BOXING IN THE BERKSHIRES

by Aiden Germain

The Berkshire Boxing Club is a new fitness center that offers a variety of hour-long classes. There are fitness classes to get you ready for that summer bod, boxing classes of all different levels, and yoga classes where people do downward dog. The boxing levels are novice and elite, plus there is a youth program where little kids under ten years old don’t know what they’re doing, kind of like me. I’ve been attending boxing classes at the Berkshire Boxing Club for a month or two--because I just started boxing, I’m not ready for sparring.
Even though boxing is a highly physical activity, it’s mental as well. You have to think smart while you’re boxing or else you get hit. You need to know what you’re doing with your hands, feet, and legs. You use your hands to protect your head and to hit people. You need to move your feet and change positions to avoid getting hit by your opponent. Good boxers are fast, they hit hard, and they escape their opponent by dodging and weaving. Muhammad Ali was a boxer and a Muslim. Equal rights were very important to him. He was very smart and quick in the boxing ring. He was the heavyweight champion of the world in March 1964.
In novice classes, we start with jump rope to get the blood flowing, then we wrap our hands and go in the boxing ring to shadow box. Shadow boxing is practicing your technique by punching the air.  Then we put on our boxing gloves and hit the punching bags for around 20 minutes, which is very tiring. I used to go to class every day after school and when school ends, I’ll start going every day again. Hopefully, I will go every day all summer to get that summer bod.