Many coaches use a “hands on” method of training in their gym. While this can be successful in most methods of
teaching it should NEVER be applied in the sport of Boxing. Some coaches think a boxer can learn how to box
inside the ring, in sparring. These coaches are a liability to all those children who give their heart to the sport. As
coaches we must understand that most kids who take up this sport want to be the best. Some of these kids will do
anything they feel will help them become better. As coaches we must understand the responsibility this carries.
I remember being asked a few years ago if it was easier to coach boxers who dedicates 100% of his/her time to
the sport over those who don’t. I answered No. I explained that when you coach a boxer who only boxes and
doesn't play other sports that it’s much more difficult. Difficult cause these boxers will do whatever you ask of them.
These kids are giving it 100% for a reason. They have dreams. They want to be the best and will do whatever it
takes to get there. This puts a lot of responsibility on the coaching. Coaches must invest time in coming up with
training methods that will help their boxers be prepared for whatever challenges they meet in the ring. These
boxers will listen and follow EXACTLY what you tell them to do. Most coaches don’t understand this.
Coaches need to be held responsible for their actions. There’s no way to avoid EVERY injury but we must give
our boxers the tools they need to minimize the risk of injury. This is our job as coaches.
Over the years as a boxer/coach I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best coaches in our sport.
I’ve also been in the ring with some of the top boxers in the sport as well. This has helped me a great deal in
coaching. I’ve taken things I thought were helpful from each one of these encounters and have come up with my
own training style. Some of these drills I use now are created to help my boxers avoid mistakes my past boxers
have made due to my coaching.
Remind your boxers during training that the gym is the place to get tired, to feel exhausted, to give it 101% without
fear of making mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with getting knocked down or making mistakes in the gym. This is
where it should happen, not during your bout. I always tell my boxers during training, "this is where you decide the
outcome of your next fight", in the gym. During training.
Some coaches like to use the “magical powers coaching” method to impress people. These are the coaches who
put up photos of themselves with famous boxers & coaches on their gym walls. People will walk into a gym and
think these coaches magically gained all boxing knowledge and experience from these boxers/coaches by simply
taking a photo with them. Don’t be fooled. I’ve contacted the best doctors in the country and have been assured
there’s no way this can happen.
Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes but it is our job as coaches to not allow these same mistakes to continue
with other boxers in the future. Responsible and dedicated coaches will learn from every loss and/or mistake.
With each loss we must ask ourselves (as coaches), "Why?". Not only ask ourselves but also be able to answer it
as well.
My goal as a coach is to make sure my boxers are not one dimensional. Being one dimensional makes it easy for
the opponent to come up with a game plan against us. Teaching boxers how TO BOX PROPERLY, instead of a
specific style will benefit a boxer in the long run.
One of the most satisfying things for me as a coach is to taking a boxer with very little experience and putting him in
the ring against an experienced boxer. There are lots of things that can be taught in order to make an experienced
boxer box like a veteran.
I have the confidence in the system we've created here at our gym. We can guarantee to make a good boxer out of
anyone who decides to dedicate themselves to the sweet science.
THE BASICS
One of the first things I did when i started coaching was create a basic daily routine for all my boxers. After training
in different gyms around the city during my career I noticed that most boxers /coaches didn't have a regular routine
when it came to training. Boxing is a repetitious sport. In order to improve you must continue to work on things until
they become natural. So natural that it becomes a reaction and you no longer have to think of things to do when in
battle. As a boxer you want to focus on a game plan during a fight not thinking about balance, fighting off your
back foot, chin down, using your jab, side-steps, etc.
When a boxer first walks into my gym one of the first things he should learn before ever throwing a punch is the
proper boxing stance. This is very important. The best way to explain this is by comparing it to building a new
home. If you build a home on a weak foundation eventually it will collapse. This can be the same with a boxer. You
will be able to get away with having a shaky foundation ( boxing stance) early in your career but eventually this will
hurt you in the long run. As you gain more experience more coaches/boxers will see your style. A good
coach/boxer will expose and take advantage of all this.
Once a boxer learns the proper boxing stance (proper balance & always in position to go from defense to offense
or offense to defense in a split second) he will learn the two most basic punches in boxing, JAB and CROSS. Before
ever learning how to throw a hook, uppercut or any other punches the basics must be perfected. The proper jab
and perfect right cross.
Ramos Boxing has developed a three stage system in order to keep track of every boxers progress. Each stage
has it's requirements and the only way to advance is to "test out". This will be a one on one test with the head
coach. If the boxer can show the coach that he/she has learned what is being taught in said stage he/she will
advance. After the third stage boxers are allowed to start making contact.
Stage I = proper boxing stance & basic jab, cross
Stage II = proper footwork , moving in and out of your punching range, basic head movement
Stage III= This will be a combination of Stage I and II but will includes intense conditioning drills.
After stage 3 each boxer will have the option to join the team of boxers in group workouts or continue to improve on
the basics using the punching & double end bag. They will also start working mitts with the coach. At no time during
your training here at Ramos will we ask you to do things you feel you are not ready for. If you feel you're NOT
ready to move on we can guarantee our commitment in helping you get there.
Ramos Boxing will NEVER allow a boxer to compete if we feel they can't win. If we take you to a tournament it's
cause we KNOW you have the tools to WIN!
BEYOND THE BASICS
Once our students have mastered the basics and have shown they have the stamina to move onto workouts with
our boxers the training gets really "exciting". Exciting because we guarantee our commitment as coaches that we'll
continue to find new and exciting ways to develop you into the best boxer you can be. We guarantee that if you
give us 100% we will make sure you reach your full potential. We also promise to always be honest with you in
giving you realistic goals and help you achieve them. At no time will our team give you goals we know are not
realistic. If we feel you have the tools to reach the top we will let you know. The other side of that coin is that we will
make sure to be honest with you if boxing is hazardous to your health. If we feel it's to dangerous for you to
compete or spar we can assure you that we will NEVER allow you to risk your health for the sport under our watch.
We value and keep life after boxing in perspective and will not allow you to jeopardize your future. This does not
mean you can't be part of our team. There's nothing wrong with continuing to train (without contact) with the boxers.
Boxing has always been a great way to release stress and stay healthy. Some people here use our gym just for the
workout.
Many of the people who train here have no plans on competing or ever setting foot in the ring. This doesn't change
the way we coach. We believe in teaching everyone the RAMOS WAY of boxing.
OUR BOXING DRILLS
A quick search on youtube will bring you to hundreds of videos we've created to share some of the things we do
here to help all of our boxers reach their full potential.
It's been humbling hearing from some of you coaches asking for advice. One of the things I tell these coaches is
that RAMOS BOXING is here for the sake of boxing. We invite coaches and boxers to join us to workout with our
team. We don't expect you to switch gyms or represent us. We have no problem working with you one on one or
creating videos for some of you who are not from the area to help you in with whatever you need to work on.
One of the things I tell coaches about our drills is to not focus so much on the drills we've created. The most
important thing for a coach to understand is to have an in depth understanding of how the human body works.
Some of the basics you coaches should start with is to research:
1. Fast & Slow twitch muscle explosion/endurance
2. Shocking the muscles in order to gain speed and power
3. Muscle memory
For the advanced or more experienced boxers/coaches some of the things you can start with our teaching:
1. The Power of the Mind
a. Providing ways to prove to your boxers that being physical fatigue does not mean your mind is
also fatigued. Teach your boxer how to use the mind when the body has become fatigue. The powers of the mind
will always overcome whatever physical disadvantages you may have at the present time.
b. Element of shock, surprise and nervousness. Allowing your boxers to take time to reflect on past
mistakes and go over (in the mind)other possible actions that may occur in a fight other than the actual boxing
match. A injury, 8 count, dizzness, bleeding, a cut etc. When the mind identifies these things as possibilities and
you think of how to react the state of shock when these things occur is nowhere near what it would have been had
these thoughts never crossed your mind. The state of shock happens when your mind doesn't recognize a certain
surprise action. This is the reason so many people freeze when scared, in accidents, home invasions, news of
death, etc. When an action occurs and the mind recognizes it a person is able to remain calm and think without
panicking.
When the scoring system for amateur boxing changed we created drills to try and beat the system. I made my
boxers understand that our opponent was the scoring system, not the boxer. One of the drills we'd do was using
our forearms to prevent any scoring blow from being counted. I'd give my boxers a scenario, "ok, you're winning by
8 points going into the last round. You have 3 minutes to keep those forearms high enough to not allow a scoring
blow to get by." I'd instruct them to throw punches (single shots) ONLY If it was a CLEAR SHOT to minimize the risk
of a scoring blow getting through. Another scenario would be sending my boxer into the 3rd round with the score
being tied. I'd have him focus first on making it difficult for the boxer to score a clean shot and staying in punching
position and range to take advantage of any mistakes. At the 2004 Olympic trials while working the corner to go out
for the final round the official handed me a paper with the score. I looked at my boxer and said, "it's tied, 12-12".
We both smiled and he said, "I know what to do!".
2. THE CHALLENGE
a. One of the things I've always done with my experienced boxers it create ways to challenge them in
order to create new and unique ways of doing things. If you ask your boxer to spar 3 rounds only using his JAB I
can guarantee he will find new ways on how to use his jab. This is what takes a boxer to the top. Many people still
don't understand why Manny Paquioau has been so successful against everyone he's stepped in the ring with. It
has nothing to do with his power and or speed. The thing that makes it difficult to fight Manny is the direction and
unique 2 punch combos he throws. Go to youtube and watch some of his highlights. He's throwing these two punch
combinations nobody has ever had to deal with. Most boxers start a combination with a ONE-TWO.........Manny at
times walks in with a right uppercut and follows with a left hook, from the southpaw stance! These are punches that
are very difficult to defend. No matter how much experience a boxer or coach has, neither should EVER stop
learning. A good dedicated coach will continue to find ways to expand your game. Using these types of challenges
with your experienced boxers will take your boxer to another level. The challenges are endless! Some examples:
1. Circling only to the left/right
2. Sparring right after doing some high intense explosive drills that will drain the body.
This will teach you how to box while fatigued.
3. Staying with your back up against the ropes. Although this is something we advise our
boxers NOT to do, it will happen. So it's best to prepare for it. I guarantee no matter how much you stress to stay off
the ropes, it WILL happen.
4. Sparring with loss of equilibrium. Anyone who's ever been in the ring knows what this
feels like. As a boxer I never had a problem or was never hurt with shots to the chin. The punches that caused the
most damage were shots to the side/behind the head. Although these punches are illegal there's no way to avoid
them. Look up videos of Roy Jones getting knocked out. They've all been with these kind of punches. They're hard
to recover from if you don't excersise the mind to recognize this feeling. The drill we do to prepare for this is having
my boxers spin in one direction as fast as possible for 10 seconds then shadowboxing without making it obvious
that you've been hurt. I have my boxers continue to shadow until they are no longer dizzy. Once they've recovered I
have them stand on one leg and keep their balance to show they've recovered. If they can't stand on one leg they
continue shadowboxing until they can. When a boxer first does this drill it will take him a long time to recover. As
you continue doing this drill a few times a week the recovery time can get as low as a couple of seconds compared
to minutes when you first started doing the drill. This is proof that boxers should exercise the mind during training.
These are just a few examples of what you can have your experienced boxers work on. When you study the human
body and mind it will be easy to come up with drills. Some of the best drills we've come up with are those that were
made up on the spot.
Keep these drills new and challenging. Boxers can get bored doing the same thing over and over. There's tons of
ways to do different drills that will work on the same thing. Just like the spinning drill. Another way to work on
recovery of your equilibrium is by putting four boxers in the ring in each corner then having them do flips at full
speed. The fact that someone is right behind them will keep them moving fast.
You must also pay close attention to your boxers when working on these drills. Once you see these drills are
getting boring or to easy it's time to add more time or change it up.