Customer Reviews

Boxing Basics: The Techniques and Knowledge Needed to Excel in the Sport of Boxing

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The title Boxing Basics is an understatement, for this manual has way more than just the basics. Professor Gotay goes beyond to explain proper bodyfat percentages, the correct workout length, and detailed boxing rules for both amateur and pro. Additionally, the hand wrapping method provided is one of the best I've used. The sections on defense and styles of boxers were particularly helpful. If you pay attention to many pro fights and even MMA fights today, you will find that the loser was the one who had a bad foundation and did not adhere to the basics.

After boxing for a little over a year I came to the realization that boxing is a sport full of intricate details and techniques. While many books have been written to try and cover the fine points, these books often leave the reader feeling incomplete or wanting to know more. "Boxing Basics" has the content to be considered the "full package" of boxing books. Everything and anything that has to do with the sport of boxing is considered, walked through, and explained through a crystal clear prose unmistakably found only from a college professor.

From boxing newbie to convenient boxer to seasoned veteran, "Boxing Basics" has something for everyone. Gym classifications, different fighter styles, ring strategies, and even the different weight divisions in boxing are explained. Alberto Gotay definitely leaves no stones unturned regarding the sport of boxing. Buying this book was a great investment and I will use the techniques outlined in this book for the rest of my boxing career.

This is a good book for boxing basics and if they had covered defense a bit better it would have rated 5 stars. It covers all the equipment that can be used for boxing, workouts, stance, basic punches and combinations,
and ring strategy.

This book was just what I needed. I joined a boxing club, but it has been an emotionally challenging experience. My trainers are great, however they are only with me for a short time. I never completely understand what they want from me. It was also a bit intimidating to be among so many tough excellent fighters. I needed help in order to understand what my trainers wanted from me and also to not appear like I did not know what I was doing.
The way it works for me is that before I see my trainer I read the parts of the book that I think we will be covering in the gym session. Later, after interacting with my trainer I quietly reread that section of the book. As a result of useing this book, I am learning faster and I have a better understanding of what is expected in training while learning the sport of boxing.

As a personal trainer, I thought Al Gotay's articulation of the sport of boxing was very on point, well thought out, and clearly explained for the reader. A client of mine who trains in boxing brought me the book and pointed out that the techniques both described and illustrated were synonymous with Gotay's link to the physical training required for the sport. I thought that the chapter "Getting Into Physical Condition" was methodically detailed down to the tables presenting exact percentages of desired body fat for athletic performance. Gotay's depth in explaining also the adjustment of the frequency, intensity, time, and type of training for maximum benefit per training session was very well done. There was no part of the physical condition portion of the book that I was in opposition to, and in fact encouraged my client to continue abiding by Boxing Basic's layouts.

Al Gotay's Boxing Basics takes us where no one has gone before in the sport of boxing. This is not just another "How to" book that merely covers the rudimentary basics of conditioning, stances, footwork, punches, and defensive tactics. Gotay's text transcends the basics and transports the burgeoning fighter into the realm of personal development with a graded training program and the much needed strategies and tactics to safely participate and advance in the sport. Gotay's thirty plus years in academics as an Assistant Professor in Health and Physical Education shines throughout the text and makes Boxing Basics a must for any educator who desires to start an intramural or interschool athletic program whether at the YMCA/ Boy's Club, middle school, high school, or collegiate level.

Boxing Basics provides a guide that can be used by both beginners and trainers. It has all of the basic information to get started and then it graduates to more advanced techniques. I have recently started boxing and find that this book supplements the training that I receive from my boxing coach. I especially liked the three sections on sparring, in which the author noted important considerations between the beginner, intermediate and advanced boxer. The many pictures supported the detailed explanations and made the book easy to read. In fact, my coach is making this required reading for his students.

I love a good fight. Boxing, like wrestling is among the purest of athletic competitions, relying on strength, speed, conditioning and will-power. _Boxing Basics_ is, as a previous reviewer wrote, an understatement here. Gotay provides a ground-up lesson on how to fight from the wrapping of hands to stance and how to throw a punch to ring strategy and combinations. Written as a text for a college course on boxing, Gotay does a very thorough job of breaking down and explaining the details of the sport, even to the point of providing a training schedule. I was more interested in detail in terms of foot and hand work and strategy rather than the elementary elements of the sport, but Gotay is explicitly writing for the beginner. That said, I highly recommend it to anyone curious about or interested in the sport.