Boxing footwork and the Port O’ Leith Annual Christmas Ceilidh

 

In light of the Christmas social, this next blog will try and demonstrate why boxing and Ceilidh dancing may be the perfect complement for one another.

 

We won’t be the first boxers to use dance as a tool to improve our footwork! Vasiliy Lomachenko and Alexsander usyk are both masters of traditional Ukrainian dance. Mohammed Ali is described as balletic (although, whether he danced or not, is not known). Harry Garside, who won the bronze medal in the men’s lightweight championship at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is a ballet dancer. Have you met William yet? He often drops into see us and tells us how he used to ballroom dance whilst training in the old Sparta Boxing Gym down in Leith.

 

Gay Gordons

Forward movement, backward movement, sharp turns, distance control, disorientation and resetting into stance to go again.

 

Dashing White Sergeant

Lateral movement, changing direction, moving in and out of punching range, ducking the head, finding centre of the ring.

 

Strip the Willow

Fast lateral movement circling your opponent, sharp angle changes, moving with different opponents of different statures, speed, agility, and balance whilst in motion.

 

Flying Scotsman

Staying on the toes, switching stances in a side on position.

 

Eightsome Reel

Angle changes, bouncing on your toes in and out of range, moving with a lead front foot, moving around your opponent, and staying on the toes in a small area to work, remaining focused whilst your opponent circles around you.

 

Riverside Jig

In and out of range, backwards movement, circling your opponent, distance control and ducking the head at speed out of the line of your opponent’s arms.

 

Far-fetched? Maybe… but worth considering? Definitely!