I was extremely fortunate today to attend an Olympic Experience day, organised by London 2012 sponsors Adidas and my employers Sweatshop.

This was the fourth in a series of five such events and today’s sport was Boxing and was held at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

I must admit to having very little interest in Boxing and was not massively enthused about taking a day out of work at a very busy time.  Having had an absolutely fantastic experience, I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the day.

I was fully aware that Adidas were sponsoring this years Olympics, but didn’t realise that they had an association with the Games stretching back over 50 years.  I also knew that they were supplying the kit for this years GB athletics team, but again didn’t realise the extent of their involvement extended to so many other less notable Olympic sports.  One of the main reasons Adidas wanted to put this series of events on was to increase awareness of the support they provide to the Games including minority sports.

In the morning we were introduced to the two Olympic Boxers: Anthony Joshua and Tom Stalker, along with one of the GB coaches.  It was interesting listening to how they both got into boxing.  Anthony was bored and wanted to get big in the gym, somebody at the gym suggested he try a boxing session and he loved it and it spiralled from there.  Tom had a criminal background which he wasn’t proud of, but had a life changing experience when his nan died and again started going to the gym and it escalated from there.  It just shows that there are talented sports people out there, but it’s simply a question of getting them involved in sport in the first place.  Tom’s story is great because it shows that sport can be a way to get away from crime.  Hopefully the London Olympics will inspire other young people to give sport a try and make our society a better place!

We were given the opportunity for a question and answer session with the two boxers and it was interesting to hear just how disciplined they have to be.  Tom has to be extremely careful what he eats and drinks as it is essential he stays within his weight category.  This requires the help of a nutritionist who supplies exact quantities (to the nearest gram) of every food and drink item Tom puts into his body.  To be successful at sport, you have to have some element of discipline but these guys put most runners to shame.

The afternoon session was where the real fun took place as we went into the gym and were given a series of exercises to do and were scored for each.  These included skipping, press ups, tricep dips, and several punchbag exercises.  I was grateful not to have to get in the ring with either boxer!!  We then watched the boxers undertake their own training session.

What amazed me was the variety of different activities they had to do, and how the technique was essential for the exercise to be performed effectively.  These guys certainly aren’t just sheer strength and power.  They are fantastic athletes in superb physical condition. 

One final thing that struck me was when the guys were talking to us, just how determined and focussed they were on 2012.  Every few sentences, they would mention it.  They clearly had a huge self belief as well – not an arrogance – but more of a “if someone wants to beat me they are not going to have it easy”.

I didn’t know much about boxing before today and hadn’t heard of either of the two boxers.  I have come away with the utmost respect for boxing and it has opened my eyes a bit to how the fine detail can make a significant difference to your results.

Cheers

Dave