I’ve often wondered about this bc this is essentially the mma and kickboxing model.
mma gyms have a team. The team trains together, does conditioning together, spars together, etc. a cohesive team made of dozens of different fighters with different specialties, weight classes, and experience. The coaches operate under a head instructor and all work together to make the team better.
Boxing gyms generally have a bunch of independent trainers sharing a space. each trainer had their own squad, stable, or team and they use the equipment and space to train their guys. By nature this creates tribalism that leads to conflict and drama between trainers, fighters, etc.
My program is run out of an mma gym so we run the mma model, We do everything as a team. Right now the team is small enough I can shuffle guys between weight classes and open/novice divisions but I’m quickly running up against having multiple guys in the same division which creates issues for tournaments. We’re working through it but barring that I don’t see any other real problems with the model.
you need a funnel for coaches because your membership will outgrow your staff pretty quick. A coach in training program that identifies and trains guys in house is the best solution I’ve found so far. I’ve had one coach graduate from it, another kid who’s our current coach in training and another on deck.
the other hard thing about it is relinquishing control. I’m sending a coach and 2 boxers to go spar at my old gym without me and I’m trying not to lose my mind over it. I’ve been present and in the corner for every fight under our banner and every time we’ve sparred another team. Unfortunately as we grow that isn’t tenable. I’ve also cornered every fight and taped every hand, but I’m forecasting a time where we have two tournaments at the same time or multiple athletes competing at the same time in a big tourney . Part of sending the coach and guys to go spar without me is to start training ME to be ok when I’m eventually unable to be in the corner.
Ego is definitely what stops boxing gyms from functioning coherently, but that also includes gym owners. Most gym owners I've ever met dont understand that Sport is a long term investment and requires connection to the community. They're just trying to milk their members for all they can pay, but they're not out getting their kids sponsors or trying to fund their teams. They're always penny-pinching instead, which means the team gets very little. The owner of Tocco's did this. He didn't lift a finger to get the team sponsored and I did A LOT of work to make a viable Amateur program that ended up having highly-rated fighters. About the time they got ranked he started skimping on costs. One time he even rejected sending my assistant Coach to tournament with FOUR of my fighters (out of 6 total going) because the kid going with the most experience wanted his Coach to go, and he would only pay for one Coach. Then guess what? That Coach ended up refusing to go after that kid pulled out. So my 4 fighters went with no Coach because the gym owner was butt-hurt about his own bad decision, listening to the one kid who was acting like a diva. 2 of my fighters were paying out of pocket to go as well.
Sh*t like this has made me not want to do business with a lot of people in Vegas. The gym I'm at now had a former kickboxing gym owner come in and try to run the gym. He said he was going to advertise and get hundreds of new members. He did make the gym look nicer for a bit, but he did NOT connect to the community and get people in the door. Instead when people didnt magically appear, he started hassling the coaches and already existing members to pay more. This soured the owners on him and that's why they decided to close half the gym.
I realize that a gym needs 2 things:
1) General operations manager - oversees functioning of the gym, utilities, amenities, etc. Works with the head coach to make sure everything functions smoothly, makes sure memberships are paid and current. And members are happy with the environment. The manager should also book competition trips and accommodations.
2) Head Coach - oversees the direction of the training program(s). Reports any equipment or amenity malfunctions to the Manager, they work together to create a good environment. Oversees the safety and advancement of the students, and this includes spotting when students are with the wrong Coach and intervening when necessary as opposed to letting that get toxic.
Then the owner should be always trying to get more money into the programs. Advertising, sponsorships, grants, investment of charity funds, etc.
Back at Tocco's all these tasks were set between myself and the owner and the owner only halfway cared. He definitely didnt subscribe to the "spend money to make money mentality and just expected that me making the fighters good and making a good environment out of nothing would work. It worked well enough to sustain, but not to grow.
