Page 115 - Doug Werner Boxer's Start-Up

Journal

Becoming a Boxer

My boxing education has been sixty lessons and about ten spar-
ring bouts over a span of eight months, as well as many, many
hours of homework on my own.
The following journal covers a good deal of what actually went
on. I didn’t include every entry because it would be too long
and tedious.What I have here is probably too much but there
you go. It’s authentic anyway. That’s for sure.

I had a great coach; that’s why I got this far with this project. I
trained and trained before I threw and ate my first hard punch.
I learned how to punch,block,slip,duck and counter.I learned
how to move my head and feet in ways they’ve never been
moved before. I jumped rope with two feet, one foot (then the
other), side-to-side and running in place. I whaled away on a
heavy bag in my back yard until my dogs howled and the sweat
jumped off my body.I got mad every now and then and learned
how to let it go. I took a shot or two and discovered it wasn’t
that bad. I could take it. I learned that the fear of combat could
be molded into excitement and sometimes exhilaration. You
can really ride it somewhere.

I wish I’d learned how to box when I was a kid. It does some-
thing for you. It gives you a physical self-confidence.You gain a
robust presence. Something like a spring in your step but a
little more substantial than that. Boxing can show you the way
to fitness, fun and even courage.The last entry in the journal
describes the experience of a young man in my sparring group
who stood up to a bully with his boxing skills and won some-
thing for himself.

There’s a lot right about boxing and hopefully I’ve made that
point clear enough in these pages.I have a wonderful time with
it, and I know I’m lucky to have hooked up with the right
people. Thanks,Alan.
D.W. / 3-27-98

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