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Boxing
Boxing is alternately viewed by the public as a noble art and a low-brow blood fest. You could be forgiven for subscribing to the blood fest theory - who can forget Mike Tyson snacking on Evander Holyfield's ear and then going back for seconds? However, boxing's other reputation is also deserved.
The so-called sweet science is the ultimate contest. Two pugilists going mano el mano (and now womano el womano, thanks to changes in international rules) is one of the enduring images of our time. It's also gives you a great cardiovascular workout. So if you want an interesting way to get fit, why not consider taking up boxing? You don't necessarily have to take to the ring and start your fighting career - just learn the moves and get that washboard stomach.
Boxing is thought to have originated in Ethiopia about 6,000 years ago. It developed into Egypt and later into Rome and Greece, where it became an Olympic sport in 686 BC. All fights took place on open ground, with the spectators acting as living, poking ropes. At first pugilists fought for glory, but soon an ancient version of Don King indicated that they deserved a cow, chicken or some other form of livestock for their pains.
Boxers used to protect their hands and wrists by wrapping them with soft, thin leather straps. As time passed, these bindings became less of a protection and more of a weapon. In the later years of the Roman Empire, fighters used straps armoured with iron and copper brackets for gladiatorial fights, which usually ended up with the death of one of the combatants.
Boxing went into decline with the collapse of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity. However, you can't keep a good sport down and an official boxing match was registered in England in 1681. London became the centre for boxing, but it was a brave man that took to the ring. All bouts were bare-knuckle, there were no weight classifications and, if you were unlucky enough to go down, your opponent was permitted to keep on giving you a good kicking.
Boxing eventually got some set-down regulations, but it was the introduction of the Marquis of Queensbury's rules in 1867 that really made the sport safer. The new rules called for fighters to wear padded gloves and to be classified by weight. They also decreed that each round should last for only three minutes, followed by a one-minute break.
Amateur boxers today use protective headgear and padding to guard themselves from injury. They box just three rounds, with each round lasting three minutes. Fights are scored on a 10-point system by the judges - the winner of each round gets ten points and the loser normally receives nine points. However, if there is a knockdown, the loser receives fewer points.
Many people have a fear of getting pounded into mince down a dark alley. Strangely enough, learning to box can counteract this. Even though a boxing class may expose you to a few punches, it will also enhance your ability to defend yourself and improve your self-confidence. This isn't to say that you will be floating and stinging like Ali in his heyday, but you will gain the presence of mind to dodge blows and be prepared for a confrontation.
The skipping ropes and punch bags of the movies are not a fabrication. A boxing class involves a lot of fitness training, some of which is a great way of beating stress. Working over a swinging punch bag for half an hour is like being let loose on the biggest stress squeezer in the world. Although the perfect shape if your worst enemy is a giant Swiss roll, they can also be adapted to take the place of that satanic traffic warden or whoever else you feel like giving a few imaginary digs to.
A boxing class will teach more than how to just warm up, however. You will learn uppercuts, jabs, hooks and crosses, how to defend yourself and fancy footwork. Some classes will then take you on to sparring, where you have a mock match with someone of your own ability. If you decide that boxing is really for you, then you can start putting yourself forward for amateur competitions and perhaps even give Ireland another chance at Olympic gold. So if you want to reach out and punch someone without going to jail, then check out the nearest fight club near you...
