THE COACHES--A Work-in-Progress
Essentially, amateur boxing is a competition between two contestants, each who has to believe that he or she is better than their opponent in order to gain that "edge" that is necessary for winning. Yes, skill is necessary for determining outcomes, but it alone is not sufficient to explain them. Each fighter has to believe that he or she is the best before, during, or after the match. This confidence rests on the complex relationship between a coach and his boxer. This partnership has many subtle nuances that set this sport apart from all others. The boxer plays a single role, that of the fighter. A coach plays many roles, including that of the fighter.
The first role a coach plays is that of teacher, imprinting those skills on a new boxer that are necessary for survival in the ring and then changing the programming to make it work better. Anyone who has ever tried to teach boxing (or any other subject for that matter) understands the challenge. New boxers are clumsy as day-old colts, stumbling around like someone tied their shoelaces together. They have energy but no discipline, intense interest but no knowledge. Getting them to remember their left from their right seems like a major victory. But don't worry, they will probably forget it by the next time they come in. But, eventually it will come together. If not, you will face one of the toughest tasks a coach has to face, telling the kid who has heart that he has no talent. You hope they will reach that conclusion themselves. If they don't, you need to tell them. You need to let them down easy. You try to convince them that there is honor in trying, but sometimes the words just can't balm the broken hopes of the young.
As the fighter takes the tentative steps into their first competitive fight, the coach assumes another role, that of matchmaker. The job consists of more than just finding another fighter of the same age, size, and experience. Like all good tacticians, you know that fights are won before the bell sounds. The record of a potential opponents tells only part of the story. They may only have three bouts, but they may have been fighting in exhibitions for years. You gather intelligence, make a few calls. If the fighter seems too confident and poised for someone who has only a few fights, you are inclined not to match. Why should your kid be cannon fodder for someone trying to build a record?
TO BE CONTINUED