The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL

by Eric Greitens

It would be wrong to say that Earl taught life lessons along with boxing, because for Earl, there was no distinction to be made between life and boxing. Every action was invested with significance. How we hung the heavy bag, God’s mercy, the way a man should wrap his hands, the virtue of humility, the proper way to lace gloves, being on time, the way a teacher should love his students, the proper way to care for your equipment—these were all part of one solid and unbroken piece. Earl refused to call himself a coach. As he put it, “A coach makes you more skilled, shows you how to be better at a certain activity—maybe it’s running, maybe it’s throwing, maybe it’s boxing. But what’s the point? The point is, after a coach coaches you, you can go and do whatever you want with your new skill. You learn to run, you can go rob a store. You learn to fight, you can go fight in the street. But that’s not what I’m about. I am not a coach with players, but a teacher with students. I teach my boxers not just a set of skills, but a way of living.”