The voice from the corner : coach Hennie (Melger Hendrik) Van Bemmel

The voice from the corner

Hennie (Melger Hendrik) Van Bemmel

Place and date of birth: Rheden 15-08-1953

Age: 64

Physical data (weight-height): 95 kg – 185

Education (school): high school

Zodiac sign: lion

Quality/fault: quiet, motivator / sometimes opinionated

Hobbies: Hiking / Music

Superstitious: No

Sporting record: Attended as coach: 11 x at a WC, 12 x EC, 2 x Ol Games; Best results of my sporters: Lammert Brink : 2e EC Youth 1988 75kg. Orhan Delibas 2e OG Barcelona 71kg  2e EC 1993, Mil World Champ 1994, Peter Müllenberg 2e EC 2013 en 2015 , mil world champ 2011 and 2013. Enrico Lacruz 60 kg 3e place EC 2015 , gold world Q Tournament Baku 2016 .

How hard is it to teach boxing?

I think it is the same as in other sports and as well as in each way of teaching at school or in the gym.

What should be the chacacteristics to be a good boxing coach?

Positive, drive, happy to work with young people helping them to reach there goals, what also are my goals .

Before being a boxing coach you were an athlete: for you, is it more difficult to be a coach or a athlete?

I think that I reach a level as a coach that is much more higher than I reached as a sportsman. But still I think coaching is more difficult because there are always highlights but also disappointments and you have to deal with that. Most important is always to be honest, and very important in my opinion is exemplary behavior.

What did boxing teach you?

Self respect, self confidence, always believe in goals, go for it!

According to you, what do boxing teach to boxers?

I think that is the same.

How much psychology there is in boxing?

A lot , I think it will be more and more inportant to make your boxers mental stronger, also because of the new time feeling the pressure for an top athlete and that is Social Media.

How do you cope the defeat of your athlete?

I don’t talk a lot about win or lose, but much more about how was the bout, what was good and what must be better next time. Sometimes they win, but the performance was not good at all, otherwise somtimes they did a great job but the opponent was better, so therefore I always try to be objective about the performance win or lost.

What do you think about women’s boxing?

I think it will be growing fast the coming years, nowadays you see already in each weight categorie some world class athletes, but at this moment is the quality in men boxing still stronger, there are in the men division much more world class boxers in each weight categorie, but I am sure the quality of woman boxing shall broaden en deepen in the future.

What is the best age for a child to start practicing boxing?  

11-12

If you were to to promote boxing (using a few words – like advertising), what would you say?

I should say it is a  very good and complete sport, good for your health, mental and physical, good to get self confidence, learn to reach for your goals, and a perfect metaphor for life.