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Archive for May, 2009

Understanding The History Of Boxing

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Boxing was among the most popular sports practiced in ancient Greece and was one of the former disciplines inside the Olympic Games. Romans adopted this sport as they did with almost all the Greek culture, but in Rome, the contenders wore metal protectors for fighting in order to protect their hands.The sport of boxing has been about since as early as 3000BC, but formal boxing was first recognised in the latter part of the 18th century. The ancient Greeks assumed that pugilism or fist fighting was a game that the Greek Gods took part in; this was then implemented into the Olympic Games in 688BC. The only drawback in these early times were that competitors didn’t have any padded gloves, they simply used leather bound hand coverings sometimes filled with metal, which you can imagine led to some fierce and bloody duels some even leading in battles to the death. Unfortunately fist fighting began to die away after the fall of The Romans on September 4th, 476AD, when the last Ruler of the Western Roman Empire was deposed.

In England, in the 18th century, it began to gain fans and sportsmen back to the game when it was transformed into a working man’s game during the Industrial Revolution which completely transformed the look of Britain’s agriculture. The bouts and fights in the 18th and 19th century weren’t well organised and looked a lot like savage street fights rather than the modern day performances that we witness now. The game was ultimately known as bare-knuckle boxing and the first champion was a man named James Figg back in 1719, the only trouble surrounding this was there were no rules set out, so contenders could punch their opponents below the waist and sometimes fights resulted in death.

Luckily this wouldn’t last forever and in the year 1743 Jack Broughton a heavy weight champion decided to set seven rules for how boxing should be carried out, these rules ultimately adapted and became part of the London Prize Rules and eventually the Marquess of Queensbury’s Rules which are today’s set principles. These regulations helped defend all contenders by enforcing the 30 second rule which meant if a man was down for 30 seconds or longer the fight was finished, so ultimately a downed man could not be repeatedly hit. Jack Broughton also invented the first form of padded gloves which were called mufflers; these seriously cut the total of blood and injury taken from a hit.

Progressing towards current times, one of the most significant and admired boxers of all time, and questionably the best of all time is Muhammad Ali who won the World Heavyweight Title on three occasions which makes him the only man to have done so in boxing history. There were a number of fights that can be claimed as the best of all time, but two main ones stand out. The first being in 1974 which was promoted by Don King and branded as The Rumble In The Jungle which saw one of the prime upsets in boxing history as the underdog Ali faced defending champion George Foreman, in which Ali “danced” his way to triumph. After this fight Ali was on top of his game and kept his form going as he went into the Thrilla In Manila bout against Joe Frazier and defeated him in a boxing match that Ali described as the closest he has felt to death.

Advantages Of Boxing Training For Fitness

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

You may improve your health and have a physically fit body by getting into boxing training fitness programs. Getting into a boxing training program will not only improve your overall health; it will give you a physically fit body as well. It is one of today’s best programs to have a strong body, develop agility and gain self-confidence. Boxing workouts can help you to be at your best fighting form as well.

Many people see positive results from boxing trainings. You may build stronger and more defined arms and legs. These programs and classes also help you to gain a sense of inner strength and emotional balance. Boxing training classes got across to the mainstream of physical fitness training a few years back. They have seen the advantages  on the cardiovascular and toning of the muscles by these boxing training workouts. Tae bo work out videos also popularized these boxing and kickboxing exercises.Cardio boxing training classes and the innovative variations of the sparring jabs, power punches, defense, and fitness has all blends of aerobics exercises. You will learn the proper execution of the punch and kick combinations for a more intensive workout that can help you become stronger and more confident.

The combinations you perform on the blocks, jabs, and kicks are executed to an imagined opponent. You may see classes where participants throw punches and kicks on the air. You will also find training camps that have quality equipment such as punching bags and you may also have the option of getting a partner that has padded hands. You may also enjoy more advantages aside from the physical aspects of boxing trainings. Cardio kick boxing workouts allow you to burn out 350 to 500 calories in just an hour. It also helps maintaining the heart rate at 75 percent to 85 percent regular beat. This has been proven to be good and is the recommended range if you are exercising or into training.

Moreover, these boxing training classes improve your speed, resistance, and strength. Flexibility and the reflexes of the muscles are also enhanced. Repetitive motion on arms by sparring and jogging while you punch helps your arms and legs gain strength and power.These workouts also enable your joint movements to build very efficient fitness results. These movements require you to develop balance and coordination that enables your body to be stable and maintain a good form.These physical advantages you gain from boxing and kickboxing are just few of the many advantages  that they can provide. You will be able to learn more about defense mechanism skills, which you may use in case of unwanted instances. You will also feel the satisfaction when you punch or kick. Relaxation and self-motivation is also developed.

You will feel a sigh of relief and feel that you are released from stressed. It also helps you to get rid of that anger that is inside of you. Once these things are releases, you may feel lightness into your body and peace of mind as well. Many aerobic and fitness experts recommend boxing training lessons for beginners. It allows you to workout on your desired pace and body condition. Boxing classes let you to push yourself to the limit as long as you are safe and well conditioned. Like all fitness programs, boxing training requires discipline and perseverance. Stick to this program for a long time and you will reap the rewards of a strong and healthy body.