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Qualification Sets Students On Road To A Brighter Future >


BUDDING future champs can now earn a Sports Leaders UK Level 1 Award in Sports Leadership by lacing up their boxing gloves and working out their frustrations on a punchbag.
Students at Merrill College, Derbyshire, have been boxing clever for months now, enjoying their gym time under the watchful eye of PE instructor and boxer Sam Godfrey.
By learning how to lead structured training sessions and use a variety of equipment, the youngsters are also unwittingly setting themselves on the road to a brighter future. Sam explains more.
"Boxing is a lot more than two people getting in the ring and hitting each other," he says. "For a start, all my classes for children are non-contact and are about getting fit, enjoying yourself and learning new skills. If the student really gets into boxing and wants to go further down the line to actual sparring and competing itself, then great; but that's only a very small part of their journey."
Sam is convinced that boxing can help youngsters better themselves and give them a positive focus in life - even if they have previously not been able to enjoy sport.
"In team sports, for example, you'll find some pupils are left standing in the cold when they don't get picked for the team," said Sam. "Others get disillusioned when their skill levels don't match up to their expectations and they drift out of sport for ever. In the boxing gym, everyone is equal and everyone can achieve something."





With home-grown hero David Haye recently winning the WBA world heavyweight title from Russian giant Nikolay Valuev, British boxing's street cred has never been higher.
As well as basic fitness regimes such as skipping and working with pads, boxing teaches youngsters the benefits of a more structured way of life. These include things like diet, self-discipline and respect for themselves and others.
"I have seen the benefits that boxing can bring through my boxing school in Derby over the years, and I knew they could help some of the pupils if I could bring them to Merrill College," said Sam. " I realised the perfect way to do it was through a Sports Leaders UK qualification."
Sam set about making sure his training sessions and the course guidelines would be compatible, and had several talks with Sports Leaders UK co-ordinators to ensure all ran smoothly when the sessions began.
After just a few lessons, the classes became the talk of the playground. It wasn't long before Sam found himself inundated with new recruits.
"It was very popular right from the start really," said Sam. "The great thing about boxing is that everyone is included, regardless of age, ability or sex," he says. "I even teach five-year-olds in my boxing school. Everyone gets to experience the different training techniques, and we can include much more one to one time than they get in the average classroom. That's part of the reason boxing can succeed in reaching pupils that many mainstream sports and lessons can't."
To prove its universal appeal, several girls signed up for the boxing course and threw themselves whole-heartedly into the sport. Some of them have since gone on to become accredited boxing coaches themselves. Students have learned to design and teach their own mini-classes, and those who showed real enthusiasm and commitment have become paid assistants at Sam's boxing school.
"Some of them have gone on to earn some good part-time money teaching classes in and around Derby," said Sam, "so it has obviously helped them financially as well as physically and mentally. The school has benefited from additional assistants so it really has been a win-win situation."
Pupils discovered that Sports Leaders UK courses are all about bringing the best out of people.
"They soon realised that if all they did was 50 sits ups and a run round the gym, things would get very boring. So they used different equipment and exercises to increase stamina and speed while having fun at the same time."

Special techniques like using ground ladders for quick footwork or a trampette for hand eye co-ordination did more than get the students fit.
"When their fitness levels and enjoyment went up, so did their self-esteem," said Sam. "Some of these children are unlikely to achieve much academically because of their home situation. Now they will have something on their CVs which will hopefully give them a better chance of further education or employment down the line."
"Some of them may have been bullied or have had the confidence knocked out of them, and it is amazing to see their enthusiasm build. It's really all about getting them involved in something positive and making them feel better about themselves."