I just recently started training a lady who had never set foot inside a boxing gym. She had thought about doing the training for a long time as a new form of fitness and not for competition. Though she was apprehensive she did admit that she felt "like a badass by just being here".
After just a week of training her enthusiasm is such that she has started to tell a lot of her friends and customers about how much fun she is having. She can't understand why so many react with apprehension and dismay when she tells them what she is doing. One of the first comments is "aren't you afraid of getting hurt"?
Well as I have pointed out before, these comments are born out of ignorance not only about boxing but really about the reality of sports safety. Let's also realize that there are elements regarding ethnicity and social status that cloud people's perceptions about boxing but I'll go into that another time.
Let's first of all realize that contact sports all carry a level of risk of injury. However you might be amazed to find that sports which are not considered "contact" sports rank highly in numbers of injuries and fatalities.
In the December 10th issue of Time concussions in sports was discussed, specifically the effect on females. It was found that the highest incidence occurs in soccer, a sport which most parents feel completely at ease having their children of all ages play.
In a study in the Journal of Athletic Training female high school soccer players suffered almost 40% more concussions than males. Females suffered about 29,000 concussions a year compared to 21,000 for boys. As a matter of fact, and I quote, "Female college athletes who play soccer, basketball, softball and hockey also bear higher concussion risks than their male counterparts".
Many reasons are responsible for this, the primary one being that young athletes necks are not developed enough to withstand the forces of these contact sports. Boys who play football are still more likely to suffer concussions than any other athlete. Heck, their entire bodies are not prepared. They don't have proper sense of balance, core stability, joint stability, muscle development and on top of that often the coaching is not up to par to deal with these issues.
So what you say, that still doesn't make boxing safer. Well, yes and no. First of all let me explain that I am talking about boxing in the amateur ranks and as a form of fitness training. In any sport once you get to the professional ranks the rules are different. Again that is a topic for another time.
In one particular study which measured fatality rates per 100,000 participants horse racing came in at #1 with 128 fatalities, followed by sky diving with 123, hang gliding with 55 and boxing came in with a whopping 1.5. As a matter of fact in terms of injuries boxng has ranked 23rd, below hockey, soccer, gymnastics and in line skating.
You see, when you learn to box most of your training contact will involve hitting bags, pads, or other inanimate objects. Sparring or fighting is limited to those who express an interest in doing so. Sparring is done under the supervision of a trainer or a coach and is in essence an extremely controlled scrimmage with the work rates lasting from one to three minutes. If you fight in the amateurs you will wear headgear, protectors, have pre and post fight physicals and referees are instructed to quickly stop any fight where a fighter has taken a hard blow.
Now think about children in pee wee football. Are they subject to the same criteria? In addition amateur coaches are certified by USA Boxing which is the governing arm for amateur boxing and the Olympic boxing team.
As I am getting tired of standing on this soapbox I will recommend that if you want to get reputable information on boxing you log on to http://www.usaboxing.org/.
I also suggest that before you sign your child up for a sport that you research that sport, understand the demands, check the coaches credentials and above all see if your child is really ready for that sport.
For example, I will not allow my son to play football until he is well into his teens. I feel by this time his body will have some proper development plus I want him to take part in a variety of sports which will develop his motor skills, hand-eye coordination and overall sense of body.
I am not one of those who wants to legislate contact sports out. I think dodgeball should still be played in schools. All I'm proposing is that we take care of our kids so that they will grow to be healthy adults without lingering conditions and with a healthy sense for competition and sport.
And of course, I think boxing is a great sport for doing that.
After just a week of training her enthusiasm is such that she has started to tell a lot of her friends and customers about how much fun she is having. She can't understand why so many react with apprehension and dismay when she tells them what she is doing. One of the first comments is "aren't you afraid of getting hurt"?
Well as I have pointed out before, these comments are born out of ignorance not only about boxing but really about the reality of sports safety. Let's also realize that there are elements regarding ethnicity and social status that cloud people's perceptions about boxing but I'll go into that another time.
Let's first of all realize that contact sports all carry a level of risk of injury. However you might be amazed to find that sports which are not considered "contact" sports rank highly in numbers of injuries and fatalities.
In the December 10th issue of Time concussions in sports was discussed, specifically the effect on females. It was found that the highest incidence occurs in soccer, a sport which most parents feel completely at ease having their children of all ages play.
In a study in the Journal of Athletic Training female high school soccer players suffered almost 40% more concussions than males. Females suffered about 29,000 concussions a year compared to 21,000 for boys. As a matter of fact, and I quote, "Female college athletes who play soccer, basketball, softball and hockey also bear higher concussion risks than their male counterparts".
Many reasons are responsible for this, the primary one being that young athletes necks are not developed enough to withstand the forces of these contact sports. Boys who play football are still more likely to suffer concussions than any other athlete. Heck, their entire bodies are not prepared. They don't have proper sense of balance, core stability, joint stability, muscle development and on top of that often the coaching is not up to par to deal with these issues.
So what you say, that still doesn't make boxing safer. Well, yes and no. First of all let me explain that I am talking about boxing in the amateur ranks and as a form of fitness training. In any sport once you get to the professional ranks the rules are different. Again that is a topic for another time.
In one particular study which measured fatality rates per 100,000 participants horse racing came in at #1 with 128 fatalities, followed by sky diving with 123, hang gliding with 55 and boxing came in with a whopping 1.5. As a matter of fact in terms of injuries boxng has ranked 23rd, below hockey, soccer, gymnastics and in line skating.
You see, when you learn to box most of your training contact will involve hitting bags, pads, or other inanimate objects. Sparring or fighting is limited to those who express an interest in doing so. Sparring is done under the supervision of a trainer or a coach and is in essence an extremely controlled scrimmage with the work rates lasting from one to three minutes. If you fight in the amateurs you will wear headgear, protectors, have pre and post fight physicals and referees are instructed to quickly stop any fight where a fighter has taken a hard blow.
Now think about children in pee wee football. Are they subject to the same criteria? In addition amateur coaches are certified by USA Boxing which is the governing arm for amateur boxing and the Olympic boxing team.
As I am getting tired of standing on this soapbox I will recommend that if you want to get reputable information on boxing you log on to http://www.usaboxing.org/.
I also suggest that before you sign your child up for a sport that you research that sport, understand the demands, check the coaches credentials and above all see if your child is really ready for that sport.
For example, I will not allow my son to play football until he is well into his teens. I feel by this time his body will have some proper development plus I want him to take part in a variety of sports which will develop his motor skills, hand-eye coordination and overall sense of body.
I am not one of those who wants to legislate contact sports out. I think dodgeball should still be played in schools. All I'm proposing is that we take care of our kids so that they will grow to be healthy adults without lingering conditions and with a healthy sense for competition and sport.
And of course, I think boxing is a great sport for doing that.
1 comment:
You never hear of preteens who are boxing, getting hurt or disabled but you do in football. Learning and training in boxing is a confidence booster and will get you in tip top condition. If you don't believe me join a boxing class and start jumping rope, hitting the pads, heavy bag, speed bag plus an assortmetn of other exercises. You don't have to spar with anyone either. It's your choice and that is only if the coach thinks you are ready. You will notice your balance, speed,coordination and stamina have improved. You will also do other exercises to complement your boxing experience and you're not going to get hurt.
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