Olympic boxing

[Warrior189]

All I want to know is how do they chose the boxers to compete in the Olympics n can different weight classes compete or is it just 1 types of weight class?

[Sagacious Lu]

So, if you want to start getting into the competitions that can put you on the team, get some experience in the local "smokers" (fights where all you need to do is show up with your pass book, weigh in, and hopefully get a match)

Do you know a good way to find out about times/dates of smokers that are close to me? Also, what is a "pass book"?

[Sagacious Lu]

Thanks for the info. I'm in Atlanta, Ga. I'm very happy with the TMA school that I've been training at, but I really want to face some live opponents in the ring. I'm not sure if a boxing match is the best place for me to do that because so many of the techniques I practice aren't allowed. Then again if anyone can just show up and get a match up it sounds like an easy way to get some invaluable experience.

[twtguy]

What age do you have to be to qualify for the olympics?

[Sagacious Lu]

I believe the qualifying age is 17 and up, but I could be wrong. As far as using boxing tournaments to gain TMA experience, I'd caution against it. The way that usually works is you get your ass handed to you because the rules are so different and either you come away feeling slighted because the boxing world is somehow less "real" than the martial arts world and wouldn't allow you to use all the tools that "really work" or you end up just plain bitter. I don't think I've ever seen a purely traditional martial artist do well against a trained and ready boxer under boxing rules. Boxers are not only quite accustomed to being hit, they also tend not to stop once they get you in trouble the way a lot of martial artists are used to. It's certainly great experience, but if you compete, be willing to try boxing for boxing's sake. As a stylistic comparison, the deck is well stacked against you. Now sparring with boxers is another story, and you can learn a lot about yourself and your art in doing that. But as I've quoted before, Mark Twain said it well when he wrote:

"When you pick a cat up by the tail, you learn something about a cat that you can learn in no other way."

In short, the lesson may indeed be valuable, but that may not be any fun at all. Fights are easy to get, but not at all easy to win. Take that advice for what it's worth. Like I said, I do encourage you to explore the sport for its own sake, and I'd bet you'd fall in love with it if you're a competitive type. Just be careful using it as a barometer for your TMA "success."

I appreciate your thoughts, I've got the feeling you speak from experience. My motivation is a combination of just wanting the thrill of competition as well as wanting to face opponents from different fighting styles. At the same time I think it would be a counter-productive to put myself into match I'm not prepared for. I practice some very different skills than you need for boxing and there's nothing more useless than blaming the rules of a sport if you lose. It seems like it might be a better idea for me to find some boxers to spar with than to just enter a match.

[TerryV]

Mikes right, 17 is min age, use to be 16 but then again use to only be $6 a year for a AAU card. Then ABF came in and when upto $10 and so on.