Ron Lipton: Q & A Thread

[JaKob]

Yes, some things are gone forever from our wells of strength, speed and the ability to absorb punishment. It is a fact of life. We can still stay in shape, be flexible, have good heart heath and look good, but getting in that ring to rock and roll is not one of them. It is still shocking to me to know that so many great fighters I have enjoyed knowing and watching are gone or disabled and so badly ill.

Speaking of longevity... i recently had the pleasure of watching you hit the heavy bag on you tube. I have seen ex boxers in their latter years hit the bag impressively with heavy, thudding blows. Still strong with heavy hands but lacking the coordination and sharpness to seamlessly recruit the muscle groups needed to produce that explosive snap in the shot. I was most surprised and impressed with the speed and snap in the right hands you unleashed on that bag. Have you retained that through sheer repetition and activity over the years or have you worked with strength and conditioning, plyometrics etc specifically to maintain your punching power?

[Theo Netherland]

Hi Ron, last week I discovered FST7. It was the first time I’ve ever heard of it. So I did a little investigation on the internet, and specially youtube, and it seems all of a sudden that whole world is training like that. The idea behind it is that the fascia around a muscle limits muscle growth so it needs to be stretched. And that's what FST7 does. My question is do you have any knowledge or an opinion about this system? Or an advise?

Regards Theo

http://www.fst-7.com/fst7.html

[Ron Lipton]

Speaking of longevity... i recently had the pleasure of watching you hit the heavy bag on you tube. I have seen ex boxers in their latter years hit the bag impressively with heavy, thudding blows. Still strong with heavy hands but lacking the coordination and sharpness to seamlessly recruit the muscle groups needed to produce that explosive snap in the shot. I was most surprised and impressed with the speed and snap in the right hands you unleashed on that bag. Have you retained that through sheer repetition and activity over the years or have you worked with strength and conditioning, plyometrics etc specifically to maintain your punching power?

R.

Speaking of longevity... i recently had the pleasure of watching you hit the heavy bag on you tube. I have seen ex boxers in their latter years hit the bag impressively with heavy, thudding blows. Still strong with heavy hands but lacking the coordination and sharpness to seamlessly recruit the muscle groups needed to produce that explosive snap in the shot. I was most surprised and impressed with the speed and snap in the right hands you unleashed on that bag. Have you retained that through sheer repetition and activity over the years or have you worked with strength and conditioning, plyometrics etc specifically to maintain your punching power?

R: Thank you JaKob.

I work on muscle control, stretching, the repetition and activity you mentioned for sure, overall complete speed and power launch in the attack, anatomically correct strikes while under pressure from attack and stress in a fight, but most of all mental attitude combined with achieving quality functional muscle for a real jungle cat panther response in a self defense situation against someone much stronger and experienced in MMA. I roll the dice and go for it hell bent for a KO and to cause instant serious damage and if we lose we lose, but you will remember the fight forever. That is how I feel, and what I practice.

I practice shadow boxing and always spend an hour or so each day studying vintage and present day fight films, MMA bouts too, like a scientist putting it all under a microscope.

I like to throw the short left hook more, but here are some long hooks in repetition thrown to the side of the body and head over and over just for fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7q0VnWlkVY

Some people say I have very fast hands even to this day in time, what I am proud of is that when I throw fast I throw hard and do not sacrifice power. I am showing my former heavyweight fighter some body control here and hand speed. When I looked at the actual film later, I was happy with the speed I generated. I put that into my punches all the time and teach it to those that will listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz8uy...82971EA9195948


Some short right hands, I was very hurried that day and had just taught for 2 1/2 hours two separate boxing classes and felt I was hitting hard as a drunken kitten, but tried to get the crunch in anyway.

best wishes,
Ron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvGBd...eature=related

[Ron Lipton]

Theo,

Everything he is saying makes sense and I truthfully have used these methods before when I was much younger. For any aspiring bodybuilder it will work combined with avoiding injury and the right diet. For guys my age I have to stick with my boxing training and flexibility issues and use his methods within moderation of my bodybuilding/boxing training.

Thanks for showing this to me buddy,

Ron

[Theo Netherland]

Thanks for your answer Ron!

Theo

[doomeddisciple]

G'day Ronny,

Just wanted to say that I caught a replay of Whitaker - Hurtado the other night on ESPN classics.

You say it ALL the time, or whenever that clown gets another fight - But I never noticed as much as I did in the past - I've watched about 5 fights since watching Pea bludgeon the hapless Hurtado, and I can't say I've ever seen a fight where the referee spends more time getting his mug on camera than that fight in particular.

The end of the fight should have been the end of his career, 4 years before Scotland died as a result of his terrible "officiating". It was nauseating to watch all these years later.

[Ron Lipton]

I wrote letters to the NYSAC, they have them, meetings about the horrific officiating by him and the endless blackballing attempts by him and his daddy with their pals. Nothing works. The family was always ultra conservative Republicans which is their right, the Democrats got in with Stevens who was a Republican ass kisser and kissed their ass anyway and let them shit on everyone, then the present NYSAC uses the same political hacks who caused ring deaths, covered them up, sent people to beat up anyone who complained, got their asses kicked, tampered with judges, juries and still use the worst officials who make Sara Palin look like a fucking genius, control award bodies, promoters and everything else.

"Junior's" legacy is the ring death, the clown show in Cotto v Foreman and just think of the political bums who said he did a good job in that fight. He lied so much on camera he made Weiner look like an honest man. It boils down to one thing only, the ring death, Hurtado beating, Reggie Green fiasco with Murray, Bennet v Hutchinsen, Dokes v Ruddock and all the rest, Junior aka Huntz Hall, listen to him speak, "Go to yaw cawna," "Who wants it maw?" a direct quote from his daddy's best friend Gil Clancy, "Son suck it up," a clown abomination who made Yuri Foreman fight on TV so he could be on TV "Longa" and say hello to his father on the air.

I got news for him, I lost my father too, I would not use a fight to say hello to him the proverbial sky on world wide tv, I would keep it to myself like a pro.

[doomeddisciple]

It's a life and death sport.

The LEAST the respective Commissions should do is have an accountable review process for official performances, from the judges to the most important official in the ring.

[Dino1]

Hello Ron, perhaps you can answer a question regarding Joe Louis's standup style? I noticed he would often lean his upper body to the right. Did he do this for a tactical reason or was it just a habit he picked up? Also, even after the Schmeling fight, he kept his left down rather low. Don't you think? Be well.

[Ron Lipton]

Good question. I was amazed that even in the rematch with Schmeling he still came out with it low but Joe was Joe and he was a fistic machine with great reflexes.
Joe was a creation of Jack "Chappie" Blackburn a rock hard old school lightweight who fought them all. Boxing styles passed down from trainer to pupil from different eras often contain what the trainer himself fought with as an underpinning to start with then is melded into the individual student as they progress.

Leaning over to the right putting your weight on your back leg means most of the time the guy is looking to launch his bread and butter punch, a right hand.
Yet, look at the left hooks of Joe Louis especially the ones he dropped Max Baer with. He could shift his weight off of that back leg like lightning.

I always thought Joe kept that left hand too damn low but 69-3, with losses only to Marciano and Charles as an old man, and the foolish loss from not training right to Max were more than made up for.

Archie Moore used to train Cassius Clay before he was Muhammad Ali, yet you see none of Archie's cross arm tricks in Ali's repertoire. Ali would lean back, dance away hands low and very rarely punch to the body. If it ain't broke don't fix it, for us lesser mortals it pays to adhere to the basics, keep your hands UP and ass off the floor.

[Dino1]

Ron, have you ever gone to a chiropractor? Was it a positive experience? I've heard mixed things. I hurt my back years ago doing squats and regular medical doctors can't help me. Was thinking of trying a chiropractor. Any thoughts? Thanks for your time.

[Ron Lipton]

I have gone to several Chiropractors both were females and they helped me very much. I recommend Chiropractic treatments for a certain amount of relief.

I always felt better after I left their office after being adjusted. As a police officer I was injured in a riot and my back one of the strongest parts of my body was helped quite a bit by their treatments.

best wishes,
Ron

[Dino1]

Thanks, Ron. I am going to one this Saturday.

[Off The River]

and my back one of the strongest parts of my body was helped quite a bit by their treatments.

Does your body have any weak parts?

[Ron Lipton]

Yes, my wallet.

[Ron Lipton]

Seriously, there is one spot above my right eyebrow that does not hurt me. The rest of my body hurts me all the time.

[Off The River]

LOL. I was going to suggest your hairline, but that would be cruel.

[HE Grant]

Ron did Evander knock down Ray Mercer with the left hook or did Ray take a knee due to any sort of cracked rib issue ? I keep hearing versions of this story and believe you will be the one who knows the truth ...

Thanks,

HE

[Ron Lipton]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA_BWf3Gnbg

A left right by Evander, and two short sharp left hooks did the trick. I know that those two sharp hooks to the chin did the trick.

Ron

[theironbar]

If I am not mistaken, it's Ron's birthday today -- so Happy Birthday Ron! 39 and feelin' fine!

[Ron Lipton]

Thank you pal, today Aug 8th was my 65th birthday. Best wishes,

Ron

[Theo Netherland]

Congratulations Ron! You are exact 15 years and 4 days older than me.

[Ron Lipton]

Thank you gentleman, much appreciated.

best wishes,
Ron

[Dino1]

Ron, do you still run? I just took a physical and my doctor/cardiologist cleared me for it. I am 55 years old and am thinking of starting. Do you find it bothers you knees at all? Any recommendations (other than starting slow and easy)? Thank you, Ron.

[Ron Lipton]

I don't run anymore, I walk 1-2 miles a day with my girlfriend and Staffordshire Terrier/Pit Bull Mix Allybear, up and down hills at a brisk pace which has the dog's tongue hanging to the ground. I also train one hour a day and do at least 100 elevated pushups on my knuckles plus a vicious ab routine and stretching, yoga, shadowboxing, and bodybuilding workout all crammed into one hour with little rest. I eat very strict and take the right supplements. My woman works out like a dedicated pro, so that is how we live. The dog was in for hell as soon as we rescued her, and she is like a panther on steroids from the healthy diet and exercise.
We love that dog to the max, great team here.

[Ron Lipton]

The elliptical is also a good choice and less stress on those knees. I did so much running in training camps with Carter, Tiger, Carlos Ortiz and trying to keep up with Ali who could run all day, I developed bone chips in both heels. I ran in paratrooper boots which Carter and Tiger wore and there were no running shoes of today in sight. I like to jump rope, and power walk, but to each his own. It can be rough on the knees and even experienced runners drop dead now and then.

Like Abdul said to Michael Douglas in "The Ghost in the Darkness," with a sawed off shotgun to his head, Yes, I want to live, most definitely."

[Dino1]

I understand that Ali when still very young and training in Miami was really into running. Dundee said he ran a minimum of eight miles a day and usually much more. I guess as age and success caught up with Ali he lost his motivation and he started going thru the motions and he took training less and less seriously.

[Ron Lipton]

Actually he still trained very hard but had to adjust as his body changed and gained weight with maturity. He never used weights but always ran up and down hills in Deer Lake. I ran quite a bit with him there. His body as Cassius Clay was ripped, good abs, really cut up torso at 205-210 at a height of 6'3". He did a lot of sparring and really had respect for Luis Rodriquez and Willie Pastrano two guys who used those legs in that ring.

He did situps off the massage table and ring apron using circles, torso twists, bicycle motions with his legs very fast, and a lot of speed bag and heavy bag work.
This guy got in shape sparring and it is my belief to this day that he received tremendous damage to his head in sparring letting the sparring partners like Dokes, Holmes, Ellis and others hit him too much. He was tough, became tougher, but it took its toll.

As he got older it became so much more arduous a process and you can see in those later year fights, he had problems with weight and movement. So what you say is true to a degree.

[Dino1]

I don't think Dundee would have ever let Ali used weights. In every interview, Dundee has made it clear he thinks it causes fighters to become musclebound. Perhaps he has since changed his mind. I have not heard his opinion on strength training in years. Gil Clancy said if he could have done one thing differently, he would have had his fighters do strength training with weights.

[Ron Lipton]

There exists to this day proponents of bodybuilding training for boxers using higher reps and the right amount of sets along with plyometrics combined with skill training and old school methods. I am one of them. Others who are knowledgeable in their own right oppose it vigorously wanting more supple smooth muscle which is functional for punching and in their estimation for endurance. Both sides perennially sit examples of the bane of both and the success of both schools of thought.

Personally, I know the strengths and pitfalls of both methods and have developed a successful system of my own which has a fighter functional and never running out of gas in a full fight shootout. I like my guys to look good, punch hard and fast and have power and endurance.

Yes, there are examples a plenty of muscular guys who cannot break an egg, smooth under developed guys who will knock your dick in the dirt, and then there are guys who have muscles that are functional, dangerous and have endurance. That is what I prefer and teach. Just training with bodybuilding methods will not save your ass in the ring. Skill and mental attitude will and finite aerobic conditioning for your whole body is a must.

Holyfield did it all, so did Tyson, you can be born a Dick Tiger or become a Hurricane Carter through training when he was at his zenith, NOT his downslide,
modern methods combined with old school work, but you need a fight teacher.

Just hitting the pads and hooking up with someone who TRULY did not have many fights is a joke to me. Once the bell rings you can have all the pimps in clown clothes you want in your corner wearing sun glasses, hats and glaring at your opponent, you can have fat trainers, guys who talk tough, yell at you, and guess what, when that bell rings you are on your own, so you better have someone there that can teach you how to knock the other guy O.U.T. or just stay in there and take punches all night until you burn out.

Everyone in every sport evolves, boxing is FIGHTING and the proper kind of bodybuilding to develop your punching muscles to enhance your running and boxing gym work is necessary. Do it wrong and it will not help. Look at the guy who knocked out Anne Wolfe's fighter in one round. Smooth muscled, anemic looking but torque and snap on his shots. I know all that, BUT we have something for those guys too, just like Tyson did.

Look what Jimmy Ellis did to Bonavena, speed, snap and timing. That is boxing. Add to that to make it all stronger and faster and boy you have something.

That is what I do, if only they would listen. LOL.