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Olympian Boxer Jennifer Chieng Prepares for Professional Debut with Coach Basheer Abdullah

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Not all coaching is the same. Sure lots of people know how to throw punches and hold pads, but the level of precision with which a good coach can make small tactical corrections varies immensely. Here you see former Olympic Boxing Coach Basheer Abdullah working with former Olympian Jennifer Chieng on details, as she prepares for her Professional Boxing Debut August 20th. We are not the same! Lots of people can make you tired on pads and post cool fast videos, but this is how you build champions.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Coach Basheer Abdullah:
We step in when we know the straight shot is coming. Okay, so what she’s doing is she’s returning a jab. That’s why we step in. That’s the only time we step, okay? If they wide shots, we rolling or blocking. Two. Okay.

 

Don’t come up. You coming up, you recovering too much. This is what you’re doing, you’re saying, “Bop, bop, bop,” then you say …

 

Okay, so go. After this, here. Stay compact for a second. Okay, let’s try it. Again.

 

Jennifer Chieng:
Now I feel like I’m falling forward.

 

Coach Basheer Abdullah:
Bring your foot back up under you. I don’t want you to stand up.

 

Bring your foot. When you move your foot, but stay seated.

 

Jennifer Chieng:
Okay.

 

Coach Basheer Abdullah:
Don’t do this. Okay? Do this. Good. See what I’m saying?

 

Jennifer Chieng:
Yeah.

 

Coach Basheer Abdullah:
Okay. And then you’re giving me, you’re giving your opponent the space to throw the long shots.

 

Okay. Almost like what Stephan was doing today. He was jabbing down, throwing a cross, and he popping out, against a guy with long end, and he was catching him every time. So I say, “Sit in the pocket, just throw your hands up and smother the shot.”

 

So he started doing this. Boom, like this, versus popping up.

 

Okay. Creating the space for the long cross or long jab.


Nice, you got the sweet spot. Right on target. If I didn’t have this shield on, my old ass probably be going down. All right, here we go. Good. Again. Take your time, sit down on the jab-hook.

 

Jennifer Chieng:
Down, stepping on the jab?

 

Coach Basheer Abdullah:
No … Yes.

 

Jennifer Chieng:
I am?

 

Coach Basheer Abdullah:
But you got to be sitting down when you come in. Then you say, “Boom, boom.” Okay? Down.

 

All right, there you go. Here.

 

Put the last two together.

 

Bop, bop, okay?

 

There you go. Okay. Nice.


Sit down. Okay, so if you’re going to go, I don’t mind you taking the foot and step with it to keep your chin behind that knee.

 

Okay. You say, “Bop …” Okay?

 

Now my chin is still behind the knee, versus doing this. Bop, shifting your trunk, your foot don’t move and your chin is over the knee.

 

And that’s why you look like you’re ready to fall forward sometimes. Okay, all right. Okay, so do it slow. One, step. Step with the front foot. One, and then give me that shot. Okay. So you want to say, “Boom, here, and go.” A short step. Again. Sit, though.

 

Jennifer Chieng:
Am I not sitting?

 

Coach Basheer Abdullah:
No, no, no, you leaning.

 

Jennifer Chieng:
Okay.

 

Coach Basheer Abdullah:
All right. Again. Good, like that. That’s sitting down. Okay?

 

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