How A Street Boxer Is Born

Street Boxers must be “born”

Having a coach to see and guide you through a competition is not enough to be a street boxer. Someone must coach you until you reach mastery. That someone ought to be a real
fighter himself, coached or “fathered” through a long process by a qualified “father” in street boxing fight
training.

A “father” in training is a battle-hardened master armed with a wealth of experience in
fighting. He is not only knowledgeable in it; he can be considered an epitome in the field.
He has seen lots of actions and has been part of them, and he knows every nook and cranny of
the arena. He is so familiar with the “feeling” of being out there where the action is. He knows
that real boxing encounters are alive; meaning anything can happen out there, and no pattern or
formula can compare to live, on-the-spot events. It is only the accurate judgment and experience
of the wise that can cope up with live events. He is also so sensitive to the right and wrong
forms, including the executions of a technique, the timing, and the right effects. All these can
only be available to a real “father” of boxing for the street.

Some coaches are mere sports teachers, or at best, boxing players once upon a time. They
can help some; but at times, they can be more of hindrances than wise guides for fighters. They
will tend to be bookish and stick to “what the book says,” or to what they have learned in school,
or to what they have experienced in amateur contests. Without mastery (through real,
professional fight encounters), they lack the sense to know that aside from mastering basic
forms or moves, you have to be flexible and adaptable to unexpected things that are likely to
happen out there in the actual arena. Only seasoned sports “fathers” will be able to divulge these
details and wisdom to trainee-“sons.”

In his skills and experience, a “father” trainer patiently raises up “sons” to continue his
calling, or pass down his mission to succeeding generations. He knows too well that champions
come from a relay of skills and wisdom, or a technology transfer, and not from those who start
out from scratch.

You cannot train yourself, or train alone, and come out champion. You cannot also have
amateur coaches train you to be champion. You have to feed from the experiences of those who
had been there before, saw real tough actions, and really made it to the top. They may be likened
to a lighthouse that points out what is right and what is wrong, separating fact from myth.

An boxer acquires knowledge and skill mostly from his own experiences. He
may upgrade that by joining competitions and by wearing colorful uniforms, and subjecting
himself periodically to coaches. He occasionally reads books about the game. He may even be
awarded best player. However, he does not make a career out of it. Eventually, he drops out from
the scene and the sport altogether. He will have good stories to tell about how he used to be this
and that, but people may not be able to trace his stories because of his now bloated physique due
to the absence of training.

An top fighter, on the other hand, is a “son.” He has a “father” who raises him up, and
this athlete is aware that he is not just being raised up to win an event or a couple of events; he is
being raised up to be a father to raise up other sons someday. Unlike the boxer who
would point to rusted trophies and medals and photos of victories as his proof of being once in
the sport, real athletes point to actual “fathers” who have trained them and from whom they have
received “trade secrets” for success. They also point to actual athletes and champions they have
personally trained and “fathered” to pass on the heritage for generations to come.
An street boxer not only aims to be a champion, but lives to develop other champions as
well.