Sparring For Andres

It was like spring today, with temperatures in the 50s, and somewhat clear sidewalks.  The melting snow and ice left a lot of puddles everywhere.  But dodging water was way better than slipping and sliding all the way to the gym.

This photo is from last week at the Chicago Golden Gloves.  From left to right is Arnold, me, Alan, and Andres.  This was taken by Arnold's friend Jasmine right before Andres' fight.

This is a shot of the action between Andres and his opponent, Juan.

Here's another shot of the bout. . . Professor said that he noticed from the pictures that Cicero Stadium didn't look very crowded that night.  "It wasn't, and that was the second night of the tournament.  Usually, the event is packed," I told him.  "That's probably because they moved it from the north side," Sam commented.  "The crowd was small because it's too far for a lot of people to go," Professor said.  I hadn't thought of it like that, but he was right.  Despite the fact that a lot of people drove there, Cicero is a long way out for most, depending on how far away people are from there.

Andres sparred with Professor first.  Alan told them to work. They were going at it.  Professor slammed Andres with a good right, and Andres smiled and nodded.

Andres sparred with Ben second.  Ben was bent over by one of Andres' body shots.  "Was that a liver shot?" Ben inquired.  "Yeah, man. . . .and that sh%t hurts," Professor answered.

Sam stepped into the ring with Andres next.  Sam seemed a little worried about Andres' punches.  Alan reminded Andres to go easy.  Professor told Sam that if Andres had put full power on the punches, Sam would have been on the canvas.

Alicia and I were on the bags most of the time.  She's still trying to get the hang of throwing hooks.  I was doing a lot of uppercuts and hooks.

Colonel and Kenny came in, but they didn't stay long.  Colonel just got out of the hospital recently, but health issues keep rolling on.  Alan joked about both Colonel and I have problems with our legs.  But the TENS unit that Alicia gave me last week is helping me somewhat.  I noticed I was walking faster to the gym than I have been in a long time.  As the weather eases into spring, I expect my leg will become better.

Thirteen Fights

The Chicago Golden Gloves are on, so I took a train ride out to Cicero Stadium.  Andres was scheduled to have a super heavyweight match.  His fight was number nine on the list, which was a little surprising to me.  Usually, the heavyweight fights don't happen until further down the list.  But Alan said, "No, they mix up the fights to keep things interesting."  Another surprise was, even though it was the second night of the tournament, only thirteen fights had been scheduled for the evening.  Normally, there are anywhere from twenty to twenty-five fights taking place in one evening.

The crowd wasn't very big, and people seemed to be subdued.  I figured it was because of the hard winter we're still going through.  It's March, but there are piles of snow everywhere, and the temperatures continue to be down in the basement.

Arnold and his friend Jasmine, a school teacher, was there.  Andres had a friend with him, a guy whom I think he's brought to the gym before.  The usual suspects were on hand -- Shifty, Gary, Yale, Alan R., George, Johnny, Rico, Metzger, Sam, Tina, Gentleman Gerald, etc., as well as former pro fighters like David Diaz.  The guy who's always at the tournament telling people to "have a Corona!" wasn't there, but he'll probably appear at some point.

All of the fights moved along at a good clip.  Several were stopped for various reasons.  One guy took a rough shot to the body, fell down to the canvas, and stayed there for awhile.  Another guy was taking too many hits that rocked his head backwards.  Still another match was stopped because one guy kept getting backed up in the corners and not answering the punches thrown at him.

Andres' opponent was a hefty guy, but Andres hit first, and hit often.  There was a minute or two where the guy caught Andres with some lefts and rights, but the punches Andres threw back were much harder.  Both Alan and Arnold kept yelling for Andres to stay on the guy whenever Andres backed the guy up into the ropes or a corner.  In the middle of the second round, it was clear that both Andres and his opponent were tired.  But Andres kept coming like a bull.  The referee stopped the fight because the other guy became overwhelmed, and Andres won.  Andres next fight is two weeks from this Saturday.

I forgot my camera again, but Arnold and Jasmine took some pictures, as well as recorded a "post-fight interview" between myself and Andres.  As soon as I get those, I will post them up here.

Sparring and Slipping

Here's our fearless leader Alan, in a photo taken a couple of days ago.  No, he's not wiping away a tear because someone didn't keep their hands up again.  I took the shot as he was shadow boxing.

"Where's your hair?" he asked me, grinning.  "I got it cut," I smiled.  After several months, I finally went to a barber.  "You're getting rid of hair, and I'm trying to keep mine," Alan said.

Martin came in with another son of his named Danny.  Turns out his older son changed his mind about taking up boxing, but Danny, a middle school student, seemed to be interested.  He was watching closely as his dad sparred for two and a half rounds with Leo.  Martin gave up in the middle of the third round.  "Never stop in the middle of a round," Alan told him.  Martin was going to put his gloves back on, but Alan said, "I'll let it go this time, but remember, always finish the round.  People have to know their level of conditioning and work with it."

Leo looked surprised when Alan suggested that Leo and I spar for a few rounds.  "It's okay.  She's had five fights," Alan said.  "Six", I corrected Alan.  "Okay!" Leo said.  Leo did not make it easy for me to land many punches, because he moved constantly.  But I had success backing Leo up into the corners and into the ropes.  I could have gone a third round, but at the end of the second round, I slipped and fell.  Leo helped me up to my feet.  "That's enough," Alan said.

Alan and Nate sparred for five full rounds.  "I don't want to throw any bombs because I don't want to piss Alan off," Nate laughed.  Alan delivered several uppercuts to Nate's middle section.  Nate caught Alan with a few jabs.  They tangled up a few times, and I had to call out for them to break.  Just at the end of the fifth round, Alan connected with an overhand right.  Josh, who had come in late while they were sparring, asked Alan, "Is that your signature punch?"

I saw Alicia yesterday; she didn't come to the gym the other day because she had a cold.  She didn't come in the gym today, either, so I guess she was still taking it easy.  But she did give me a TENS device so I can give some therapy to my left leg.  The pain is centered in the back of my left leg up near my backside, and some days it spreads all the way down my shin.  I wonder sometimes if a lot of that is due to the stress I've been under since last September.  I wouldn't be surprised.

Testosterone and A Little Estrogen

Henry, seen in this photo, watches as Professor holds the punch mitts for Andres.  Professor worked with Andres most of the time, as Andres will compete in the Chicago Golden Gloves in a few days.

I was surprised that Alicia didn't come in.  She said that she doesn't live far from the gym.  I hope she's okay. I was the only woman in the gym.  The other people in the gym were Brandon and Jason.  Everyone else was MIA.  It was another freezing cold day, but I didn't notice the temperatures much as I walked to the gym.  Maybe I'm getting used to it.

Professor stressed to Andres to work on defense.  "Alan, do you think the other guy who'll come out against Andres at the Gloves will come out with hooks or just swinging?" he asked.  "It's hard to tell, but Andres is not going to come out of his corner swinging," Alan replied.  Andres is a big man; he doesn't have to swing wildly.

"Maybe I should rethink this," Alan grinned before stepping into the ring with Andres.  Alan slipped once and fell to his knees.  He wasn't hurt then, but Andres did rock Alan a few times after that.  Professor stood on the apron, calling out instructions to Andres and complimenting him on technique.

Jason wanted to throw the medicine ball around again.  I suggested to Henry that he toss the ball around with him, and he did.  My leg was stiff, and I wasn't really up to working with the medicine ball.

I managed to get a good workout in, however, including throwing some hard hooks to the "Roger" bag.  I noticed some splits on that bag.  Sooner or later, some more duct tape will probably have to be used to fix it.

Presidents In The Ring

I didn't take any pictures at the gym, so here is a lovely picture of our president, Barack Obama.  He took boxing lessons when he was a kid.  His stepfather taught him.

Alan told Jason he was surprised that he came out to the gym.  The temperatures have gone back down and the wind was blowing hard.  Remember, Jason lives way out in the south suburbs.  "The cold doesn't bother me," Jason told Alan.  Not many others came in other than Brandon, Martin, Alicia, and near the end of the evening, Josh.

Did you know that President Gerald Ford was an assistant boxing coach at Yale in 1935?  Neither did I.

As Jason and I threw around the medicine ball again, it occurred to me that there hasn't been any sparring for a while in the gym.  Some guys who attend on and off always seem to show up when there's no one for them to spar with, then they're gone again for awhile.  Most of the women who come in don't want to spar, which cuts down on the opportunities I have to spar (that is, when I'm not dealing with an injury like I am currently). As it gets closer to the opening of the Golden Gloves, maybe some people will show up to get some extra sparring in, but who knows?

President Dwight Eisenhower was an amateur boxer at one time.  So were US presidents James Garfield, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I saw this lady, Joan Rivers, in person last night.  The college I graduated from brings in various notable people to give speeches each year.  The speeches are free, but people have to make a reservation, then get there early enough to get a ticket.  The main takeaway from her speech was reinvention.  She talked about the struggles to get her career back on track after the late Johnny Carson banned her from "The Tonight Show" and NBC, and her husband committed suicide.  I feel that I'm in danger of being chronically unemployed, and I seriously need to reinvent myself.  Boxing is one of the ways I've been trying to do that.  But maybe I've been going about it the wrong way.  I have to do some brainstorming.

Popping The "Roger"

Alan holds the bag for Alicia as she throws a punch in this photo.  He said to me, "Hasn't she improved?"  "Each time Alicia is here she improves more and more.  She works hard," I replied.

The reason Alan had his jacket on was because it was a bit nippy inside the gym.  The temperatures outside weren't too bad today, but it wasn't warm on the inside.  Also, Alan forgot to bring his gear, so he couldn't work out.  But he was giving a lot of help to Alicia, Sam, and Jason.

Jason and I threw a medicine ball back and forth again.  I had worked up a sweat by the time we did two rounds.  We did one more round after that.  I had forgotten how much work is involved in tossing a medicine ball around.  My left leg felt a lot of the impact of catching the ball.  Jason stood face forward to me, but I was in a modified boxing stance, thinking it would give me a little more leverage.  I dropped the ball a few times, and caught it directly in my stomach at other times.

Sam returned after being out of town on business for awhile.  In this shot, Professor holds the punch mitts for him.  Sam told Alan and I that Lindsey had signed up for a yoga class.  "She didn't like boxing, so she decided to do something else," Sam explained.  "She didn't give it chance," Alan smiled, and I agreed with him.  Lindsey was complaining from day one, and I figured she wasn't going to continue.  Some people take to the sport, and some don't.

Professor noticed that Igor had used spit bucket near the ring, but missed the mark.  I shook my head, but I didn't say anything.  The incident wasn't worth me raising my blood pressure.  Igor returned to the gym after being out for two weeks.  Alicia said last week that Igor was probably staying at home to watch the 2014 Winter Olympics, which took place in Sochi, a town in Russia (Igor is Russian).  Alan and I said she was probably right.  However, when Igor came in, I overheard him tell Alan something about having been sick.

"You were hitting the bag like the 'old' Hillari," Alan told me later on.  I was popping the "Roger" bag very hard with a lot of hooks and overhand rights.  Alan asked if it bothered my leg; he had noticed me limping earlier, especially when I went to use the speed bag.  I told him that sometimes it hurts, and sometimes it doesn't.  I'm hoping that means that some further improvement is taking place.  I just wish the improvements would go faster than they have been.

An Easy Night

The body snatcher bag  is really showing wear and tear these days.  This was one of the new bags the gym received back in 2007 when the International Boxing competition was in town. This piece of equipment has really taken a beating over time.

Alan had to attend a meeting for his day job, so I opened the gym.  I hoped for a quiet, easy night, and it was.  The only people who came in were Alicia, Leo, Renee, and later in the evening, Josh.  Renee was laughing about a woman whom a cab driver attempted to drop off in front of the field house.  Seems that she wanted to go to Loyola University to watch a basketball game.  The cab driver told her that the game was being played at the field house.  "They don't play those games here!" Renee heard the woman tell the cab driver.  I wondered how in the heck the driver could have missed Loyola University, which is several blocks south of the field house.  There are signs all over pointing to it.

I held pads for Renee in the ring for three rounds.  I'm a little rusty on holding pads, but we did fine. My left leg was a little unsteady, so I was glad that Josh didn't ask for pad work when he arrived.

Leo admitted that he had trained in a private gym in his home country of Mexico.  "I had to train there because the municipal gym stayed crowded," he said.  The coach at the private gym took a liking to Leo and let him train for free.

My lower back is bothering me.  The temperatures are a little higher (it's about 38 degrees), but there's huge puddles of water on the ground due to melting snow as well as a lot of slippery spots.  I nearly fell on the way to and from the gym.  I caught myself both times, but I jerked my body into odd configurations to keep from hitting the ground.  That's probably why my back feels like it does right now.  Ah, such is middle-aged life.  I'll just pull out the heating pad and Mineral Ice and deal with it.

Back To The Workout

When I arrived at the gym, only Alan was there.  Minutes later, Alicia came in, and that was it for the night.  Some more snow fell on the city.  Also, it was Presidents' Day, and as usual, a lot of people probably thought the gym was closed.

My left leg felt good all day.  Then I had to leave the house to walk to the gym down sidewalks and streets that had not been shoveled nor plowed.  I was limping by the time I got to the field house.  But the ointments that Alicia had given me last week have been working.  My leg is not nearly as painful or stiff as it has been. I brought my gear with me, and I was able to do a workout without much difficulty.

Alan told me he cleaned his house for 12 hours the other day from top to bottom.  I wish had that much motivation to do housework as I do to show up to the gym.  But seriously . ..who am I kidding?  What I really wish is that I had a maid.  I've been wishing for a maid since I was five years old.

This is a photo of my niece's fiance, my niece Jalissa, and my stepmother.  We had lunch over the weekend, and it was first time I met my niece's fiance.  My niece had told Gerard that I box some time ago.  I was telling him about the two times I knocked people out during sparring, and the time Alan bloodied my nose with an uppercut.  Gerard was surprised.  "See, I told you that she boxes," my niece said.  He laughed when my niece told him how my other niece -- her older sister -- got on Alan about giving me that uppercut last summer.  "I was just playing with Aunt Hillari's coach about being mad, but Erica was serious!" Jalissa laughed.

Alan took this picture of me.  When more people show up next week, I might be ready for some sparring.

Trying To Avoid Stroger

The weather temperatures were not that bad, but still, most of the nineteen people who signed up for the winter session did not show up.  In the photo above, Shane, Sean, and Jason warm up.

"The sooner you go to Stroger to see what's going on with your leg, the sooner you can get back to this," Alan told me.  It was the second day I did no workout.  Earlier, Alan was walking behind me as I made my way down the hall to the gym.  "Don't you want to sit home and watch TV?" I heard him ask.  "There's nothing on except for the Winter Olympics, and they rerun the events again after the 10:00 PM news," I replied.  I seldom leave the house these days other than to go grocery shopping, run miscellaneous errands, and going to the very occasional and rare job interview.  Going to the gym, even though I can't do much of a workout these days, has become the highlight of my week.   Alan shook his head and grinned.  "I know what I'm telling you is falling on deaf ears," he said.  Truth be told, I was thinking of bringing my gear in next week and resuming working out, regardless of what is going on with my leg.

Sean and Shane sparred with each other, and in this photo, Alan gives them instruction.  They got some good hits on each other.  Alan kept joking that the guys must not like each other.

A guy named Thomas came in, and said he used to train with Barry.  Thomas wanted some information about joining the adult program.  His concern was being able to get sparring in with someone who was his height and weight.  The closest person I could think of at that moment was Andres, but Andres hasn't been able to train at the gym on a regular basis.  Sam might had also been a good partner, too, but neither he nor Lindsey have been in the gym for weeks.

Alan was impressed with how Alicia is improving.  I also hear praises about her from Carl, I guy I know around the neighborhood.  Carl keeps saying he's going to try the gym out.  "I have to lose some more weight," Carl always tells me.  I often hear women say that, but it's rare to hear a guy make that statement.  But isn't one of the purposes of the gym to lose weight?  So why wait to drop pounds before going there?

Keith came in a little later, and he and Alan sparred.  They took it at an even pace the first couple of rounds, but then they opened up on each other during the third round.  I was standing on the apron the ring, ready with a water bottle and a bucket.

Alan popped Keith with a right hook that appeared to stun the younger man.  Then Alan got Keith with a jab.  Keith sent Alan back into the ropes a lot, and they were holding enough times for me to have to call "Break!" several times.  I was watching closely, hoping as usual that the brawl wouldn't end with someone being seriously hurt.  Yet they did have a good sparring session.

Martin, Keith, and Jason did a burn out near the end of the evening, beating on the "Roger" bag.  Keith's form was very good.  Martin is slowly getting back into training, and Jason appears to just be starting out.

I got my tax refund back -- in time to pay rent for March -- and there may be a little extra to buy a kettlebell training DVD especially for Baby Boomers such as myself.  I'm thinking that strength training may be the key to overcome the mobility problems I'm experiencing with my left leg.  Alicia was kind enough to give me some ointment samples that may be useful in cutting down on some leg discomfort I've been having.  I have to keep working on doctoring myself; anything to keep from sitting around Stroger Hospital all day.

The No Workout Time

I hadn't been outside all day long, so I had no idea how low the temperatures had dropped again.  As usual, I limped to the gym, but I did not bring my gear.  This is the week that Alan suggested that I don't work out because of the ongoing problems with my leg.  It was odd to be at the gym and not do a workout.  But I made myself useful by assisting with coaching the few who arrived at the gym.

Matthew sparred with Andres.  Andres wants to fight in the Golden Gloves; he already has his license.  It was the first time that Andres had been in the gym in awhile.

Here, Alan monitors the action between Matthew and Andres.

Alicia hits one of the heavy bags, while Jason watches Matthew and Andres sparring.  Jason asked Alan to show him how to jump rope.  "I used to be able to jump for a long time, but I think my knees can't take it much anymore," Alan told me.  I also showed Jason how to jump rope, but my knees wouldn't let me do that for too long, either.  As for Alicia, I showed her how to hold her hands better, and how to throw hooks properly.  I also noticed that Brandon was shuffling his feet to reset himself back into his stance after throwing punches.  If someone notices him doing that during sparring or during a fight, they'll use that moment to get a punch in.  Alan agreed with me.  "Don't always throw the same punches and move the same way each time so the other person can't predict what is coming next," the coach said.

I learned that Jason lives way out in the southern suburbs.  That's dedication to come all the way up to the far north side of the city to train, especially in this weather.  The weather has been affecting attendance big time this session.  I have to appreciate all who continue to make their way to the gym despite of that.

Banned For My Own Good

Alan watches as Edward does his homework.  Edward had to solve a series of math problems involving fractions.  I shuddered when I saw his assignment.  It reminded me of how I struggled with math when I was in grade and high school.  Yet Edward didn't appear to be very intimidated by the numbers.

Leo and Keith were the only two who sparred.  It appeared that Leo was taking a lot of shots from Keith because Leo wasn't keeping his hands up, especially during the first round.

Professor might have had to work, and most likely, so did Jamil, which probably explains why they were not in the gym.  Alan and I saw Ben when we walked into the field house, but Ben didn't come to the gym.  We were a little puzzled about that.  Igor didn't show, which is always a good thing.  But as for some of the others who weren't there. . . .I have a feeling they may not return.  The weather is a factor, I know.  I used to love snow.  But slogging through it to get anywhere this winter -- and it snowed again last night -- has officially become irritating.  I slipped and fell the other day, too, and yep, I fell right on the leg that has been bothering me since before Christmas.

Brandon works the heavy bag in this photo.

Alan told me I was going to be banned from the gym  "Banned?  Why?" I asked.  "Hillari, you were walking fine when you first got here.  But now I see limping again.  You should lay off of training, at least for a week," he answered.  Alan then told me I can come to the gym next week, but I should just sit down when I'm there.  Martin suggested, as Alan had previously, that I should go to Stroger Hospital to find out what is going on with my left leg.  But I'm not a fan of free clinics and charity hospitals.  One reason is that the medical staff have no respect for any one's time, let alone the fact that people are seeking medical attention.  I have to spend the bulk of my days looking for a job, and spending eight hours or more in a waiting room hoping that I'll be seen at some point is not a good use of my time. But I'm now beginning to wonder if what I'm experiencing is more than just a possible torn or sprained muscle.  I'm perplexed -- sometimes it seems to be healing, albeit slowly, then the next minute, I'm in pain again, struggling to keep my balance.

It will be hard just sitting and standing around in the gym, but that will give me a chance to work on my coaching skills by observing others do in the gym while they work out and spar.

Advice Regarding The Golden Gloves

The Chicago Golden Gloves boxing tournament begins next month.  Registration for the tournament takes place this month.  Fighters in gyms around the city are gearing up to prepare for the event.  I've often thought about what I would tell those who want to compete if I was the main coach in a gym. . . .

1)  Take it seriously because others will.

Several years ago, I was in attendance at a Chicago Park District boxing show.  During one fight, I heard one person yelling instructions from the crowd to one of the fighters.  When the fight ended, I heard the same person in the crowd say, "Don't worry about it. . . .it's just a sparring session anyway."  However, no fighter can afford to think like that at the Gloves.  The Gloves are a stepping stone to those who are a) planning to go on to the National Golden Gloves as well as other sanctioned tournaments to try for a spot at the Summer Olympics, or b) planning to go straight on into professional boxing.  People will bring their A game to the ring, and punch through opponents in order to win the championship.

2)  Last minute training ain't gonna get it.  

The best time to start training for the Gloves is a few months before the tournament, not a couple of weeks before.  I've seen some exceptions here and there, where some show up at the eleventh hour, enter the tournament, and win.  But that is not the norm.

3)  Sparring is not the only training method.

Yes, sparring is an important part of the training process, but other things have to be done, too.  Roadwork, bag and pad work, eating right and losing weight, cardio exercises, and getting proper rest are part of it, as well.

4) Stick with a team.

In the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, the author putting emphasis on putting together a team of people to assist in reaching success.   The same thing should be done in preparation for success at the Gloves.  There's the coach, others at the gym whose opinions one trusts, supportive family and friends, etc.

Reygie Makes A Return

Reygie, who's shadow boxing in the above photo, came in the gym.  He hadn't been there in about a year.  Reygie is a personal trainer at a fitness center out in the north suburbs.  It was very good to see him.  He has about 25 to 30 clients that he works with at his job.  Each client has different fitness goals they want to reach.  Reygie does an assessment with them first before mapping out a fitness plan for them.  

There were extra people in the gym, including Ozzie (in this photo shadow boxing), Nate, and Jason.  No one wanted to spar, however.  Matthew said that he lost his mouthpiece, and that he has to buy a new one.  My left leg is still not 100%, although if Brenda had been in the gym, I would have been up for some light sparring.

Alan suggested that I go to Stroger Hospital (the replacement for the old Cook County Hospital) to have a doctor look at my leg.  "I know you might have to sit there all day, but at least someone will check it out," he said.  A good suggestion, but I don't have the time to sit around at Stroger.  I have bad memories of doing the same at the old Cook County Hospital, and it wasn't even for me.  The last time I was at the County, I was with my younger sister.  Neither one of us knew it at the time that the symptoms she was experiencing were due to cancer.  My sister hadn't investigated whether or not she had insurance via her job. The County, just like Stroger does now, took care of people who had no insurance.  We didn't get out of there until after 2:00 AM.  I grumbled to my sister that I found it impossible to believe that she had absolutely no insurance.  "I'm not coming up to the County again," I snapped.  Later, my sister went to the human resources department, learned she did have insurance, and she went to a better hospital.  That was back in the year 2000; I never set foot in the County again, and it closed a few years later.

Alicia was working hard again, as usual.  Even Reygie noticed that and complimented her on it.  She asked me how to wrap her hands.  I didn't notice that she didn't have hand wraps before.  I showed her the quick way that I wrap my hands.  Alan had wrapped Nate's hands, drawing the wrap in-between his fingers.  Nate was trying to duplicate what the coach had done on one hand on his other hand.  I tried to help him with wrapping in-between his fingers, but I wasn't telling Nate the right thing.  I watched as Alan wrapped Nate's other hand, and learned how to do that.  

Nate and Brandon share a workout on "Roger", the big red heavy bag.

Jason works the other heavy bag.  

Reygie snapped this picture.  Alan looks as if he was aware of the photo being taken, but I was clueless.  It's a nice shot.  It had to had been taken near closing time, because I'm putting on my winter boots.  I almost didn't come to the gym because I couldn't shake the foul mood I had been in since the day before.  It was a cummulation of just being tired of being frustrated by everything that has gone on since late summer of last year.  But I'm glad I pushed myself out of the house, because I was in a much better mood after I arrived there.