Boxing club at MSU helps build student confidence one jab at a time

The majority of those who enter the North Dome Fitness Center use the space for weight-lifting or to get their heart rate up with a cardio machine. However, a number of students can be found twice a week ducking and weaving in the partitioned studio space: engaged in amateur boxing lessons.

These lessons — held from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays — are hosted by the Amateur Boxing Club (ABC) at MSU. ABC is not a university-sanctioned club, meaning it is not sponsored by MSU and thus receives no university funding. According to club president and boxing lesson instructor Clarke Jones, it’s really just a group of people with a common interest.

“I'm just more interested in having a community of people who like to box together because you're always gonna learn from someone else, and so we're just people who are boxing together. We don't have an end goal other than fitness and just bettering ourselves,” Jones said.

There used to be an MSU boxing club that was sanctioned by the university — of which Jones was a part of — but it disbanded after club leaders graduated from MSU in 2019.

Jones rebooted the club in 2020. He and a friend were honing their boxing skills in the fitness center and were repeatedly approached by different students inquiring if they were running a boxing club. Now, Jones helps instruct boxing for three to 10 students on a weekly basis.

According to Jones, the classes are primarily focused on the fundamentals of boxing. The club will typically  begin by stretching, wrapping up their hands, and then engaging in a variety of boxing exercises. These include shadow boxing — practicing one’s form by throwing punches at the air — sparring, heavy bag and speed bag exercises, and pad work, where the instructor holds up pads and calls out different punching combos for the student to practice throwing.

Jones said he derives a great deal of fulfillment from his work instructing and building people’s self-confidence. “That's one of the greatest triumphs for me in dedicating my time to teaching people is watching their confidence go up,” he said. “Just knowing that someone who's completely unfamiliar with any sort of combat, after a semester, can be two feet from people with an exercise band around them and they're not trying to run away. They're good with trading blows and getting hit.”

Moreover, anyone apprehensive about getting hit can still reap numerous benefits from these classes. “If you do not want to place yourself in a position where you could potentially get hurt, you don't have to and there will still be a lot to gain from the club. You can still hit a speed bag, you can hit a heavy bag. Those don't hit back,” Jones said

There is no signup fee for the club and people can enter and leave the boxing lessons on their own accord. While students are generally required to bring their own gloves, Jones stressed that the club will try to help accommodate.

“We will do everything we can. If people are interested, but can’t get gear, we will help provide gear,” Jones said.  

“Whatever your position is, no one in our group judges you and I promise you whether you are one of the best boxers in the group, or you've never even raised your hands to shadowbox, you will have something to learn and I think you'll have a good time,” Jones said.

Anyone interested can reach out to the club via their email, abcmsu1@gmail.com to get added to their email list.