Week 6: What have I learnt so far?

Lesson 1: Happy feet

Footwork! Boxing is all about footwork. It's the bread and butter of boxing, the foundation upon which all those fancy combos are built. Initially I felt like one of those penguins on Happy Feet trying to dance my way away, but after a while I had it sorted, and now I'm bouncing around like a Muhammad Ali clone.

Lesson 2: The art of the jab

The jab — it's the Swiss Army knife of boxing, versatile, reliable, and capable of delivering a swift wake-up call to your opponent's chin. The only problem? As quick as you can deliver a swift jab to your opponents head, he can also do the same, and I'm quite often left caught wondering how, where, and when I got hit with this slingshot.

Lesson 3: Defense, defense, defense

They say the best offense is a good defense, and nowhere is this truer than in the sweet science of boxing. Mastering the art of defence meant I needed to really focus on my reflexes - which to start with, I had reflexes as fast as a sloth. But after plenty of hours, I've learnt to counter my inner Flloyd Maywheather and defend like I'm protecting Fort Knox. Tuck that chin, keep those hands up!

Lesson 4: Mind over matter

In the heat of battle, when your muscles are burning and your lungs are screaming for mercy, it's easy to let doubt creep in like an uninvited houseguest. But I need to remember boxing is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. It's a game of chess, where every move opens up the opportunity for another move or counter. It's all about intelligence. Let's hope all this sparring and blows to the head aren't going to impact..... what was I saying again?