community

Boxing friends aren't like other friends. Trust, vulnerability and shared struggle create some of the strongest bonds that the participants in our study had experienced. Many of the women we spoke to walked into the gym for the first time seeking fitness, weight loss, or a sense of discipline, but they told us it was the sense of community that kept them coming back. 

For some, this meant having a laugh and escaping the outside world. For others, it provided a supportive space to talk. 

Some boxers prefer to express themselves through the act of training and competing. In the gym, training can become a way to connect with others, allowing boxers to share their experiences and emotions through movement and practice. 

Some of the women we talked to had gone on from boxing to become coaches, Some had known from the start that coaching was their path. Coaching other women and girls can be a great way to nurture new talent and to become a part of a wider boxing family.