Originally posted by Jaco_Pastorious
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I think it would be a bad idea myself. I can see the logic that is behind the idea, but I just do not think it would work aa part of the national curriculum. The quality of coaching would be a big issue for me, one that could lead to injuries and kids being taught how to throw a punch correctly, but not being taught why you don't throw that same punch outside of the ring.
I coach at club level and drill into the kids that they are being giving the tools to fight so that they never have to in the street. That may sound like a contradiction to some of you, but those who have ever done a combat sport will know where I am coming from.
A lot of the kids that we have join, come from what could be described as disadvantaged areas. So you have to weed out the ones who are there because they want to compete from those who want to learn how to hurt people away from the ring. I am quite hard on anyone from the club who gets into trouble away from the club. I can tolerate self defence within reason, but not a person who abuses what they have learned.
At one school that I went to as a kid, they had a boxing ring, and one teachers idea of solving disputes/fights in the schoolyard was to put the two involved into the ring against one another. Normally the two would cack themselves once they were in that situation, but sometimes they went at it, and the teacher had no training and had no idea how to monitor it, so what could have been a good idea became a dangerous practise. Another "teacher" and I use the term loosely for this guy, was a priest and an ex boxer who used to work in a correctional centre before coming to the secondary school. His approach was the one I despise the most. He came in to us kids with the attitude of "I'm a hard ******* who has no problem cuffing a kid to prove it" ******s like that would end up teaching the kids if boxing ever got in at school level, and it would cause kids to be hurt, and the sport I love to be abused and tarnished.
As an aside, that priest who fancied himself as a hardman, I managed to get into a ring with him about six years ago and he didn't recognise me as one of the kids who used to give **** to in the school. He arrived at the boxing club as he had become the parish priest in the area and started his **** talk of being a good boxer in his time etc. One of the other lads at the club twigged who he was and asked him if he wanted to get geared up and spar, saying that it would be good for the kids to see a guy like him in the ring. That played to his ego enough for him to get togged out and get in the ring. So I obliged him and got in with him. In fairness, he gave the kids at the club one of the best displays of how not to defend yourself in the ring.
I coach at club level and drill into the kids that they are being giving the tools to fight so that they never have to in the street. That may sound like a contradiction to some of you, but those who have ever done a combat sport will know where I am coming from.
A lot of the kids that we have join, come from what could be described as disadvantaged areas. So you have to weed out the ones who are there because they want to compete from those who want to learn how to hurt people away from the ring. I am quite hard on anyone from the club who gets into trouble away from the club. I can tolerate self defence within reason, but not a person who abuses what they have learned.
At one school that I went to as a kid, they had a boxing ring, and one teachers idea of solving disputes/fights in the schoolyard was to put the two involved into the ring against one another. Normally the two would cack themselves once they were in that situation, but sometimes they went at it, and the teacher had no training and had no idea how to monitor it, so what could have been a good idea became a dangerous practise. Another "teacher" and I use the term loosely for this guy, was a priest and an ex boxer who used to work in a correctional centre before coming to the secondary school. His approach was the one I despise the most. He came in to us kids with the attitude of "I'm a hard ******* who has no problem cuffing a kid to prove it" ******s like that would end up teaching the kids if boxing ever got in at school level, and it would cause kids to be hurt, and the sport I love to be abused and tarnished.
As an aside, that priest who fancied himself as a hardman, I managed to get into a ring with him about six years ago and he didn't recognise me as one of the kids who used to give **** to in the school. He arrived at the boxing club as he had become the parish priest in the area and started his **** talk of being a good boxer in his time etc. One of the other lads at the club twigged who he was and asked him if he wanted to get geared up and spar, saying that it would be good for the kids to see a guy like him in the ring. That played to his ego enough for him to get togged out and get in the ring. So I obliged him and got in with him. In fairness, he gave the kids at the club one of the best displays of how not to defend yourself in the ring.
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