By Joel B. Belinan
Time and again in my small way of guiding our teammates for our park workouts I experience various negative reactions and comments. And these mostly come from those who are supposedly experienced athletes/sportsmen and in many instances people who do not know any better or are just pretenders. These reactions include how my teammates execute their moves, their agility, flawlessness, flexibility, etc. . There were times though when I, as their elder or coach, had to answer and make some clarifications. Generally, I don’t mind criticisms especially if with good intentions.
First, our Burnham spot is a free-flowing kind of combat sports and fitness hub which we have been maintaining for 5 years already. it was Sensei Edwin “Mahaviir” Aliong who started it way back in 2005 at the open-air Baguio Skating Rink. Aliong, however, left for Korea, then it was continued by the famous Tarjohn Mero at the nearby corner for children and adult biking. in 2008. When Tarjohn became too busy (he is now in Tanzania as coach), Ricky “The Dragon” Agayas took on the mantle of continuing the tradition until 2012. By that Time Sensei Aliong was back and restarted the activity at our present area, near the view deck.
From 2007 to 2017, I was just one of those who went for long road runs every day and then passed by the area to have 5 or 6 rounds of boxing or kickboxing pad works. But in 2017, Sensei Aliong convinced me to take charge of the training as he had to attend to his investment ventures somewhere.
From the beginning, the workout we had was only meant for martial artists who were good only for a couple of rounds to sweat out with the help of a coach/trainer/pad holder to give the needed pressure one would not get when working out alone. As the years passed, more and more people with almost no background in martial arts requested to be part of our program. Many exerted effort to at least acquire the very basics by trying for a cuple of days or weeks.
Colleagues tended to lend a hand to hold pads for participants especially when several people are lining up for the rounds. The problem arises when novices took it upon themselves to give instructions or even hold the pads for beginners without the guidance of the main trainer. It is in this situation that many unnecessary flaws develop among the players. While it is commendable when one wants to lend a helping hand in the training, it is not advisable unless with the instruction and guidance of a trainer. This is because it is the main trainer’s name at stake. When a would-be boxer goes to a gym or other place and shows his or her skills, it will reflect on the name of the trainer where he or she came from.
Going back to the present Burnham combat sports training hub we have, there are many beginners every now and then. People staying until a certain level of competency is achieved is always a problem. Thus, we always have a program for beginners with the anticipation they will soon leave and, hopefully, some competency was stored in their so-called muscle memory. If they stay longer, the crash training I gave them could then be polished, and advanced training can then be given. These are what commenters do not know. When the circumstances are explained to them, 99% of them understand. What is irritating at times are those pretenders who we learned through the years to just ignore. However, there were instances when pretenders almost convinced us but in the end, the truth came out whenever they put on the gloves.
For instance their jabs not proper; they don’t have footwork, they can’t move fast, there is no power in their punches, or they need more movements. These are just some of the comments that to me are valid. As I have said earlier though, every one of those playing with me has different circumstances. I cannot treat a 60-year-old or even older the same way as a guy in his 20s. In the same manner that teenagers which most of my players are at the moment cannot be forced into a very serious training system. Giving them very intensive training today may be the cause of their not showing up the next day. A senior citizen on the other hand cannot be expected to have the flexibility of young guys. Older players are only interested in their cardio exercises and gaining some physical flexibility. On the other hand, guys between 20 up to 40 years old are at the peak of their strength and stamina and hence are treated as such. Sometimes guys who are active fighters come to me requesting a couple of rounds of pad works.
From all these, what should not be neglected is the sustainability of one’s training. There is no point in trying to show to a beginner that the trainer is very good even mentioning mind boggling credentials (trying to impress) or giving numerous instructions on the very first day of training that may intimidate a beginner from coming back the next day or on the next training schedule. Thus for me, the test for a coach or trainer like me is the sustainability of our outdoor training hub, an extension of the various gyms we are connected to. ***
P.S. When the strong earthquake struck last Wednesday morning, I was doing pad works at the park with Madhu, my student from Manila. It again reminded us that indeed the last letter of the word GOD which is D means destroyer and is always just around the corner. It also reminds us of the power behind this entire cosmos. **
