Boxing For Youth...
Boxing training has been synonymous with words like “grit”, “determination”, “commitment” and “dedication” for decades and the character building qualities of the sport are well known. Through the discipline of boxing training, boys and girls learn self-control, self-confidence and respect for others as well as themselves.
Any parent knows how difficult it can be to engage their kids in healthy and productive activities. The key to the success of boxing as a sport for development is fun. Kids and young adults thrive in the competitive yet nurturing environment of our boxing club and love to test themselves physically in competition as well as training.
In a time when crime, violence, vandalism and delinquency are of such heightened concern amongst the youth of Britain, regular training in a social environment offers an alternative for kids otherwise tempted by less productive activities. Boxing channels aggression and builds self-esteem whilst allowing young people to set and achieve their own personal goals, build relationships and better their health.
See the “Youth Boxing” link on the left for an overview of boxing training g for young adults.
Eat Your Way To The Top...
Being a successful athlete is about more than just sweating it out in the gym. Good food is fuel for your body. Without sufficient nutrient and calorie intake, you may begin to see your performance suffer as muscles will begin to break down rather than build up and speed and strength will be compromised.
At Gator, we promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and a balanced nutritional programme as well as an all-round training regime.
Top tips for sports nutrition in kids and young adults:
1. Try to eat 3 balanced meal a day (see below for important elements), some people find that a healthy snack at other times of the day helps them maintain their energy levels for training.
2. Kids and teenagers need more protein than adults as their bodies are growing and developing. You should also take care to include sufficient amounts of iron in your diet as a young athlete. Red meat is a good source of both these elements, iron can also be found in dark greens.
3. Combine protein (meat, fish, soya etc), slow release carbohydrate (brown rice, brown pasta, wholemeal bread) good fats (fish oil and nuts and seeds), and vegetables in each meal where possible.
4. Young athletes need between 2,000 and 5,000 (quality) calories per day to sustain their growing and active bodies. However, “empty” calories found in sugary food and drink suck as fizzy drinks and sweets should be kept to a minimum as the sugar is of no nutritional benefit and too much can be damaging over the long term.
5. Fluids: it’s essential to stay hydrated. There’s no exact guideline for the amount of water needed per day as we’re all different. As a rule of thumb, if your urine is mid to dark yellow (rather than a healthy pale yellow colour) then you’re not drinking enough water. Boxers should sip water throughout their training sessions and be sure to re-hydrate after training.
See the links on the left hand side of this page for more detailed information on sports nutrition.