I Will Not Die A Boxing Failure

by Sam Suska

Yo Elliot,

I am a boxing failure.  Although every man or woman who steps into the ring and engages in an organized boxing match has some heart and learns something about themselves, some of them have a higher level of ability and need to do more than simply compete to not be considered a 'boxing failure'.

I have shown the requisite mental toughness and physicality to fight more than once; but I have not displayed the resiliency required for me to be a boxing success.  I am defeated at the professional level of boxing; 0-2.  I was devastated by losing my first professional fight in April 2009; but I was not a 'beaten man' so I fought again in August 2010 only to lose again.

The second loss was not neccessarily devastating; more like evidence to me that I need to hang it up as an athlete.  I showed all the signs of being a "shot" fighter; poor reflexes, significantly decreased resistance to punches and inability to "pull the trigger'' and throw smooth punches on demand.

But that was no real surprise; my training for the 2010 fight was full of inconsistencies in terms of my daily energy levels, effectiveness sparring other guys and "sharpness" working the mitts with my trainers.  My trainers did their absolute best with me; but they had to have seen that I was a diminished fighter in relation to my personal tip-top form I displayed in 2008 and early 2009.

My previous level of boxing proficiency and experience in adequately responding to adversity in my amateur career is what presently makes me a "boxing failure".  I had the ability to win 24 of my 36 amateur fights, and be extremely competitive in 8 of my 12 losses....they were close.  At one point I lost like 4 straight fights, but I had faith in myself and faith in my preparation so I kept working out twice a day and continued to fight whomever they offered me.

I slowly became a better boxer and more importantly I significantly developed my personal character and matured a hell of a lot during this time in my life.  My progression may not have been linear in fashion, and when it comes to the most influential aspects of life they rarely are, but I know that I have what it takes to be a successful professional boxer.

What makes this story interesting is that I am successful in my chosen field of profession, and this directly relates to boxing as I am a personal trainer and lifestyle coach.  I am knowledgeable about about strength and conditioning tactics (I am a CSCS) and I have a very holistic approach to this as well (I am CHEK certified); so I have some of what I need to formulate a plot to become a successful professional boxer.

I will not draw up some elaborate plan with specified times and goals.  I will fight and win throughout my 30's and make a good career out of it, and I will begin this process without pressure or unrealistic expectations.  After all, in my experience with inspiring and guiding others in becoming healthier and more fit I have seen these people fail when they embark on overly intricate plans and put too much pressure on themselves.

My training regimen has been trending towards more strength and power focus, more informal boxing workouts (hitting the heavy bag in my fitness gym) and continuation of focusing on being more explosive and stronger in all aspects.  In the next few months I will incorporate more boxing specific training and maybe even recruit the services of a boxing trainer.

The use of bioenergenics and Qigong are presently helping me feel like I have more control over my nervous system and energy systems as a whole.  Furthermore, I plan to take meditation and regular use of acupuncture on myself to a daily practice; I have a year of formal education in Chinese medicine so I have needled myseld and performed standing meditations hundreds of times.

However, I am well aware that I need more so I would like to recruit your opinion, guidance and education Mr. Hulse; I appreciate your time and consideration.  Additionally, I am very interested in doing your strengthology course in the immediate future.  Thanks.

Sincerely,

Sam Suska

Here is a video of me boxing (I also have a youtube page and Facebook page)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2AsOn3uGqc&list=PL090D46786F0AF609&index=7&feature=plpp_video