Old School vs New School Boxing Training

Remember the Mayweather v Pacquiao fight in 2015? You surely do. But what you might not remember is Mayweather’s assertion that, for this fight, he’d gone old school with his training. 

How come? Was it worth it? And is old school training relevant now?

In this article, Beast Gear takes a look. 

What Did Floyd Do? 

For his so-called old school boxing training, Floyd rolled back the clock by doing, um, wood chopping.

He also ran, did heavy bag work and hit a s*** load of speed balls too, of course. 

But wood chopping? Yeah, loads of it. 

Floyd is a man who has an incredible work ethic. He’s got frightening talent as well, but it’s his drive to outwork his rivals that helps to separate him from the competition. 

But did he really need to run an insane amount and chop an insane amount of wood? 

Possibly not …

The Science Behind Boxing Training 

Any boxer needs to focus on explosive strength and speed when training. He can dosome aerobic exercises, but he shouldn’t let these dominate. A balance has to be achieved. 

Yet by relying so much on old school training methods, Floyd didn’t really have that balance (if what he claimed is to be believed).

After all, boxing is an intermittent sport that sees a fighter strike his opponent with a series of thunderous jabs and hooks, before resting for a similar period in order to allow his or her energy system to recover adequately.  

Old school training methods, such as low intensity aerobic training and long distance running, are not exactly conducive to good boxing performance. 

Why Do Boxers Go Old School With Their Training? 

The most plausible reason is a lack of knowledge. Some aspiring boxers might assume this is the way it’s always been done, so why change things? 

Moreover, Floyd did it, and he’s arguably one of the best boxers of all time. So how can old school training be wrong? 

Well, it’s wrong if you don’t do any kind of new school training to complement it. Old school training does aid recovery and it can complement your over training routines. But it mustn’t be the only one you rely on. 

Instead, you also need to incorporate aspects of new school boxing training. Here are some tips:

• Work on your leg strength - An explosive punch starts from the ground up, with some research even demonstrating that legs account for around 40% of your punching power 

• Rest for long periods of time during explosive strength training 

• Kick start your week with explosive workouts and finish with endurance work at the end. This is because your body needs to be fresh for the explosive stuff 

• Add bench press throws and jumps to your routine 

Conclusion 

Who are we to argue with Floyd Mayweather? Bro, we wouldn’t dare! At the same time, you’re not Floyd and what’s working for him might not work for you. My tip? I’d suggest going both old school and new school. But while you can go new school without going old school, you can’t go old school and totally neglect the new school.