By Harvey Hudson
THE link between boxing and Parkinson’s disease is not a positive one. The most famous boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali, was stricken by the disease in his later years, and very publicly so. This was symbolised globally as Ali lit the Olympic torch in 1996, while his hand shook uncontrollably.
Conventional wisdom places the blame on boxing, for Ali overpaying his dues in the ring, particularly in later fights. Yet one boxing club is seeking to change this negative correlation.
Newquay Boxing Academy believes non-contact boxing training can be beneficial for those diagnosed with the disease and hosts a unique session that is said to benefit sufferers. It’s called Parky Blinders.
Club coach Jim Dyne, who runs the session, explained it was the club’s founder Richard Powers who had the initial idea to host the session. “He’s always wanted to give back to the communities,” Dyne explained. “In order to help people with Parkinson’s, he found out that sport, particularly boxing, can really help with their symptoms and slow the disease down.”
The sessions benefit attendees both mentally and physically, despite the image of Parkinson’s sufferers in a boxing gym perhaps appearing problematic.
“With Parkinson’s, they’ll never spar; it’s not really training them to compete,” Dyne said. “It’s using the fitness and technique to help them alleviate symptoms. We use not only physical but mental training as well; we play cognitive games to help release dopamine in the brain.
“One of the main symptoms is a hand tremor, so we concentrate on speed and accuracy. Punching 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 without really thinking.
“Another exercise we do is we put marks on the punchbag and get them to punch lower and lower. If they are rigid and stiff, we are trying to ease them in, so for instance if they go shopping or they are at home and want to reach something from the bottom shelf, instead of it becoming an issue and causing worry and thinking about how they are going to do this, with training and these exercises we are hoping they will do it automatically. It’s actually working that way, when we get feedback.”
This is not just the word of the coaches – there is scientific evidence and research that supports the theory that boxing training is beneficial for Parkinson’s sufferers. A 2021 study on Boxing Therapy for those with Parkinson’s disease, Longitudinal Study of Boxing Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease, concluded that ‘BT may reduce the risk of falls in PD patients.’ (National Library of Medicine).
Additionally, on its website, the Parkinson’s Foundation of the National Capital Area acknowledges boxing training as increasing 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 is a long-term sufferer of Parkinson’s. However, he continues to use both boxing training and coaching as a form of therapy, in addition to training many of the top names in the sport over the past two decades.
Parky Blinders has already attracted media attention, including a report on BBC Breakfast News. Dyne said the BBC exposure triggered an “influx of people” up and down the country enquiring if there was a club near them that offered Parky Blinders. The club in Cornwall is set to be a trailblazer, with England Boxing and Parkinson’s UK recognising the benefits of the session and looking to implement and promote this further nationally.
“We are putting together a course to deliver to other coaches about how to start one of these clubs and how to train coaches in identifying the needs of someone with Parkinson’s,” Dyne added. “We’re trying to build a community for them [Parkinson’s sufferers] … they’re finding out its not actually all doom and gloom.”
One of the Newquay attendees, Joff Wickham, explained how helpful the class can be after his Parkinson’s diagnosis. He first became aware of the programme after seeing a post on Facebook.
“It was set up about 18 months ago – there was about six of us; we started in a cupboard in the sports centre, and we’ve gone onwards and upwards from there really,” Wickham said.
“When I first read it, I thought ‘Parkinson’s and boxing, hang on – is that a good idea?’ It was then explained to me how it worked, and it all made sense. We do combinations on the pads so that we can learn muscle memory. The coaches are always trying to come up with different things to try and challenge us mentally.
“Six months before the session started, I was contemplating not been able to do things anymore and not been able to live anywhere near the life that I had been living before,” he went on. “It was a mental process of shutting down and thinking ‘Is this it?’. The group has given me personally a light at the end of the tunnel, to know that there are things I can do to get out of that cycle.”
Joff relishes the community side of the session: “It’s brilliant. We have a good session, a good workout and a good laugh. There’s an hour in the gym and then an hour in the café afterwards.
“Just speaking to other people that are in your situation is a real help. It’s nice to be able to help other people as well, 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 in the café, we sort of chat about what we’ve found out and what’s new, who’s found out what about meds and therapies and things that are available. People find out an awful lot about what’s going on that we can share,” Joff added. “I’ve made some really, really good friends out of this.
“You meet different people that you otherwise wouldn’t have met. It’s not over, life’s not over. There’s plenty of life left in us just yet.”
