Mindful Movement

 My Apple Watch has been broken for at least a month now, and despite numerous store visits, phone calls and online chats, I have still yet to find a solution. It has been sent in to be “repaired” three times, and sent back only to work even worse each time. A phone call gave a possible solution, that I would be sent a new watch, my card would be charged, and I send the old watch back and the charge reversed. My answer to this is how can I at this point trust Apple to not at the end of the day charge me? They clearly don’t trust me to send back the broken scrap metal I now have, why would I trust them to refund my money?  This got me thinking about trust. Obviously I do not trust Apple as a company anymore, and I will no longer be investing in their products. But who do I truly trust? My mind had trouble making a list. I’ve been screwed over in boxing and career more times than I can count. Friends always say the typical “call me if you need anything” line, but I learned that ...

  I have written about training for time before, and how boxing centers around the use of time and space. Another aspect of time I find myself coaching for is a different genre: age. I have met a lot of retired boxers in my years in the sport, as well as observed some of the greats as they age. Muhammad Ali noted that his aging body was Allah’s way of reminding him that he is still human, and there are greater truths than attaining physical prowess. Ali devoted himself to his religion, as well as making appearances and signing paraphernalia. Tyson has successfully transitioned into entertainment, touring with a play, making appearances in movies, tv shows, music videos, etc. George Foreman has his grill, as well as starting a nonprofit to support youth. I have seen boxers that I know transition into becoming coaches, gym owners, or promotors. These people gracefully accepted their body’s call to slow down, let the past be the past, and embrace new challenges of the future. And then...

Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you!  For my quote today, I’m going to do my favorite quote: “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” —Darth Vader,  A New Hope I like that the villain says this quote. Faith in the force is needed to be a powerful Jedi, whether good or evil, and that lack of faith can minimize your ability. I feel this quote can apply to so many scenarios in life: Faith in yourself, faith in the future, faith in the people in your life, faith in a humanity, faith in a higher power, whether that be Gd or aliens or science. In the Bible, the Hebrew word for belief or faith originally meant reliability, not the belief in something unseen. The writers intended the word to convey the reliability of the higher power. I think there is much truth to this even today. People think that faith is belief in something they cannot scientifically prove, making it unreliable. But my belief, despite what it is, will always be there as long as I believe it, will always gi...

Second day of Star Wars week, and I pull from the great Yoda for my quote. So many amazing ones, but I wanted to avoid the typical ones, as his less popular, yet great quotes, offer more opportunity for inspiration.  “Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.”  — Yoda,  The Empire Strikes Back When going into a fight or sparring session, what do you know? Nothing, really. You might think you know your opponent, but people are constantly changing and can surprise you. Temperature changes. Lights can flicker, noise can come from anywhere. The floor can be damp or dry. But what you can always be certain of is time. You have 3 minutes (depending on your division) to fight. Three 3 minute rounds. That is what you know. Nothing else can be guaranteed. Plans need to change if needed. People are unpredictable. Refs and judges change in between fights. But your 9 minutes to perform will not change. So time is something you can always prepare for. Lasting for the allot...

In honor the Star Wars day on May 4th, I’m going to use Star Wars quotes as inspiration. I find it very apropos, as the concept of Star Wars relies on the training of young Jedis, which follows a similar path to boxing training.  “Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our viewpoint.” — Obi-Wan Kenobi,  Star Wars Episode VI:Return Of The Jedi  This is a fantastic quote, and one that we all know the truth of, yet usually forget. Our ego likes to make sure the world fits the ego’s perception of events, therefore is quick to create a viewpoint that protects our inner reality from outer reality. My viewpoint as a coach is of course slated toward having good fighters, but I always try to see the skill of everyone for what it truly is. I believe fighters need to hear the truth about their skill so that they can train and work accordingly. What I find interesting is when my viewpoint clashes with theirs, which works in both directions. When I have a very positive perspect...

Intimidation has been a skill boxing has taught me well. From learning how to talk the talk despite lack of of real knowledge, and learning how to walk the walk despite having the crawl of a baby. Muhammad Ali became the first master of this mental mind game in boxing, getting into his opponent’s head, constantly assuring reporters and the public that he is the greatest, and yelling his royalty in boxing from the mountain tops. Many biographies note how he wasn’t sure how he much he believed what he said himself, and many comment that once he fulfilled his own prophesies he truly became a believer in himself. I don’t ascribe to the same intimidation tactics that many boxers still take today, but intimidation comes in many forms. I don’t feel that I have to look the strongest, the meanest, or the biggest. I just need to be comfortable and happy with who I am and what I have to offer. Believing my skill will carry me to the end, and if it doesn’t, then I gained valuable knowledge of how ...

What motivates a boxer? What drives a person to get into the ring and knowingly get hit by another person? Why spend so much time training, restricting your diet, limiting your social life, not drinking? Everyone has different motivations, and competing in boxing is a great way to accomplish personal goals, such as weight loss, getting in shape, overcoming fear, doing at least one boxing match to check off the bucket list.  Boxing reminds me a lot of religion. The discipline, the commitment, the asceticism. You cannot truly compete in boxing without a complete giving of your entire self to the sport, not just your body, but your mind and arguably your soul. I converted to Judaism later in life, and I completed an adult b’nei mitzvah (it’s the bat mitzvah teenagers do as a coming of age, adults who never did one when younger do an adult version). I had to give a speech about that week’s Torah portion. The portion talked about how the priests had to purify themselves before going int...