Category: Activities for Kids

Newton Boxing for Moms and Kids

It all started with my mom friend Penny. She saw her brother during the holidays, and he had those Star Trek Cardasian trapezius muscles bulging out of his neck. He got them from boxing in the Bronx.

She, too, wanted to whip herself into shape through boxing. She put me in charge of figuring this out. I used to kickbox with a Muay Thai boxing champion last summer who was awesome, but alas, he was back in California.

The 3:oo school pick up was a fertile recruiting ground. Our friend Stella wanted to get back to pre-baby weight. Lydia had enjoyed karate back in England and wanted to get in shape. We also roped in our friend Katherine. We figured we needed her in case of injuries. She’s a nurse practitioner at Babson college.

Katherine is our resident nurse.

Finding the right place and instructor was easy. I just texted my dad friend Mike, a Golden Gloves champion.

“Nonantum Boxing. Ask for Marc. He’s the best!”

It only took one call and we were set up for a class the next day. And so we went.

First the basic punches. Jab. Cross. Hook. Uppercut. Marc is very technical and insists on perfect form. You need that in order not to injure yourself! We start on that white line and hit the mitts that Marc holds. We do this for about a third of the class.

On the line with Marc.

Heavy bag work is next. We each take a heavy bag and Marc calls out the drills. Punching. Then some foot work. Shuffle, shuffle, up. Shuffle, shuffle, back. Footwork with punching comes next.

Lydia throws a mean cross.

The final third of the class is a combination of heavy bags with conditioning. This last segment is non-stop with no rest in between.Some of the fitness exercises are yoga- like too, especially if your yoga has lots of core work: chair pose, plank, low plank, high to low push up, and side plank. Other exercises are bootcamp-like: burpees, Chavez hops, and other forms of torture. We usually end in abdominal exercises, different sequences that seem agonizingly difficult.

After six weeks,we’ve worked our way into punching sequences that include defense moves —  slipping and ducking — also known as “the bob and weave.” Our friend Stella demonstrates:

In case you are wondering if you can do this, watch us progress. Here is Lydia after 3 weeks and again at 6 weeks. What a difference a few more weeks make! We are also noticing that we are getting stronger with more endurance, both for boxing and other sports.

For anyone who wants a fun workout, consider boxing! Nonantum Boxing Club has fitness classes for adults where typically the class make up is at least half women. They also have classes for kids.

If you want to learn to box, start your own semi-private group like we did. We recommend buying 10 pass pack and getting a group of 4 people. The price optimizes at 4 and you can also pair off!

We hope to see you at Nonantum Boxing Club!!

p.s. Our mom boxing group continues to grow. We now book Marc three times a week. Warning: boxing is very addicting!