Last week I had an amazing opportunity to go to the Elite Athletic Training Center in Chula Vista, California to help coach the USA Boxing Elite Junior Women's Team. The team consisted of women ranked in the top 4 of their weight class. Juniors are athletes that are 15-16 years old with a few younger than that.
Chad Wigle is the national development coach for USA Boxing. He is very passionate about building a high-performance boxing program that is based on science and what works. He uses high energy, precise instruction and humor to support the athletes that come through this program and it is inspiring to see. In the last youth international competition in Germany, they brought home 9 medals including 6 gold medals which is an impressive feat. He is interested in bringing up athletes and coaches in his methodology and I was fortunate to get to be a part of learning the basics in this training camp and supporting an amazing group of teen girls who are coming up in the sport. The athletes had a morning and afternoon boxing session as well as a strength and conditioning session. I loved the progression of the program and the way the girls got constant review to really build muscle memory. The sessions were structured to really maximize their work on fundamentals while teaching them a few new tricks to help keep them at the top. The last day was a high-level sparring session and the girls showed so much poise, confidence and fierceness.
There were 12 coaches and 26 athletes, so the girls got a lot of support. We worked on a variety of skills and drills that supported the athletes in using fundamental skills at a high level. I had such a good time with the coaches who were part of the program. They were a group of wonderfully knowledgeable and skilled coaches that showed so much support and respect to one another. It was so heartwarming and fun to work with the girls. So many of them already have the drive, desire and skill to make it in the sport if they choose to and if not they will walk away with a bravery, confidence and resilience that is hard earned in this sport. I cannot wait to see what some of them do in the sport. They truly are the future of this sport. I loved working with this age group of girls and hope to have continued opportunity to work in the high-performance program that is being developed by USA Boxing. I am grateful for the memories and all that I learned and experienced during this camp.
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AuthorYvonne Caples is a Learning Experience Designer who is passionate about making learning meaningful and engaging for all. Posts
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