‘I\u2019m always trying to optimize my conditioning, my technique, you know, different aspects,’ says David Goodman who is passing his boxing passion to next generation <\/p>\n
David Goodman has been boxing since he was 15 years old; now at 68\u00a0and in excellent shape, he\u00a0is a testament to what an active lifestyle can do for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s pretty much an iron man,\u201d says Jordan Stewart, 35, who met Goodman at the Midland YMCA where they both work out.<\/p>\n
Inspired by the older man\u2019s vigour, Stewart signed up for Godman\u2019s coaching eight months ago.<\/p>\n
Currently Goodman, who operates\u00a0Sweet Science Boxing, has 15 students, ranging from 10 to 40 years old. He hopes to turn it into a full time job.<\/p>\n
Although Stewart does not plan on boxing at a competitive level, he says he does plan to train with Goodman indefinitely.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s a younger man\u2019s sport, but you\u2019re never too old to learn how to defend yourself,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Goodman keeps his classes small, training one-on-one or with two students at a time. Individuals\u00a0require more attention, he says, due to the technicality and precision of the boxing style.<\/p>\n
Developed by Cus D\u2019Amato, the Peek-A-Boo defence style was made popular by Mike Tyson. It involves combinations of deliberate and explosive movements. Goodman has been practising it since his youth\u00a0\u2014 long before Tyson popularized it<\/p>\n
After reading the biography of 1950s boxer Floyd Patterson when he was a teenager, he found a heightened level of focus.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helped me follow a particular style,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Trained in traditional martial arts as well, Goodman was always more fond of boxing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOriental martial arts are more structured, less realistic … There’s some effectiveness to them, but they’re more about concepts than just pure reality of fighting,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
His enthusiasm is the driving force behind everything he\u2019s learned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m always trying to optimize my conditioning, my technique, you know, different aspects,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even in his senior years, Goodman makes it look easy. But the hours he dedicates to the sweet science indicates otherwise.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn hour of cardio, 45 minutes of intense weight lifting, 45 minutes of light stuff, you know, to strengthen abs and forearms and little things that don’t require intensity. Then, usually like an hour and a half of boxing training …\u00a0\u00a0that\u2019s about the amount of activity in a day,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a coach, he practises at a higher level than he expects from his students.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s probably the majority of the motivation … like, if I\u2019m going to offer somebody a service, I\u2019m doing something that I love, I want to do the best job possible,” said Goodman who has a background in computer science and engineering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really all comes down to Dave … he really guides you and it\u2019s more than boxing because he wants to improve the person he\u2019s training,\u201d Stewart says, acknowledging his coach\u2019s patience and ability to adjust the intensity for each student\u2019s level.<\/p>\n
A little psychology is also helpful when teaching. Goodman ensures his students are appropriately challenged by mixing 30 per cent reward with 70 per cent correction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat way they have enough incentive to feel like they\u2019re doing OK and they\u2019re moving forward, but at the same time they\u2019re being moved in the correct direction …\u00a0If it\u2019s too easy you don\u2019t learn anything,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Training novice boxers begins with balance, moving between static positions, and punching. Defensive skills are layered into the classes and details increase as the student improves.<\/p>\n
Conditioning involves working with an individual\u2019s genetic makeup to gain optimal speed and power.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHitting someone with power, cleanly, is really difficult when the other person\u2019s not cooperating,\u201d Goodman says, explaining that opponents avoid providing a target.<\/p>\n
He describes the ease of teaching someone the movements, like a rear naked choke hold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat takes a few minutes …\u00a0but to get somebody into a rear naked choke who isn\u2019t cooperating is really tough,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Opponents with different body weights and fighting knowledge provide an array of obstacles. Another hindrance\u00a0may\u00a0come in the form of physical health and injury.<\/p>\n
Now on what he says is his second life, Goodman overcame the challenge of recovering from a hip injury. For someone so athletic, it was gruelling to endure, both physically and mentally.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all in the mind, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDeveloping a drive towards a goal, that’s the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students discuss setting goals with him. Of the 15, two of Goodman\u2019s students are driven to box competitively. Training for a fight in October is their priority.<\/p>\n
Stewart\u2019s goal was to improve his cardiovascular capabilities and overall fitness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s improved my fitness, he\u2019s improved my cardio and he\u2019s just made me a lot more confident of a person …\u00a0That\u2019s all thanks to Dave,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sweet Science Boxing is open to all ages and levels. Goodman is proficient in precision training, conditioning, diet, motivation and life coaching as well as the Peek-A-Boo Defence and Dynamic KO style of boxing.\u00a0He can be reached at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘I\u2019m always trying to optimize my conditioning, my technique, you know, different aspects,’ says David Goodman who is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10739,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,10540,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-10738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-boxingcoachpersonal-trainersweet-science-boxingdavid-goodman","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}