Kettlebells and Hits

I was not going to spar last night at Loyola Park.  My right shoulder was giving me problems, the left side of my upper back was acting up, and both of my knees were jelly.  But two new women in the gym, as seen in the above photo, sparred for the first time.  "You're just hitting each other's gloves," Alan said.  "Hit each other in the face!"  The women giggled, but they did not put more force on their punches.  "That's just pitty-pat.  If you all keeping doing that, I'm going to send Hillari in," Alan continued.  "Okay, I'll go in for a couple of rounds," I said.

"Hillari is actually going to hit you," Alan told both of the women.  I went one round with each woman.  I did get hits in, but I did not put great force on them.  Whenever Alan gave them instructions, I would turn down what I was doing to allow them to execute what he said.  Afterwards, one of the women said, "Sparring is not as scary as I thought it was going to be."

Leon, who neither Alan or I had seen in ages, stopped into the gym.  "I'm ready to do this, man.  I've thought about it, and I want to get back into the ring," he told Alan.  "But aren't you 90 years old?" Alan joked.  Leon insisted that this time, he was actually going to put the work in.  "I'm going to show you," he told Alan.  He promised to come in the next time the gym is open.

I read that Marlen Esparza lost one of the Olympic trial matches to qualify for competing next year.  She put up a video on social media to thank everyone who supported her.  I felt bad for her because she was very disappointed and sad.  It looks like the 2012 Summer Olympics -- where she won a bronze medal -- may be the first the only time she will compete on that level.

I've been observing Erica giving boxing tips to people in the gym.  If she wants to become a coach down the line, I believe that she would be a great one.  I'm also listening when she talks so I can help the kids I coach at LaFollette.

Alan let me use his kettlebell for exercise.  I had to struggle to swing it, and I didn't dare try to lift it over my head.  Alan's kettlebell is twenty-five pounds.  "I have to build up my strength more to do that," I told him.  Eventually I will purchase a few more lighter kettlebells for my gym, because I believe it will help the kids with strength and stamina.

Back To Sparring

As I walked up to the field house -- yes, I walked despite the fact that it is three degrees outside -- I noticed the lights in the gym were on.  "Alan beat me here," I thought.  When I got inside the gym, Jilberto was there with two guys, one of whom looked vaguely familiar.  It was Martin, who hadn't been in the gym since Steve was the coach.  The other fellow was Martin's, 18 year old son, Richard.  Richard was interested in signing up, but Martin wanted to come back as well.  "I'd like to get Graubien back in here.  He used to work with me when I came in here before," Martin said.  I remember Graubien as well.  It's been at least seven or eight years since I've seen him.  Martin and Richard hung around for awhile to watch the sparring.  Richard promised to come back on Monday.

Martin was concerned about whether or not his son would be allowed to take up boxing.  Richard has diabetes.  "So do I," I told his father.  I explained that I'm careful to monitor myself when I'm in the gym, and I keep glucose tablets nearby.  If I don't feel up to sparring, or doing a full on workout, I don't.  I think Richard will be fine.

Edward came in with his mother, Liliana.  In this photo, he's making a bracelet.  He gave one that he promised to me today, and it's nice.  "Are you making one for your mom?" I asked.  "No, this is for Alicia," he told me.

Another new person, Rick, showed up today.  Rick would have been in class the first day, but Rick suffered an injury that kept him out for awhile.  Rick wanted to know what level the class was at, and I assured him that it was a mix of beginners and people with experience.  In addition to Rick, Nate, a guy that Alan has worked with, came in.  Alan was talking to Nate about sparring, but Nate said, "Nah, man.  I've got to look pretty!"  "Man, please. . .what's this about pretty," Alan grinned.  "Come on, Alan.  If the man has to stand in front of people, he doesn't want to be all bruised and banged up," I chuckled.  Nate looked at me and said,  "Exactly!  Thank you!"

Ben's right eye is still red.  But as you can see in the photo above, Ben (in the gray shirt) sparred with Keith. Their session got cut short, however.  I saw Ben bent over, and Keith talking to him.  At first I thought Ben had taken a bad hit.  Turns out that Ben has asthma.  Colonel let Ben use his inhaler.

Alan's still getting use to having to stand on the apron while people are sparring.  Here, he watches Ben sparring with Leo.  "How is your leg?  Are you going to work today?" Alan asked me.  "I think I can go one round," I told him.

Brenda, seen here on "Roger" the red bag, and I sparred very, very lightly for two rounds.  It was my first time sparring in the new ring.  My left leg held up very well; indeed, I was walking better on it while making my way to to the gym.  Neither Brenda or I were wearing headgear.  I put in my mouthpiece just in case.  My objective was to let Brenda throw a lot of punches and move around a lot.  I was covering up my mid-section like a turtle at one point, and Brenda asked me what that was.  "That's in anticipation of any punches that may aim at my chest or stomach," I explained.  Afterwards, Brenda commented, "Boxing is really a workout."

Alicia beats on the bag in this photo.  She reminds me of my Aunt Mary, who's about the same height and build.  Alicia has really been working hard to get the punches down.

Since my leg is definitely improving now, maybe it will be a good time to do exercises at home again.  I was thinking about starting out with kettlebells or maybe Marlen Esparza's boxing DVD, but with modifications to the exercises of course.  I don't need to be re-injured.

Now I Know Why She Won A Bronze Medal

My late younger sister's oldest daughter asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  "How about Marlen Esparza's Power Boxing Workout?" I said.  It arrived in the mail today.  Normally, I watch an exercise DVD in its entirety first before attempting to do the workout.  This time, I decided to follow along and keep up the best I can.

I knew I was in for something when the warm-up proved to be a challenge.  I had become used to warm-ups that involved gentle stretching and deep breathing.  Ms. Esparza and the two women with her were doing crunches, push-ups, and Superman stretches.  It's been a long time since I've done crunches or push-ups.  Even with making modifications, I couldn't finish the set, and the Superman stretches weren't easy, either.

The lower body exercises involved squats and lunges.  My knees acted as if they wanted to give up several times, but overall, those exercises went well.  I can see myself getting better at them as I do them more.

Ms. Esparza explained orthodox and southpaw stances very well, and she kept reminding viewers how they went throughout the workout.  She also did a very good job explaining the punches ("the lead hand is in front, and the power punches come from the hand in the back").  I also learned another way to throw overhand rights that involved turning over the arm and turning the body into the punch.  Another tip:  escape from the line of fire by moving to the side of where one's last punch came from.  For example, after throwing a double jab, followed up by right cross, step over to the right.

She went through a series of combinations that combined the hand movements along with body movements she showed earlier.  Her hands are fast, and I kept missing the order of the punches.  I thought, "This girl is 24 years old and she can do this easily."

In the words of the late Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, I give this workout a thumbs up.  It's tough, but effective.  Ms. Esparza keeps the viewer moving.

Claressa The Magnificent

We started off with three young women who were part of the Team USA Boxing team that went to the 2012 Olympics.

Queen Underwood was tough, but unfortunately, she lost a close fight in the lightweight category early on.

Marlen Esparza, who had been beating down everybody all her way up to the Olympics, tried her best.  But she ended up on the wrong side of a decision during the flyweight semifinals.  Esparza had to settle for a bronze medal. 

The American male boxers fell one by one, some due to bad decisions, some due to not bringing it when they were inside the ropes.  Then 17-year-old Claressa Shields, from Flint, MI, became America's last hope to bring home a gold in boxing. 

Claressa Shields fought a great fight, and now she is the youngest person and first woman to earn a gold medal in boxing at the Olympics.  She won in the middleweight category against Russian Nadezda Torlopova.  A great day for women's boxing!

All of the women made history, and all are champions!

Olympic Medals and a TKO

Alex sparred for the last time with Andres tonight.  He returns to college next week.  "I'm sorry to see him go," Alan said later.  "He's got it all.  He can give a punch, he can take a punch, he moves well."  "I hope he can train while he's at school," I replied.

Two guys showed up to observe the gym in action.  One was named Daniel.  He and I had connected previously on Every Block, a web site.  The other was named JR.  Daniel told me that he does Muay Thai, and that it's hard to find people to train with.  "I put ads on Craigslist, but I get a lot of odd replies," he said.

Professor and Andre arrived together at the gym.  Andre didn't spar, but Professor got into the ring with Andres, as he promised to do again this past Monday. 

Gene stepped into the ring with Tommy.  It is sometimes hard to maneuver around Tommy because he's a southpaw.  Alan was getting on Gene for pawing at Tommy instead of throwing straight punches. 

After they finished, Alan showed Gene how the pawing looked.  Sara and I, who were waiting to spar, were laughing at how Alan was imitating Gene.  "What are you laughing about?" he asked, and we told him.  "But that is not how you're supposed to throw punches.  It's like a cat throwing punches.  I don't know why people do that," he told us. 

Sara told me to make her do one more round.  She usually does one.  I could have done three or more rounds because I was feeling energetic after having spent most of Tuesday and today in bed.  I caught a cold out of nowhere.  I was fine Monday night.  I woke up Tuesday morning to clogged sinuses, pain, and the feeling that my face was going to fall off.  Luckily, the worst of it passed by late today, and I was able to come to the gym. 

I was popped under my nose, and was very glad my mouth was closed at the time.  Sara and I moved around a lot during the first round.  Whenever I'd rush in with a flurry of punches, Alan would tell her to grab me.  She grabbed around my shoulders.  "Good," Alan said, "but next time, grab her arms."  During the second round, Andre was also giving instructions from the side, mainly to me.  "Where's that uppercut, Hillari?  Tap her hand down, then follow with a punch.  Always follow a couple of punches with one more," Andre said.

Near the end of the second round, Sara and I were near the ropes where onlookers were standing and watching.  She threw a punch and stepped to her right.  I stepped to my right, rared back and threw a right hook.  Sara slumped against the ropes.  If Alan and Andre hadn't caught her, she would have fallen to the canvas. 

Immediately, I tore my gloves off, then I took her headgear off.  "Are you okay?" I asked, while holding her shoulders.  "Yeah", she said faintly.  Marcus shook his head.  "It's that hook you throw that no one ever sees coming," he said to me.  Sara stood in the ring for awhile, trying to get her head clear, as Alan watched to make sure she was okay.  "It's part of the game," he told her.  I hadn't hit someone hard enough to cause a TKO in a long time.  Nice to know that I have the capacity to do that.  But it still worries me when someone is hurt badly because of a punch I threw. 

Before going to the gym, I saw more of the Olympic boxing matches.  Marlen Esparza tried her best against her opponent from China.  Teddy Atlas kept pointing out that Esparza was bouncing too much.  Her corner people must have told her during the break after the third round to slow that down, because she did.  But the girl from China had long figured out that all she had to do was to time Esparza to get her punches in.  Also, Esparza was shorter than her opponent and she was leaving too much space between them.  I recognized that because I have the same problems in the ring.  Esparza will get a bronze medal, but not the gold that she hoped to get.  Afterwards, she told a reporter that she was finished with boxing.  Her next move will be to go to college.  Esparza's eyes were red, and she was crying after the interview was over.  Tears came to my eyes, too, as I had been following her since she had been working her way up through the Olympic trials. 

Claressa Shields owned the ring during her match like a boss.  Her opponent was not busy enough.  It was just like Teddy Atlas commented, her opponent seemed to be waiting to throw big punches.  But a fighter can't base their whole game plan on knockout punches.  Shields fought like a tigress every time she was backed against the ropes and backed into corners.  After each round, Shields was always way ahead of her opponent on points.  Now Shields goes into the finals in an attempt to get a gold medal.

All of the American guys on the boxing team have been eliminated.  Even when Esparza collects her bronze medal, and if Shields get the gold, the guys are going to be talked down about for a long time.  Some of the losses were due to poor referees, bad judging, and that horrible computerized scoring system.  But some of it was also due to the fighters not being prepared to fight under the international amateur boxing rules.  This is the first time that no American male boxer has come back from the Olympics with a medal.  Team USA has got to be better and do better.

Eating Garbage

The close up above was the result of Alan and I playing around with my camera.  His eye was operated on last week, and he says he can see clearer out of it. 

A couple of guys came in, a tall one who told Professor, "I'm a Rasta", and a shorter one who told Alan he'd had some boxing experience while attending high school on the south side.  They both received information about the gym, and they appeared interested about signing up for the fall session.

Jason and Andres sparred for a couple of rounds.  It looked as if Andres was giving Jason a chance to practice offensive moves.  Jason got some good punches in; Andres encouraged him on.

Alex sparred with Andres before Jason did, then after Jason was done, Professor stepped in the ring.  He caught Andres with several good straight rights and lefts to his face.  Andres would back Professor up in the corners and throw hard body shots until Professor pushed him off and slid out of that spot.

With just a few seconds before the bell rang during their last round sparring, Professor went to his knee in a corner.  Alan and I thought he had taken one of Andres' hard hits, but Professor said, "I'm just tired."  Later, he would say he learned a lesson not to step into a ring with the attitude of schooling somebody.  He and Andres plan to spar again on Wednesday.

I sparred with Andres for two rounds.  You can see in the picture above that I look like someone in a fairy tale trying to take on a giant.  Andres appeared a little tired because he had already sparred several times before I got to him.  But after the first round, I felt more worn out.  

Earlier this morning, I had gone to the doctor to get my medicine refilled.  The check up revealed three things that caused me to roll my eyes in frustration: my blood pressure is high again, my blood sugar is slightly up, and my weight is slowly creeping back up.  "You exercise in here all the time.  I don't get it," Alan said.  When I told him about my weight, he commented, "You must be eating a lot of garbage."  "You're right.  You know I don't cook," I told him.  Unfortunately, summer increases the times I'm eating ice cream (not the sugar free kind which I should be eating instead), as well as the times I'm eating out.  I was supposed to cut down on my food budget and eat at home more, but that hasn't exactly been successful.

Before going to the gym, I caught the last of the Olympic boxing broadcast for the day.  There was a fight between heavyweights, a British boxer and a Chinese boxer.  The British boxer won.  I had set the recorder at wrong time, so I missed Marlen Esparza and Claressa Shield's quarterfinals fights.  They both won.  They'll fight again on Wednesday, so hopefully, I'll get the time straight. 

Most of the guys were hugging me before they left the gym today.  Alan smiled, "What's with all the love?"  "My pastor had the nerve to say he thought I joined the gym to pick up guys," I laughed.  "If he saw all the hugs you're getting, he might think that!" Alan said. 

Respect The Women

A friend of mine from high school stated he wasn't going to watch the women's boxing events at this year's Olympics.  A lot of men -- and some women, as well -- don't believe female athletes competing in sports that were formerly the exclusive domain of men can bring the heat.

In the case of boxing, some don't want to see women trading blows.  "Women are delicate, women should be frilly, fighting is not ladylike," and other tired, played out statements are uttered.

There are still male coaches who like Frank, Clint Eastwood's character in the move Million Dollar Baby, who growl, "I don't train girls."  Some like Frank, eventually see the light.  I've heard male coaches, including the one I have now and the one I had before him, say that females are easier to work with because they listen better.  Females don't appear to come into boxing gyms with the ego problems that a lot of males -- regardless of their experience or lack of  it -- seem to have. 

The first boxing matches between women took place in 1720, in London, where the 2012 Olympics are being held right now.  Those women had to be rough, because they were allowed to maul, scratch, kick, and use their knees in order to get a win. 

This year's Olympics is the first time women's boxing has been included officially.  But during the 1904 Olympics held in St. Louis, women's boxing matches were included as a featured event. 

The first official women's boxing match was held in 1876 in New York City.  I could keep going on with other historical facts about women's boxing, but the point is, women's participation in the sport has been going on for awhile.  It's not going away despite the disrespect that continually is hurled at it. 

I'm concerned that if none of the American women on the boxing team come home with medals -- doesn't matter if they are gold or not -- critics will use that as justification to continue to not raise the profile of women's professional boxing, but to downgrade women's participation at the amateur level, too.  Women have fought too hard, both literally and figuratively, to be put back in a corner. 

I will be cheering on all of the female boxers from every country who's participating in this year's Olympics.  I'm especially proud of the young women from America who worked hard to get to London.  All of deserving of respect for reaching for excellence in the toughest sport in the world. 



Being Short In The Ring

The young lady in the above picture is Marlen Esparza; she's on the women's boxing team in this year's Olympic Games.  I first became aware of her via a news documentary on CNN which ran under the "Latino In America" series.  She appears to be very tough.  She also doesn't look to be very tall.

I remember seeing a picture of my maternal grandmother, Aida Mae.  She passed away three or four years before I was born.  My mother once described her to me as, "She was short, like you."  Actually, Aida Mae was shorter than I am, 4'9 to my 5'1.  Ma also said that my grandmother was quick to fight, and some of those fights were with my grandfather, who stood about 6'2. 

My father's mother gave the impression that she was quiet and polite, but being 4'11 didn't stop her from giving out beat downs when she was younger.  I have told the story here before about her taking down a woman who was 6' tall.

I've been thinking about height in terms of boxing lately.  It has always felt to me that being short was somewhat of a disadvantage in the ring unless the other fighter is the same height.  When I spar, usually the other person is towering over me.  I've often expressed frustrations about not being able to get around someone else's long arms and not being to catch someone whose legs are longer than mine. 

But there are advantages to being short in the ring and there are ways to make up for being height challenged during fights:

1) Don't keep aiming for the other person's head.  A little over a decade ago, while training at another gym, I sparred with a guy who was 6'5.  People standing around the gym watching kept yelling to me, "Knock the guy out!" My arms kept flailing in the air, but there was no way I was going to land anything near the guy's head.  It uses up a lot of energy to go head-hunting, so the alternative tactic to do is. . .

2) Break down the body.  Shorter fighters have to learn how to be inside fighters by default.  Fighters have to work their way in with the jab, then go for the sides, the stomach, and the ribs.  Lots of fighters can shake off cracks to the head.  But body shots aren't so easy to bounce back from if they're done right. 

3)  Get in and get out.  "Stick and move!" we've heard coaches say.  It's valid advice.  Shorter fighters can and should be able to move in fast, do damage, then get out of reach before the taller fighters can react. 

4) Don't chase the other person.  Early one New Year's Day in the late 1990's, I was walking as fast as I could next to my then-boyfriend, trying to navigate the ice and snow downtown while wearing a pair of dress shoes.  He laughed, noting that I had to take several steps to keep pace with his long ones.  The ex (and now deceased) boyfriend was 6'3.  During a few sparring sessions I've had recently, the coach kept telling me not to chase the other person in the ring.  Just like always aiming for the head, chasing someone will zap energy from a fighter, too.  Make the other person step to you. 

5) Be mindful of your stance.  Shorter people have a lower center of gravity, which can make them more stable in the ring.  In other words, it's a little harder to knock me down because I'm already closer to the ground. 

In The Woman's Corner

I watched a very good documentary which was part of CNN's "Latino In America" series of reports.  It followed a young woman, Marlen Esparza, and her quest to get on the women's Olympic boxing team for 2012.  She had the number spot at the Olympic trials until other challenged sued to have a shot.  Esparza had to go to Colorado to face the other contenders in the ring. 

She looked very good in training and during the fights the documentary highlighted.  Esparza has some dangerous hooks, and she's a pressure fighter.  I was rooting for her to go all the way.  Then she lost to Christina Cruz, another Latina.  It was the first time Esparza had ever lost a fight, and she had been involved with boxing ever since she was eleven years old.  She's now twenty-two years old.  She was crying, and I felt bad for her, too.  But what can you do after a loss and/or missing out on a fight?  I remember Ivy, a fellow member at my church asking me what I was going to do after I was denied an opportunity to have a bout a few years ago.  "Go back to the gym and train," I answered.  Esparza did the same thing.

I was impressed at the way she got up early in the morning to do roadwork, then hit the gym to do drills, spar, and lift weights.  She also watched what she ate very carefully.  "Wow, I feel like a lazy bum," I thought, comparing her every day training to my twice-a-week efforts and my half-assed attempts at adding a day or two more of exercise outside of the gym.  But then, she's going for Olympic gold, and she has to be on top of the game.  Esparza had to face Cruz again to get another shot at the Olympic team.  "This is a lifestyle for me, but it's a hobby for her", she commented. 

Esparza is a national amateur champion (six times), and she did beat Cruz the second time they met.  I clapped and hopped in my seat.  It warms my heart to see women advance in this sport.  Gloria Peek, a prominent US Olympic boxing coach who was also in the documentary, commented, "Women have entered the last male stronghold."