Showing posts with label events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label events. Show all posts
Monday, November 28, 2011
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Busy Week at Work
It has been a hectic work week. I guess that's a good thing--or will be, if all of these leads turn into paying clients.
I'll be back to more regular blogging soon. For now, a brief update. I had some good sparring on Sunday and decent training during the week. I spent the evening with some guys from the "fight club" by having dinner at the Terragusto Cafe. The food was quite good, but there was really too much served (I don't even remember how many courses there were--it was insane) and the price was a lot higher than I had expected--about a week's grocery bill for me. It's a good thing I don't eat like that regularly; if I did, I'd have to train 6 hours a day just to keep the extra weight off.
After dinner, we headed to St. Andrews gym to watch some of the preliminary bouts at the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament. A good time was seemingly had by all and it was fun to have a guys' night out with the new friends I'm training with on Sundays. It was also a nice break in the action of a really busy work week.
I'll be back to more regular blogging soon. For now, a brief update. I had some good sparring on Sunday and decent training during the week. I spent the evening with some guys from the "fight club" by having dinner at the Terragusto Cafe. The food was quite good, but there was really too much served (I don't even remember how many courses there were--it was insane) and the price was a lot higher than I had expected--about a week's grocery bill for me. It's a good thing I don't eat like that regularly; if I did, I'd have to train 6 hours a day just to keep the extra weight off.
After dinner, we headed to St. Andrews gym to watch some of the preliminary bouts at the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament. A good time was seemingly had by all and it was fun to have a guys' night out with the new friends I'm training with on Sundays. It was also a nice break in the action of a really busy work week.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Update on Sunday's "Fight Club"
As I mentioned last week, I've attended the boxing group at my gym the last two Sundays. It's fun. It's all midlife guys who have about the same level of boxing experience. It has been informally called "fight club." The coach is Glen Freedman, the head boxing coach at East Bank Club. I first met Glen several years ago when I boxed in a charitable fund-raising event for the DuPage County Bar Association called the "Bar Bouts." Glen was in my opponent's corner, and we stayed in contact after that. It's good to see him at GoTime for an hour or two each week.
The workout was a pretty standard boxing training session. Here's how it goes.
During the first part, we do a warm-up and then practice several rounds on all the bags (heavy, speed, double-end, uppercut), jump rope, and do shadowboxing. I almost always do some easy stretching after I break a sweat; I want to remain flexible and avoid injuries. This first part is the least structured; there are about 12 guys training in the gym at these practices, so having some time to get into the routine on our own is helpful.
While all the individual work is happening, Glen calls each of us into the ring to work one round on the punch mitts with him. We get just one round of this, because of the number of guys present, but if a smaller group showed up on any particular day, I think Glen might do more rounds with that. I felt a lot better this week working with Glen. Since the time is limited, there's an added sense of urgency to stay focused and mentally present during the round, in order to squeeze the most benefit out of it.
My round went well. My "finisher" right, which had been a bit sluggish last week, flowed easily as I threw the combination: left jab-straight right-left hook-right cross. It was good to have some power on that last punch without sacrificing speed or accuracy on the first three.
The next part is contact sparring drills. Because we're practicing punches, we wear headgear and mouthpieces and 16 oz. gloves. We start by working on the basics, such as left jab (so far, there are no southpaws in the group), one-two, and so on. As round follows round, we work at more complex combinations, defense, adjusting stance and balance as needed, and counterpunching. This is very helpful to me because it is realistic and lets us practice the fundamentals a lot. (I don't think any athlete can ever spend too much time practicing the basics of his sport.) It's safe and fun, but the guys punch about as hard as they do in sparring, so using defense is an important part of the practice.
Next, we have sparring. The drills and sparring are at a fast pace and Glen keeps everyone moving. There's a lot of rotation, so everyone gets some experience practicing with all the other boxers. I like the quicker pace and it allows us to practice with more of the other boxers. For example, this Sunday, I sparred four rounds with three different guys and had the benefit of practicing with their different styles. What worked well with Mark didn't work so well with Eric, and my two rounds with Brian had plenty of challenges.
(Mental note: I need to move more when sparring with Brian. I could easily see him and me standing toe to toe and trading huge bombs. There is definitely a time and place for that, but I'm trying to avoid developing bad habits, or, as the case may be with my willingness to get into a slugfest, to avoid sliding back into old bad habits.) The pace and power were perfect, too; no one is trying to take anyone's head off, but the guys do push each other and encourage one another to improve. There's a camaraderie--even a team spirit--in this intense, most individual of sports. For example, Eric commented that my jab was working a lot better this week, so it was good to see some of that ring rust falling off.
After sparring, we do some abs work. It's a straightforward routine, but beneficial, and you can work at your own pace in an encouraging environment. The medicine ball gets to play a part, and I always feel especially alive when I get that lactic acid burn as I push myself to do yet one more crunch.
Finally, we finish strong with "30s"--three rounds of punching the heavy bag as hard and as fast as we can for 30 seconds, while a partner holds the bag. Then we switch with our partner and he punches for 30 seconds while we hold the bag. That goes on until all the guys have done their three speed rounds. Final stretching and cool down is on our own.
The workout was a pretty standard boxing training session. Here's how it goes.
During the first part, we do a warm-up and then practice several rounds on all the bags (heavy, speed, double-end, uppercut), jump rope, and do shadowboxing. I almost always do some easy stretching after I break a sweat; I want to remain flexible and avoid injuries. This first part is the least structured; there are about 12 guys training in the gym at these practices, so having some time to get into the routine on our own is helpful.
While all the individual work is happening, Glen calls each of us into the ring to work one round on the punch mitts with him. We get just one round of this, because of the number of guys present, but if a smaller group showed up on any particular day, I think Glen might do more rounds with that. I felt a lot better this week working with Glen. Since the time is limited, there's an added sense of urgency to stay focused and mentally present during the round, in order to squeeze the most benefit out of it.
My round went well. My "finisher" right, which had been a bit sluggish last week, flowed easily as I threw the combination: left jab-straight right-left hook-right cross. It was good to have some power on that last punch without sacrificing speed or accuracy on the first three.
The next part is contact sparring drills. Because we're practicing punches, we wear headgear and mouthpieces and 16 oz. gloves. We start by working on the basics, such as left jab (so far, there are no southpaws in the group), one-two, and so on. As round follows round, we work at more complex combinations, defense, adjusting stance and balance as needed, and counterpunching. This is very helpful to me because it is realistic and lets us practice the fundamentals a lot. (I don't think any athlete can ever spend too much time practicing the basics of his sport.) It's safe and fun, but the guys punch about as hard as they do in sparring, so using defense is an important part of the practice.
Next, we have sparring. The drills and sparring are at a fast pace and Glen keeps everyone moving. There's a lot of rotation, so everyone gets some experience practicing with all the other boxers. I like the quicker pace and it allows us to practice with more of the other boxers. For example, this Sunday, I sparred four rounds with three different guys and had the benefit of practicing with their different styles. What worked well with Mark didn't work so well with Eric, and my two rounds with Brian had plenty of challenges.
(Mental note: I need to move more when sparring with Brian. I could easily see him and me standing toe to toe and trading huge bombs. There is definitely a time and place for that, but I'm trying to avoid developing bad habits, or, as the case may be with my willingness to get into a slugfest, to avoid sliding back into old bad habits.) The pace and power were perfect, too; no one is trying to take anyone's head off, but the guys do push each other and encourage one another to improve. There's a camaraderie--even a team spirit--in this intense, most individual of sports. For example, Eric commented that my jab was working a lot better this week, so it was good to see some of that ring rust falling off.
After sparring, we do some abs work. It's a straightforward routine, but beneficial, and you can work at your own pace in an encouraging environment. The medicine ball gets to play a part, and I always feel especially alive when I get that lactic acid burn as I push myself to do yet one more crunch.
Finally, we finish strong with "30s"--three rounds of punching the heavy bag as hard and as fast as we can for 30 seconds, while a partner holds the bag. Then we switch with our partner and he punches for 30 seconds while we hold the bag. That goes on until all the guys have done their three speed rounds. Final stretching and cool down is on our own.
Monday, May 19, 2008
JD Bliss Webinar with Carolyn Elefant: "From BigLaw to YourLaw: The Secrets of Starting and Growing a Successful Solo Law Practice"
Attention all lawyers:
Many of you know that I am a guest blogger and regular contributor at the JD Bliss Blog. I'm thrilled to post this announcement about Carolyn Elefant's upcoming webinar.
JD Bliss is proud to announce a new webinar on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 12:30 PM EST:
During this 60-minute webinar, Carolyn Elefant, Esq., successful solo attorney, author of Solo by Choice, and publisher of the popular MyShingle blog for solo lawyers, will cover the nuts and bolts of starting up and growing your own successful solo law practice.
Attendees will learn:
Location: Participate remotely from the comfort of your own office or conference room via a webex connection!
We look forward to greeting you!
I'm reading Carolyn's new book, Solo by Choice, and am thoroughly enjoying it. I recommend that you read the book and attend her webinar on June 3 to take advantages of these opportunities to learn about solo practice from Carolyn's extensive experience and clear, practical, and interesting way of presenting information about this exciting sector of our profession.
Many of you know that I am a guest blogger and regular contributor at the JD Bliss Blog. I'm thrilled to post this announcement about Carolyn Elefant's upcoming webinar.
JD Bliss is proud to announce a new webinar on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 12:30 PM EST:
From BigLaw to YourLaw: The Secrets of Starting and Growing a Successful Solo Law Practice
with
Carolyn Elefant, Esq.
Attorney, Author, Blogger and Consultant
During this 60-minute webinar, Carolyn Elefant, Esq., successful solo attorney, author of Solo by Choice, and publisher of the popular MyShingle blog for solo lawyers, will cover the nuts and bolts of starting up and growing your own successful solo law practice.
Attendees will learn:
- The 9 reasons lawyers leave law firms to start their own practices
- How to evaluate whether starting your own law firm is the right choice for you
- How to write a business plan for your new firm
- Techniques to identify potential clients and markets
- 3 easy marketing tools to help build your reputation
- How to negotiate an amicable departure from your current firm without "burning bridges"
- And much more. . . . . .
Location: Participate remotely from the comfort of your own office or conference room via a webex connection!
We look forward to greeting you!
I'm reading Carolyn's new book, Solo by Choice, and am thoroughly enjoying it. I recommend that you read the book and attend her webinar on June 3 to take advantages of these opportunities to learn about solo practice from Carolyn's extensive experience and clear, practical, and interesting way of presenting information about this exciting sector of our profession.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Update on UNB Law Students' Boxing Event
A few days ago, I wrote about an event that law students at the University of New Brunswick planned to hold in order to raise funds for the Lawyers Against Landmines organization. Since then, I have traded a couple of e-mails with Gavin Cosgrove, the event's organizer. He seems like a great guy and he was kind enough to send me this news update about the Knocking Out Landmines event, which was a great success.
Gavin and I have talked briefly about working together to host a USA vs. Canada boxing event featuring lawyers and law students. That would be great, since I've been pondering the idea of organizing another lawyers' charitable boxing event here in Chicago. He and I will talk further about this.
Congratulations to Gavin and the rest of the UNB law students who boxed and raised a lot of funds for the Canadian Landmine Foundation. Well done, lads (and lass)!
Gavin and I have talked briefly about working together to host a USA vs. Canada boxing event featuring lawyers and law students. That would be great, since I've been pondering the idea of organizing another lawyers' charitable boxing event here in Chicago. He and I will talk further about this.
Congratulations to Gavin and the rest of the UNB law students who boxed and raised a lot of funds for the Canadian Landmine Foundation. Well done, lads (and lass)!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Law Students Set to Box in Charity Event
First, we have some lawyer-boxers (such as Marc Saggese and yours truly). Then we have a lawyer-boxer-turned-Aikido-practitioner. Then there's Marc, the first law student-boxer I have met online. Also, Brett Trout is a lawyer-cage fighter, also known as Iowa's Toughest Attorney.
Continuing the fine tradition of legal types as fighters, eight law students at the University of New Brunswick's law school will climb into the ring tomorrow to put on a boxing show to raise funds for the charitable group Lawyers Against Landmines. Pretty cool stuff, eh?
Here's the Web site for the event. If you happen to be in the area, check these guys out. They're hosting the event for a good cause and it looks like it will be a blast. New Brunswick's kind of far from me; otherwise, I'd love to attend.
I expect the law students and their audience will have a great time. (I wonder if they would allow lawyers who have already been admitted/called to the bar to participate.) Several years ago, I was privileged to box in a local fundraiser for the DuPage County Legal Assistance Foundation. It was serious fun and I hope to have the chance to participate in similar events again.
That gives me an idea. Wouldn't be neat if we had an organization for lawyers and law students that could periodically hold events like the Knocking Out Landmines event? We could help some worthy organizations, encourage lawyers and law students to maintain higher levels of fitness, and have fun doing it. What do you think? Post any ideas you have here in the comments, or feel free to e-mail me at steve@lawyerboxer.com.
To the New Brunswick law student-boxers: good luck in your event. I hope it will be a great time, a huge success for the fund-raising campaign, and a memorable and fun event for everyone. Let us know how it goes!
Updated on March 25, 2008 at 5:20 p.m.: Here is another news article about the event.
Updated on March 27, 2008 at 12:12 a.m.: I don't have any post-fight coverage of the event, but here's an additional story about it:
http://law.unb.ca/news/2008/03/knocking_out_landmines.html
Continuing the fine tradition of legal types as fighters, eight law students at the University of New Brunswick's law school will climb into the ring tomorrow to put on a boxing show to raise funds for the charitable group Lawyers Against Landmines. Pretty cool stuff, eh?
Here's the Web site for the event. If you happen to be in the area, check these guys out. They're hosting the event for a good cause and it looks like it will be a blast. New Brunswick's kind of far from me; otherwise, I'd love to attend.
I expect the law students and their audience will have a great time. (I wonder if they would allow lawyers who have already been admitted/called to the bar to participate.) Several years ago, I was privileged to box in a local fundraiser for the DuPage County Legal Assistance Foundation. It was serious fun and I hope to have the chance to participate in similar events again.
That gives me an idea. Wouldn't be neat if we had an organization for lawyers and law students that could periodically hold events like the Knocking Out Landmines event? We could help some worthy organizations, encourage lawyers and law students to maintain higher levels of fitness, and have fun doing it. What do you think? Post any ideas you have here in the comments, or feel free to e-mail me at steve@lawyerboxer.com.
To the New Brunswick law student-boxers: good luck in your event. I hope it will be a great time, a huge success for the fund-raising campaign, and a memorable and fun event for everyone. Let us know how it goes!
Updated on March 25, 2008 at 5:20 p.m.: Here is another news article about the event.
Updated on March 27, 2008 at 12:12 a.m.: I don't have any post-fight coverage of the event, but here's an additional story about it:
http://law.unb.ca/news/2008/03/knocking_out_landmines.html
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Happy Birthday to Me!
I am celebrating today. It's interesting: I don't feel 44 years old. I feel a lot younger, but maybe that is due to workouts. I hope so.
Training has been moving along. I'll post an update later today or tomorrow. For now, I'm simply savoring the moment.
May all beings be safe, healthy, happy, prosperous, and at peace.
Training has been moving along. I'll post an update later today or tomorrow. For now, I'm simply savoring the moment.
May all beings be safe, healthy, happy, prosperous, and at peace.
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Best Laid Plans...
On Saturday, I invited my friend Mark to visit my new gym and join me for a workout. He is interested in joining, and is interested in boxing as well as weight lifting. So far so good.
Mark and I arranged to meet there at 1:00 p.m. Of course, even though I allowed plenty of time to get there, I had to wait for the 18th Street bus for half an hour--the longest wait I've ever had for that bus--and I got their late. Still, no problem, because Mark wasn't very upset about having to wait for me. He got a tour of our gym and some basic information about it, along with a 7-day trial pass so he can use the facilities and see how well he likes it.
The problem is that we did not get to do our workout as planned. Since it was nearly 1:15 when I got there and 1:20 when Mark returned from walking around the neighborhood, there was time just for a tour and a few questions, but no workout, because the USA team, in town for the world championships, is training at my gym! How cool is that? Here's a little more detail.
The USA team was scheduled to begin their training at 2:00 p.m. It was my (perhaps erroneous) understanding that the gym was going to be closed to members for security reasons. I need to check into that because the news source I quoted above says the training sessions will be open to the media, so if media, why not members? I believe there is training scheduled for Monday, so I need to verify that. After all, as a blogger, I am part of the new media! It would be great to watch the team train, although it is probably in the early afternoon when it might be very difficult to get there, but we shall see!
In any event, I am psyched to be training at the same gym where the USA world championships team is training. Just knowing they are there is pretty cool. Hopefully, Mark and the other guys can join me there this week, and to see some of the tournament.
Mark and I arranged to meet there at 1:00 p.m. Of course, even though I allowed plenty of time to get there, I had to wait for the 18th Street bus for half an hour--the longest wait I've ever had for that bus--and I got their late. Still, no problem, because Mark wasn't very upset about having to wait for me. He got a tour of our gym and some basic information about it, along with a 7-day trial pass so he can use the facilities and see how well he likes it.
The problem is that we did not get to do our workout as planned. Since it was nearly 1:15 when I got there and 1:20 when Mark returned from walking around the neighborhood, there was time just for a tour and a few questions, but no workout, because the USA team, in town for the world championships, is training at my gym! How cool is that? Here's a little more detail.
"The 11-man squad arrived early Thursday before checking into their hotel and taking part in their first training session at GOTIME Chicago. The team will train at the local gym through the opening day of competition. Following their first training session in the Windy City, Team USA enjoyed a team dinner of Italian food at a local Chicago restaurant.
"They will continue their final few days of training on Friday morning, getting in an early morning run prior to training at 2 p.m. at GOTIME. The 2007 event is the first senior world championships for nine of the 11 team members with only flyweight Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) and bantamweight Gary Russell, Jr. (Capitol Heights, Md.) having competed in the 2005 edition. Both boxers took home bronze medals from the 2005 World Championships in Mianyang, China."
The USA team was scheduled to begin their training at 2:00 p.m. It was my (perhaps erroneous) understanding that the gym was going to be closed to members for security reasons. I need to check into that because the news source I quoted above says the training sessions will be open to the media, so if media, why not members? I believe there is training scheduled for Monday, so I need to verify that. After all, as a blogger, I am part of the new media! It would be great to watch the team train, although it is probably in the early afternoon when it might be very difficult to get there, but we shall see!
In any event, I am psyched to be training at the same gym where the USA world championships team is training. Just knowing they are there is pretty cool. Hopefully, Mark and the other guys can join me there this week, and to see some of the tournament.
World Amateur Boxing Championships in Chicago
The World Amateur Boxing Championships will be held here in Chicago from October 23 through November 3. The event will be at the UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) Pavillion.
It looks like it will be a pretty hectic week at work (that's why I am blogging at 1:44 a.m. on Monday), but I am hoping to attend some of the event, since it lasts two weeks. I'm also hoping some of the boys from my old club will go. We'll see what happens.
If you happen to be in Chicago this week or next, and you plan to attend the tournament, you just might get to meet your friendly neighborhood lawyer-boxer-blogger. :-)
It looks like it will be a pretty hectic week at work (that's why I am blogging at 1:44 a.m. on Monday), but I am hoping to attend some of the event, since it lasts two weeks. I'm also hoping some of the boys from my old club will go. We'll see what happens.
If you happen to be in Chicago this week or next, and you plan to attend the tournament, you just might get to meet your friendly neighborhood lawyer-boxer-blogger. :-)
Monday, October 15, 2007
Gleason's Gym and The Real Fight Club Sponsor Fight Night on December 11
This event will be in London, England. It looks to be a good time and the event will raise money to help build a youth boxing gym.
I was invited to box in this event last year and this year. I was hoping to do it this year, but money is tight now, so traveling to the UK in December is out of the question. Hopefully, if this event is held next year, I'll be able to participate then. For now, it's training, training, and more training.
I was invited to box in this event last year and this year. I was hoping to do it this year, but money is tight now, so traveling to the UK in December is out of the question. Hopefully, if this event is held next year, I'll be able to participate then. For now, it's training, training, and more training.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Extell Wall Street Charity Boxing Charity Championship: November 1, 2007
This looks like it will be a great event. From the press release announcing it:
http://www.wallstreetboxing.com
This type of event is great fun. Several years ago, I boxed in a charitable fundraising event sponsored by the DuPage County Bar Association. All the boxers were lawyers. I had a blast. My coach, Bernard, is hoping to hold another charitable event featuring doctors versus lawyers. That will be fun, too. I've already been informally challenged for the event, so I hope we can make it happen.
If you're going to be in New York City on November 1, check out this event. If you do attend, please tell us all about it.
The Extell Wall Street Boxing Charity Championship challenges Wall Street’s finest from top Wall Street banks and trading firms, to fight at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom on behalf of their favorite New York charity. The announcement was made by Extell Development Company today at the closing bell of The New York Mercantile Exchange.I don't think I can be in New York on November 1, but this ought to be a good time. Their Web site has all the information about reservations and tickets.
“Extell and Wall Street are getting together in the same corner to raise money for New York charities,” said Marc Shaw, Executive Vice President of Extell Development Company. “This was a perfect fit for us and we are extremely happy that it has become a reality. ... We look forward to a great evening!” Six New York based charitable partners will be announced over coming weeks.
...
All bouts will be three two-minute rounds and all the fighters will be weight-class, age and skill matched. Those chosen to compete are being given complete training support provided by Trinity Boxing Club.
http://www.wallstreetboxing.com
This type of event is great fun. Several years ago, I boxed in a charitable fundraising event sponsored by the DuPage County Bar Association. All the boxers were lawyers. I had a blast. My coach, Bernard, is hoping to hold another charitable event featuring doctors versus lawyers. That will be fun, too. I've already been informally challenged for the event, so I hope we can make it happen.
If you're going to be in New York City on November 1, check out this event. If you do attend, please tell us all about it.
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