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MEDICINE BALLS - EXERCISES AND INFORMATION
16 Feb 2009, 15:31
Within any sport establishing power and maintaining strength are key factors to be taken into consideration. If your sport for example is boxing then the ability to project explosive movements is essential. As part of a full workout and fitness program the medicine ball can give the athlete some essential simulated body movements that can prepare them for the specific sport they have chosen. In order to achieve the best result the in any sport the training must be a reflection of the movements of the sport itself and a medicine ball can provide that simulation when used correctly.
How do I prepare a medicine ball exercise session ?
Important points to remember before you start:
- Make sure the appropriate warm and warm down exercises are employed.
- Run through with either yourself or the participant the full movement of the medicine ball exercise so that they know exactly what they are doing before they start.
- Both parties must be competent and happy that the weight is achievable and not too high to cause injury.
- The medicine ball exercise should be done before high cardio vascular activity and not after.
- When starting the program make sure that the weight of the ball is light and then work your way up.
- The exercise should match the patterns of movement within the sport itself; so a pushing out motion could be useful for boxing.
- Make sure you have a range of medicine balls ready for the full spectrum of exercises that you have planned.
- Make sure that you have adequate space to proceed with the chosen exercise and that the medicine ball will not have any damaging effects on the surrounding walls or beams.
- Always be aware as you can easily pull a muscle if not used correctly.
- In three quarters of an hour a good medicine ball workout can be achieved if the participant is working correctly.
- The technique is far more important than the quantity of exercises performed.
Where can I buy medicine balls ?We stock a huge variety of medicine balls and you can choose the ball that best suits your need by clicking on the link - medicine ball.
Good medicine ball technique and safety practice ?
When practicing with a medicine ball it is important to maintain discipline and ensure that the exercise is carried out in a way that will not cause harm to the participant and by this can be done by adhering to the following points:
- Once you have chosen your medicine ball try and keep your back straight and your knees slightly bended.
- If a participant is throwing the ball from behind his/her head then they must ensure not to move the ball too far behind the head.
- It is most important that your technique is good and never compensate quantity or distance for quality of movement.
- Use your joint mechanism in the suggested sequence when performing the exercise.
- Make sure that your feet are planted firmly on the ground when performing throwing movements.
- Make sure that the arms are full extended when throwing the medicine ball.
- If you are doing exercises on your back make sure that the lower part of your back is in contact with the floor at all times to ensure posture and safety.
- Before making a catch ensure that you keep both arms at full extension, keep your hands together and keep your eyes on the incoming ball.
CAGE FIGHTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS
27 Jun 2008, 09:48
Boxfit UK are proud to announce that the Cage Fighters Championships will be held in Brentwood at the Brentwood Centre. We are delighted to have been invited to be one of the main sponsors of the event and will be supplying all of their boxing equipment.
A growing phenomenon, cagefighting is an action-packed sport with no limitations, encompassing strength, skill, endurance and pure determination along with boxing skills.
The Cage Fighters Championship lets you experience this incredible phenomenom and experience the extraordinary atmosphere so don't miss out the event will be held on the 25th October 2008.
For further information visit www.cfc.uk.com or to book tickets call the box office on 01277 262616 or 07930 494396. Boxfit UK will see you there!
The History Of Lonsdale Boxing
4 Jun 2008, 13:37
In 1960 Lonsdale Boxing began it’s journey as Lonsdale London as a specifically boxing and clothing orientated brand but it’s birthplace was much earlier. The 5th Earl of Lonsdale (Hugh Lowther ) was the chief president of the National Sporting society at the time in 1891 and set up staged boxing matches with gloves following the premature deaths of 3 boxers around that time through savage bare knuckle boxing bouts.
Src. The peerage
After his personal colour he was named as the Yellow Earl and could be seen driving around in his prestigious yellow Rolls Royce with it’s elevated ceiling to accommodate his top hat which were quite popular with gentry at the time. Not only did he have top hat but was also over 6 foot four as well, as you can see from the picture below.
Src: drivepast
In addition to being the president of the national sporting club he was also a veteran of the UK Automobile association and also Arsenal football club. As a mark of respect for him it is also the reason why the Arsenal away strip is usually yellow. He was regarded by some as “the sporting gentleman of England.” As a sign of appreciation and determination any boxer who won and then defended his Lonsdale belt was awarded with the actual belt for their achievements. This set the way that a fighter was regarded in great esteem only if he had earned the Lonsdale belt.
As a result of his efforts and enthusiasm the British boxing board of control gave him the presidency in 1929 and remained there until his death just before the end of the war in 1944.
Bernard hart was given special rights in 1959 by the new 7th Earl to use the Lonsdale brand for use with clothing and boxing equipment.
A year later the business was created and as a mixture of hard work, enthusiasm and acute business sense the brand became a huge success. Let us not forget though that the legacy of Hugh Lowther the Yellow Earl will have had an immense push on this boxing brand through his sustained love of the sport and respect from the boxing community.
The Carnaby Street look became fashionable by 1965 and the shop became a haven for celebrities and young people alike. Paul McCartney ( before he met Heather), Anthony Quinn, and Tony Curtis were absolutely amazed and astounded by the quality and inspired look that Lonsdale boxing brand gave them. It wasn’t just confined to the UK though as a certain evolutionary individual called Paul Weller found out after visiting the shop in 1979.
He toured Japan just shortly after purchasing a quantity of t-shirts from the Lonsdale boxing shop. Suddenly sales rocketed in both the UK and Japan and pushed the Lonsdale brand to even higher heights.
Amongst others Ricky Hatton , Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Marvin Haggler are all great champions who have been proud to be seen wearing the Lonsdale boxing brand over the years.
As the brand is currently thriving it will be around for years to come but it’s good just to learn about the history of one of the UK’s largest boxing brands: Lonsdale boxing.
History of Boxing Gloves
10 Jan 2008, 13:53
How it all started........the history...
Greek/Roman Boxing 3000 years ago...
Boxing Gloves have been around for over three thousand years. The Greeks handed it down to the Romans as a sporting event and as Romans had a tendency to do they turned it into a gladiatorial event. The old Greek method of using hardened leather strips as the gloves was implemented however with one significant change.
They thought they would incorporate metal studs and spikes to the strips !!!!........
As a result of this many valiant Romans either wound up permanently crippled or in the worst cases it was fatal. Believe it or not the Romans actually believed that this type of extreme sport was too dangerous and in the years 30 BC it was ruled as an illegal activity and so carried on this way for over fifteen hundred years in the western world.
Bare Knuckle boxing......
Boxing reappeared in the seventeenth century and in the form of bare knuckle boxing bouts. As this was considered more civilized than it’s predecessors boxing gloves came back in use from then. One of the pioneers of the new age boxing glove was a champion British boxer who incorporated padding into the glove for training purposes. The majority of competitive bouts were always done using bare knuckles. This however started to cause much of the same problems as the Romans had thousands of years ago. People ended up being killed inside the ring. As with all sports the actual contenders know how they wanted to play and were reluctant to give up the purity that bare knuckle boxing had and was then banned again in most parts of the world in the nineteenth century.
The final Chapter for bare knuckle boxing......
Bare knuckle boxing had seen it’s last days on a major scale and as a results of John Chambers made global the Queensbury rules and codes of boxing conduct and the incorporation on a mass scale of padded boxing gloves became the normality for most boxing nations, signalling the end for the above ground boxing events.
Reason for the boxing gloves of today
Boxing gloves in this day and age are defined in weights. The reason for this is that the hands are made of thousands of tiny bones which on impact can break and be permanently damaged. Padded boxing gloves are there not only to protect the person that a boxer boxes against but also for the actual contender themselves. Padded gloves cannot be swung as fast as less weighted boxing gloves thus providing more safety for the boxers in such a competitive sport.
Just imagine Ricky Hatton fighting Floyd Mayweather with the old Roman boxing gloves with spikes on...
We hope you enjoyed reading about the history of the noble art.
One To Watch This Friday
10 Jan 2008, 13:52
This Friday 14th December at 9.00pm is the first showing of a brand new documentary on the world of unlicensed boxing.
When the word 'Unlicensed' and boxing are used in the same sentance most people's reactions are that it is a load of over-weight hasbeen's bare knuckle haymaking boxers...
...how wrong they are!
Organised Unlicensed boxing has come along way in it's short years thanks to promoters like Alan Mortlock who has a large stable of boxers of all ages and backgrounds and can boast some famous and very respected ex-professional boxers like Mark Potter who had some tough fights in his 21 fights (14 KO's) pro career against the likes of boxers Danny Williams and Michael Sprott to name but a few.
Dominic Negus is another ex-pro, 13 fights (7 KO's), who came across Audley Harison during his pro career is a certain crowd puller when he appears on the top of the boxing bill.
But you don't have to believe all this, watch it for yourself on UNDERGROUND BOXING on Sky Channel 427 this Friday 14th December at 9.00pm.
Boxfituk.com are pleased to announce that they are an official sponsor of the programme and we wish Alan Mortlock and his stable of fighters the best of luck in the future, keep up the good work!
Dominant Mayweather stops Hatton
10 Jan 2008, 13:51
Floyd Mayweather put on a vintage display to stop Ricky Hatton in the 10th round and retain his WBC welterweight crown in Las Vegas.
Manchester's Hatton, 29, applied most of the pressure in the early rounds and found some success with some big lefts. But Mayweather let his hands go in the middle rounds, with his fierce left finding its target as Hatton attacked. And the champion floored Hatton with two big lefts in the 10th before ending it with a devastating left hook. Official figures put the British attendance at 4,000, but there must have been close to three times that number in the MGM Grand Arena by the time the bell rang for the opening round. With the strains of Blue Moon still ringing in his ears, light-welterweight king Hatton started quicker and wobbled Mayweather with two big right hands in the first round. Mayweather started to find his range in round two, landing with one sweet right from way back, although Hatton appeared to nick the third courtesy of some powerful lefts to the body.
Hometown fighter Mayweather stepped up a gear in round four, sending home one huge right to the head and picking the challenger off with some dazzling combinations. Hatton's corner went to work on a cut over his left eye at the end of the round and it was becoming clear that the champion's slick shots were taking their toll. Mayweather was happy to soak up Hatton's constant pressure in round five, but round six proved to be the turning point of the fight, with Mayweather landing at will with flashing left hooks and jabs and Hatton having a point deducted by referee Joe Cortez for clubbing right to the back of the neck. Surprisingly, Mayweather was happy to fight inside for long periods and by the seventh round it was clear he was as strong as Hatton and had the measure of him at close range.
He continued to pick Hatton off with counters before jolting 'The Hitman' with a crunching right hand just before the end of the round. Mayweather started to show the full range of his talents in round eight, sending home a stinging right cross and a left-right combination to the body that had Hatton grimacing. Mayweather then let go with two lefts that sent Hatton reeling before befuddling Hatton further with nine or 10 unanswered punches. Hatton became an easier target the longer the fight wore on, and in the battle of the jabs, Mayweather was king, landing 40% to the Englishman's 17%. Round nine was all Mayweather, the Michigan native teeing off on Hatton with quicksilver lefts and stiff rights and finishing off the round with two stabbing jabs. Before the 10th round, Hatton's fans were acutely aware that their hero was in need of a knockout, but the fairytale ending was not forthcoming. Mayweather landed with two huge left hooks that sent Hatton sprawling and sent him to the canvas again with a tremendous left hook. Referee Cortez called a halt to proceedings before Hatton had hit the floor, a minute and 35 seconds into the round, leaving 'The Hitman's' legion of fans stunned.
The judges' scores at the time of the stoppage were: 88-82, 89-81, 89-81.
Mayweather, often maligned for being cocky, was admirable and gracious in victory, hurrying to check up on and praise his vanquished foe. "He kept coming and I see why they call him the Hitman. He's one hell of a fighter but I took care of business and did the job," said Mayweather. "I wanted to show the fans that I still got it. I have nothing else to prove to the world."
Hatton, who lost his first fight in 44 contests, suggested that he would continue to box despite the pain of defeat. "I'm the best at light-welter and I fought the best at welter. I'd rather give praise to my opponent. My pride is hurt more than the punches."
Khan Floors Earl in First Round
10 Jan 2008, 13:51
Khan floored Earl with a sweeping left inside the first minute and again after unleashing a barrage of blows when the challenger got to his feet. The referee stepped in with just one minute 12 seconds on the clock.
"I wasn't surprised, I trained very hard. He was number one in Britain and I wanted to beat him," said Khan. "I knew he was under pressure after the first knockdown and I just went for it. I was fighting the best fighter of my career. I knew I had it in the tank."
It was the second defence for Khan in only his 15th professional fight. Earl, 29, was returning to the ring for the first time since a brutal WBO interim world title defeat at the hands of Australian Michael Katsidis in February.
"I felt alright," said the fighter from Luton. "They shouldn't have stopped that fight. "My head was clear. It's boxing, you've got to take shots, you don't just jump in and stop it straight away. "(Khan's) good but it weren't deserved, it weren't earned."
Khan claimed he would fight for a world title "tomorrow" if he had the chance, and said: "It's up to (promoter) Frank Warren - but I'll fight for a world title tomorrow and prove everyone wrong."
Calzaghe wins Sports Personality
10 Jan 2008, 13:50
Welsh boxing superstar Joe Calzaghe brought his superb year to a close by winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.
The 35-year-old finished ahead of Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, while boxer Ricky Hatton was in third place. Calzaghe, the world super-middleweight champion, is undefeated in 44 fights, including a superb win over Mikkel Kessler in November. Enzo Calzaghe, Joe's father and trainer, was named Coach of the Year.
"I'm shocked - it's a massive honour and it caps off a great year for me," said the boxer who has been a world champion for 10 years.
Calzaghe won with 177,748 (28.19%) votes to Hamilton's 122,649 (19.45%) and Hatton's 85,280 (13.53%). He received the trophy from Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas after travelling to the USA to support his friend Hatton, who was defeated by Floyd Mayweather on Saturday night. And after being on the shortlist last year but not making the top three in the voting, Calzaghe joked: "I said I didn't care last year but I lied." He added: "I'm proud of it, it's a real achievement and also with my dad winning tonight. To get two boxers in the top three is amazing. "I'd like to say thank you very much to everybody who voted for me and hopefully next year I can have a great year again."
FIVE STAR & BRENTWOOD YOUTH - 22nd September
10 Jan 2008, 13:48
We are pleased to announce that two of our most loyal clubs Five Star (Harold Hill) & Brentwood Youth (Hutton) are joining forces to present what will surely be one of the greatest shows of the season, in order to raise funds for the forthcoming trip to South Africa.
Venue: Five Star Youth Club, Goodshays Drive, Harold Hill, Essex RM3 8YJ.
Doors open at 6.30pm. Tickets are £10 Adults, £5 concessions and are available NOW from 01277 214 648.
As always BoxfitUK.Com will see you there.
Lynes Claims British And European Belts
10 Jan 2008, 13:47
COLIN Lynes is the British and European Light-Welterweight Champion after an eighth round victory against Young Muttley.
Lynes, who had already held the British belt, floored Muttley with a barrage of unanswered punches in the eighth.
Muttley got to his feet and managed to continue but a cracking left hook sent Muttley crashing to the canvas again and this time the referee did not even count and called an end to the proceedings.
Lynes made a bright start and had some success with a left jab early in the opening round, while two left hooks from the same fighter also found their target.
After a tough fight for Lynes at the start of June, there had been some belief that Muttley would be the fresher of the fighters but that was not looking the case as some good movement from Lynes was causing the home fighter a problem.
The Wolverhampton crowd were back in fine voice in the third when a combination from Muttley was his best work of the contest so far.
However, Lynes was being successful with his repeated use of his left jab and was denying Muttley gaining any momentum and getting into some fruitful attacks.
Muttley claimed the fifth after a thuding right hand caught his opponent, who was then on the ropes fighting for survival as the West Bromwich fighter stepped up his game.
The sixth was a close round to call as Lynes again used his jab well, but was caught a few times in the last minute.
In the seventh, another round were both fighters could have claimed to have won it, Muttley was sporting a large bump over his left eye. But the fight was looking like it would be decided by how much stamina Lynes had.
But one minute and 11 seconds into the eighth the fight was over as Lynes sent Muttley crashing to the canvas, only seconds after Muttley had climbed up off the floor after a barrage of blows.
Lynes had a slight weight advantage at 9st 13.5lbs, compared to Muttley's 9st 12lbs 13oz.
From everyone at Boxfituk.com we would like to congratulate Colin on his well earned victory and we look forward to seeing him very soon.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE REAL FIGHT CLUB
10 Jan 2008, 13:47
Founded by London event promoter Alan Lacey, The Real Fight Club organizes White Collar Boxing training and boxing evenings for its 6000 White Collar Warriors, many of whom work for or run leading companies.
The phenonemon has taken boxing into the boardroom and significantly, a recent event attracted a blue chip live audience which notably included Their Royal Highnesses Princes William and Harry along with numerous members of the aristocracy. White Collar Boxing training is also a growing activity within the mainstream health and fitness arena.
In the past five years the club has pioneered Celebrity Boxing with BBC Sport Relief featuring Ricky Gervais, and has organized over 60 White Collar Boxing Gala Fundraisers, Private functions & boxing hall events with no injuries other than the occasional bloody nose. Our modern day Corinthians all have to go back to the office the next day (to a hero's welcome).
The Real Fight Club Boxing bouts are carefully and professionally matched using criteria based on age, weight, experience, fitness and boxing skill. Boxers compete over 3 x 2 minute rounds, under the safety-first rules and auspices of The International White Collar Boxing Association who insist that all Boxers undergo rigorous training at numerous locations across London and Europe with quality approved trainers. Contestants use 16oz gloves and head guards in generally non-decision bouts. Extensive medical precautions are taken.
The Real Fight Club although not a charity itself, has however helped to raise almost £1million for various good causes around the World.