Ace Your Game with Ask a Boxing Coach
Your Professional Boxing Coach
My professional experience and unique approach will provide the traction necessary for athletes to hit the ground running. I personally work with each trainee to help them achieve their individual athletic goals. I push but I also motivate. Early on, I identify what each client is capable of with my goal being to help them reach, then exceed, that potential.
A Bit About Me
My Experience, My Passion
I am a amateur and professional boxing coach. A former martial artist, a diet consultant and currently the strength and conditioning coach for various elite level amateur and professional boxers.
About Coach Carl
Take it to the Limit
My name is Carl Parker. I am a 51 year old amateur and professional boxing coach from Hampton, Virginia. I am very passionate about fitness and conditioning training, have been my entire life. I started off as a young child playing on various sport teams. I played recreational football for 6 years, basketball for 6 years, baseball for 4 years, I ran track for 2 years and i have been involved in karate and Boxing training for over 30 years combined. In 2008 I opened my own Boxing gym, the Art of Boxing in Hampton. In 2016 I became the head strength and conditioning coach for C4 boxing and fitness also in Hampton. My duties included preparing each boxer for their up and coming bouts. My duties included but did not exclude; strength training, conditioning, being on weight and mental preparation. I was required to study and research the body as to it's use for the task at hand. Training a boxer is different than training another athlete. While football preparation is also extensive, training the boxer is a total different level of total body conditioning. I've had recreational, collegiate and professional sports players attend class to get the most out of a session in order to build them stronger for there perspective sport. Strength and conditioning is a passion of mines. In 2014 while walking pass my bedroom mirror I noticed that at 47 years old I had spent so much time training others that I had neglected my personal training. So I made an agreement with myself that if I could ask of someone else to give there all, then I could give mines also. So again I started reading and researching and through trial and error. I set out on a mission to get the best out of myself. Within 6 months I had lost 61lbs. The 198lb me had now become the 137lb chisselled and cut me. Now instead of using my sons to advertise what I can do for others I promote myself. So with me, it's just not about 'do what I say,' it's about do what I do.
Classes Available
Ask a Boxing Coach offers a variety of classes for different athletic levels and sports needs. If you’re looking to improve your game and take it to the next level, you can find the support and resources you need right here. Additionally, I personally consult with every single client to understand each one’s unique goals. Because at Ask a Boxing Coach, every athlete matters.
Level 1- calisthenic training
At home training session: (level 1)*200 jumping jack*50 blurpees*50 squats*50 by 4 count mountain climbers*50 pushups (10 per 15 seconds)*50 knees bent crunches*50 legs flat crunches*3 minute elbow plank. Done
Level 2- calisthenic training
At home training session: (level 2)*300 jumping jack*100 blurpees*100 squats*100 by 4 count mountain climbers*100 pushups (10 per 15 seconds)*100 knees bent crunches*100 legs flat crunches*5 minute elbow plank. Done
Level 3- calisthenic and cardio weight training
At home training session: (level 2)*300 jumping jack*100 blurpees*100 squats*100 by 4 count mountain climbers*100 pushups (10 per 15 seconds)*100 knees bent crunches*100 legs flat crunches*5 minute elbow plank (Get set of 10lb dumbells) sit in chair: 2 sets of 50 above head press. 2 sets of 20 butterflies (hands by waist- bring up to shoulder length) 2 sets of 25 tricep kickbacks. Done
Level 4- calisthenic and cardio weight training
At home training session: (level 2)*300 jumping jack*100 blurpees*100 squats*100 by 4 count mountain climbers*100 pushups (10 per 15 seconds)*100 knees bent crunches*100 legs flat crunches*5 minute elbow plank (Get set of 10lb dumbells) sit in chair: 2 sets of 50 above head press. 2 sets of 20 butterflies (hands by waist- bring up to shoulder length) 2 sets of 25 tricep kickbacks. (Get a set of 20lb dumbells) 2 sets of 100 up-downs. 2 sets of 25 deadlifts. 2 sets of 50 obliques (each side) lay flat on floor in bench press position. 100 reps of floor benching using 20lb dumbells. Done
FAQs
A boxers diet
A boxer’s diet is pretty much the same as any other serious athletes. Runners, weightlifters, boxers, and many other athletes all have similar diets.
Meat – Stick to white meat. It is easier for your body to digest, processes faster through your body, and doesn’t sit around in your stomach making you sluggish. Examples of white meat are chicken, turkey, and fish. Funny how white meat happens to be lean animals that can fly or move quickly? Red meat is the stuff you try to avoid if you can – which is beef or pork. Maybe it’s because our cows and pigs are fed crap that it makes their meat less healthy for the body.
Proteins – Besides meat, eggs, tuna, peanut butter, and milk are an excellent source of pure protein. Remember, this is boxing and not weightlifting, so don’t try to be like a bodybuilder and eat one jar of peanut butter a day. It does nothing for you.
Fruits and Vegetables – Everybody needs vitamins, this is a requirement to be a healthy person in general. Eat a wide variety of them. Remember the more colorful the better.
Liquids – Water, water, water! One gallon a day is minimum for everybody in general. Two to three gallons is a must if you workout hard and/or live in a hot state. Again, this is a minimum, if you can drink more, do it. Stay the hell away from alcohol, it will slow you down, fatten you up, and put you in more situations where you are likely to be straying away from the healthy boxer’s lifestyle!
Fats – Stick to healthy fats. In regards to your body fat, this has more to do with your genetic makeup than anything. If you have a body that builds up fat easily, stay away from unhealthy fats for at least five days out of the week. It’s ok to enjoy your food once a week since boxing training is very tough and will burn off the fat quickly anyways. Unless you’re an elite level boxer training for a world championship, your trainer won’t know about the ice cream you ate for breakfast.
Supplements – pills, and lab-created substances aren’t natural. They will never be able provide you the same level of nutrients that you get from eating real food. The simple reason is because they are created in labs and just because you ate a 100mg pill of vitamin A doesn’t mean your body will actually absorb it all. Your body can only absorb a certain amount of nutrients at a time and the rest goes to waste. Just be normal and stick to food. Forget about all those weightlifter’s supplements and all that. They are for looks and not for real performance. Remember, if pills really did help, we’d all be eating pills instead of food. JUNE 12, 2008 BY JOHNNY N. BOXING DIET, BOXING TRAINING
Throwing the perfect hook
Throwing the hook
https://www.fighttips.com/punching-how-to-throw-a-hook/
How to Throw It...
1. Here’s the step-by-step for throwing a hook:
Pivot the lead footKeep your weight evenly distributed 50-50 in both legsTwist your hipsKeep your arm bent at a 90-120 degree angleAim your fist at your opponent’s chinInteresting fact: It was the left hook that put Ali down in the 15th round, in his first fight against Joe Frazier.
2. The Hook to the Body, or “Liver Shot”
The rib cage acts as protection against the internal organs, but is no match against the hook to the body.The famous “liver shot” is a left shovel hook to the body. What makes it a “shovel” hook is the slight upward path it follows into your opponents body, and your palm faces an upward angle. Use your hook to “dig” up into your opponent’s body. Since the liver is on the right side of the body, it must be thrown with the left hand. However, if you are southpaw, a right hook to the body can do just as much damage if you break the floating rib. The floating ribs are the bottom-most rib, which aren’t connected to the rest of the ribcage.
3. How to throw the hook to the body
Cut off the distance by jabbing in, or slipping into range.Lower your level by taking a deeper stance than usual. Almost like a half lunge, while twisting (to slip oncoming punches, and build torque for the body shot).Keep your opposite hand up blocking your face. This is a common mistake amongst beginners and fatigued fighters. Skip this step, and you might be the one laying on the canvas.Push off of the (bent) lead leg to drive up and into your opponent.Fire off the hook by using that force in your legs and hips.Keep the palm facing on an upward angle, in order to “dig” into your opponents ribs.Retract back to guard and follow up with another hook, uppercut, stay low and pivot, or jab out of range.
4. Practicing the Hook
The hook is a mostly-simple punch to throw, but like anything in boxing, it does require practice. Try throwing 50 hooks, from each arm, in every workout session to improve your technique. If you’re having trouble with the hip rotation, first throw an exaggerated cross and twist your hips over. You’ll soon notice that this “hooking” motion becomes more natural, and you’ll notice it start to grow in power without having to try as hard.
As always, focus on technique first, then the speed and power will come naturally.
5. Palm In or Palm Down?
A rule of thumb that I teach and follow is as follows…
Short Range: palm inMedium Range: palm downLong Range: palm awayThe reason behind this is based on the position of your knuckles. If you keep your palm facing you, but throw a long-ranged looping hook, you will make contact with your thumb. If you rotate your wrist and forearm so that your palm faces down or away, you will notice that your knuckles make contact with the target. Protect your money makers and land solid punches — hit with your knuckles!