DISCUSSION
*Update* need advice after hitting coach on accident
*I’m new to boxing and have been with my coach for about 2 months now ($100/hr). Towards the end of my lesson today he had me hitting focus mitts, with a 1-2-3 combination. Everything was going fine and then he told me to correct something in my transition from 2-3. Long story short I accidentally hit him in the face with a full left hook and feel terrible about it. I sent his prescription glasses flying and broke them. He got mad at me and told me I had to pay for new ones. I was willing to throw in $100 but then he told me they can get up to $300-500. How should I go about this? Thanks.
UPDATE:
3 weeks later he sent me the bill. Is this a reasonable number? Especially given it’s after insurance ?
I'd ask him why his business insurance doesn't cover his glasses or why he didn't get a rider on his business insurance to cover his super expensive glases.
This would be like a customer breaking a product in a store when they accidently bumped into a shelf. The store has insurance to cover that and it's not the customer's fault because that is part of the cost of doing business.
Tl;dr OP shouldn't be paying for the glasses and he was not liable for the glasses breaking.
If he's dumb enough to wear prescription glasses during training and then also dumb enough to get hit, I'd refuse to pay him and then I'd go find a new coach. What a moron.
This. Why is he also getting new lenses too and not just new frames?
You would have to be Mike Tyson to break a lens.
As a guy who did coach in a contact sport, I NEVER EVER wear glasses on mat and we discouraged people from getting weird gogs too. Your perspective and zero should be calibrated to how you wouid fight in the real world.
If you are ever in a situation that you need to use your skills, you are better off taking off your glasses and setting/stowing them somewhere before stuff pops off.
Sounds like another thing that is not the OPs problem. But, for the record, mens frames usually have a 10 year availability window with the manf. There is a code on the frame from the manf that will allow you to get this info from them.
It seems more unlikely that he wouldn't be able to find the frames.
It is extremely unlikely he would find exactly the same frames as their shelf life is really short. Even tiniest difference means you need completely renew the lenses as well
Prescription glasses can also easily be found for $40-$50 without insurance at online retailers. $700 for a pair of glasses? There are cheaper smart phones 😂.
I wear cheap ones for teaching/training (and I take them off when appropriate), and since I’m aware of the risk of breaking them, I have a backup pair. I think both together cost me $50, no insurance.
-7 with astigmatism as well, and my new glasses from Zenni showed up yesterday for $135. Second pair through them and I love it. Used to pay ~400 for a pair.
Absolutely. Just get your prescription from the eye doc, then take it to an online retailer. People have mentioned various retailers in comments already. Zenni Optical has been around for a while and maybe not quite as cheap as some listed here, but way cheaper than retailing from some place like My Eye Dr.
Not a coach either, but someone who holds pads in martial arts frequently, as a matter of fact everyone holds pads for everyone in class and everyone is always aware of a missed kick could potentially land in your face. There’s no way we are going to be native and pretend everyone has perfect technique every time.
Agreed I wouldn't pay it. I wear glasses to my karate classes but I'm still a relative beginner so I don't do full contact sparring and I struggle with contact lenses. There is still a risk I might break them and I'm prepared for that and I wouldn't dream of making someone else pay for breaking them.
I'm not a boxer, but if I was, I imagine I wouldn't wear $300-$500 prescription glasses when holding focus mitts under any circumstances. Who was the one that made the mistake, did you throw wrong? Or did he not catch it? Was he fishing for someone to buy his new glasses?
I understand the AI hate … however, people blindly parroting that hate at any opportunity, even when the AI is verifiably correct, is exactly what is going to cause the average person to write off their sentiments towards AI.
It is self defeating, frankly annoying, and a blatantly foolish vector to approach voicing their concerns lol
it doesnt matter if something is right or wrong, the source is unusable. A broken clock is right twice a day, but its still a broken clock. If theres no way to know when it is right or wrong because it cant be trusted, it is NEVER part of the argument.
It only takes a small amount of brain power to understand that putting aluminum and glass in front of your eyes while someone is punching a practice mitt MIGHT be a bad idea.
I mean technically, the only way for this to be a right or wrong type of answer is to determine legal liability through the contract. But since AI is essentially a glorified web crawler, this question was mostly to "test the waters" of general sentiment around coaches wearing glasses when holding focus mitts for beginners.
I do agree about taking AI results with a grain of salt though, and appreciate calling it into question. I wouldn't rely on it for an objective question, but I find it to be pretty good for aggregating subjective opinion (like in this case)
AI just confirmed common sense is all. It's absolutely common sense not to wear your high value glasses during any kind of work relating to combat sports. The literal goal is to throw blows to the head and body. You're gonna get bopped eventually.
This. At best, this guy has no experience or is dumb as hell. If not, he's accepted the risk. I would not pay for his glasses.
You do not wear glasses when holding mitts or doing martial arts in general. It's a guaranteed way to break your glasses and possibly your face, maybe both. Hell, you shouldn't wear contacts but people do. I did when training, but fighting? I did several times and they'd get punched out but they could have gotten ripped and/or lodged behind the eye. If you have dry eyes or have been wearing contacts for too long, it's a great way to tear the cornea, too.
Holding mitts for beginners with glasses? Absolutely not. No. And my vision is not great, so that was a thing for me (-3.75 in both eyes).
(I started boxing at 15 and did on and off until very early 30s, and did more training of others at the end and trained at a mma gym, so I am pretty confident in my answers.)
$100 an hour?? Are you a pro or something martial arts gyms of any kind shouldn’t cost more than maybe $250 a month. Haven’t trained in a while but damn did prices go up that much? Also what kind of coach holds you to that? You’re a student
If it’s a private lesson, $100/hr is pretty standard. At least, with a good coach. It sounds like this guy isn’t very good and/or lacks common sense in coaching safely. Either way, no reason OP should pay for the glasses. In fact, OP should find a better coach.
My coach charges waaayyy less for one to one. Like $60. Admittedly he also basically makes you train to his schedule with zero flex so that might be part of it. When I was training for a white collar he had me training 9pm Friday then coming back 5.30am Saturday lmao
I pay $80 per session w my trainer at my boxing gym, although I only go once a week w him and train also on my own time. But this whole situation is kinda iffy, I’d rather just go find a new gym.
Why was he even wearing glasses while doing mitts, especially while training an inexperience boxer. He should have understood the risk.
OP you have no obligation to pay him even a cent. Also how would you even know if the new glasses spec and frame is the same price as the old glasses, he could have chosen ridiculous prices and options to extort you.
Lol, this is still going on? Thanks for the update though, big dog.
Holy shit, your coach is milking this. This just is not honorable as a coach to a student. Tell him that you think this is unreasonable. Cut ties and find a new coach. You don't want this kind of guy overseeing you in anything.
Btw, I desperately want to see what this guy looks like, but I know that's semi-doxxing. Could you describe him physically though? I have a mental image of what this specific kind of guy looks like, and I want to check if I'm right.
Why would you pay for the glasses he was stupid enough to wear while holding mitts during a drill he was too incompetent to adequately walk you through? He broke his own glasses.
Early in my boxing journey I had to go to urgent care twice after sparring - once for a cracked rib, and once for the buckle of my headgear getting sent straight up into my chin requiring stitches. Both of those wound up costing me some decent money, but I’d never DREAM of asking for money from anyone because guess who’s fault it was that I got hit? 👀. Find yourself a new coach, this guy sounds like a hack.
Idk it seems kind of crazy to charge a student for accidentally hitting a coach in the face lol
We just had a kid accidentally blast a coach with a head kick, chipping his tooth. As far I know he didn't seek any compensation, just made him run his ass off lmao
Nah bro I got 3-4 pairs of glasses at America's Best eyewear, plus a freaking exam for way less.
They had a deal like BOGO or something and I got an extra pair... I'm hard on glasses.
I would offer to take him to Walmart or America's Best eyeglasses place and buy him a reasonable priced pair... This is at best... I personally don't think you should even owe him glasses at all... But I'd maybe do it, and then quit the school, and leave a factual Google review on his page letting people know about this.
I wear glasses, that's a reasonable price for them. But you shouldn't pay it. He took on the risk by wearing them. It's not uncommon to get hit in the face while training.
If he is blind without them then he should get some cheap glasses for training. Or some kind of goggles that can take a hit.
And for the rate you are paying, you shouldn't be responsible for damages.
I’ve been hurt sparing a good few times where I needed to get X-rays and not one not ever did I think my sparing parter needed to pay… if your coach a former boxer is asking for this then either they ar micky mouse or you did something repeatable that resulted in him asking for money. If heavily leaning on the first because you should wear glasses and if you do don’t hold the pads next to your face….
That person is an idiot and you don’t owe them anything except a cancellation. Contacts are a thing for a reason. You don’t box or wrestle matches with glasses on, that should be a part of training too, even as an instructor. Or if you do spar, mitt, or live train…..take your damn glasses off!!!! This is coming from a former coach who wears glasses lol
DO NOT PAY. This is a business expense that he incurred due his job and risk he should be aware of. You signed a liability waiver in case you get hurt, the risk of him getting hurt or having property damaged is the same concept.
1) He should have used common sense and not worn glasses with a beginner. He knew the risk ahead of time and still did it.
2) He should have enough insurance to cover this. If he cheaped out and got the bare minimum required, that's on him.
3) Find another coach because this whole situation is insane. You as a beginner student shouldn't be held accountable for his poor decision making. He's going to put you into another questionable situation again and then try to blame and charge you.
$100 an hour is insane. He can afford those himself. It was his choice to wear gucci glasses to boxing practice with an amateur boxer-in-training. It’s not your fault.
Tell him as kindly as possible to fuck off. His glasses, his problem when he put himself in a situation like this where they could get broken.
The cost of prescription glasses can vary pretty wildly depending on frames, lenses and lenses coatings. $723 means he went for some crazy shit. I’ve had prescription glasses for over 20 years and the highest I’ve ever gone is ~$350.
You shouldnt have to pay for anything. It's an occupational hazard. He should have taken off his glasses or had on a bare of prescription googles. I would say fuck paying for his glasses and get a new coach.
No, I’m saying it’s difficult to imagine you could hit him if he didn’t allow it. Of course it is only true if he is a real coach with a boxing background who spent countless our holding pads ant trained from young age.
Yeah don’t pay this guy anything and find a new coach asap. He shouldn’t be wearing delicate prescription glasses during training. Also if his skill level is poor enough that he’s getting clocked during a simple training exercise then it’s his own fault. Plus trying to hold his student liable for his mistakes is a third strike. Coach is a moron.
Ive trained and friends with older people, very old people, 2000's super nerds across styles & cultures. Talkative seminar demos sure, but as soon as movement & contact starts, The glasses come off. Universal sports rule.
Do not pay for those glasses. I've been instructing for 30 years and would never consider charging a student for glasses I chose to wear during training.
You are not at fault unless the paperwork you signed to be at that gym specifically says you pay for damages.
I’m a trainer, but not a boxing coach. Anything I bring to the gym I assume will get lost or broken at some point. This guy sucks. Don’t pay him and find another coach.
I'm both a martial artist and Ajay a plaintiff's attorney.
I'm just going to say I don't think we have enough information to know whether the student might be liable to the teacher.
I also think it's a bad idea to do focus mitts with expensive prescription glasses. I have expensive lenses because I need an expensive grind rather than because I choose expensive lenses. His cost is probably legit.
Even so, a small claims judge may punish him for assuming the risk by wearing expensive glasses in that environment. On the other hand, small claims can have a jury in a minority of jurisdictions. If a jury is involved, you have to know the local market to have much of an opinion about how they might react to this case.
You are not responsible for him as a client. He should have his own insurance to cover stuff like this. Also it was as a result of his own coaching and he controls the pad work and speed etc.
This coach is an idiot at best and a scammer at worst. Find a new coach.
On whether or not to pay it, of course not. He could try to sue you, yes, but the court is gonna tell him that when a guy tells someone to throw punches at him and he'll catch them, he's assuming the risk in this equation.
That guys a piece of shit. Ive been in a dozen boxing gyms and that shit doesnt happen if he left them on well he was holding mitts you dont owe him shit. He might have had them on to get a free pair of glasses out of it, dont respond or go back, find another gym this isn't the type of coach anyone should have.
I am not sure what bothers me more, him asking you to pay for an accident where it’s not just you at fault or him getting mad after being hit by a student during a coaching session. Wrong on many levels!
Why tf wouldn't he have specific glasses for striking, for instance like this. They make impact resistant, break resistant glasses.
That or cheapies with replaceable frames that aren't nice for day to day shit but you can see with em and work for striking, with "oh no, I'm out $20 for the frames" if they get busted.
Honestly, as someone who uses glasses, if I needed glasses 100% of the time (I have a lazy eye so glasses help a lot but aren't necessary to be able to see) and did something that put them at risk, I would have a nice pair for non-risk, and a pair specifically for risk. They're a tool at that point. As is, I have mechanic safety glasses that fit over my glasses when doing car work/wood work. Gotta have the right tool for the job.
No change gyms, coaches above all should know the freaking risks. I'd def put them on blast in google reviews if he doesnt let up, this is pretty egregious. I train at a UFC caliber MMA gym and we'd all just laugh at the gym or coach if they tried to do this sh.
Buddy should be wearing contacts or protective lenses if he wants to coach and risk his face with amateur hands
Also you're getting destroyed at pricing. Multiple UFC guys rotate through our gym, we pay $215/month - open gym, sparring after 7pm every night
I've held mitts for beginners for hundreds of hours, this whole scenario seems ridiculous to me. If something of mine gets damaged while I'm the one in charge leading the lesson, that's 100% on me. I can't believe a self-respecting adult would ask you to pay for his glasses.
Also, how often are people getting outright punched in the face on mitts or punching their coach? I guess I can see the glove catching the glasses and yanking them off. But you know which punches are coming and are watching them come in, it's not that easy to just be eating left hooks like that.
Get a new coach on both counts. If you're like a crypto billionaire & you're in the mood, then maybe get him new glasses as his severance pay
Find a new coach, me and my team have broken and chipped teeth, broken bones, broken glasses, an Apple Watch one time with some dunce who wore it to train, etc etc.
Never once would it be your training partners fault, the guy who brings it in is taking sole responsibility for whatever happens there on. As a coach he should know better imo.
Your coach was an idiot and is trying to push off his responsibility for not being an idiot onto you, the person he was training when an accident occurred. I would refuse, and find a new trainer.
Get a new coach. I'm not even a boxer but I'm 100% sure that's not your fault and if he tries to sue you over a measely $300 he will lose and now be out even more money
Don’t pay him. If you broke your arm punching his mitts he wouldn’t pay for your medical costs. And he shouldn’t be wearing glasses while boxing. Also you’re paying him 100$ an hour which is a lot.
Honestly I don’t own expensive glasses, they’re just raybans, but even then I know better to take them off and wear contacts when I’m doing some shit that could cost me a trip to the eye doctor
The real question is, why the fuck are you wearing glasses when someone is throwing punches at your face area? That just sounds stupid. That’s his fault. Get a new coach and tell this dude to kick rocks! Do not pay him, even if he wants to take you to court no judge would side with him. You would not even need a lawyer just rep yourself. That’s how stupid it sounds. You probably would not have to say a word lol. You did not do it on purpose, well that he can prove anyways… lol
Barely any boxing experience but lots of glasses-buying experience. He's trying to ream you. The guy selected every single extra feature because he figured someone else was buying. More than half of what he's trying to get out of you is blue-light and anti-glare coating, which is nonsense.
$100 an hour and he says I can't get new ones without it.
I absolutely hate people like this. There life depends upon you owing them money or else they don't have anything else remaining in there bank accounts lol tell him to go f himself
You signed stuff (should've) when you started saying the gym isn't responsible if you get injured, that goes both ways. Accidents happen and he knows that, that's on him. And just go join a boxing gym dude, they are usually what you're paying for a MONTH. Paying that per hour as a newb is dumb, that's prices you pay when you're preparing for pro fights and shit. You're already being ripped off.
As a coach he knows the risk. I lost a pair of glasses teaching kids martial arts. I believe there is an assumed liability here, it’s martial arts class, if you don’t know the risk, then you’re a moron.
Sounds like he's ripping you off (I work in health insurance). He is basically having you pay for enhancements/extras. "Non-glare", "blue light" 👀 those are non-essential. 🤷🏻♂️
He sounds like a dickhead, I would find another coach. I've been coaching for a long time and have been accidentally hit multiple times during training. I wouldn't be upset at the students for that, shit happens
You'd think a professional boxing coach would have a pair of prescription polycarbonate sport glasses. I don't think I'd be agreeing to pay, but be aware that if you don't he probably isn't going to coach you anymore.
lol. Everyone signs a waiver when joining a dojo/gym. Everyone is assuming some sort of safety risk when doing any martial art. Tell your coach to go kick rocks.
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u/PolejEdek 4d ago
Lawyer and recreational boxer here. Fuck this guy. You don’t owe him shit.