“Okay, Boxers, we’re going to do one-minute training intervals.  The first one you do is for power.  The second time you do it, it will be the same punch, but for speed.  We’re going to do a left jab to start.”  

The athletes stand at the ready, boxing gloves fastened, punching bags still.  Trainer Angie Boyse gives the command and starts the stopwatch, and the men and women step into action, driving their left jabs into the bags.  None of them are timid; they’ve all got power.

The boxers training today on the second floor of Washington’s YMCA are engaged in a fight with a tricky opponent: Parkinson’s disease.  

A disorder of the brain, in which damaged nerve cells cause dopamine levels to drop, Parkinson’s disease results in the deterioration of motor skills, balance, speech, and sensory function over time.  At present there is no cure, however, studies suggest that some kinds of exercise may help protect the brain and slow progression of the disease.  

The group training at the YMCA for the last year believes boxing may be the activity that gives them the upper hand, or at least an effective upper cut.

Rock Steady Boxing is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of those with Parkinson’s through its non-contact boxing-based fitness program. Although Rock Steady Boxing originally launched in 2006, the Washington YMCA didn’t have an opportunity to adopt the program until March 2022 because the cost to become an affiliate and obtain certification for a coach was cost prohibitive.  

When the certification course became available virtually, Wellness Coordinator/Fitness Manager Angie Boyse saw an opportunity and took it; coupled with grant funds from the Parkinson’s Foundation, the YMCA now can offer the program for free to participants through July 2023.

Today the boxers in the YMCA are putting in the work and enjoying the benefits.  Some of them participated in the boxing programs at other locations and eagerly jumped at the chance to switch to the more convenient Washington location.  Others started boxing for the first time when they saw the program offered locally last spring.

For boxer Nancy Sorrell, the benefits are many.

“I think we’re kind of a support group with each other,” she says, and that camaraderie is clear when she turns to wish another participant well until they meet again in a few days.    

“I think it helps with balance, which is an issue with Parkinson’s.  And it helps with strength,” Sorrell adds.  

During the hour and 15-minute program, the participants go through warm-up exercises; a series of stations that require them to work on agility, coordination, and strength; practice throwing a range of different punches into a bag; and cool-down stretches.  It is easy to see how the workout would improve one’s balance and strength.

As instructor of the class, Boyse has seen first-hand how the program has improved those who participate. 

“I’ve seen such a better connection,” Boyse says.  “When they’re new [to the class], it can be intimidating, it can be kind of scary.  But from then on, you hear it in their outlook when they walk in.  They’re just talking and supporting each other.”

“A lot of them have said that [the program] helped on their balance,” she adds.  “If they were having tremors before, that has slightly gone away.”

The intensity and focus required for boxing makes it the ideal activity for strengthening the brain and the body.  The result for participants is greater self-confidence.

“Hopefully we can get a little more interest in [Rock Steady Boxing],” Boyse says.  “Nationally, the number of people that are diagnosed with Parkinson’s is going up.  I think a lot of them don’t know what to do or where to go.  If their physician says they have Parkinson’s, that doesn’t mean their life has to stop.  We’re trying to get the word out that there are a lot of resources that we’re able to offer.”

The Rock Steady Boxing program is offered on Mondays and Thursdays from 1 to 2:15 p.m. at the YMCA of Washington County, 520 W 5th St., Washington.  If interested, please contact the YMCA at 319-653-2141 or Angie Boyse at aboyse@washingtony.org to set up a preliminary meeting to find out if the program is right for you.