Alistair’s Story: Who I Am And Why I Created This Website?
My Story
In this article, I’m going to give you insight into my backstory.
More specifically, you’re going to learn:
- Who I am
- How I got started in boxing
- What I wanted to achieve with boxing
- Why I created this blog
Find out below!
How did you get started in boxing?
For my entire childhood, I was never introduced to boxing. My dad, a sports enthusiast; got me playing as many different sports as possible. Cricket, football, badminton, gymnastics, underwater hockey (yep!), the lot! Or so I thought.
I always asked him: “how come you didn’t get me involved in boxing when I was younger?”
His response: “I don’t want you to get hurt”.
My dad used to be a boxer you see. But, my dad was never properly trained.
He lived miles away from the nearest boxing gym in which he was only able to get to on weekends. At the age of 21, he trained daily, going for long runs and shadow boxing all across Watford.
Come fight night, because of the lack of his technique and due to the fact it was 1980 when boxing wasn’t as well regulated, he got knocked out in his first amateur boxing fight by an experienced fighter and understandably never got back into the sport again.
Who introduced you to boxing?
One bright, late sunny afternoon at Reigate skatepark, with my legs tired from pushing my skateboard and my stomach sick with indigestion from devouring Morrisons battered chicken and potato wedges meal deal.
My friend Will came up to me as I was catching my breath on the benches.
Will was the man who introduced me to the sport with this one question: “Do you want to come boxing with me tonight?”
Of course, I said yes, I had always wanted to learn how to fight and defend myself. Now especially more than ever because I’d recently got punched in the face by a gangster a few years before when protecting a girl on our public school bus (this is a whole other story).
What age did you start boxing?
I was 17 at the time, in my second year of college. Shortly after my skateboard session, I got into Will’s mum’s car and we went back to his house.
After a quick change into Will’s clean clothes and an instant coffee, we drove to Like2Box amateur boxing gym in Redhill for my first time boxing.
I was petrified at the time. I remember walking up the stairs of the boxing gym and Will pointing towards a poster of upcoming fights saying, “Wooww, these must be all the fights that are coming up, look here Alistair”.
All the time I was thinking to myself: What if I don’t like it? What if I have to fight today? What if I get hurt?
Through the window of the black door to the boxing gym, I could see red mats surrounding a 16ft X 16ft boxing ring. 10 heavy bags were all lined up on the left-hand side.
It was smaller than I had imagined, yet perfect for the training which I needed for my future fight.
What made you stick to boxing?
I couldn’t remember the last time I had so much fun working out.
I not only felt great after my workout with endorphins released and stress reduced, but I actually enjoyed the workout and the shock to my metabolism was what I needed.
Although I was terrible to begin with, I got used to the basic combinations, the balance of moving around in my stance, and the willpower to keep going when I was exhausted and out of breath.
The best part about boxing is working with a coach 1-1 on pads. Why? Everything is in flow.
You’re both working together on improving each others boxing skill or padwork skill; you’re both in the zone and you’re both working in sync. What is a more joyful form of exercising? Running on a treadmill for an hour or forgetting the day and punching into soft pads with a friend?
I fell in love with the sport due to the progression of skill, the fun of moving with the punches, and the enjoyment of working together with coaches and sparring partners like a team.
Training intensity went from boxing once per week, twice per week, three times per week to five days per week. Myself, Will and our new friend Sandy kept showing up each evening.
It became a ritual where we would meet at the skatepark and leave for our 7 o’clock workout. Sometimes my friends didn’t want to train but I would always choose to get picked up from the skatepark early to ensure I could make it to the gym on time.
What did you want to accomplish with boxing?
I really wanted to be the best boxer in history. I thought this was achievable because if other boxers started boxing at the same age as me, why couldn’t I?
I’ve got the intelligence and the discipline to the daily grind.
Why did you stop boxing?
I received multiple injuries and I thought that it would be smarter if I created a blog where I could provide advice to all the other fighters who were able to continue as a way of giving back.
What have you learnt from boxing?
I found amazing insights from online research and in particular an expert athletic coach turned YouTuber: Jeff Cavaliere. Jeff has taught me and tens of millions of people online on how to get rid of plantar fasciitis, eliminate scapular winging (which was causing my upper back pain), mobilise my ankle stiffness that was causing chronic injuries, and many more invaluable injury-preventing insights.
I also learnt about the importance of posture, correct ways to stretch every muscle in the body, and modelled a very detailed beginners strength training plan which incorporated a lot more boxing than lifting weights.
Summary of story:
Thanks to this learning curve boxing and the injuries I received, I’ve learnt how to avoid these mistakes and thereby pass on this and my boxing knowledge to people searching for unanswered or inaccurate advice online.
