"You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.”
— Indira Gandhi
The above is a perfect quote applicable to boxing. Boxing is all about relaxed strength and engagement. It’s about being aware and alert when out of hitting distance (repose) and being calm when in the pocket (still in the midst of activity). It’s also about how you travel from repose to activity. As boxers, we call this crossing the gap. Crossing the gap must be mastered before one can even entertain hanging out in the pocket.
Once in the pocket, the goal is to slow down the mind and adrenaline reactions so you can have specific effective responses.
I’m sure you can think of a million things in life that are like a boxer crossing the gap. All you have to do is think about any potentially difficult conversation and right there you have your range from repose to activity.
You can rush and bull doze through, refuse to cross it, half way flee while going in, tip-toe, inch in, move in-then out-then in again and a million other variations.
When you watch a boxing match, you will often times see boxers pawing at each other, moving around, circling, feinting, testing the distance and the reactions of their opponent. This is all meant to set up crossing the gap to get into the pocket. Once in the pocket, the goal is to slow down the mind and adrenaline reactions so you can have specific effective responses. It takes a ton of repetition and practice as well as a lot of failure.
I think one of the biggest keys to having more success is to stay “vibrantly alive in repose”; to not settle for complacency; to stay engaged and be ready to move at any moment in a methodical, engaging and explosive way if necessary.
Next time your hanging around your house, check and see how you are in moments of repose.
(edited, originally posted by Arcaro Boxing)
