(MAY 17) The Northwest now has a
new boxing gym, owned and operated by former women’s WIBF and
GBU World Champion, Molly McConnell. The new gym, McConnell’s
Boxing Academy, is located in the heart of the Lloyd Business
District in Portland, Oregon and is approaching boxing training
in a different way than most boxing gyms. McConnell’s is focused
on teaching, which separates it from many traditional boxing
gyms. McConnell’s not only offers fitness classes for adults,
but also has specific beginning boxing programs for kids and
teens designed to teach boxing in a clear, well organized way.
They also have an amateur competition team as well as
professional boxers.
“I’ve been in so many boxing gyms over the last 16 years and
I’ve always felt that most of them seem to go about teaching
boxing in a way that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” says
McConnell.
“Generally, the gym has no structure, no
organization, no curriculum. When a new person comes in and
wants to learn to box, they might spend a little time here and
there with a trainer, or they might just come in and spend time
in the gym watching and imitating what the more experienced
people are doing. I’ve seen it so many times, after a week or
so, they get thrown in to spar. They have no knowledge of basic
footwork, defense, etc. and it instantly becomes a sink or swim
type of situation. That’s not an effective way to learn
something as difficult as boxing", added McConnell.
McConnell’s approach is much different. “I’ve been fortunate
over the years to spend a lot of time working with and around
martial arts people. The way martial arts are taught makes more
sense to me. You have to start with A. Once you learn that, you
move on to B, C, D and so on. Each technique builds off the ones
before it. If you want to learn anything effectively, this is
usually how it is taught. Think about how you learn a foreign
language or how to drive a car. The information is presented in
a specifically organized way. You don’t learn how to parallel
park before you learn how to start the car. But often in boxing,
the techniques are either taught out of order or you simply
learn them by trial and error over and over. I think my program
gives people more tools in their tool box so when they finally
do get in to spar, they have a basic understanding of what to do
and why we do it. It makes the learning process a lot smoother.”
McConnell’s gym is already taking off and people have responded
positively to her teaching techniques. The gym space itself
occupies a former dance studio and has heavy bags that slide out
of the way when more floor space is needed. They have something
for everyone there. Whether you are just interested in a
non-contact fitness class, or you want a boxing program for
kids, teens, competitive amateurs or pros. McConnell is also
very excited to welcome women and girls to the gym. “So far,
about 50% of my members are female. We have women and girls in
all of our programs and I hope to keep attracting them. I’ve had
several women come from other gyms who wish to compete, but have
told me that they aren’t taken seriously at their old gym and
can’t get any attention there. That’s never a problem here, we
love female fighters!”
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