Punching Up
Kids find their footing in youth boxing
By Zac Tubbs
Photos: Doug Murdock
As I was driving home from my first boxing class at Mount Tabor Park, I called my grandfather’s cell phone. I wanted to tell him about the excitement on the kids’ faces and their hard work on the different punching bags set up across the gym. My eagerness to share the success of that first day was muted when I was notified that his cell phone number had been disconnected. My paternal grandfather, Darold Tubbs—a retired Sergeant in the U.S. Marines, who served during the Korean War—passed away earlier this year. He was his ship’s boxing champion, the first person to introduce me to a punching bag, and the inspiration for my boxing program—the Uppercut Crew.
Digging In
Our many talks about his boxing past led me to propose a youth-boxing program to Paulding County’s lineup of general-interest youth programs. I told the Director, Michael Justus, and Assistant Director, Alex Wilson, that I would “bet my job” the program would be a big hit.
The program was approved, and I quickly applied for the New Initiative Grant through the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association. I dove head-first into researching youth-boxing programs and reached out to coordinators, instructors, and coaches across the county to gain insight. I studied and took exams to become certified as a Green Level Coach through USA Boxing. Several months later, I received a $1,000 grant to spend on program equipment and transitioned to writing class workouts.
The first question I tackled was how to offer a quality youth-boxing program with no ring, no sparring, and no hanging punching bags. In speculating on how parents might view the program, I tried to differentiate it from other local boxing gyms or clubs that offer full-scale equipment and training.
The grant was used to purchase four smart punching bags. These unique bags connect to Bluetooth and allow participants to complete different boxing workouts and combinations, or test their accuracy during different punching games. The bags are equipped with a six-axis gyroscope sensor, which computes real-time punch intensity, including strikes, round accuracy, punch speed, and the total number of punches thrown. The remaining money was used to purchase top-of-the-line boxing gloves. As former football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders once proclaimed, “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good.” We wanted the kids to use real, legitimate boxing gloves. The only downside to having great gloves is that the kids beg to take them home!
Finding Focus
It was then time to determine the ultimate goals of the six-week program for 7- to 12-year-olds. After many hours reflecting on my sports experiences as a player and coach, researching boxing, and examining issues facing youth in schools, I finally had the program figured out. It would contain three points:
Introducing and teaching the fundamentals of boxing
Increasing each participant’s strength, conditioning, and overall athletic ability
Building self-esteem and composure via confidence-building sessions and steadfast coaching efforts.
The first program for the Uppercut Crew reached capacity quickly. The class comprised participants from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and athletic capabilities. As I soon discovered from their parents, a couple kids were facing issues at school, particularly with being bullied. One parent wanted her son to learn how to defend himself. By the final week, the differences in the participants’ attitudes and demeanor were excitably visible. “Rent is due every week” is one of the mottos used to help the participants understand they have to give their best effort every day and yesterday doesn’t matter. “What did you do today to better yourself?” is the key question participants ask themselves. The participants bought into the program, and I can say without a doubt it has a made a distinguishable impact in just six weeks.
Teaming Up
Any recreation department that is considering adding this program should focus on implementing lesson plans that incorporate boxing fundamentals, strength and conditioning exercises, and confidence-building sessions. The $41 price tag is considerably lower than the $100 per month that many boxing clubs and businesses often charge. When it comes to the physical components of the class, an emphasis should be placed on effort, accountability, and a team-oriented approach. For example, if one participant stops during a drill, the entire group has to do “wind sprints.” Present at least one team challenge during every class. In our program, we have the participants play Tug-O-War the first week as an icebreaker; the winning team has the option of letting the losing team run two sets of wind sprints or splitting the “punishment”: each group runs one set—as a team. As expected, the winning team usually has the losing team saddle up and run all of the wind sprints that are owed. In our last week with double the number of wind sprints at stake, the winning team decided that both teams would run together and share the load. The message of working together resonated!
Paulding County’s boxing program is making a difference in ways that can be seen by parents on a daily basis. A small grant investment, coupled with a bit of trust, has led to big rewards and provided another opportunity for youth to better themselves. The program is a trendsetter that is truly “punching up” kids in Paulding County.
Zac Tubbs, MS, is a Certified Youth Sports Administrator and Program Coordinator for Paulding County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs in Georgia. Reach him at zac.tubbs@paulding.gov.