Boxing As A Social Force

[DavidPayne]

Patronising drivel? I hope not.

Ill-informed? Maybe

Topical? I think so.

Relevant? Not sure

Thought provoking? Highly unlikely

However, its a subject that interests me. More and more schemes and programmes are emerging every week that places boxing as the medicine for the lost generation of errant teenagers currently drinking, fighting, killing, stealing and generally dropping out of society from an age when they are, essentially, still children.

From the 4 year old house thief to the 13 year old murderers. It seems politicians, social commentators and other organisations are reaching for the fundamentals of boxing to reach and teach these lost souls.

http://boxingwriter.co.uk/2008/01/29/bo ... ial-force/

Having just started boxing in September at the local club, I can confirm the growth of attendance is staggering from 12-15 up to 45-50 in 3 months including I would estimate 30 under the age of 14.

The Hatton-Khan-Calzaghe-Haye factor if you ask me.

Anyway, it can only be healthy I suppose, or do we expect too much of boxing?

[Matt W]

I think that all sports have a role in building the confidence of young people and helping them learn virtues including sporting behaviour, applying themselves to something positive and working hard, and setting goals and achieving them. It should be rembered however that these things aren't learned automatically - negative attributes can be learned just as easily - and that is where the quality of clubs and coaches is an essential element.

Boxing's strength is that it can attract people that other sports perhaps can't. What people shouldn't expect is for boxing (or sport more generally for that matter) to be some miracle cure for all of society's ills. Individual character has an important part to play and ultimately at some level a person has to want to live a positive life. They should also have access to other support and help that they may need to overcome whatever obstacles they have to face in their lives.

I work in sports development and a frustration for many is that sport is often promoted as a societal cure-all and yet, relatively speaking, it is inadequately funded and dependent on a largely voluntary workforce. If government is serious about the value of sport then this needs to be reflected by the investment in community clubs and coaches.

[DavidPayne]

Interesting point, and I was struck dumb by Steve Cram last week suggesting if we want success at the Olympics, the supposed bastion of Amateur sporting endeavour we needed more professional coaches.

Haven't we missed the point?

Different angle on the value of sport debate, but it struck me as a little contradictory.

[el_grande_mauro_mina]

I think for it to happen, we need to get rid of the people running the current ABAE - amateur boxing is far too full of the wrong kind of officious berk who uses their power to promote favourites.

I'm in Korea and most kids learn Tae Kwon Do. There are Tae Kwon So hagwons everywhere! girls, boys, fat kids, men, women and children can all go down to learn Tae Kwon Do and if they want to later on - compete.

Tony Parsons wrote once about boxing being the 'martial art of the UK' But why attract the one demographic? (Young men) Wouldn't it be better if we saw boxing gyms all over the place with kids, women and OAPs training?

It would be far better for women to be able train at a boxing gym and when she enjoys her training she will then encourage her kids (or husband) to tag along.

But ask a lot of the patrons in boxing about women boxing or even training and they huff and puff.

For boxing to get to the mainstream level where we have to get rid of the people who are keeping it out of reach from the masses and in my opinion thats the people who are currently running it.

Good, thought provoking article by the way!

[DavidPayne]

Carlos, we do have one woman at our gym, about 20. No girls though, and I'm arguably the 3rd or 4th oldest learning the sport.

I'd encourage anyone who has 'considered it' but never gotten around to it to bite the bullet.

Though the Haverhill club is excellent, 3-4 coaches every session and a permanent set up of ring, bags etc.

[el_grande_mauro_mina]

Carlos, we do have one woman at our gym, about 20. No girls though, and I'm arguably the 3rd or 4th oldest learning the sport.

I'd encourage anyone who has 'considered it' but never gotten around to it to bite the bullet.

Though the Haverhill club is excellent, 3-4 coaches every session and a permanent set up of ring, bags etc.

I think there should be more women, more kids (both genders), more OAPs.. just more of everybody. Here old timers and kids go to the Tae Kwon Do gym and train and not only that there are hundreds of gyms in every town and city in Korea. In the UK there might be one or two boxing gyms in a town if you are lucky. I mean... is there another gym near you? Or where is the nearest gym from the Haverhill club?

There isn't enough gyms and thats because the ABA are funny about who they give permission to start a boxing club to. The people running our sport need getting rid of and it is about time they got rid of their equally ridiculous age discrimination laws against fighters wanting to compete, the only olympic sport to do so!

[Matt W]

I agree with Cram that at the highest level we need more professional coaches. In football for instance you get coaches getting paid a lot of money to coach, and yet in athletics, for example, you can get a guy coaching an Olympic Champion having to work a full-time job and coach in his own time. This is partly down to how the sport is structured - you may have a national coach for an event as well as an athlete having an individual coach.

In terms of the ABA it has developed massively in the last few years and has recently made a number of new appointments, including a national officer to develop women's boxing. All sports are required to increase participation, particularly amongst under-represented groups, as a condition of the Sport England funding that they get. This is one of the reason's boxing is considered an attractive sport from a social policy point of view - it can attract people from deprived areas in a way that, say, tennis can't. As a a result a lot of effort will be put into this over the next few years. In all sports the challenge is always in getting the people on the ground - the clubs and coaches primarily - to buy-into what it is that the sport is trying to achieve.

[Matt W]

The other factor to consider here is that our country doesn't have a physically active culture. Only 30-40% of our population are physically active on a regular basis compared to over 70% in some Scandinavian countries. All sports have a big challenge in trying to make their sport attractive enough to encourage more non-competitive / recreational participants as these can provide an income that can lessen the over-reliance on government funding.

Most peeple wouldn't feel confident in joining a sports club in a sport that they haven't participated in before. Somebody that does boxercise at the local sports centre probably wouldn't walk into a boxing gym for the same kind of thing. This takes the point right down to the importance of providing good quality PE in schools with ample time and opportunity afforded to sampling different sports, and having good links between schools and local sports clubs.

[DavidPayne]

I've never understood why a nation that sporned many of the world's most popular sports has so many of its population sat on their arse.

[Wales]

Are you looking to fight anytime soon Mr P (not an offer just out of interest) ?

[DavidPayne]

My only aspiration is to be competent enough to spar, which I've done some of already.

I have no desire to don a white collar and fight an accountant from Sidcup.

Fitness, because I've always wanted to and as the father of two young daughters I plan on ebing the potential father in law from hell.#

Are my main reasons.

[Chambers2]

I've never understood why a nation that sporned many of the world's most popular sports has so many of its population sat on their arse.

We've also sporned the best TV and have a comparitively high disposable income.

Boxing/fitness training is great for instilling discipline, I've done it myself in the past and once you're in the swing it gives you motivation to correct other areas of your life.

The government should be funding/contributing to local boxing clubs especially in under-privileged areas, I'm sure it would get results and get some problem individuals out of the street mentality and give them an alternative route/dream. Of course theres also the risk that you're training violent people to fight better, but even in this case I'm sure they'll have learned some lessons in discipline along the way.

[Old bones Ian]

Speaking to one of the local trainers where i live, and he says its all well and good to get alot of kids in for training, but you need the coaches and the space.

He personally has no time for the kids who just want to turn up and whack a bag for a few minutes and don't take training seriously. He has a club to run , also he doesn't like older guys doing it to keep fit.
He is only interested in people that will at some stage box for his club.

I find this understandable, as he has to have some satisfaction from running the boxing club.

Unfortunatly for me, its the only place round here with boxing equipment. So i can't train to get fit.
I'm trying to talk him round to having a 'white collar' training night once a week, so guys like me can work out.

[Matt W]

You make some good points there Ian. In order for the government to invest into local sport it needs to be open to all members of the community, not just those that want to be competitive. Whether that's right or wrong, it's the way it is.

In the same way as individuals have different motivations to box others have different motivations to coach. As such I'm sure there'd be people that clubs could recruit to run boxing fitness classes and the like.

[StepinFetchit]

Having just started boxing in September at the local club,

U get your nose busted yet Payne?

[DavidPayne]

Close.

Only a matter of time with my inabillity to side step!

[Wax On]

Really enjoyed the article DP.

I was reading the other day that Amir Khan has set up his own boxing club in Bolton, aimed purely at the youth end of the market.

If I was being cynical, I would say that that was because there's likely to be all sorts of grants available to help him with such a venture, and very good money in it for him.

But if I was being a bit more gracious, then I'd say it's great to see another boxer putting something back into the community and realising the merits that boxing can have in the devlopment of our future generations.

As you say, I'm sure this is the beginning of a trend we'll see spread throughout the whole country.

I think that in future elections in this country, the development of more proactive youth and law and order policies will be big vote winners. So Labour could be onto a winner with this.

[Wax On]

Having just started boxing in September at the local club,

U get your nose busted yet Payne?

Can anyone actually explain to me why everytime you get your nose busted up it seems to heal back stronger?? is it to do with the cartlidge repairing stronger every time??

When I first started boxing, even the slightest flick of a jab would set my nose off bleeding, now it needs a right good crack? (and yes I know before anyone says it.....I need to start moving my head more / stop blocking with my face!)

[StepinFetchit]

Having just started boxing in September at the local club,

U get your nose busted yet Payne?

Can anyone actually explain to me why everytime you get your nose busted up it seems to heal back stronger?? is it to do with the cartlidge repairing stronger every time??

When I first started boxing, even the slightest flick of a jab would set my nose off bleeding, now it needs a right good crack? (and yes I know before anyone says it.....I need to start moving my head more / stop blocking with my face!)

Don't know why but i guarentee if you stop sparring for a long period of time and you are a bleeder when you go back in the ring and get cracked you will bleed just like you did the first time.

It's weird how your whole body gets used to getting hit.

[DavidPayne]

Matter of opinion StepinFetchit.

[StepinFetchit]

Matter of opinion StepinFetchit.

Don't worry Payne, you'll know what im talking about when you step up from the Metro aerobics class.

[DavidPayne]

[Old bones Ian]

I've never understood why a nation that sporned many of the world's most popular sports has so many of its population sat on their arse.

couch potatoes are everywhere...except in countries too poor to have couches!!

thats true, go to South East Asia, and backache isn't a common problem, because people sit and sleep on hard floors, so we all need to chuck out our sofa's