Discover what makes boxing one of today's most social sports...but keep your hands up and head moving
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| Students at Park Gym SF partnering on the heavy bag |
When people think of the sport of boxing, they may picture the individual theatrics of professional fighters who engage in name calling during press conferences, shoving matches at the weigh-in, and high-strutting bravado while en route to the ring, and that’s before these gladiators face off, mano a mano, with equally bad intent in the squared circle.
"Once that bell rings you're on your own. It's just you and the other guy.” -Joe Louis
Such visual impressions can have a lasting and intimidating affect on those considering boxing as a fitness routine, especially when the sport looks so aggressive and solitary at the prize-fighting level. But once the leap into the gym is made, you will find that boxing is organically communal, where physical interaction, shared learning, and communication with fellow students is tantamount to the workout itself, and can lead to new friendships, business opportunities, and most importantly, meaningful engagement with real people.
Here are a few steps to get acquainted with one of the oldest social clubs in America, and how boxing embraces what we need more of in today’s world.
Step 1: Don’t Let Your Nerves Stop You from Starting
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| Students practice fundamentals before letting ‘em fly at Park Gym in San Francisco |
The primary reason people interested in boxing refrain from joining a gym is not for lack of time, conditioning, or knowledge of the sport, but because of good old-fashioned fear; however, they will soon learn a dedicated boxing regiment provides a lasting boost of confidence developed side-by-side with boxing stablemates and coaches, and early jitters will dissipate shortly after the gym’s threshold is crossed.
“Heroes and cowards feel the same thing, fear…it’s what you do with it that matters.” - Cus D’Amato
David Park, owner and coach at The Park Gym in San Francisco, comments on his students' early trepidations: “I have people tell me that it took them a couple of years of driving by before they checked it [the gym] out, because what they see on TV is intimidating, and to them it means getting in the ring and fighting somebody,” he says, “and most don’t understand that you have to practice, train a lot, and learn many things before you get into the ring, if you ever get in the ring.”
So rather than being thrown into the lion’s den upon first visit, budding pugilists must engage in evolving stages of deliberate practice and instruction before sparring can be considered, and will happen only after proper technique, conditioning, and personal desire to climb through the ropes are well in sync.
George Rodriguez, owner and coach at Hill Street Boxing Gym in Signal Hill, CA further highlights his students’ initial perceptions vs reality: “boxing gyms can be intimidating and people don’t know what to expect…because they think as soon as they walk in, it’s all about fighting.” George continues, “once they find out more, they’re like ‘oh, it’s kinda cool, it’s a friendly place and you don’t have to go in the ring and fight if you don’t want to,’ but they must first get past the fear, and a lot of it is mental.”
Regardless of skill level, hard work is the primary requirement in boxing and the learning curve looks more like a long, gradual incline rather than a steep pitch due to the countless variables The Sweet Science encompasses. So whether you join the sport for conditioning, self defense, or sparring, the butterflies in your stomach are natural upon entry and may reappear as you graduate to more advanced levels or competition, but doesn’t it feel better to achieve a goal that at first scares you?
Step #2: Leave the Earbuds at the Door
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| iTunes not required |
We can all agree that an atmosphere of isolation is now standard in today's corporate workout mills, where earbuds are as prevalent as running shoes, eye contact and conversation are negligible, and head-down Instagram viewings between sets are ubiquitous. If it weren't for the weekly pick-up basketball games at my local gym, a full year of working out without a single conversation would be entirely plausible.
But in boxing, you’re thrown back to a time before social media and music at your fingertips and will find these technologies useless before class even begins, as boxing requires open eyes and ears, the ability to react on the fly, and willingness to engage with peers and coaches in gloved exchanges.
New York-based boxing advocate and practitioner, Misha Khaytsis, says “being on a weight machine or treadmill is a personal experience, but in boxing you learn and work together and it is a unique experience.”
David Park further adds, “boxing is rhythm based. It’s the verbal, emotional, and physical act of trying to connect with each other, and to try to have the same rhythm with each other whether you are giving or receiving.”
So for those of you needing music for motivation, the only beats you should care for during your boxing workout are the rhythmic claps of leather ricocheting off cement walls, counts and commands barked by coaches and peers, and the responding grunts of raw exertion as fists are drummed into heavy bags.
Step #3: Learn from Others and Pay it Forward
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| Coach Garrett imparting knowledge to his charge |
Boxing can be as social as a dance class, complete with footwork, synchronization, and improvisation with your partner, and much like a group salsa lesson, you're asked to pair with multiple people, thereby providing you with access to more-experienced practitioners who can provide pointers, or less-experienced ones who may need your guidance.“
"I see how naturally pockets of people become friends and training buddies,” says David Park, “they hold mitts for each other and they take things that I show them and work together to improve.”
Such partnerships support educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom’s Two Sigma Problem to academic cognition, which asserts one-on-one tutoring from a master-level instructor is the richest and most effective learning process a person can experience, and altered variables of this study, including peer-to-peer guidance, can result in similar performance improvement. In boxing, cognition organically happens via a combination of coach and peer instruction and begins upon first entry when trainers, gym employees, or fellow students guide you on how to properly wrap your hands before the workout.
Misha Khaytsis, who frequently provides direction to his less-experienced boxing counterparts explains this phenomenon: “boxing is completely different than most other types of group exercise because there’s danger involved, so you try to support each other.” He continues, “you want the guy or girl to grow properly, because you don’t want them to get hurt.”
An intense hour of punching, push ups, and related exercises can push the body to a point of exhaustion, sometimes resulting in a strained connection between the brain and limbs, and it is your coach or training partner’s verbal direction, such as "keep your right hand up!" or "only 10 seconds left!" that nudges you to dig deep and finish each drill. It is this player-coach interaction that satisfies and awakens our most basic, yet complex sense of achievement and collective progress.
Step #4: Be Part of the Community
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| The gym/social club/community center |
Throughout its history, boxing has beckoned public figures as varied as Lord Byron, Miles Davis, and Mickey Rourke into the ring, and the siren of the sport continues to entice legions of unlike individuals into the gritty basement gyms of New York and strip-mall punching palaces of Los Angeles to congregate for an hour at a time, and it continues to be the sport where you are most likely to find professors, bartenders, executives, and nurses testing their mettle, side-by-side, regardless of race, gender, or social status.
“People [here] talk about fights, workouts and diets, and sometimes they find jobs and connections,” says George Rodriguez, who has witnessed new friendships, budding romances, and job opportunities develop within the walls of his gym, and recognizes it as both a serious boxing establishment and a social club, “but it all starts with the workout itself.”
With New Year’s resolutions upon us, it is time to stop curiously passing by your local boxing gym and take the plunge into the most interactional workout available and remember these simple steps: get started; unplug; learn from and teach others; and join the community. But beware, you may also experience the best shape you've achieved in ages.
