USA Boxing understands the value of sport and necessity of keeping our children - many of whom come from under privileged and socially underfunded neighborhoods - involved with athletics and encouraged to stay physically active. Boxing is an excellent activity to learn sport attributes, such as ABCs, hand-eye coordination, focus and full-body conditioning. Not to mention, boxing creates life skills like individual awareness in a team environment, taking direction in a short amount of time in a hostile situation, getting and giving feedback in a neutral, com-petitive environment. USA Boxing recognizes the value of age/stage appropriate training progressions and is following the USOPC`s lead into this new era. USA Boxing is fortunate that hundreds of thousands of people do some form of recreational boxing, whether that be in a group fitness class at the local gym or by themselves in a basement or garage pounding away on a punching bag to stay in shape. Up until now, we have not found a way to take that possible pool of talent, move them down the sport pipeline and recruit them into competitive boxing. Of course, it does not take a rocket scientist to realize that thousands of average people don`t want to get punched in the face and ribs on a regular basis. Even when the sport is done correctly a boxer is still going to take punishment on their hands, arms and shoulders. All kinds of people from all walks of life love the activity of boxing and the idea of boxing but, like Mike Tyson said, "Everyone has a plan `til they get punched in the mouth." People like boxing, but people don`t like getting punched in the mouth.
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