We are at the Montreal East Boxing Club. This afternoon, all the students had something in common. They all have Parkinson’s disease. One after another they come, some with relentless steps, others with relentless trembling.
They were greeted by trainer and kinesiologist Gabriel Harrison with a smile on their lips. After the warm-up, the five men wore gloves, training could begin. What may seem paradoxical is that boxing has long been associated with neurological disorders. When you asked Catherine Lavigne a question, the kinesiologist and founder of Neurométrix, a company that specializes in adapted sports, answered directly.
Boxing and Parkinson’s may seem very contradictory, in fact. But here, there is no contact. We go there with fun ideas, to move on. We will have the same training as a boxer, but we will look for all the benefits in terms of the sport and we will quickly forget this contradictory aspect.he says.
Yvan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease seven years ago. In addition to training in boxing, he discovered dancing, painting and even singing, as the disease also attacks the language and slows it down every day. So he is trying, by all means, to slow down its evolution.
After hitting the bag, step into the ring to practice mock boxing (shadowboxing) and after tying the movements with a rope above him, he talks about the benefits that boxing has brought to him.
It makes me more flexible, I have more coordination, better balance, he said. Of course it’s not just boxing, there are others, but boxing helps a lot. Besides, we are among the people with the same problem so there is no shame in being here.
10 years ago, Bernard refused to believe when he was given a diagnosis. He also recognizes the benefits of boxing. When he saw our camera, he smiled and asked if he would have a stamp, which greatly amused those around him. He then pulled himself up and burst out laughing, saying: Pills, I’ve been taking enough, so let’s get to it.
Bernard expects a delicate brain surgery in the next few days. But he confessed that, thanks to boxing, his morale was intact.
” The more energy I have, the easier I move, the more balanced I am. My problem is balance, a lot of balance. I used to go to the gym and people were staring at me while my gloves were shaking. Here, you are with sick people like you, so you are not judged. “
Of the five men training that day, the disease did not do its horrible job in the same way. Some have to do the exercise sitting down, because the legs can no longer support them. Others had difficulty putting together combinations, gloves shaking hard.
Kinesiologist Catherine Lavigne relied on the studies to manage to offer boxing to people with neurological disorders. He discovered that it was becoming more and more popular because of the benefits it brought.
People, when they box, they forget about problems, small wounds like aggressive treatments to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. When we think of boxing, we think of coordination, speed of execution, movements that are very fast. We do a lot with balance and movement.
” In fact, we want to move training into daily life, what we do in a gym. We are talking about maintaining one’s autonomy as much as possible. When we are moving, when we are climbing stairs, when we are doing daily activities, it requires strength, flexibility and that, we can get it by doing sports like boxing. “
Kinesiologist Gabriel Harrisson, like all of his colleagues at Neurometrix, took boxing lessons. In the ring, he doubles his vigilance and attention, because all his students are not the same. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt and personalize each of the exercises. His reward? The smile of his students after the session and, most of all, to lift them up in their isolation.
It was good for them on a physical level, they regained a certain autonomy, he says to himself, glad. At the level of thinking, they also do well. People are in a better mood, they see people, we laugh with them. They are also scary. In terms of boxing, there is an aspect of letting go of steam, of letting go of our failures. Then, in one session, they forgot they had Parkinson’s disease.
For some, the gestures are slower, but the mood is the same. Have fun, forget for a moment the pain they eat every day. Every little sequence is a personal achievement.
We went with Yvan to hit the bag with determination. The blows were violent, as if he saw an opponent who had to fight. We will understand him better at the end of the session when he declares: When I hit the bag, I hit the pain, I push it away. Maybe there is no real effect but in my mind eh!
Source: Radio-Canada
