Lesley Jackson dips into the world of boxing to pick up some sage advice from the experts in their field. Tommy Thompson, who has worked with the likes of Prince Naseem, and Rakesh Sondhi use their wide experience to deliver a manual that is as relevant to the eastern Karateka as to the intended pugilist.
TVP – Comprehensive Boxing Techniques
Publisher
: Summersdale Press Pages: 201 Languages: English
RRP: 19.99
Book Review:
When talking, reading about and debating the martial arts on this site and any other martial arts forum be it the training hall, competition or changing room; the one martial art we often forget to mention is one of the most ancient of all, boxing. This always seems strange to me because as a matter of course we follow the eastern martial arts and systems such as karate, kung fu or taekwondo and take our advice from experts in these systems, which of course is valuable and relevant. However, if they are small, Oriental and have trouble pronouncing their Rs we tend to hang off of their every word. The martial art of boxing is truly a western heritage we take for granted and one we should also look to for influences and advice and that we should be proud of.
TVP is a manual about boxing that is, “is intended for a boxer or martial artist with a few years experience.” Therefore, before reading it the authors presume that the reader is already involved in and knows the basics in punching and movement, which is good to know because too many books in the martial arts market do not make their intended audience clear. When reading the brief biographies of the authors and those involved in the making of this text what is clear is not only are they experts in the field of boxing, they have a lot of experience in other martial arts as well. Therefore, this book is both relevant and of interest to the karateka, kickboxer and taekwondoist as well as the boxer as some of the advice given is relevant to any competition fighter.
The basic concept of TVP stands for, “technique, variety of tools and predictability.” Through this every facet of boxing is examined from punching, blocking and footwork to training and mental clarity. Some of the most relevant and interesting advice for the eastern martial artist is in the sections about footwork and movement, such as, “All movements in the delivery of the techniques should be minimal to avoid telegraphing the technique.” There are many more nuggets of gold like this that would apply to any competition fighter, which is evident of the authors’ long and wide experience in the field of martial arts, which is why this book is a worthwhile read for anyone in the competition arena and not just the boxer.
The authors also have very strong views about the teaching and delivery of the martial arts, rather choosing to call the teacher a “coach” rather than an “instructor.” They choose to define a coach as someone who is good at, “making a difficult skill become easy.” The emphasis is very much upon the student as an individual athlete who will grow to adapt the training and techniques to their own style of fighting rather than the instructor who will, ““...not allow for individuality.” This would of course work better when teaching a small group of students rather than a large class but it does apply and indicate the effective teacher as the one who gets to know their students and what works best for them.
This manual about boxing is a worthwhile read for any martial artist, particularly those involved in competition sparring. Don’t be put off by the sometimes small print and odd vague phrase such as, “write your own metaphor”, use a magnifying glass and pick out the sage advice given by some clearly experienced and enlightened coaches.
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