By Suzi Dixon
I don’t take a huge amount of notice of politics nowadays but I would love to be a fly on the wall at a meeting of a new All Party Parliamentary Group on Boxing.
Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie has really impressed me by campaigning for boxing workshops in schools.
Any additional form of physical activity is going to be useful for our increasingly weighty and wayward Bristol teens but boxing, in particular, is currently very close to my heart.
“Angry young people don’t need boxing to teach them to hit – they already know that,” Ms Leslie said.
“What they don’t have is self-esteem, a sense of discipline or respect, or the self-possession to actually walk away from a fight. And that’s what they’re taught in boxing gyms. If you don’t believe me, go and see for yourself.”
Well, I’ve spent the past 10 months in boxing gyms during my spare time so, while I’m not a trainer, parent or expert by any means, I can certainly comment on what boxing has done for me, and other people in my area.
I’d never thrown a punch in my life before I went on a fitness bootcamp last October. At that point, I was two stone overweight, unfit and worse. I was diagnosed with anxiety related disorder, put on medication and undergoing CBT for flashbacks and panic attacks.
I was hoping the bootcamp would help tackle the weighty problem but I wasn’t expecting just a dramatic change in my mindset.
That five-day holiday featured boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA) and jiu jitsu alongside the usual outdoor fitness activities.
All the girls on the trip loved boxing straight away.
The benefits are massive. Fitness wise, it’s intense cardio, as the two-minute rounds can seem like an eternity and you hop, skip and stumble around the ring.
With the punching action, a lot of the power comes from your legs and core, so it’s a fantastic all-over body tone-up.
In terms of stress-relief, it’s unrivalled. I personally leave all irritants at the gym door and focus on my workout but if visualising a troublesome situation (or person) works for you, you can work through your frustration in a safe environment.
All boxing gyms are safe, controlled environments where aggression will not be tolerated. You learn to listen to your trainer pretty quickly – lose focus and you’ll get a clout with the pad – and that relationship of respect is bound to be beneficial for wayward teens.
A really good gym is almost like a big family and there will be plenty of role models for children who can not always rely on their parents to set the right example – male and female.
Female PT Juta Veji, of Yuta Boxing, runs boxercise classes and is herself ABA national boxing champion at 63.5kg. She is someone who will always give me a straight answer if I have a question about training or nutrition, and is proof that women who box are neither aggressive nor unfeminine.
“In the world of fast food, take away and cheap addictive sweets it’s very important to do any kind of exercise,” Juta said.
“Women of all ages worry about their weight, so getting involved in boxing would help them to achieve their beauty goals.
“Boxing as a group lesson is fun and it’s easier to stick with it. And lets be honest – boxing and MMA has that ‘cool’ factor that will attract people to it.”
I have two nieces and two nephews and I would support wholeheartedly any effort by their schools to get them to pull on the boxing gloves.
PT Ben Evans agrees. “Boxing is an excellent way to help a teenager build up their self confidence,” he said. “It also helps them to focus their mind on the task at hand and get them thinking more about good nutrition.”
The old safety debate in terms of boxing is well documented and, of course, every effort must be made to keep children safe.
Paul Flynn, Labour MP for Newport West, says boxing ”concentrates on blows to the head and the cumulative effect is brain damage… We should allow the sport to quietly die of shame.”
But PT Darren Putt, of Modus Training, says boxing as a discipline is misunderstood.
“Anything that promotes physical activity, self-respect, team-work, occupies time and gives a focus to young people should be encouraged,” Darren said.
“There are potential physical and psychological health benefits, not to mention the benefits to society. ”
“As a Personal Trainer, I know many clients enjoy boxing, particularly for stress relief. Children get the same exactly the same benefits.
“In terms of safety, all sporting and physical activities carry some inherent risks; look at the injury rates in sports like rugby. So as long as we manage the risks by providing proper instruction, equipment and facilities then boxing, along with all other sports, should be part of every child’s life.”