shadow boxing and all the other skills that a boxer
acquires through their intense training. Basically,
what you may typically encounter, or deliver, in a
boxing for fitness session.
Why boxing?
For a Parkinson’s sufferer to get the biggest
benefit from exercise, the activity needs to be
complex, repetitive and intense. Boxing is all of
these things and is in fact one of the hardest, most
intense and complex sports you can practice. If
you’ve ever spent 30 minutes with a boxing coach
and a set of focus pads, you’ll understand! If you
haven’t, then you should.
Punchin Parko’s
This is where Punchin Parko’s comes into its
own. Introduced to Australia in 2015, Punchin
Parko’s is the result of founder Adrian Unger
(who has been living with Parkinson’s for 13
As a fitness professional, I have
often espoused the many benefits of
exercising, but nothing prepared me
for the effect exercise has had on my
Parkinson’s symptoms
32 | NETWORK SPRING 2017
years) travelling to the US after his diagnosis to try out a boxing
program aimed at Parkinson’s sufferers called Rock Steady Boxing.
Adrian was so impressed by the program and the benefits that he
became its first international affiliate and launched Punchin Parko’s
in Australia. Classes are currently held at VT1 Martial Arts Academy
in Chatswood, Sydney, and the team at the club have been nothing
but supportive. Having access to the great facilities at VT1 has been
a boon for Adrian and his Punchin Parko’s participants, and has been
one of the reasons for the program’s success.
As many of the participants are older, you may expect the
workouts to be fairly short and sweet. You’d expect wrong. Each
Punchin Parko’s session lasts for 90 minutes and involves a 15-20
minute warm up and conditioning section, followed by 45-50 minutes
of boxing training and a 10-15 minute stretch. A typical session will
include push ups, planks, squats and squat jumps, balance and
coordination work, boxing techniques, foot work drills and heavy bag
work, as well as drills to improve the ability to ‘fall properly’ and get
up from the floor (major challenges for Parkinson’s sufferers.)
Of course, the big question is ‘does any of this work?’ Are any of
the regular Punchin Parko’s participants finding any benefits from all of
their hard work? Adrian tells me that a few of the regulars who originally
turned up in wheelchairs are now walking and participating under
their own power. That is an amazing turnaround for someone with a
degenerative disease! Since I began working with Punchin Parko’s I
have noticed a few of the members are getting up off the floor a little
easier, balance is improving and the amount of strength they show in
exercises like push ups and hitting the heavy bag is also increasing.
Add these improvements to better moods and greater socialisation
and you can see how boxing can have such a positive effect on those
with this disease.
For me, the effect of taking up boxing and increasing my overall
level of exercise has been pretty huge. As someone with a long history
in the fitness industry, including teaching lots of group exercise