Step into the ring!
Have you always wondered what training for boxing would be like? Step into the ring in VR180 with Coach Ian Porter & Justin Hewlett-Bloch as they show you the ropes of what to expect at a boxing gym 🥊
Watch on YouTube
Best for Questies, Pico ppl, & flatscreens
Watch on DeoVR
Best for PC VR users. D/L DeoVR free on Steam
But if you just wanna watch a flat screen version, here you go:
Here’s a lil story that must be told…
This is probably my best video I’ve shot yet, even better than the short film Rideshare, if only because I was much more confident with what to do and how to shoot this time around. And I couldn’t have done it without a couple of my day-ones, Ian and Justin.
The three of us met at Gio’s Boxing Gym in Burbank, which is now a Wokano or something. Back in the late ’00s, Justin and I trained there regularly, and Ian worked the front desk, on his way to becoming a manager, which led him to a career as a full-time coach and fitness trainer. The friendship that forms after punching each other in the face is something else; you earn each other’s respect and share a deep bond. This bond grows stronger through shared aches and pains, which is a testament to the family-like atmosphere some boxing gyms have. Participating in boxing made me appreciate the sport in a new light, much like playing any sport intensifies your appreciation for the pros. Boxing is as much a mental game as it is physical, requiring constant strategy and wit.
From boxing to VR boxing
When I first got into VR, one of the first games I sought was a boxing game. I figured VR would be perfect for melee combat gameplay, and I was right. Thrill of the Fight VR is still in my regular rotation, and I play it at least once a week for cardio.
@kuyaquatro Move your body by any means! Help it stick by doing activities that are fun, easy, or satisfying (preferably all 3) #ThrillOfTheFight #thrillofthefightboxing #vr #vrgameplay #mixedreality #vrfitness ♬ original sound - Kuya Quatro
But as I got deeper into the VR rabbit hole, I wondered if anyone had captured boxing or any combat sport in VR180. A ringside experience in VR would be so dope. After a few searches, lo and behold, I found a few captivating VR180 videos on YouTube that proved my theory right. Check out these gems when you got the time:
- Women’s Muay Thai Fight
- “Colonial Combat”: A choreographed pro-wrestling short
- An amateur Luchador wrestling match
These three videos, despite their meh video qualities, are still awesome to watch. They prove that the ringside experience holds up well in VR. The women’s muay thai video especially is badass. I love the perspective, it feels like you’re hanging onto the ropes and looking in. After seeing this, I decided to film a sparring session with the homies and see if I could make my own lil improvements.
After months of scheduling conflicts, the stars aligned for the three of us to meet up at Fitiquity Gym in Burbank to shoot the damn thing. The week leading up to the shoot, I started getting anxious. I was wondering, “what else could we shoot while we were there?” It’s not often I bring all my gear to a place like a boxing gym. By this time now, Ian’s a full on fitness coach and boxing instructor. He’s also a talented MC, meaning he’s a good host as any rapper should be. We could probably make some additional boxing-related content on top of the sparring footage. And so, the night before the shoot, I drafted up a shot-list for what would become the segments of the “Intro To Boxing” video.
The shoot went smoothly for the most part (the audio capture was meh but usable-enough). The shoot itself only lasted maybe 2.5 hours as we simply followed a typical boxing workout: warm up with jump rope, wrap your hands, shadow box, hit some pads, sparring. The only things we didn’t capture were bag work. Hitting the heavy bag, body bag, double ended bag, speed bag, etc. Also the ab work, but, who wants to watch that?
We tried our best to demystify boxing, remove all the intimidation a combat sport might give off, and do our best to show how fun and exciting boxing training could be.
But fuck all that, let’s talk about the sparring.
Cause the sparring was the main reason why we were all there. Everything else is just extra credit. I wanted to try shooting two ways; one, from a static position at the turn-buckle, and one with me holding the camera, following the action like a referee. As expected, the turnbuckle POV shot looked great. It really looks like you’re working the corner and are watching the fight first hand, live. The only issue here was that the post that I clamped my camera to wasn’t completely stable as all the stomping and hopping in the ring did send some vibrations. Luckily the vibrations aren’t too noticeable, but still, it revealed what I can improve upon next time.
But the IN-RING POV THOUGH. Holy shit that footage was fucking AWESOME. It’s SO good. But I couldn’t include it into the Intro to Boxing video because the VR motion is intense in that one; the Intro to Boxing video is meant to be an easy watch for most audiences, and if I added the in-ring POV footage, it would totally kill the vibe for anyone that doesn’t have their VR legs yet.
For THAT footage, check back soon as I’ll make a separate video and post about that later.
The best part of the experience though was seeing Ian and Justin’s reactions to the early cut. I don’t know if it’s just homies gassing me but I would like to think they’re smiles and laughs were genuine as they watched. The in-ring sparring footage especially (I’m telling you this shit is FIRE) they were both convinced that this kinda videography would be valuable to professional fighters looking to study their fighting habits more. I mean, I don’t know about all that, but I I could see some validity; you get the entire view. You can scrutinize the footwork, head movement, guard, the whole shabang; versus with a traditional go-pro where you’re only getting a windowed glimpse at any couple of things, but never the whole view. Who knows; maybe by this time next year I’ll be a VR videographer for the boxing stars? Wouldn’t that be wild…
Till next time, stay immersed.
