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Adaptive Boxing for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery

Adaptive boxing provides people of all abilities the opportunity to access safe and high-quality wheelchair-based boxing training.

The Brighton and Hove Boxing Gym has been welcoming members through its doors since 1946 and has recently been pioneering a new approach to adaptive boxing. Their ethos is that everyone should be able to access sports. Professional Boxer and Club Chairman Scott Welch started the WBC Adaptive Boxing program six years ago to give people with disabilities access to safe, technical, high-end boxing training.

Stepping Inside The Gym

If you’d like to experience a real boxing gym, this is the place. The walls feature murals of boxing champions, all of whom have set foot inside during the gym’s 78-year history. We were warmly greeted and introduced to the main gym area, where a coaching session was in full swing with a group of kids entirely focused on perfecting their art. The energy in the room was infectious, and already, there was a real sense of excitement as the adaptive boxing group began to arrive. The group made us feel so welcome and included (we declined a pair of gloves this time, but maybe on our next visit?!).

With everyone warmed up, they entered the ring. The strength, precision, and way the boxers sparred and moved with such agility was exhilarating. It’s clear that boxing is good for mind and body, confidence, agility, and a sense of belonging in a gym with true heart and soul at its core.

The club runs weekly sessions on Tuesday evenings that involve structured work on fitness and mobility and, of course, the opportunity for some sparring in the ring. The gym’s trainers have focused on building a community where everyone feels able to join within a culture of inclusivity and accessibility.

“We have a safe style of boxing with roles, regulations, and standards of practice. We have created a pathway for people with disabilities starting from community sessions leading up to elite level wheelchair-based training and competition”.

Kieran Green – WBC Adaptive Boxing Lead

 

Why not try adaptive boxing for yourself?

This form of boxing is a wheelchair sport that is rapidly growing in popularity as it promotes fitness and self-confidence among a diverse group of participants. All of the exercises can be done from a seated position and can be adapted to suit varying abilities and fitness levels.
At its heart, adaptive boxing focuses on building functional fitness levels, core strength, stability, and coordination. Training and interacting with others who share similar challenges and experiences can lead to greater confidence, a sense of belonging and help improve mental health.

To find out more about the WBC adaptive boxing programme across the UK, get in touch with Kieran directly by emailing adaptive@wbccaresuk.org