Chapter 2 Training Planning

Wang Hao went back to his room upstairs, found the exercise book and homework book, did homework haphazardly, calmed down the excitement brought by the journey, and hoped to see anatoly Lomachenko, and then started boxing to himself. Planning how his career develops.

From the perspective of professional boxing and amateur boxing, Wang Hao's previous life started systematic practice of boxing too late. He only became a professional boxer in his thirties. Before that, he had only a few years of amateur boxing training. Training resources were also very poor, and time was not enough. He needed to work full-time to support his family, so he could only spare his spare time to train as much as possible.

All this is due to Wang Hao's personal reasons as well as the overall environment. There are almost no outstanding professional boxing clubs and promotion companies in China. Boxers lack systematic technical training and have no basic living guarantee.

Even if there are individual boxers who have achieved some results in the international professional boxing world by their own efforts, they are basically relying on their own hard work, and often after achieving certain results, they have to do other jobs part-time to maintain their livelihood and training.

As for amateur boxing, although it is slightly guaranteed, it is basically within the system. Practice as early as possible. Only when achieving certain results in the domestic arena in youth can one enter the national boxing team and participate in events such as the World Championships and the Olympic Games.

In his previous life, although Wang Hao had a boxing dream early in his heart, because of his parents and practical reasons, he, like most people, studied academic courses and took college entrance examinations.

When he graduated and started working, earning income, and wanting to pick up his dreams, he had no chance to enter the system for a long time.

In this life, none of this will happen.

Wang Hao believes that the domestic economic environment and the development of professional boxing in this world should not have changed much from the previous one, which means that by the time he is in his thirties, the domestic professional boxing career is in its infancy.

If you want to integrate into boxing as soon as possible, you only have to enter the system, starting from amateur boxing, and waiting for certain results before entering professional boxing, just like the previous two-time Olympic champion Zou Shiming.

This can also solve the training cost and livelihood problems in the early stage of boxing, so that one can devote oneself to training.

In fact, many great professional boxing champions in Wang Hao's previous life also took this path.

For example, the famous British boxing champion and heavyweight professional boxing ruler Lennox Lewis in the late 1990s won the heavyweight gold medal in the Seoul Olympics in 1988, and the new generation heavyweight champion Joshua won the heavyweight gold medal in the 2012 Olympics; The idol of Wang Hao's past life, the "GGG" Kazakh middleweight Gennady Golovkin, before entering professional boxing, also won the Olympic silver medal and the world championship gold medal.

American middleweight legend, Oscar de la Hoya won the Olympic gold medal, and Mayweather also won the Olympic bronze medal.

Lomachenko, a small-level Ukrainian genius, has won gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

First enter the amateur boxing world, after gaining certain achievements and prestige in the World Championships and Olympic Games, then enter the professional boxing world. On the one hand, you can accumulate skills and gain better training in your amateur boxing career. On the other hand, you can start professional boxing with a good foundation.

And this starting point is not only at the technical level, but also at the economic and commercial level.

To enter the professional boxing field, one must have a promotion company and an agent, and have a shining amateur boxing performance, so that one can negotiate with the promotion company and agent from a position of advantage.

Wang Hao thought and determined his own boxing development path. He must first enter amateur boxing within the system and then enter professional boxing.

Now that the development route has been determined, the remaining thing is how to train. Wang Hao picked up the pen and analyzed his basic physical fitness and technical ability advantages and disadvantages on a piece of white paper.

Boxing is like any other competitive sport. In order to achieve good results, outstanding athletes' physical fitness and excellent training and competitive skills are indispensable.

For example, in terms of physical condition, Liu Xiang can be said to be a hurdles genius, but excellent physical conditions alone cannot achieve Liu Xiang's glory. Technical progress and improvement are the immediate goals before success.

Technology and physical conditions complement each other and are suitable, just like a happy marriage. It cannot be achieved mechanically; it can only be achieved through mutual adaptation.

Just like in Wang Hao's previous life, the most famous "Pretty Boy" in American boxing middleweight, Mayweather, had 50 fights in his career without a loss and rarely suffered injuries in games, earning him the title "Pretty Boy".

The reason Mayweather achieved such a brilliant record is inseparable from his original shoulder defense method. This defensive technique allows him to fend off opponents' attacks without consuming much physical energy, simply by twisting his body and lifting his shoulders. Moreover, Mayweather's ability to invent and thoroughly use this technique is closely related to his superior physical flexibility. Although some of his fellow professional boxers tried to imitate his defensive method, they did not achieve the same effectiveness. They might even lose their balance because their bodies lacked such flexibility.

So, boxing techniques aim to defeat the opponent while protecting oneself. However, there are significant differences in technical details, and boxers can only choose the most suitable technical details based on their physical conditions.

With his experience from his previous life, Wang Hao naturally has a clear understanding of his physical condition's development.

"My strength is decent, but my flexibility and reaction are inadequate, my footwork is very stiff, and my endurance is lacking," Wang Hao wrote down on the paper, summarizing his physical fitness demonstrated in previous boxing matches.

Wang Hao's natural weight is moderate among young men of the same height and age, but due to having a higher natural muscle mass than most people, after he started practicing boxing in his last life, he could compete better than most other men with proper training. Class fighters have obvious advantages in strength.

Wang Hao's bench press can reach nearly twice his body weight, and his squats and deadlifts can reach about 2.5 times his body weight, which clearly surpasses the level of ordinary athletes.

"So, strength is not the focus of my training now, because this is already a strong suit. Taking advantage of my body's strong adaptability at this age, I should focus on other aspects in the coming years," Wang Hao used the pen to highlight the key areas under "flexibility", "reaction", "footwork", and "endurance".

Flexibility can be improved through rope skipping and yoga!

With his training experience from his previous life, Wang Hao has a clear idea of how to conduct basic training.

Rope skipping is a commonly used method in boxing training, where boxers utilize various skipping techniques including footwork, leg lifts, sliding skips, and double swings.

It provides significant benefits for improving boxing coordination and flexibility.

Wang Hao had also devoted considerable effort to rope skipping during his previous life as a boxer, but his age caused his muscles to stiffen, limiting his physical improvements.

Beside "flexibility", Wang Hao wrote down rope skipping and yoga.

Reaction!

There are scientific training methods for this as well, including shadow boxing, punching bags, speed bag work, and focus mitt drills, although hand target practice requires specialized equipment and coaching assistance. Particularly for focus mitt drills, it's crucial to have skilled partners to train effectively.

Wang Hao contemplated and noted these training methods on paper.

Footwork!

Rope skipping is beneficial for improving footwork flexibility. Wang Hao wrote this next to "Footwork".

Then, under the guidance of an experienced coach, sprinting, bag work, shadow boxing, focus mitt drills, and live sparring. Wang Hao meticulously outlined these while writing.

"This requires even better facilities, not just trainers, but also top-notch coaches."

"Endurance can be developed through long-distance running, rope skipping, and actual sparring."

Wang Hao organized his thoughts, looking at the words on paper, resembling a training outline. Wang Hao felt this training plan was adequate for his current self, especially since his body had not yet undergone systematic training.

But even with such a straightforward training program, there were numerous implementation challenges.

Rope skipping and running only required basic equipment and public spaces, making them relatively simple.

However, other exercises were more complex. They necessitated professional facilities and training equipment, as well as suitable sparring partners and experienced coaches.

Wang Hao considered the training resources available in Dongyue City during this era. He recalled that at this time, Dongyue City had a small boxing club, the only one. In his previous life, Wang Hao had visited this "Taishan Boxing Club". Despite its small venue, it had basic amenities such as speed bags, punching bags, and sandbags, although good coaches were not to be expected.

To join the Taishan Boxing Club, there were two approaches. One was straightforward but crude—money. The other relied on impressing the club owner.

For Wang Hao, the first option was unrealistic. His parents would barely approve of his boxing practice, and Wang Hao's family was not affluent; he hesitated to use his parents' hard-earned money for training expenses, considering the significant costs of boxing training.

The second approach was his only viable path.

However, given his current level of training, the likelihood of catching the attention of the boxing gym owner was 

"Let's commence training first. I'm currently in my second year of junior high school, and transitioning to Dongyue Middle School for physical education will ensure consistent training time, despite the school's limited resources. But I can make the most of what's available."

"The conditions in this era are tough! Progress will only come step by step!" Wang Hao clenched his fists. The growth of a boxer was inherently a process of overcoming difficulties and constantly improving oneself. The challenges ahead stirred an unusual excitement within him.

"When my boxing skills are at the level to enter the provincial team or a sports school, conditions will greatly improve."

With his initial training plan outlined, Wang Hao had a clear roadmap in mind. However, finding an excellent coach remained the most daunting challenge. Even in all of Dongyue City, and perhaps even East China, locating a top-notch boxing coach seemed improbable.

For now, he could only seize the opportunity when Vasiliy Lomachenko visited Dongyue Sports School and do everything possible to convince him to guide Wang Hao.

While focusing on training his weaknesses, Wang Hao returned to the topic of strength—his physical power. Although he didn't intend to prioritize it in current training, completely neglecting it wasn't an option either. He contemplated how extensively to develop this aspect.

"Should I maximize this strength, or should I maintain balance?"

"One powerful punch can turn the tide. Many professional boxers rely on their knockout power alone. For instance, legends like Foreman and Wilde in American heavyweight boxing are renowned for their unbeatable force."

"Training too much strength might compromise other areas. So, strength needs training, but to what extent?"

"Hao'er! I borrowed a tricycle from Uncle Zhang. Let's go buy a TV together," Wang Hao's father's voice interrupted his thoughts from downstairs.

Pedaling the tricycle, Wang Hao followed his enthusiastic father, reminiscing about Dongyue City's streets as they were twenty years ago.

In his memory, the "Tarzan" Boxing Club stood on South Street, just ahead.

Wang Hao recalled its location, already visualizing the landmark People's Commercial Building in Dongyue City's bustling business district, confirming the "Taishan" Boxing Club's original spot in this life—validating his rebirth's authenticity. More importantly, the club symbolized the starting point of his long-suppressed dream.

"Hao'er!" Wang Hao's father shouted from behind, "You've taken the wrong turn. The People's Commercial Building is at Shilin Road. Turn right."

"Yes, Dad! Don't worry. All roads lead to Rome."

"Rome? Why not say the world is round?" Wang Hao's father chuckled. "Rome might not be for you, but People's Commercial Building closes at six. Borrowing Uncle Zhang's tricycle wasn't easy."

"The 'Tarzan' Boxing Club" came into view across the street, igniting Wang Hao's excitement. For most, its unassuming facade went unnoticed, but for Wang Hao, it represented a divine window, illuminating a path straight to his soul's purest depths.

Wang Hao was thrilled. This was where his dream would take root.

Observing Wang Hao slow down, Wang Hao's father noticed his son's intensity as he gazed at the "Taishan" Boxing Club's entrance.

He advised sternly, "Concentrate on your studies. Boxing is demanding and dangerous. It's not suitable for you now. Your mother and I won't agree. If you truly want to box, wait until after college. Then, we'll support you.