LESSON PLAN WHY BOXING TEACH CLEVER THIS? Olympic champion Nicola Adams has some great As the world’s first female suggestions to get students combining fitness and boxing Olympic champion, perhaps not surprisingly fundraising for a fantastic cause... I’m a firm believer in my sport’s benefits for young Sport is part of my past, present and future. It’s taken me to the most amazing places and helped people. In this lesson me through difficult times. When Sport Relief asked me to get involved I couldn’t pass up the plan, the basics of boxing opportunity to give my support to something that I’m passionate about, and at the same time help technique and training are make a difference to people living tough lives in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries. used as a starting point The activities here give your students the same opportunity, using boxing-related fitness for Sport for fundraising for Sport Relief fundraising. Relief, a cause very dear In the last national school sport survey in 2010, 38% of secondary schools were already offering boxing in some form – mostly as an after-school activity. Here, boxing training becomes the focus to my heart. It’s a winning for key stage 3 PE activities, encouraging students to be physically active for sustained periods combination! of time and improve their fitness for competitive sports. Boxing is fantastic for developing speed, stamina and strength, and is a great way to engage previously inactive youngsters. Training for the ring teaches self-discipline, commitment and concentration, building confidence and acting as a safe outlet for aggression. By whetting your students appetite for a new sport, I hope that some of them will go on to join a STARTER boxing club and, like me, change their life. ACTIVITY Start by asking the students what they know about boxing. How many boxers can they name? Do they know about the different weight classes? Can they name any punches? Show the students some film of boxing (as an example, search for ‘Nicola Adams Olympic Rewind’, which is a three-minute compilation of my fights from the quarter-finals onwards at the 2012 Olympic Games). Having watched the film, ask the students what physical and mental qualities they think are needed for boxing? What did they see in the performance? Encourage them to talk about speed, agility, stamina, strength, balance, control, determination, concentration and mental toughness. Explain that boxing isn’t all about the contact – thousands of hours of practice and training go into creating a champion. Tell the students that in these activities they’re going to have the chance to take their first steps towards becoming the next boxing great! 38 TEACHWIRE.NET/SECONDARY LESSONENGLISH NAMEPE || KS3/4KS3/4| KSX INFORMATION MAIN ACTIVITIES 2. Fitness fundraiser CORNER My training routine is intense. A typical day involves a run first ABOUT OUR EXPERT thing in the morning, strength and conditioning mid-morning and then a boxing session in the afternoon. The strength and conditioning work in the gym is absolutely key – I regularly do 400 sit-ups a day. Why not set up a sponsored fitness circuit for the students based on a typical boxing training routine? You could incorporate: n Sit-ups Nicola Adams MBE n Press-ups was born in Leeds. n Squats She started boxing at n Squat thrusts the age of 12 and is n Leg raises the reigning Olympic, n Tricep dips Commonwealth and n Burpees European champion. n Jumping jacks She is passionate n Skipping about Sport Relief and MAIN ACTIVITIES in 2014, she visited a Ask your students to project in South Africa 1. Shadowboxing collect sponsorship to complete that helps children In preparation for this lesson, the circuit. affected by HIV brush up on some basic boxing STRETCH and AIDS. techniques, for example: THEM FURTHER 3. Sponsored Sport Relief will take n Boxing stance (one foot skipathon place from 18–20 behind the other, on balls Encourage students who Skipping is an essential part March 2016. of feet, knees slightly bent, are particularly keen or of boxers’ training. Jumping elbows down, fists raised) show an aptitude for boxing over a rope is a fantastic way n Footwork (forwards and to join a local club. There to develop speed, agility, backwards, side to side) is a club finder on the stamina, balance, rhythm and n Jab (a quick, straight punch) England Boxing website at footwork in preparation for ADDITIONAL n Cross (a powerful, straight www.abae.co.uk boxing. Organise a sponsored punch across the body, rotating skipathon for Sport Relief. RESOURCES from the hips) You could: the different techniques in turn, n Hold a marathon skipping GB Boxing: There are videos online to help. showing supporting images if relay race gbboxing.org.uk possible and helping the students n Set a challenge – How many England Boxing: As a warm-up, get the students to copy the actions accurately skips can students to do in a abae.co.uk to jog around the sports hall and with control. minute? How long can they Sport Relief: or gym on their toes, moving Once the students are familiar keep skipping without making a sportrelief.com forwards, backwards, to the left with the different techniques, mistake? and right. Encourage them to start putting them together into n Try long rope skipping for a keep their movements as light combinations, e.g. move forward, lesson, with students running in and rhythmical as possible. jab, cross, jab, move back. Get and out of the rope Ask the students to spread faster and more complicated as out so there is plenty of space the students gain confidence! As your students gain around them. Explain that boxers At the end of the session, confidence, encourage them to use shadowboxing – sparring watch the boxing film again with experiment with crossing over with an imaginary opponent the students to see whether they the rope, bringing their knees SUMMARY – to prepare their muscles for can spot the different techniques towards their chest as they fighting. Demonstrate each of they have learned. jump and kicking up their heels. Talk with the students about what they have learnt about boxing as a HOME LEARNING result of these activities and recap on its benefits. Encourage the students to collect as much sponsorship as they can for their Sport Relief boxing Do they now think fundraiser. After the event has taken place, remind them to bring in their sponsorship money as differently of boxing as a soon as possible. To develop students’ learning, ask them to research other boxing techniques, sport? Would they be more for example the hook, uppercut, pivoting, ducking, bobbing and weaving. They could demonstrate likely to watch it? Would the new techniques to their classmates back in school and lead them in trying more complicated anyone like to learn more shadowboxing combinations. or take part in boxing outside school? TEACHWIRE.NET/SECONDARY 39.