Knowing how to defend yourself is a skill that most do not have.

Controlling that skill for defense and not using it for malicious purposes is crucial. One way to learn these skills is boxing.

Alec Rodriguez, 20, an El Camino College student in the fire technology program, is the president of the Boxing Club at the college. In addition, he is a practitioner in the combat sport of boxing.

Rodriguez’s roots in boxing date back to elementary school, long before becoming president of the club.

“From second grade all the way to eighth grade, I was training – just me and my coach,” Rodriguez said.

When his family encouraged him to follow his passions, he discovered that passion through boxing. Learning he had “heavy hands” and natural skill for the sport, this realization encouraged him to begin training.

With this talent, Rodriguez’s parents made sure he stayed grounded and a respectful person.

“They always told me to be humble and be confident,” Rodriguez said. “At least try to be as nice as possible to other people.”

While his father encouraged Rodriguez to practice the art of defending himself, Rodriguez’s mother was opposed to her son learning how to box because of safety.

“I was bullied when I was younger,” said Rodriguez. “My dad one day was like ‘alright, enough, this can’t keep going – I’m gonna put you up with a trainer,’ since elementary, second grade, all the way up to now I’ve just been boxing.”

While learning the combat sport, he encountered challenges early on.

“It was very hard to understand, I was a little younger so it wasn’t clicking in my mind as much,” Rodriguez said. “The movements, how to place my foot, how to throw a correct punch.”

He took a break from the sport during his freshman year of high school, but resumed training during senior year of high school when a simple boxing training method reminded him of why he started in the first place.

“I started doing the punching bag at home after school during senior year,” Rodriguez said.

However, the punching bag is not what truly drew Rodriguez closer to his passion.

Registering for classes at ECC is what drove Rodriguez to take the sport seriously again.

“When I registered at El Camino, I was going through the classes trying to see some sports to do and then I seen boxing and I was like, ‘oh this is like a sign that I should pick it back up again,'” Rodriguez said.

As a boxing practitioner, Rodriguez does not compete often, but trains consistently almost every day during the week. He has competed for El Camino’s Boxing Club, but most of his time in the boxing world is spent training students from El Camino.

According to Rodriguez, while training can be difficult and intense, it also requires equilibrium.

“It’s intense and difficult by the conditioning,” the boxing club president said. “You gotta balance your boxing life and then your home life as well.”

As a trained boxer, he acknowledges using his fists can harm a person in a conflict, though he prefers to de-escalate verbally.

“If someone does want to get into an altercation with me, I always try to diffuse the situation by words,” Rodriguez said. “I never try using my hands because it is dangerous, because I do know how to hurt someone.”

While Rodriguez focuses on de-escalating outside of the ring, he draws inspiration from fighters inside the ring, attributing his skill to fighters, including Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez, and Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin.

He incorporates Alvarez’s techniques into his training.

“I use some of his movements a lot- more towards slipping, dipping,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said there is no need to be intimidated when beginning boxing, adding that putting time into the fundamental movements is crucial for self-defense.

“I would say knowing how to move around, knowing how to use your body to the fullest, fullest potential,” Rodriguez said. “Being able to know that you’re able to protect yourself and others.”

Jonathan Priebe, 22, is a fire science major who attends the Boxing Club and receives instruction from Rodriguez.

“He trains them well, he goes one-on-one at times with each other and helps them find their weaknesses,” Priebe said.

Rachel Pittock is an advisor of the club. She spoke on her boxing relationship with Rodriguez and how he is as a trainer.

“Alec is a great trainer, he started in my class last winter,” Pittock said. “He had technical skills and applied to be on our cabinet and was an easy option.”

According to electrician student Sam Goeppner, 29, boxing with the club and sparring sessions with Rodriguez have helped him improve his boxing skills.

“He’s a really nice, really cool, respectful guy,” Goeppner said.

Correcting students self-defense has also helped Rodriquez correct himself, or prevent bad habits during training sessions.

“I think it has helped me out, becoming a better boxer – as I am breaking down to them, I can break it down in my mind and what I am doing wrong as well,” Rodriguez said.

Mario Trejos contributed to this story.