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Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Step into the ring, have fun
Youth program teaches boxing skills
Bob Chavez,
Staff Writer
 (September 23, 2007) — Andrew Michaels has two
choices the next time he's told to clean his room:
Clean his room, or have his clock cleaned.
That's what happens when you have SO much fun at a
summer boxing camp that your mother decides to
enroll in boxing classes herself.
The 12-year-old Michaels, of Honeoye Falls, is
not shy when it comes to explaining his attraction
to boxing after his first session of the Youth
Boxing Program at ROC Boxing and Fitness Center on
Atlantic Avenue.
"Some people don't understand how tough it is,"
Michaels says. "I'm usually panting like a dog after
workouts."
Michaels is one of a handful of kids at the first
class of the fall boxing camp. Lined up side by side
in front of wall mirrors, the participants are
pushed through conditioning drills by instructors
Dana Chubb and Dena Resnick, both boxers themselves.
Jumping rope gets the blood flowing, and that's
followed by exercises that emphasize technique and
form.
"Don't drag your feet!" Chubb instructs as she leads
by example before the pupils follow. "You're
stepping, then jabbing!"
Footwork and timing are important foundations for
success in the ring — and out of it. With students
between the age of 8 and 11 in this particular
class, it's understood that they're not all being
groomed to box for the championship of the world.
"With the youth, there's one thing," says coach
Dom Arioli, who runs the gym. "That just like in
life, you have to work hard for what you want and
put the time into it. And when you get into the
ring, you have to learn to control your emotions.
That's something that will help you in life, too."
Arioli, well-versed in coaching youth boxing as
head of the Aquinas Mission Bouts for the better
part of 25 years, says most kids involved with
boxing stay out of trouble.
"They know what they can do so they don't have
anything to prove," he says.
Chubb, 20, took up boxing about five years ago and
says self-discipline is stressed from the beginning.
Lose control of your emotions in the ring, and
you'll lose your match.
"Take it out on the bag, not other kids or your
parents is what we tell them," she says. "We tell
them to calm down, step back, take a breath and then
get back into it."
"Put the bully on the bag," says Resnick,
daughter of Ron Resnick, a local boxing promoter and
owner of ROC Boxing and Fitness.
Andrew Connolly, 13, of Spencerport, is experiencing
boxing for the first time.
"Some of my friends took a couple of classes and
it looked fun so I thought I'd try it," he says.
"It's a lot of hard work, but it's a great workout."
The workout aspect comes in handy for Michaels,
who keeps himself busy with other sports like
football, baseball, wrestling, basketball and
soccer.
"At first, I didn't think boxing would be so
difficult, but after jumping rope in my first class
this summer, my stomach felt queasy," he admits. "I
learned my lesson the hard way not to eat dairy
before these workouts."
Another product of these classes is something he
may not even notice himself, but his mother does.
"I was a little reluctant at first because of the
physical contact," admits Jeanna Michaels, 45, a
runner who found boxing training to be another form
of conditioning. "But now he has a confidence in
himself and he can protect himself if need be."
Andrew says his curiosity for boxing first was
sparked by playing Fight Night: Round 3 on his Xbox
360. Once he was boxing in real life, however, he
was hooked. The training itself was a new
experience, and so was taking his first punch.
"Right in the nose," he said. "Ow. I was a little
shaky about sparring at first, and that first punch
got me, but then I heard my teacher telling me to
jab, jab, jab and I started to feel more
comfortable."
Lest some think they're going to be rushed into
the ring during these classes, think again. Dena
Resnick says the kids in the current class won't be
sparring against a live partner until the eighth and
final week of the class. Even then, sparring is
optional.
"Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports out
there," she says. "The scoring isn't based on how
hard you beat on the person, it's based on landed
shots."
Headgear and mouthpieces are required, and
standing 8-counts are in place to protect an
overmatched boxer. Three standing 8-counts in one
round ends the match.
There's little pressure to commit to a
championship regimen, but even this minor exposure
to the world of boxing can pay big rewards.
"I just want to get a good workout," says Connolly.
"I want to get fit and get some stamina, and maybe
learn a few boxing moves along the way. I just
thought I'd give it a try."
BCHAVEZ@DemocratandChronicle.com
Link to this article in original publication:
http://www.rochesterdandc.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070923/SPORTS/709230336/-1/ATPLAY Another article on D & C
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