Cuba's coach Julio Lázaro Mena: How to train to be a top boxer
Cuba is one of the great nations in the history of boxing at the Olympic Games for many reasons:
Cuban boxers have won 41 Olympic gold medals. Only the Americans have won more (50). In total, Cuban boxers have accumulated 78 Olympic medals in this sport, the nation with the third most podium finishes.
And all this without any female boxer from the island having competed in the Games yet, but that may change as women's boxing in Cuba was approved in December 2022.
In the second and final World Qualification Tournament, to be held from 24 May to 2 June in Thailand, boxers have a final chance to secure a quota for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Yakelín Estornell could make history for Cuba if she obtains an Olympic spot for Paris 2024, which starts 26 July, yet she is not the only one.
Two male boxers, Julio Cesar la Cruz and Arlen Lopez, could become among the best in history if they win their third Olympic gold each in the French capital.
But it is not only plentiful medals and history makers that define Cuban boxing. Their style has also created a school of thought.
Julio Lázaro Mena, coach of Cuba's national boxing team, explained why many nations look to Cuban boxing for inspiration and how they train at the Cuban National Boxing School to reach the top.
Cuba's national boxing team's day-to-day life
A typical day in the life of Cuba's best Olympic boxers goes like this, according to Julio Lázaro Mena:
- Wake up: 6:30 am. On university days, such as Wednesday, it's earlier [approximately 5:00 am]. “The normal training of Cuban athletes mostly starts very early. In the morning at 06:30 they wake up at the training center, where they have their breakfast.”
- First training session: 7:30 am. “An hour later the training begins with the first morning session, in which we mostly work on the physical aspect. Afterwards, they have a rest time in their rooms at the training center.”
- Lunch: noon.
- Second training session. “Three hours after lunch, approximately, the second session begins, which is where we emphasize the technical-tactical part of the boxer. Then comes the rest and that's the end of the training day.”
Training in the ring or in the gym?
Julio Lázaro Mena is clear that boxers need to put more emphasis on their training in the ring, the natural habitat of the fighters.
“It's better to work in the ring because that's where the athlete gets their fighting distance. In the ring we polish some technical elements. Fifty to 60 percent of the training planning should be inside a ring.
“Training in the gym is very important because boxing is a very dynamic sport in which many physical capabilities prevail that are found in the competition arena. And the gym work is super important, as is the work in the ring, the running, the strength exercises, the boxing-specific equipment... All the exercises are complementary. Work in the gym is almost as important as work in the ring.
“It is very complementary because of the dynamics that boxing fights have: the physical preference of the boxer is very changeable according to the opponent's style and that is why we also give great importance to the gym work.”
Boxing: How to train mental toughness?
“We train mental strength by giving the boxer the possibility, energy and knowledge of boxing in competitive scenarios. We teach them to trust in the qualities they have,” says Mena.
“Also, in the team we have a psychology specialist, who is the one who works mostly in that field and gives them many more tools than we do. We [the coaching staff] work on psychological aspects based on general notions regarding their personality, regarding the dynamics of competition, regarding the changes that mostly occur in their personality when facing a fight. But the fundamental aspects are worked on by the psychology specialist”.
What makes the best boxers different from the rest?
In Julio Lázaro Mena's opinion, there are two main reasons why Cuba is one of the boxing powers in the history of the Olympic Games:
“The first thing that makes us different is the love felt by those who are dedicated to boxing in our country. They work insatiably, they work with a lot of dedication and they are always going to try to make their boxers the best.
“It is also said that dancing is fundamental in the Caribbean and in Cuba they managed to combine the boxing legs, which are the most important thing, with dancing. And that's where the Cuban boxing style is born, that it seems that they are dancing in the ring on the rhythmic movements of Cuban dance, Cuban salsa. The essence of Cuban boxing is to link the dance rhythms of Cuba with the boxing technique. So the Cuban boxer always gets into the ring to enjoy their fight. The more they enjoy it, the better things will work out.
“For Cubans, boxing is one more culture. It is part of the idiosyncrasy of the Cuban, one of the most deeply rooted sports that exists in the country.”
Beyond boxing: the importance of discipline in training
One word that comes up often when talking to Cuban boxers and coaches is discipline.
But what does it mean in terms of their training regimen?
“Discipline is the most important thing. An athlete who is not disciplined is never going to make it as an Olympic or world champion,” says Mena.
“Discipline is seen from the first moment they enter the training center until they leave. Discipline is key when it comes to eating, as well as discipline in training schedules, and discipline in terms of behavior in the social school, in the street, since boxers are mostly active, they are social agents, they are people who inspire youth”.
2nd World Qualification Tournament: How to watch live
The 2nd World Qualification Tournament for Paris 2024 will be streamed live on Olympics.com from 24 May until 2 June.