More and more gyms and physical therapy practices in the Netherlands and Belgium are offering the sport Parkinson Boxing. This reports Omroep Gelderland. People with Parkinson's disease would benefit greatly from this form of boxing training because it requires them to perform double tasks. Here we explain what this is like.

Let's start with what exactly Parkinson's Boxing is. It involves non-contact boxing. It involves boxing against punching bags, not against each other. During training sessions, boxing exercises are combined with functional exercises, according to Omroep Gelderland.nl. Think of the latter as exercises aimed at balance and strength. More and more gyms and physiotherapy practices in the Netherlands and Belgium would therefore offer this form of boxing.

Performing dual tasks

What makes boxing a suitable sport for people with parkinson's? Neurologist Bas Bloem explains it to the broadcaster: "Sport is medicine." Parkinson's, he says, is a complicated disease that is largely due to a deficiency in the substance dopamine. Regular exercise could probably slow the loss of this. It also helps produce new dopamine, the neurologist said. Boxing, he said, is just right for people with parkinson's. Because they often have difficulty doing two things at once, performing dual tasks. "And boxing is of course pre-eminently something where you have to keep your balance, and keep an eye on the opponent or punching bag," Bloem said.

Boxing with parkinson's on the rise

'In Parkinson's Boxing, the opponent is Parkinson's,' write two gym owners from Ede, Hans and Dini Louwerse, who started it on their site in 2014. They give classes, but also train instructors. According to them, there are many advantages to this way of training. For example, according to them, this way of boxing-inspired training would make you feel stronger, have more energy and recover faster. They also say Parkinson's Boxing improves your quality of life and builds strength, flexibility and speed. And not unimportantly, those who box feel like they are not a patient for a while. Meanwhile, the sport is given at thirteen locations. The expectation is that there will be twenty by the end of the year.

In this video from Omroep Gelderland you can see exactly what happens during such a training and what effect it has: