I know this may come as a surprise to some but there’s more to boxing than just who’s stronger or who can punch harder. I'm not an expert but I've watched my fair share of boxing and know that the mental side of boxing is just as important, if not more important than the physical side of boxing. 

 

But like I mentioned, I'm not an expert, and I wanted to further my knowledge of how important the mental side really was. So I contacted my friends over at SydFIT which is a local gym here in Kitchener. I knew it was run by some very experienced coaches and I knew they could help me understand how important mentality really is in boxing. 

 

I started off by interviewing Syd Vanderpool who is the head coach at the gym and has a lot of boxing experience, even prior to opening up the SydFIT boxing gym. I asked Syd 5 questions to learn more about his boxing gym. Along with learning about his boxing gym, I wanted to learn more about his and the gyms’ opinion on the mental side of boxing and what strategies they use to make sure their fighters are trained and prepared mentally and physically for any fight or spar. 

 

I started off by asking Syd about himself and about the goals and intentions of SydFIT boxing gym.

 

Syd answered my question by saying “I am the founder and CEO of SydFIT and we started SydFIT 13 years ago after I retired from professional boxing, I was a professional boxer for 13 years, I was ranked number one in the world, so I have a history in boxing and I wanted to be able to share my love for this sport and fitness with other people, and that's what we do here at SydFIT health centre.” 

 

Syd was ranked number one in the world at one point and was also inducted into the Ontario boxing Hall of Fame in 2019.. Both of these things obviously take serious skill, experience, and dedication to achieve and Syd definitely has acquired these characteristics throughout his boxing career. He now will pass his knowledge on to boxers and train them to be in great shape physically and most importantly mentally. 

 

Next I wanted to know how Syd makes sure the boxers he trains are committed to the training process and dedicated to the sport.

 

Syd answered my question by saying “ the biggest thing for getting athletes ready for competition or even just fitness, in general, is really the coaching. Being able to lay out a plan and what it is that needs to be done, why it needs to be done and here's what we're gonna do to get there. Once they have that plan and they’re able to have a coach to guide them and to keep them accountable they’re usually able to achieve their goals”. 

 

Syd and SydFIT definitely have some great strategies to make sure their athletes are determined to the training process. Sometimes it's hard to get motivated to train as the glory doesn't come from the training it comes from the actual fight. I think SydFIT does a great job of laying out a plan before starting training and explaining to the athletes what they have to do and making sure they understand why they have to do it. If an athlete knows how everything will benefit them step by step they’re more likely to stay focused as they can be pushed by that end goal of winning that fight or getting in shape and I think SydFIT does a great job at helping the athletes understand their goals and guiding them to achieve those goals. 

 

Next, I wanted to know Syd’s opinions on the mental side of boxing so I asked him what strategies he uses to make sure his boxers are smart boxers and always mentally prepared so they can be one step ahead of their opponent. 

 

Syd said, “ We don't focus so much on the opponent because I believe when a fighter and athlete focuses on their strengths and how they can get better and how they can improve the result of whoever gets in the ring with them is going to be what it's gonna be but they need to go in as the best version of themselves on that day, we really focus on what the athlete is doing well, how can they improve on that and if there are certain things they're not doing so well and how can they minimize that liability”.

 

When we feel most mentally exhausted or pressured is when we are stressed. Syd and his fellow coaches focus more on their fighter than the opponent, which really helps the fighter feel relieved and spend the time they would spend stressing over their opponent training their skills and making sure the weapons in their arsenal are sharpened. I also think focusing on strengths and weaknesses helps the fighter break down their skills and work on them one by one which helps the fighter mentally as they aren’t overwhelmed by all these things to focus on at once. 

 

I believe interpersonal skills such as communication and relationship skills can be built in boxing. The person you have to communicate with the most is your coach as they are the ones guiding you to success. I asked Syd what strategies he uses to make sure he has a good relationship and good communication skills with the fighters he trains.

 

Syd answered my question by saying “ We have some rules and one of the biggest ones is if there are issues, problems or concerns you talk to the person who you have that issue, problem or concern with or you need instruction from and so really communicating right off the bat with that person can shorten the gap for you to achieve the information that you need so direct communication is always the best way to build a relationship”.

 

Setting rules and building relationships as soon as someone walks into the room for the first time is definitely a great way to do it. If communication is talked about and mentioned often and is apart of the rules everyone will be more likely to follow it as that's all they've known since they've been boxing at the gym. If someone has good communication skills in general, they are more likely to better communicate their opinions and emotions to everyone including their trainers and coaches.

 

I think also direct communication is important as if something travels through five people to get to you it is most likely going to get altered on the way to you only making the problem worse. If you're directly communicating with everyone in the gym, you’re more likely to build healthy relationships and maintain them. 

 

Now that I know how Syd and the other coaches improved communication skills between people in their own gym, I wanted to know what strategies Syd used to make sure his fighters were communicating with their opponents. Communicating with your opponent is very important for not only having a safe boxing match but also making sure that you are humble in victory or defeat. 

 

Syd said “ If the coaches and our team conduct themselves with respect to our fighters, to one another it sort of trickles down and if we have to have some specific conversations with people in regards to that conduct we do but pretty much we just live it and when they see it, it goes a lot further than saying it” 

 

I think the strategy to teach interpersonal skills is the same at SydFIT, whether it be having communication with the coach, with people from the same gym or even opponents the same Strategy is used. The strategy being letting the fighters know the first time they walk in that SyfFIT thinks communication is very important and values it very highly. Since the fighters know that this message is pushed they will communicate and push other fighters to communicate and it works as a domino effect, from the fighter that’s been there the longest to the fighter that just walked in everyone reminded that respect is mandatory.

 

Now I can confidently say that the mental side of boxing is very important as Syd Vanderpool, a fighter that was ranked number one in the world in 2004 by the international boxing federation,  agrees with me. Whether it be being in the right mental state to train, being mentally prepared for a fight or having interpersonal skills SydFIT lives by the rule that communication and respect are mandatory and necessary in their boxing facility.