Positive Thinking and The Power of A Punch

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By Jason Petock, Doghouse Boxing (April 17, 2014)

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In boxing, as in life, there must be the optimists and the dreamers. Also, the plotters and schemers. The ones who profit the most and give the least. Those who give their all and ask for nothing in return, except for a good fight and the chance to last until the very end. Some who make their own existences and entire "careers" off of the backs, and gloves, of others. They won't spill a pint of their own, yet they will jump at the chance to collect it in buckets from fighters. The takers are definitely not "Inna-di-Red" on any level and could never obviously fight even a one-round, exhibition smoker if they were given a year to prepare properly. Which for most of these jokers is a novel thought that isn't welcomed or wished for. So all of this translates into trying to apply positive thinking this go around and how powerful of a thing that is; especially when combined with a deadly punch. Someone can still nail someone to the wall with a solidly placed and properly executed shot without being extremely angry with somebody else. Boxers demonstrate this fact time and time again, often in so many varying styles but with the same calculated intent, to hit and hit often without as much damage returned.

That is where the power of a punch comes into play. The pivot, the full shoulder and weight distribution, and that crisp, almost mechanical-like "whip" that the wrist makes at the end of the punch - quicker than the space between the repetitions of someone blinking their own eyes. Watching Bruce Lee's Return of the Dragon the other night reminded me of this action. Bruce literally kicks the shit out of basically everyone in the movie, including Chuck Norris. Everyone got it, unless of course they were smart enough to run or tap out at the time - which thankfully was never (a plus for a viewer). The protagonist and his cronies get stomped by Lee's "Dragon whipping tail," letting the audience know that someone was/is/or will be fucked up like an attack from hornet's nest. Not a Green one though, that original program couldn't have been anymore racist if they tried. By the way, Bruce Lee was denied the part in the idiot box series Kung Fu back in the day because they preferred anglo David Carradine playing a Chinese monk and martial artist over an actual Chinese person who lived closer to being "monk-like" and was a masterful martial artist.

So what does this have to do with boxing you ask? Plenty. You see Bruce Lee transcended mere martial artists films and specific disciplines and tenets. He was the personification of not only powerful positivity in forward motion, but how effective any fighter could be, including and sometimes specifically - a boxer, especially when they applied the right combination of speed, power, footwork, precision and flowing repetition - thus creating a literal onslaught that would paralyze even the craftiest of fighters in the ring when harnessed. So we've somewhat covered the "power of a punch" so to speak in the most layman and generalist of terms possible. What's next? Positive thinking.

The funny thing about positive thinking is that it really isn't thinking at all. Much like a professional prizefighter or even a novice gains muscle memory and skill and technique through the throwing of countless punches, all the while slipping, moving, ducking, weaving, bobbing and parrying - so too does the positive "thinker" remove all self-doubt and inner conflict. Sounds complicated or even far-fetched you say? It would have to be when regarding the realm of boxing, right? Not at all. That same positive visualization that boxers use to virtually "win" fights long before they ever step into the ring runs on the same premise. Good thoughts, actions, deeds, training, etc....inward and outward. Negative thoughts, actions, deeds, desires, pursuits, lazy technique, half-hearted training, outward and far away, The farther the better. Losses in boxing can be dissipated and removed. It is the boxing media that makes such a big deal about it. Of course the old argument is that boxers fight for our entertainment but we know that is not entirely true. They fight for an age old honor and distinction that is long forgotten. Their wars are not fought for profit, oil, corporate interest, mineral rights, pipelines, colonization, ethnic subjugation or to rape any people or lands.

None of this has anything to do with boxing you shout! It actually does. Everything is connected. You and me and the bum that you pass on the corner everyday and ignore. The trees that you devalue and your spouse or significant other that you complain about to your co-workers over that steaming cup of drugs in a cup you call coffee and that cancer stick you suck on during your morning commute to a job you may hate. The dog shit on the bottom of your shoes that you scrape off with a stick or do the electric slide on the curb with. It is all connected. We are part of one giant web that is inner-connected and functioning on a whole. That's why boxers are lauded and looked up to. They represent a primal and inner urge that all of us as the human family, and even more importantly, the global and universal family have. And that is to fight. Fight or flight. It dwells within all of us, it's just that fighters actually answer the bell. Being a boxer is one of the toughest jobs out there and often the most thankless. I can think of a few other professions that stack up, but this isn't a pissing contest. Remember to stay positive and keep punching.

TWO-CENTS WELCOME! If you have any questions, comments, complaints, kudos or anything else you can e-mail Jason at boxingwarrior@hotmail.com.
Always remember when in doubt knock ‘em out!

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