With the Russian Federation Youth team now safely back in Moscow after their 2 week visit to Scotland, ABS can now reflect on an extremely beneficial Scotland Russia training camp held between 15 and 29 October 2012.
As previously described, this marvellous ‘coup’ would make our nation stand out against many simply due to the fact Russia had chosen to conduct their pre-2012 Youth World Championship camp on Scottish shores.
From the moment the Russians arrived it was clear to see why they have remained a dominant figure in the world of amateur boxing, with each of the 10 boxers in attendance currently ranked in the Top 5 AIBA World Youth Rankings – with 2 holding the prestigious No 1 spot.
The priority for ABS was to ensure our Elite boxers were given as much opportunity to spar and train alongside the Russian boxers as possible, with the ABS 2012 Youth World Championship team staying ‘residential’ for the majority of the 2 week camp.
The camp itself was coordinated on a 3 day rotation, broken down into 2 days training and 1 day rest. The training days comprised of between 2 – 3 sessions per day, with the sparring being conducted in the morning and afternoon. ABS also welcomed boxers from the British Army team during the second week of the sparring phase.
It was a great experience for both boxers and coaches involved to work and train alongside our Russian guests – the attention to detail in every session they conducted was inspiring to witness.
ABS would like to take this opportunity to announce that the Russian training ethic and ideology mirrors what is being delivered on the ITC courses and by the National coach and development coaches:
1) Do the basic skills well
2) Carry out drills to enhance the basic skills
3) Repetition to cement the basic skills!
During the rest days from training our guests were treated to differing sightseeing activities, from touring Edinburgh castle, go-karting and even a trip to a whisky distillery!
There is no doubting this training camp will go down as the start of a unique relationship between ABS and the Russian Federation of Amateur Boxing. After commenting that this camp had been the most worthwhile and enjoyable they had attended in recent years, it only pays testament to all those involved that ABS had portrayed themselves as a very professional and hospitable organisation.
ABS would like to thank the all the boxers, coaches and volunteers who all played a part in making this remarkable training camp succeed. A big thank-you must also go to the Victoria hotel in Kirkcaldy for accommodating the Russian team during their stay.
A selection of photos from the Russian team’s visit can be seen below and the rest can be viewed on www.facebook.com/amateurboxingscotland
