Guide to being a cornerman

A cornerman's primary responsibility is for the safety of his fighter. The team are also responsible for formulating tactics and contingency plans to be discussed during the break between rounds.

The team usually consisting of three including the coach / instructor will provide any first aid treatment, provide water, wipe sweat from the fighters and apply precautions such as vaseline while the coach or instructor discussed tactics with the fighter.
The corner team will need some equipment - some will be suppplied by the fighter, some will be owned by the club and shared between fighters. 


Materials:


1. A Tote. Basically a vessel for carrying all your equipment, making it easily accessible.


2. Water/Ice. Water for preventing dehydration, and ice for reducing swelling.


3. Icepack.  They are used to treat swelling and preventing strains and pulls. Ice packs can be purchased online or you can improvise using a plastic bag filled with ice and stuffed into a small pillowcase. 



4. Spit bucket. No one wants spit in the ring!
4. Bruise Iron, stored and chilled with the ice the iron is used to compress areas of swelling.




5. Towel. To clean up sweat, blood, etc.


6. Tape. 1 inch tape will serve you just fine. Again, this is for wrapping hands and can also be used to tape your fighters gloves, shin guards or anything else that may move around during the fight.


7. Cotton Swabs for cuts and nose bleeds.


8. Vaseline. Applied to areas that are likely to be cut like the cheeks, and eye ridges, forehead and bridge of the nose.


9. Scissors.


10. Latex gloves. We don't want to share blood.



11. Stop Watch. The more information you can get on timing of the rounds and how long you have left between rounds the better.


12. Thai Oil / Cream for massaging into areas that have suffered trauma.


13. Spray bottle for cooling down the fighter.


Preparing your fighter..


Once you have wrapped your fighters hands you will need to start the warming up process. Don't leave it too late and don't start off hours before the fight. Start with a little skipping and light shadow boxing.

After several rounds of 3 mins move onto the pads - remember this is a warm up - its easy to get carried away and start showing off to the inevitable audience. do several rounds on the pads methodically working though the different muscle groups. No more than 20 mins.


Once in the ring


Here are some things to keep in mind. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) Its your job as a cornerman to plan tactics with your fighter. Don't try to explain new techniques to your fighter, this will lead to confusion in the ring.

At this stage your fighter should already be in the zone - meaning he is hyped up and ready to goto work. As a coach its best at this stage to be positive, tell him how confident you are in his abilities.

Follow your strategy and have a contingency ready. Remember. K.I.S.S. when planning - know your fighters limits - tornado kicks look amazing but are hard to land - you are more likely to win the fight by scoring plenty of clean shots.


When the fight has started you and your team will adopt different rolls, the coach will communicate with the fighter, one of your cornermen will watch for any signs of weakness from the other fighter giving the information to the coach so it can be exploited in the next round. 

The other members of the team will watch your own fighter for areas that the other team could exploit - this member will also be timing the round and communicating with the coach.


When back in the corner between rounds :-


1.    The Main Corner Man. (Coach / Instructor) 


Get your fighter to sit on the stool, remove his gum shield and get him to raise his legs to promote good circulation. Make sure he is sat up straight to help breathing. Give him a drink and get him to spit the first couple of gulps to flush out any impurities, you can also see if he is bleeding in his mouth.


Stand in front of the fighter and look him in the eye. Only tell him what he needs to hear (K.I.S.S.) If he's doing well tell him. If he's not doing too well, then tell him that he could do better. Give him simple instructions, Keep your guard up, throw a simple Jab, Cross, Low Kick combination. 

Be confident refresh the strategy, exploit the opponents mistakes and weaknesses.


2.    The Second / Third Cornerman.


Your job is easier, your dealing with the fighter in the physical aspect. Hold the spit bucket close to the fighter, put the icepack on the neck or any other area thats taken a beating.

Get rid of the sweat from the body and apply more vaseline.
1. If he is cut apply pressure for the full time you are there. Use some gauze so that any excess blood is contained.
2. Make sure you are wearing gloves for the long term safety of the fighter and yourself.

Repeat for each round...