Free and easy ways to get fit: Boxing challenges mind
If there’s one positive to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic it’s that people have realised you don’t need all the bells and whistles to get in some exercise. In the third part of this Sunday News and Stuff series tied to Auckland’s Round the Bays event, Stephen Heard speaks to boxer Holly Sullivan about the free and easy way to gain the sport’s required speed, agility and power.
HOLLY Sullivan was part of the Federation Six representative squad for football before taking up boxing.
‘‘I wanted additional fitness. I had grown up watching and practising karate with my dad when I was little. My first coach started my addiction to the sport of boxing and I never looked back! I ended up carding a couple of kick-boxing bouts and then six weeks later I had my first bout under K-1 rules.’’
She eventually found her home at Christchurch’s Woolston Boxing Club and took up coaching after a number of injuries forced her to leave the ring.
Sullivan says that to achieve the impressive physical fitness level of a boxer – combining stamina, speed, agility and power – you don’t necessarily need to start out in a flashy gym.
‘‘My first gym was in a single car garage. I had some of the best workouts of my life there.’’
You also don’t need to wear a face full of bruises.
‘‘It’s important to increase fitness to be able to achieve everything you want to without running out of steam, or having to think about running out of steam.’’
Sullivan says there are several elementary exercises beginners can work on to build up their fitness for boxing. Basic functional movements and bodyweight exercises like planks, wall sits, burpees and push-ups ‘‘can be used for improving strength and stamina’’, while more intensive plyometric exercises, like box jumps, can be utilised to ‘‘improve fast-twitch fibre muscles to explode quicker.’’
Several foundation exercises in boxing fitness can be performed without equipment. Sullivan says the most
important thing is to clock up some kilometres on the running trail, including both long-distance and short fast-paced sprints. She adds that running ‘‘should be included in a routine at least two times per week’’.
For more boxing focused techniques, Sullivan recommends starting out with shadow sparring and footwork drills. Shadow sparring or shadow-boxing sees participants move around a space while throwing air punches. The method is typically practised to warm up the muscles and raise the heart rate for stronger highintensity training.
Footwork drills help fighters get themselves in the best position to attack as well as keep out of reach of an opponent.
In a workout setting, the drills might include action with a skipping rope, pivoting forward with the feet, and stopping and starting quickly to
Stuff
test balance and boxing stance.
‘‘It’s important to have a wellbalanced stance so you can move without falling over and know when you’re in a good position to throw a punch.’’
It doesn’t need to be all about vigorous physical exertion. Sullivan admits that she’s ‘‘greatly uncoordinated,’’ and to be able to put a one-two combo together with footwork, she took three years of jazz and hip hop dance classes to help with timing.
‘‘Being a little bit out of sync and time to everyone else can be quite helpful in this sport.’’
Sullivan says those more serious about the sport should be performing a minimum of two skill classes per week and strength and conditioning training one to two times per week. Newcomers at Sullivan’s Woolston Boxing Club are required to sign a member form committing to a training regime of strenuous and demanding physical techniques.
‘‘If you love a physical and mental challenge boxing is all about it! It requires a huge amount of discipline.’’
Of course, there are the obvious risks of physical contact, collisions and falling, especially for those sparring with another participant.
‘‘You might get hit. Yes, the objective is not to, however you need to know you might get the odd bop.’’