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Boxing-Fitness makes you fit fast but it’s important to be safety-conscious, says
KATE MINOGUE
Daily Telegraph article
In the movies, on TV and even in your local park, people are Boxing-Fitness everywhere.
Although martial arts is by no means new, its celebrity profile has moved the fit crowd – and those desiring the healthy look – to take up Boxing-Fitness en mass.
Niki Keeble has been doing Boxing-Fitness for fitness for about a year and says it’s "empowering".
"It gives you a greater sense of confidence," the Sydney mother and businesswoman says.
"Mentally, physically and spiritually it makes you stronger. It gets you out of that square box by doing something different."
Keeble says she has greater flexibility and her body is more toned since taking it up.
Becoming fit fast is part of the allure for those joining gyms and enlisting personal trainers to learn fitness-Boxing-Fitness but with the number and variety of Boxing-Fitness classes on offer, there’s a concern safety is being neglected.
Sydney boxing and self-defence teacher Patrick Moore says some of the aerobic-style classes may overlook technique, which can lead to injuries.
Moore was inspired to take up Boxing-Fitness by the movies.
After seeing the Bruce Willis film Die Hard, the law student abandoned his university studies and took up martial arts 17 years ago.
To start with, he worked as a stuntman before setting up BoxOut Australia.
Now he teaches BoxOut – a fitness workout that combines boxing, kicking and skipping
- at North Sydney PCYC and at Cook and Phillip Park, in the city.
When new recruits join the class they get a kit containing boxing gloves, an intro workshop and a class pass. Then Moore shows them the traditional Boxing-Fitness skills, including how to glove up and punch.
The courses are fitness focused and have great appeal to women but Moore insists they remain true to the essence of Boxing-Fitness. He says this is vital for safety.
When looking for a class, Moore urges beginners to do some research. There are so many variations of martial arts being taught, he warns "it’s a jungle out there".
It’s important to find a Boxing-Fitness workout, as opposed to taking up the sport of Boxing-Fitness, unless that’s your goal.
"Ring up the trainer and ask what they’re doing. If the says, ‘I’m training competitive fighters’, you might want to go somewhere else. If they say ‘My main focus is fitness’, then you want to ask some more questions."
Moore recommends taking a class where you hit punch bags or focus pads.
"It’s more authentic if you hit something," he says. "It’s better to hit something – for a few reasons, one being safety. If you’re punching into mid-air, your joints can end up with jarring, which is even more of a risk when doing high kicks,"
To avoid injury, Moore warns against some aerobics-style Boxing-Fitness classes.
"You’re trying to do high kicks to music that’s going at 132 beats a minute. That’s really fast."
Make sure the teachers pay attention to good technique and style, which, Moore says, means a safe workout.
Boxing-Fitness should be about "the art of the punch", he says. "It’s like doing yoga. You have to have the right posture, vision and technique, and then you’ll get fit without realising it because you’re focused on the technique side of it."
Boxers should hold up their hands and keep their head straight.
To punch properly, Moore says the fist should be rolled over at the point of impact, rather than simply being hit out from the body.
The punch should initiate from the hip, instead of just the arm. "The punch is merely a missile. The legs are the missile launcher."
Moore also advises parents to closely question their children’s Boxing-Fitness teacher and to watch the class. "There’s a fine line between discipline and humiliation", he says. "Some instructors take it too far."
