[Swizec]

My favorite part of boxing is that it’s a very honest martial art. If you punch the other person more than they punch you, you win. Even the most technical coach will tell you that all the technique and philosophy we train is just there to improve your chances.

When you’re in the ring, forget the theory, do what works (within the rules). If your instinct says to throw a weird punch at a weird time, do it. You probably saw an opening.

I also like that boxing is full contact. No amount of katas or whatever will teach you as much about yourself as getting actually punched in the face will.

Similar to how no amount of analysis can beat actually shipping software and seeing what customers say.

[neilv]

Hence the sayings "Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the face" and "The enemy gets a vote". There's a lot of truth to this.

I suppose we have to be careful not to rationalize mindless flailing, when we should be keeping our heads and mixing levels of intuition and thinking appropriate to the occasion. (Rather than throw random things at a customer each sprint, and purely react, we can be smarter about what we throw. Also, a one-week sprint isn't about acting in the moment of a hundredth of a second.)

[Swizec]

> not to rationalize mindless flailing, when we should be keeping our heads and mixing levels of intuition and thinking appropriate to the occasion

This is true. When two experienced boxers (even ones who never compete) face off, it’s like a chess match. Both thinking five steps ahead and it’s as beautiful to watch as it is fun to experience.

But never underestimate the beginner. They will hurt you in the first 30 seconds because they’re scared and don’t realize their own strength. Then after 30 seconds they’re out of steam and you can do your thing … if your head’s still on.