By Harvey Hudson
THE link between boxing and Parkinson’s disease is not positive. The most famous boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali, suffered from the disease in his later years, and in a very public way. This was symbolized worldwide when Ali lit the Olympic torch in 1996, while his hand shook uncontrollably.
Conventional wisdom blames boxing, as Ali overpaid in the ring, particularly in later fights. However, one boxing club is trying to change this negative correlation.
Newquay Boxing Academy believes non-contact boxing training can be beneficial for those diagnosed with the disease and is hosting a unique session said to benefit those suffering from the condition. It’s called Parky Blinders.
Club coach Jim Dyne, who runs the session, explained that it was club founder Richard Powers who had the initial idea to organize the session. “He always wanted to give back to the communities,” Dyne explained. “To help people with Parkinson’s, he discovered that sport, particularly boxing, can relieve their symptoms and slow the disease.”
The sessions benefit attendees both mentally and physically, although the image of Parkinson’s patients in a boxing gym may seem problematic.
“With Parkinson’s, they will never train; it’s not really about training them to compete,” Dyne said. “It’s about using fitness and technique to help them relieve their symptoms. We use not only physical but also mental training; We play cognitive games to help release dopamine in the brain.
“One of the main symptoms is hand tremor, so we focus on speed and precision. Hitting the bags or using the pads helps with the tremors, because they are concentrating on the pads and before they know it, they are throwing their hands around without really thinking.
“Another exercise we do is put marks on the punching bag and have them hit lower and lower. If they are rigid and rigid, we try to make it easier for them to access, for example if they are shopping or at home and want to reach something off the bottom shelf, rather than it becoming a problem and causing them to worry and think about how to do it. They are going to do this, with training and these exercises we hope they will do it automatically. In fact, it works that way when we get feedback.”
This is not just the word of the trainers: there is scientific evidence and research to support the theory that boxing training is beneficial for those suffering from Parkinson’s. A 2021 study on boxing therapy for people with Parkinson’s disease, Longitudinal Study of Boxing Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease, concluded that “BT may reduce the risk of falls in patients with PD.” (National Library of Medicine).
Additionally, on its website, the Parkinson’s Foundation of the National Capital Area recognizes that boxing training increases strength, hand-eye coordination, posture and cognitive processing.
A famous case that supports this is the story of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, who, like Ali, has been suffering from Parkinson’s for a long time. However, he continues to use both boxing coaching and coaching as a form of therapy, as well as training many of the sport’s biggest names over the past two decades.
Parky Blinders has already attracted media attention, including a report on BBC Breakfast News. Dyne said the BBC expose sparked an “influx of people” across the country asking if there was a club near them offering Parky Blinders. The Cornwall club will be a pioneer as England Boxing and Parkinson’s UK recognize the benefits of the session and look to roll out and promote it further nationally.
“We are organizing a course to teach other coaches on how to start one of these clubs and how to train coaches to identify the needs of someone with Parkinson’s,” Dyne added. “We are trying to build a community for them. [Parkinson’s sufferers] …they are discovering that in reality it is not all doom and gloom.”
One of the Newquay attendees, Joff Wickham, explained how useful the class can be after his Parkinson’s diagnosis. He first became aware of the program after seeing a post on Facebook.
“It was created about 18 months ago; There were about six of us; We started in a closet at the sports center and from there we’ve gone up and up,” Wickham said.
“When I first read it, I thought ‘Parkinson and boxing, wait, this is a good idea?’ Then they explained to me how it worked and everything made sense. We make matches on the pads so we can learn muscle memory. Coaches always try to think of different things to try to challenge us mentally.
“Six months before the shoot started, I was thinking about not being able to do anything anymore and not being able to live anywhere near the life I had been living before,” he continued. “It was a mental process of shutting down and thinking ‘Is this it?’ The group has personally given me a light at the end of the tunnel, to know that there are things I can do to get out of that cycle.”
Joff enjoys the community side of the shoot: “It’s brilliant. We have a good session, a good workout and some good laughs. There is an hour in the gym and then an hour in the cafeteria.
“Just talking to other people who are in your situation is a huge help. It’s nice to be able to help other people too, to pass on information to them that they wouldn’t otherwise know.”
The community and social aspect is something that the coaches wanted to implement, and it is a very rewarding experience for both them and the attendees.
“Afterwards, over coffee, we chat about what we have discovered and what is new, who has discovered what about the drugs, the therapies and the things that are available. People find out a lot about what’s going on and we can share it,” Joff added. “I have made very, very good friends thanks to this.
“You meet different people that you otherwise wouldn’t have met. It’s not over, life is not over. “There is still a lot of life in us.”
