Matt Flavell who runs Boxing Evolution coaching features in a new documentary on attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).
The documentary follows Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson as he is tested for ADHD and try to discover more about the condition in the hope of understanding how it impacts personal relationships and how ADHD is managed.
Sam Thompson tries boxing to help manage ADHD with coach Matt Flavell for is new documentary on E4, Is this ADHD?
Matt who is based in Maidenhead in Berkshire and has been diagnosed with ADHD himself, was filmed for the documentary last year. Matt currently works with many young people through his alternate education provision helping them to become successful, and appears in the show as an expert to talk about how boxing coaching and mentoring can really help people manage some of the many challenges ADHD provides more effectively.
During his meeting with Sam, Matt puts him through his paces with a boxing training session, and then sits down for an informal chat about how boxing helps with ADHD and the many challenges it presents, along with strategies he has personally found to be useful. He also talks with Sam about how important it is for younger people to have positive mentors in their life to help guide them as they grow up.
Matt said: “It was a privilege to be asked to feature in the documentary as part of Sam’s journey to understand ADHD. There are at least an estimated 2.6million people in the UK who have ADHD, a recognised form of neurodivergence, but it still carries a stigma. It’s brilliant that Sam is shining a spotlight on ADHD and his challenges and strengths and through this documentary.”
Talking about the documentary, Sam said: “This documentary is the most vulnerable I’ve felt in front of the camera, as I wanted to be totally open about how I react to people in situations, and whether these could be linked to ADHD.
“It has been an incredible and, at times, scary experience, but by exploring what’s been going on inside my head, I hope people can see that we should be more understanding before judging others. I also want to encourage people to learn more about themselves and be proud of everything that makes them unique.”
Caroline Davies, Director of Programmes at South Shore, the company who have produced the documentary for E4, said: “As awareness of ADHD rockets on social media we’re really proud to be exploring the subject with Sam; whilst also giving the E4 audience a new perspective on his life in London.”
The documentary is called Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD? and will be broadcast on E4 on Monday 8 May at 9pm.
For more information on how boxing can help with ADHD please click:
This article has been written with an aim to help raise awareness and educate people around the psychological manipulation tactics that are currently being used by organisations such as the mainstream media in order to create a particular narrative and shape the perception around current events.
For the purposes of this article, what is generally being referred to is articles or news clips released by the mainstream media companies, but it can also be applied to any form of communication released by any entity or person.
The way these techniques work is by inducing a strong emotion about a particular event (typically fear or anger), and framing it in such a way that it makes it seem to be a bigger problem than it actually is, along with only presenting one viewpoint or side of the story. This in turn shapes your perception about the event which makes you more likely to take action and do things like vote for politicians that are pushing certain policies in relation to those events. The media owners may also have ties to other organisations that want to push a particular product or service that serves as a remedy to the said issue.
The very big problem with this, is that it’s this form of communication that influences people in their day to day lives and can very often lead to massive division and even conflict, if what has been said evokes a strong enough emotional reaction. For this reason it is extremely important to understand how language is weaponized and as a collective raise our awareness to see through it, so that we are less able to be manipulated and end up performing actions we later on come to regret. It is important we understand the full picture before taking any form of action.
On the contrary to weaponised language, people such as politicians will often use disarming language as a method to lower emotions and prevent action being taken when emotions are high and people are demanding change.
The same tactics will be used to shape people’s opinions about individuals that speak contrary to what the preferred narrative or agenda may be. This very often takes the form of a smear campaign, that aims to discredit a person’s character and label them as some form of reprehensible character that should not be listened to, rather than address the ideas they put forth solely on the merits of those ideas. Likewise disarming language will be used to make you think better of a person who is facing scrutiny.
The first and most important thing to understand is that there are generally 3 main motivations behind any form of article or story released by the media:
An attention grabbing, curiosity or emotion evoking headline which is known as ‘click bait’. This results in more ‘clicks’ which then leads to higher page ranking and increased add revenue. The more emotion that can be elicited in the headline the higher the click through rate (CTR).
An agenda or intention to promote a particular story/angle or narrative around what is being reported. This agenda is very often politically driven and therefore will tend to be biased towards that organisation’s political allegiance. The organisation’s political allegiance will often be determined by who the owners of the organisation ( and workers) are, or who their main funding source is. This is also applies to who the organisations business partners are, such as their main source of advertising income, or if shareholders have interests in other area’s that they want shone in a positive light.
Smear campaigns aiming to discredit an opposing idea or rival. – For example are they a lobbyist acting on behalf of a particular corporation, trying to discredit those who are speaking against a particular product.
This is why it is important to understand who is behind the media companies and what their particular agenda is. When it comes to individuals it helps to try and understand what their motivation is behind what is being said.
How language is used as a weapon The important thing to understand about language is that it actually programs the mind, more about how this works can be learned by studying Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).
NLP is a psychological transformation technique used for therapy that was developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder who were both professors of linguistics. It worked by studying the thought processes of people and how this affected their behaviour and then using hypnosis combined with specific language to reprogram the mind.
The first and most obvious example of how this works is as follows, if I say to you, think of a pink elephant, unless you are pre warned and prepared that that is what I am going to say to you, you can’t not think of a pink elephant. And this is how it works, your mind is automatically following what is being said or written, and messages can be getting embedded in the mind subconsciously if you are not aware of what is being done.
How effective this tends to be is how compliant you are as a person.
However, further to the elephant story, what that elephant looks like is going to be unique to each individual based on their own personal association of elephants and the colour pink.
NLP – The map is not the territory. The menu is not the meal. What we tend to understand from communication is based on our own experiences and interpretations, rather than what is being said. This concept further allows for how our perception can be altered.
Methods used From an NLP perspective for this article, there are a few main concepts to understand.
Levels of abstraction The first is levels of abstraction, at the lowest level is that of concrete, which then travels up into the more abstract. As we travel up the levels, more and more of the essence of the original subject is left out, which leaves more room for manipulation.
Concrete is when we talk about an object directly, such a book for example. If I said take a picture of a book, you would easily know what to do. But if I asked you to go and take a picture of work, you couldn’t because work is an abstract word, which could relate to any number of possibilities, from writing a book, to digging a hole etc.
Using abstract language is very useful when intending to shape perception around certain topics, as it does not involve giving specific concrete details about what is being done. For example labelling someone a particular thing, without elaborating exactly why that is, is an example of using abstract language to shape the perception about someone.
Side note: When communicating with one another, using more concrete terms and language helps us to get our message across more successfully.
Presuppositions The second. is that of ‘presuppositions’ which basically means unspoken beliefs.
We have presuppositions in regards to how we process information, about how humans behave; communication and learning.
In particular, the presuppositions we will be focusing on will be that of communication around that of ‘the way we communicate affects perceptions and reception’ and in particular that of ‘framing’.
The important aspect to note from NLP regarding this is that, ‘The one who sets the frame for the communication controls communicating’. When we say the frame, we mean the frame of reference we are using. The thing about framing is that it governs perception, meaning, emotion, behaviour and values.
As an example of how you can view something from different frames, take the example of looking at a picture, you can look at it in terms of beauty, do we look at it in terms of what it took to create it, do we look at it in terms of its financial value or in terms of its usefulness. If you take 4 people with each of them using one of these frames of reference, each of them would have a very different opinion on that picture.
The thing about the frame is that it typically is ‘meta’ or above the level of conscious perception. The power in setting a frame is that it occurs above the level of consciousness in the recipient. Consequently, people lack awareness of it and therefore cannot bring their conscious values upon it. It is only by becoming aware of the frame and stepping outside of it, that you can change your perception of an event.
In regards to this presentation and how this is weaponized, the frame will initially be set that x situation is caused by (abstract word y), or x person is bad because of (abstract word y) whilst withholding any further nuanced information to add context to the situation.
Once you understand that this is how most news and media companies operate, you have taken the first step to freeing yourself from the manipulation of these organisations.
Methods used by organisations to shape the narrative of their stories. Each of these methods mentioned can be discussed in a lot more details and could be entire videos in themselves, so for this video I will just give you a brief overview. I am also avoiding giving specific examples so as not to get drawn off into tangents, or getting drawn into different sides of debates.
Inference The first of the the language manipulation techniques is that of Combining opinion with facts – which is also know as Inference.
This is probably the most simple and easy of all the methods to spot, and the majority of people probably already understand this, but sometimes it can be hard to spot the difference between what is actually just an opinion and what is a fact.
But to make things clearer, lets take this example,
Fact: Bob is wearing a hat,
Inference: Bob’s hair was a mess so he put a hat on.
Opinion: Bob looks good in a hat (some peoples not everyone’s opinion).
The first step in untangling everything you read is to completely understand what the full facts are, and be aware that there may be some facts missing. The articles aim to appear as if the majority consensus opinion on a subject is as they portray -, this is aimed at telling you how you should feel and how you should react…
Most people tend to go with the opinion of the crowd. E.g – The world mourned, the world was angry – was the whole world angry. (Note the frame here is that this is the general consensus of the world, where as there may be many who are not mourning, but in fact happy etc).
Seeing through inference and learning to be clear about what the actual facts are, is the first step in order to avoid being blindly swept up with the crowd. If you are forming your opinion simply based off what you think everyone else’s opinion is, you the most easily lead astray.
Twisting the narrative This involves reframing actions or situations to distort the intention or truth of what actually happened, whilst simultaneously omitting information from the story to not provide the full context of what happened. In video media this often involves editing and cutting out parts of the video to remove the context. (The context means the surrounding information or bigger/full picture).
Re- defining the meaning of words – (to include things previously not associated with said definition) and then labelling anyone who falls into that category as that definition. (with the old definition typically not having good connotations).
This is a problem because behaviour that has generally been very normal can suddenly become something people can be vilified for, without them even realising. – This also includes using definitions to label certains things which actually do not fall within that The definition of harassment.
Using emotive words – heartbroken, shiver etc.
Word play and semantics – made with 100% chicken, instead of saying made OF 100% chicken.
Labelling people as certain things and then using that label as a complete definition of someone’s character.
Conflating several very different things all under the heading of one definition or label, or associating different things as being part of that label/definition.
Using gentle/ postive words to describe aggressive/negative actions and vice versa.
Equating words with violence or a definite precursor to violence.
Using claimed ‘experts’ as the ultimate authority on a subject – you should accept what is being said even if it does not make sense. There is rarely any information about any conflict of interest around what organisations they may be involved with, and what their motivations are etc.
Defining subjective perception as objective reality, Feeling ‘Unsafe’ – just because you feel uncomfortable. – then adding lables, judgements to those who think differently.
Gaslighting – no this did not happen. Its not how you see it.
An interesting topic to think about is, Where does subjective experience end and gaslighting begin… generally gaslighting will involve invalidating your experience, without providing any additional reasonable facts or context and will not allow for sensible questions to be asked, with reasonable explanations provided to those questions.
Insuation (hinting but not directly saying something) or claiming insinuation (what you’re saying is).
Subliminal hypnosis – Repeating key words or phrases to embed the thought in the persons mind.
Logical fallacies – e.g ad hominem attacks or strawman arguments.
Cherry picking information – selecting only bits of information that support the preferred narrative.
Lets not forget flat out lying.
It is important to get a good understanding around all of these different methods used, and research yourself further in order to be able to spot and see through these techniques when they are being used.
Defence tactics
Look at the actions instead of words, what is actually happening.
Look at the facts
Ask questions – always seek the full context, research information from both sides before reaching a conclusion
Seek clarification on definitions and meanings behind what is being said.
consider what the underlying motivations behind why what has been said has been said – its there an element of jealousy or propaganda – do they have an agenda
is there an element of attention seeking, an attempted justification for something bad done first by painting the other person as bad, and making themselves out to be the victim, are they trying to get revenge or bring down a rival etc
do they just like drama
separate the opinion from the facts, a lot of people make their opinions up based on what they think the majority opinion is.
Look at what is not being reported and even censored altogether
Assess the evidence or lack of
Trust your intuition – contradicts evidence, but tells you need to learn more
All of this applies to any form of verbal/written communication – articles, social media posts, news broadcasts, face to face arguments.
Final tips The important thing to do as we do not have time to be ‘fact checking’ everything we see, or watching things such as parliamentary or court hearings as they happen.
Whenever you see something that makes you feel extremely emotional, in particularly anger or fear, learn to take a step back before you react, and once you have recovered from the initial fight or flight response, ask yourself, ‘is this the full picture, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth’.
Then for that particular situation, start looking into it a bit more deeply and ensure you get the full details.
We have to be especially careful and aware when we start to see dehumanizing terms being used to describe certain subsets of people. This is the kind of thing that has lead to the greatest mass murders in history.
Further research
SIGMUND FREUD – THE POWER OF THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND.
EDWARRD BERNAYS – FREUDS NEPHEW WHO USED THESE CONCEPTS IN ADVERTISING.
DA BEERS DIAMOND RING MARKETING
WALTER LIPPMAN – MANIPULATING PUBLIC MOOD WITH SUGGESTION.
OPERATION MOCKINGBIRD.
NLP – The Users manual for the brain If you are interest in NLP and would like to learn about how NLP can improve your life, please check out this amazing book which got me into all of it, called the ‘Users manual for the brain’.
This book is actually about a lot more than just recognizing how media organisations try to manipulate you, it is also an amazing tool for self development, and achieving your full potential.
NLP is an extremely useful tool for re programming your own mind, to overcome things such as limiting self beliefs, and even for things such as becoming better at sales.
If you would like to get a copy, please click on the following link: https://amzn.to/3G6UKFG
Foreword The following presentation is on the work of Arnold van Gennep an early 19th century Anthropologist and focusses on some aspects of human development that I personally feel we have lost as a society in the present day. In particular this presentation is talking about how boys in tribes were raised into men and even warriors.
This presentation is aiming to create a foundation of understanding about where modern society is currently failing men. It is not intended to be taken literally but to help raise awareness about the concepts these rights of passage were based around, which remain valid nonetheless.
In particular two tribes that can be researched further are the African Maasai and the ancient Greek Spartans. Though there are more tribes that have their own rights of passage that can be researched too.
What is a Rite of Passage? Traditionally, a rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person’s transition between childhood and full inclusion into a tribe or social group. The concept of the rite of passage explores and describes various other milestones in an individual’s life when their social status is forever altered.
Initiation rites are a natural and necessary part of a community, just as arms and legs are an extension of the human body. These rites are paramount to the development of an individual as well as the community.
Most of the ancient rites of passage can be separated and classified into five groups. Rite to Birthright, Rite to Adulthood, Rite to Marriage, Rite to Eldership and Rite to Ancestorship. Although there are five different rites of passage, they can more or less be distilled down to three steps: Separation, Transition, and Reincorporation.
Step 1: SEPARATION The initial stage of the traditional rite of passage is the separation. During this phase an initiate is separated, either literally or figuratively, from his or her former life. During the separation phase, the individual’s past is expelled as the initiate prepares a new life.
Before the separation stage in tribal life, was that of the infant and pre teen child phase of life. During these early years the children would spend most of their time with the mothers and other women being nurtured, but also being involved in daily tasks such as helping with cooking or activities that the women of the tribe were responsible for. The children would not be raised by one woman alone, but by a group as a whole being overseen by the matriarchs of the tribe who had more experience.
During this stage the men of tribe would not be overly involved with the raising of the child, but would still have involvement when they returned from whatever activities they were doing throughout the day. This is when the father/son bonding would take place. This is important to not because below the ages of 8/9 the nurturing aspect of raising boys and girls was very similar. Likewise having more than just one woman involved in the raising of the children, in particular an older and more experienced matriarch would help to balance out the aspect of inexperience of the young mums and potential overprotective/biased attitude towards their direct offspring. It’s also interesting to note that the education aspect correlates directly with the role required of that tribe as a unit, as opposed to a school which has not direct relation to the children that attend.
The separation stage would take place around the age of 8/9 years old but even younger of around 6 or 7 years in the Spartan tribe. This first right of passage would be marked by a ceremony where the women of the tribe would hand the boys over to the men. In some instances but not all, the boys would not spend any time with the women of the tribe until the final right of passage on their return, but in all cases the main raising of the young boys would now be done by the men.
During this time spent with the men of the tribe, the boys would be taught how to hunt, build, scavenge and defend themselves. The young boys would be around older male members who they could look up to and take advice from. They would learn first hand what it takes to survive and go through experiences which were tough, but ultimately served the purpose of building them into warriors that could look after their tribe. At this point the boys would also learn important fundamentals about respect whilst having firm boundaries put in place by the older stronger male members of the tribe, which ultimately would keep them in line.
Step 2: TRANSITION The second stage of the traditional rite of passage is the transition. During this phase, the initiate is in a state of transformation, or for the faithful, limbo. The individual is no longer part of his or her old life, but not yet fully inducted into a new one. The transition is usually marked by a series of tests deeming whether the initiate is worthy of this new life.
Once the first stage of the boys training was complete and they reached around the age of 16, the boys would have to face the second yet what could be considered the most difficult but important stage.
At this point with the boy now what could be considered young men, they would be sent off to survive in the wild on their own for a period of time, often around 3 months. During this time they would have to put to use all of the skills that they had learnt from the training they had received during the preceding years. If the boys returned alive, they would officially be classed as a man, if they returned with a dead tiger they would be officially classed as a ‘warrior’.
This stage would no doubt have been one that was very scary and fraught with danger, but the process of leaving everything they know and feeling the fear and going through it, would ultimately enable the psychological transformation from boy to man, equipping them with tools they need to provide and protect to ensure the continued survival of their tribe.
Step 3: REINCORPORATION The third and final chapter for the initiate is reincorporation. After the individual proves himself or herself worthy through a series of tests, the initiate is welcomed back into society and given a grand celebration of their new life.
The final stage once the boys had returned would involve another ceremony of mass celebration, congratulating them on their achievements and initiating them into the adult roles of the tribe. This celebration would honour the young men and make them feel a valued member of the tribe. They would feel secure in their purpose and take pride in serving their community.
In some instances the men would only be allowed to marry and father children themselves once they had passed this stage, which is interesting because it ultimately denotes that the man has shown he has what it takes to be a good father.
During all phases of the process, the elders who have previously gone through the ritual themselves guide the young initiate on his or her journey. By controlling the rite of passage, the community decides when a boy becomes a man, a girl becomes a woman, or a civilian becomes a soldier.
TODAY’S SOCIETY IS LACKING IN TRADITIONAL RITES OF PASSAGE
Bringing the rights of passage to modern day What is important to note in regards to the old tribal rights of passage, is that as a society we have progressed far from what could be judged by modern day standards as quite a brutal/barbaric way of raising young men.
Things such as being sent off into the jungle to survive for months, not being something that should be advocated for today. There are however some key take away points from it which we should implement into how we raise modern day men.
There needs to be a solid social structure for boys to spend time with positive male role models, ones that not only nurture but provide leadership and adequate boundaries.
That a process in the form of rites of passage could be implemented, allowing boys to progress along and be celebrated for.
That being too protected from the reality of life only inhibits emotional growth, and there is a need for some pain and suffering for this to be achieved. Just not to the extent that it causes developmental trauma. Psychological strength needs to be built over time.
There are key biological physical and psychological differences between males and females which need to be taken into account when raising a child. Differences which if not accounted for can lead to a whole array of issues.
Men need to be honored for the role they play in their community.
Modern day education from nursery to university could be partially considered this, but it is limited in terms of who can succeed (e.g neuro-divergence), and does not focus on psychological/emotional development. (Hunter vs Farmer theory).
The focus on nurture appears to becoming the dominant driving force in educational and school policies, with leadership and character building appearing to have taken a back seat.
Boys need that positive masculine influence in order to develop into emotionally mature and capable adults.
Men NEED to be honoured for the role they play in their community
We currently have a set up in Britain and much of the western world where in many ways, the role of providing for the family (traditionally a male role) has been taken over by the government/state.
Whilst this is a good step forward and enables many children to have their basic needs met and looks after women, Broken homes have become an all too common theme, with many boys being raised by single mothers. Leading to a gaping chasm of leadership and discipline left in its wake. Absent fathers play a role in this too, but this is a separate subject for another article.
The boys of today are growing up in a system where they are not getting the right balance of nurture vs leadership. All too often they are getting to their teenage years, not having had the right discipline put in place when they were younger, and becoming too physically big and strong for their mothers to control.
They are also falling in a category where they cannot be dealt with the law sufficiently as they are classified as minors, yet they have no methods of dealing with them at home or by the authorities either.
Under current child protection legislation, unless they are at risk from danger from an adult or to themselves, the issues such as lack of boundaries at home and even abuse to the parent are massively overlooked. Authorities regularly fail to take proactive measures to deal with this area.
The young men, looking for a sense of connection and belonging, whilst simultaneously wanting to emulate those that they see and having strength and power, turn to gangs and criminal activity. There is also the aspect of poverty that plays into this, often motivated by wanting to take care of their mother and siblings when they see her struggling financially, combined with wanting status and power in their community. Often surrounded by a whole community of people who only know crime as a way to succeed, these young boys never acquire true aspirations to aim towards.
They then continue along this path to where they become adults and then get incarcerated as criminals, which all too often by this point is too late for them. Many of the current issues we are seeing with gang, gun and knife crime could be prevented by intervening at an earlier stage.
What needs to be done now is a solution implemented that bridges the gap between those vital early years of nurture to one that guides young boys along the path to being a man.
The problem around this is that in many scenarios, the only way this could be achieved is by creating positive alternatives to youth offending institutions that focus on development rather than punishment..
When a man has not learnt to control his emotions
Hair trigger temper (resulting in unnecessary fights).
Insane jealousy leading to controlling behaviour and stalking.
Alcohol, drug abuse and binge eating, seeking to smother their feelings.
Emotionally insecure people who require constant validation leading to manipulative behaviours.
Narcissistic and neglectful parenting.
Abusive behaviours.
Solutions
We need to develop solid social paths for men that are inclusive and lead to recognition.
We need to develop men psychologically and emotionally, building resilience and self control.
We need early interventions that recognise and deal with these issues before they reach the criminal stage.
We need education the be more inclusive around different learning styles and needs so that more have a chance to succeed.
More education around trauma (generational) and working with families to heal and transcend from it.
We need to incorporate more positive male role models into the education system that focus on the social/emotional aspect of development rather than just academic achievement.
Boxing and martial arts training works directly with a mans drive for dominance and provides a safe channel and outlet for expressing these tendencies.
These sports can also be used as a mechanism for achieving rights of passage stages e.g training (separation), competing (transition), recognition of achievement on completion.
In conclusion
This is not a full solution, the problem is complex and requires a multifaceted approach.
Socio-economic, cultural and political factors all play a part
Fixing it begins by creating a strong foundation for raising young men and an understanding of what young men need.
Common values for community/society need to be established and worked towards.
Foreword The following presentation is on the work of Arnold van Gennep an early 19th century Anthropologist and focusses on some aspects of human development that I personally feel we have lost as a society in the present day. In particular this presentation is talking about how boys in tribes were raised into men and even warriors.
This presentation is aiming to create a foundation of understanding about where modern society is currently failing men. It is not intended to be taken literally but to help raise awareness about the concepts these rights of passage were based around, which remain valid nonetheless.
In particular two tribes that can be researched further are the African Maasai and the ancient Greek Spartans. Though there are more tribes that have their own rights of passage that can be researched too.
What is a Rite of Passage?
Traditionally, a rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person’s transition between childhood and full inclusion into a tribe or social group. The concept of the rite of passage explores and describes various other milestones in an individual’s life when their social status is forever altered.
Initiation rites are a natural and necessary part of a community, just as arms and legs are an extension of the human body. These rites are paramount to the development of an individual as well as the community.
Most of the ancient rites of passage can be separated and classified into five groups. Rite to Birthright, Rite to Adulthood, Rite to Marriage, Rite to Eldership and Rite to Ancestorship. Although there are five different rites of passage, they can more or less be distilled down to three steps: Separation, Transition, and Reincorporation.
Step 1: SEPARATION
The initial stage of the traditional rite of passage is the separation. During this phase an initiate is separated, either literally or figuratively, from his or her former life. During the separation phase, the individual’s past is expelled as the initiate prepares a new life.
Before the separation stage in tribal life, was that of the infant and pre teen child phase of life. During these early years the children would spend most of their time with the mothers and other women being nurtured, but also being involved in daily tasks such as helping with cooking or activities that the women of the tribe were responsible for. The children would not be raised by one woman alone, but by a group as a whole being overseen by the matriarchs of the tribe who had more experience.
During this stage the men of tribe would not be overly involved with the raising of the child, but would still have involvement when they returned from whatever activities they were doing throughout the day. This is when the father/son bonding would take place. This is important to not because below the ages of 8/9 the nurturing aspect of raising boys and girls was very similar. Likewise having more than just one woman involved in the raising of the children, in particular an older and more experienced matriarch would help to balance out the aspect of inexperience of the young mums and potential overprotective/biased attitude towards their direct offspring. It’s also interesting to note that the education aspect correlates directly with the role required of that tribe as a unit, as opposed to a school which has not direct relation to the children that attend.
The separation stage would take place around the age of 8/9 years old but even younger of around 6 or 7 years in the Spartan tribe. This first right of passage would be marked by a ceremony where the women of the tribe would hand the boys over to the men. In some instances but not all, the boys would not spend any time with the women of the tribe until the final right of passage on their return, but in all cases the main raising of the young boys would now be done by the men.
During this time spent with the men of the tribe, the boys would be taught how to hunt, build, scavenge and defend themselves. The young boys would be around older male members who they could look up to and take advice from. They would learn first hand what it takes to survive and go through experiences which were tough, but ultimately served the purpose of building them into warriors that could look after their tribe. At this point the boys would also learn important fundamentals about respect whilst having firm boundaries put in place by the older stronger male members of the tribe, which ultimately would keep them in line.
Step 2: TRANSITION
The second stage of the traditional rite of passage is the transition. During this phase, the initiate is in a state of transformation, or for the faithful, limbo. The individual is no longer part of his or her old life, but not yet fully inducted into a new one. The transition is usually marked by a series of tests deeming whether the initiate is worthy of this new life.
Once the first stage of the boys training was complete and they reached around the age of 16, the boys would have to face the second yet what could be considered the most difficult but important stage.
At this point with the boy now what could be considered young men, they would be sent off to survive in the wild on their own for a period of time, often around 3 months. During this time they would have to put to use all of the skills that they had learnt from the training they had received during the preceding years. If the boys returned alive, they would officially be classed as a man, if they returned with a dead tiger they would be officially classed as a ‘warrior’.
This stage would no doubt have been one that was very scary and fraught with danger, but the process of leaving everything they know and feeling the fear and going through it, would ultimately enable the psychological transformation from boy to man, equipping them with tools they need to provide and protect to ensure the continued survival of their tribe.
Step 3: REINCORPORATION
The third and final chapter for the initiate is reincorporation. After the individual proves himself or herself worthy through a series of tests, the initiate is welcomed back into society and given a grand celebration of their new life.
The final stage once the boys had returned would involve another ceremony of mass celebration, congratulating them on their achievements and initiating them into the adult roles of the tribe. This celebration would honour the young men and make them feel a valued member of the tribe. They would feel secure in their purpose and take pride in serving their community.
In some instances the men would only be allowed to marry and father children themselves once they had passed this stage, which is interesting because it ultimately denotes that the man has shown he has what it takes to be a good father.
During all phases of the process, the elders who have previously gone through the ritual themselves guide the young initiate on his or her journey. By controlling the rite of passage, the community decides when a boy becomes a man, a girl becomes a woman, or a civilian becomes a soldier.
TODAY’S SOCIETY IS LACKING IN TRADITIONAL RITES OF PASSAGE
Bringing the rights of passage to modern day
What is important to note in regards to the old tribal rights of passage, is that as a society we have progressed far from what could be judged by modern day standards as quite a brutal/barbaric way of raising young men.
Things such as being sent off into the jungle to survive for months, not being something that should be advocated for today. There are however some key take away points from it which we should implement into how we raise modern day men.
There needs to be a solid social structure for boys to spend time with positive male role models, ones that not only nurture but provide leadership and adequate boundaries.
That a process in the form of rites of passage could be implemented, allowing boys to progress along and be celebrated for.
That being too protected from the reality of life only inhibits emotional growth, and there is a need for some pain and suffering for this to be achieved. Just not to the extent that it causes developmental trauma. Psychological strength needs to be built over time.
There are key biological physical and psychological differences between males and females which need to be taken into account when raising a child. Differences which if not accounted for can lead to a whole array of issues.
Men need to be honored for the role they play in their community.
Modern day education from nursery to university could be partially considered this, but it is limited in terms of who can succeed (e.g neuro-divergence), and does not focus on psychological/emotional development. (Hunter vs Farmer theory).
The focus on nurture appears to becoming the dominant driving force in educational and school policies, with leadership and character building appearing to have taken a back seat.
Boys need that positive masculine influence in order to develop into emotionally mature and capable adults.
Men NEED to be honoured for the role they play in their community
We currently have a set up in Britain and much of the western world where in many ways, the role of providing for the family (traditionally a male role) has been taken over by the government/state.
Whilst this is a good step forward and enables many children to have their basic needs met and looks after women, Broken homes have become an all too common theme, with many boys being raised by single mothers. Leading to a gaping chasm of leadership and discipline left in its wake. Absent fathers play a role in this too, but this is a separate subject for another article.
The boys of today are growing up in a system where they are not getting the right balance of nurture vs leadership. All too often they are getting to their teenage years, not having had the right discipline put in place when they were younger, and becoming too physically big and strong for their mothers to control.
They are also falling in a category where they cannot be dealt with the law sufficiently as they are classified as minors, yet they have no methods of dealing with them at home or by the authorities either.
Under current child protection legislation, unless they are at risk from danger from an adult or to themselves, the issues such as lack of boundaries at home and even abuse to the parent are massively overlooked. Authorities regularly fail to take proactive measures to deal with this area.
The young men, looking for a sense of connection and belonging, whilst simultaneously wanting to emulate those that they see and having strength and power, turn to gangs and criminal activity. There is also the aspect of poverty that plays into this, often motivated by wanting to take care of their mother and siblings when they see her struggling financially, combined with wanting status and power in their community. Often surrounded by a whole community of people who only know crime as a way to succeed, these young boys never acquire true aspirations to aim towards.
They then continue along this path to where they become adults and then get incarcerated as criminals, which all too often by this point is too late for them. Many of the current issues we are seeing with gang, gun and knife crime could be prevented by intervening at an earlier stage.
What needs to be done now is a solution implemented that bridges the gap between those vital early years of nurture to one that guides young boys along the path to being a man.
The problem around this is that in many scenarios, the only way this could be achieved is by creating positive alternatives to youth offending institutions that focus on development rather than punishment..
When a man has not learnt to control his emotions
Hair trigger temper (resulting in unnecessary fights).
Insane jealousy leading to controlling behaviour and stalking.
Alcohol, drug abuse and binge eating, seeking to smother their feelings.
Emotionally insecure people who require constant validation leading to manipulative behaviours.
Narcissistic and neglectful parenting.
Abusive behaviours.
Solutions
We need to develop solid social paths for men that are inclusive and lead to recognition.
We need to develop men psychologically and emotionally, building resilience and self control.
We need early interventions that recognise and deal with these issues before they reach the criminal stage.
We need education the be more inclusive around different learning styles and needs so that more have a chance to succeed.
More education around trauma (generational) and working with families to heal and transcend from it.
We need to incorporate more positive male role models into the education system that focus on the social/emotional aspect of development rather than just academic achievement.
Boxing and martial arts training works directly with a mans drive for dominance and provides a safe channel and outlet for expressing these tendencies.
These sports can also be used as a mechanism for achieving rights of passage stages e.g training (separation), competing (transition), recognition of achievement on completion.
In conclusion
This is not a full solution, the problem is complex and requires a multifaceted approach.
Socio-economic, cultural and political factors all play a part
Fixing it begins by creating a strong foundation for raising young men and an understanding of what young men need.
Common values for community/society need to be established and worked towards.
Shelly was a 16 year old female who I worked with for a period of approximately 6 months. The aim of the provision was to support her integration at a new part time college placement that was different from her usual school. She was placed at the college due to her struggling to manage at the school full time, and was close to being transferred due to not being able to meet her needs. Therefore it was incredibly important that her integration at the college worked out.
Shelly was a young person who suffered from complex trauma, mainly related to incidents involving childhood abuse and neglect. She was put into foster care around the age of 6 with her twin sister. Shelly would sometimes identify as a male and develop attractions towards members of the same biological sex as her.
Shelly would generally present herself as an amicable person, but would frequently exhibit bouts of extreme rage that would arise from any perceived injustice and could become violent towards her peers. Shelly would also be prone to anxiety, self harm and suicidal threats, regularly contacting child line stating she was going to commit suicide.
Shelly exhibited aspects of fantacism, sometimes appearing to have conversations with people or entities that were her ‘imaginary friends’ as she put it. Shelly had an extremely vivid imagination and by no means lacked intelligence. She had a good understanding of trauma but would often use this to her advantage, often to make up elaborate stories about why she could not do something (which were usually school work related).
One time she mentioned that she could not draw a circle because it reminded her of a bubble, and a bubble reminded her of being aged 6 witnessing abuse in her house, during which time, she would imagine a protective bubble around her. (This was all avoidance to doing school work, as I had seen her draw circles on numerous other occasions).
During my time with Shelly assisting her at college, she made massive progress in terms of her ability to emotionally regulate, along with her engagement with her education.
One of the main strategies that was used with Shelly was remaining extremely consistent when it came to enforcing boundaries and expectations. Shelly would often attempt to manipulate staff that worked with her by using an array of methods. There were 3 main behaviors she would use to try and achieve this. The first was by being very charming (usually after being in trouble and wanting to get out of it), the second was crying and apparent emotional breakdowns and the third was anger and insults. These could also be exhibited in any combination and any order and in any time frame.
These behaviors would often arise due to fairly minor situations, such as wanting to use her i-pad (which became a useful tool for issuing consequences) or not wanting to go to her lesson.
Whether she would try to use charm, anger or sadness to get her way, the boundaries set and expectations were still upheld. This was done by remaining calm and centered along with providing empathy to her feelings, whilst remaining firm to the outcome expected, so that she would learn that whatever she threw at me, it would not take me off my center. This allowed for her trust to grow in me as a capable adult she could depend upon to lead her through the trials and tribulations of life she faced. I would also at times make use of humour to either elevate her mood, and even to get her too situations from a different perspective.
To begin with there were numerous situations where Shelly would not be happy at not getting her own way, but over time she began to understand that I would not be swayed by emotional manipulation and her behavior became much more balanced and stable. (Note: This is not to say she consciously chose these behaviors, but more that they were learned in order to get her needs met as she grew up).
Other scenarios would occur where she would do things such as show off scars on her wrists or flash a razor blade she had stolen from a pencil sharpener, boasting (with a smirk on her face) how she was going to use it to cut herself. I soon recognised and understood that much of her behavior was mostly linked to gaining attention and reactions. My method for dealing with this was not to provide much reaction at all. I would still tell her that seeing her hurt herself was not funny or cool to me, and to remove the razor blade off her if she had one, but to generally give it no further attention. Again over time instances such as this became less frequent.
When it came to situations that involved helping her to process her trauma I used methods such as drawings/cartoons and brainstorming to help understand and figure out what she was feeling and to put things into perspective. A large part of the work around this was done on helping her to let go and move on from the past. She had a lot of unresolved feelings regarding her relationship with her birth mum, and was unable to visualize a positive future whilst she clung to the past. I helped her to step outside of the mother/daughter relationship paradigm through which her perception was tainted, and instead see her mother and an individual who probably had a difficult upbringing herself, and was an individual with her own issues and floors. This helped Shelly to begin to remove her lack of self worth from how she was treated by her birth mother.
I identified that she displayed what is known as psychological ‘splitting’ which is a form of black and white thinking. This is generally where someone thinks of someone else as either ‘all good’ or ‘all bad’ depending on the circumstances and can change numerous times throughout the day depending on the circumstances. This tends to be a behavior prone to people with personality disorders such as Borderline personality disorder (BPD).
In order to de-escalate or diffuse emotional outbursts before they began, I employed techniques from the http://www.nicolamethodforhighconflict.com/ which is a communication style aimed at disarming verbal confrontations from people who suffer from BPD. (I would like to mention that BPD was not officially recognised in people under 18 until recently, and Shelly has no diagnosis of it, but regardless her behavior was congruent with that of someone who suffered from it, and the techniques for helping to manage it worked.) Using the techniques shown in the Nicola method enabled me to not get drawn into the numerous attempts at starting an argument she often tried to start. It also enabled me to remain calm and unswayed by the things she said to me.
I also performed some mini workshops with her focussing on subjects around emotional intelligence and self management. To complement this I taught her ‘Emotional Freedom technique (EFT) which involves tapping various pressure points around the body, whilst simultaneously repeating a positive mantra of affirmation, and help the person to release the emotional energy trapped in the body.
The final aspect I worked on with Shelly was helping her to manage/overcome her anxiety and not let it control her life. This was mainly done by encouraging her to act with courage and to take small steps outside of her comfort zone, gradually taking bigger ones as time went on. Shelly made massive progress with this over the course of 6 months, from initially not being able to bring herself to attend any lessons without me supporting her, or being the center of attention in a social setting (such as talking to a group) to being able to attend all lessons without me and even playing a small part in circus performance put on by her school.
Shelly successfully integrated into her college placement, and since went on to attend there full time after my intervention ceased.
Sean who was at a young man aged 15 who was on the brink of being expelled from his school for consistent disruptive behavior including rudeness and aggression to teaching staff. He also had mild involvement in drug dealing and regularly smoked cannabis.
Over a period of 6 months the mentor from the BE A Warrior Foundation performed mentoring and boxing sessions with him. The sessions would involve picking him up from school and taking him to the local boxing gym. The boxing sessions gave the mentor key insights into how he handled things such as being stressed or not being able to perform the skills showed to him. This also enabled the mentor to talk to him about these insights in a way he could understand due to experiencing them himself. Sean realized how unfit he was due to smoking cannabis, so he decided to stop.
The mentor discussed with Sean about his attitude towards teachers and the aspirations he had for himself. He was given strategies to manage his anger more effectively and how to respond to teachers when they told him off along with tools to avoid situations escalating that would get him in trouble.
Sean put these strategies to use and managed to avoid being expelled, he ended up passing his GCSE’s and ended up going on to college.
Craig was a young man aged 15 who had not been in education for over 2 years. He regularly suffered from explosive episodes of rage, smoked cannabis and was involved in low level drug dealing with county lines.
Over the period of 8 months our mentor from the BE A Warrior Foundation (BAWF) managed to get him into boxing training and he stopped smoking cannabis. Craig also decided that he no longer wanted to sell drugs and stopped hanging around with the others who were involved in it.
The mentor helped him find the direction he wanted to head in life and managed to convince him to go back to school. Due to his school being in a different county the mentor had to drive him to school. He also would only attend if the mentor was with him. He even referred to his mentor as his ‘Dad’ on one occasion.
Craig in the end managed to gain his foundation GCSE’s in Maths and English and has now gone on to college.
How the benefits of boxing help people manage ADHD
Did you know that boxing training can be beneficial for people to help them manage ADHD? In fact, boxing has been shown to help improve focus, concentration, discipline and resilience. It can also help reduce stress and anxiety levels. Not only is it great for kids who have hyperactivity and lots of energy to burn off but also great for helping manage adult ADHD too. If you are looking for a way to better manage your ADHD symptoms, boxing may be the answer!
How exactly does boxing with managing ADHD? Boxing is a high-intensity sport that requires total mind and body involvement. You have to be aware of your surroundings, your opponent, and your own body movements along with being able to regulate your emotions in real time in order to not lose control and fight effectively. All of this has a positive effect on your own personal ability to manage ADHD. Lets now talk more in depth about how the benefits of boxing and training involved help with the different aspects of ADHD.
Concentration
During activities such as hitting the bag, pad work and most importantly sparring, you have to remain focussed on the activity at hand. There is not time to let your mind wander when you are sparring against an opponent as you have to be ready to respond to their every move. This level of concentration required is practiced during activities such as hitting the bag or pad work, and the thought of being punched in the face if your don’t stay focussed provides added motivation to develop this skill.
Over time you will become more adept at being able to turn on a laser like focus when the situation requires it. The process of actively working on maintaining concentration during training leads to the brain developing more neural connections for this ability, meaning you are able to apply your concentration to other tasks not related to boxing.
Boxing training is a brilliant activity to do before activities such as studying or work that requires concentration as it releases endorphins and dopamine which make the mind more alert.
Impulsivity
Boxing can help you to manage ADHD symptoms such as impulsiveness, which can often lead to people doing things that they later regret because they didn’t think about the consequences first.
Boxing training helps you to control your impulses because you have to have a very high level of self control when sparring or fighting competitively. You can’t just throw punches aimlessly without thinking about what you’re doing, because you waste energy and make yourself more vulnerable to being counter punched. Likewise you also become able to stop yourself mid punch in situations such as sparring if the situation requires it. This self-control can carry over into other areas of your life, such as when you come into conflict with other people or even when your boss is rude to you.
As with concentration your brain develops neurologically providing you greater impulse control abilities.
Hyperactivity For kids who have ADHD and bundles of energy, boxing training is one of the best ways for them to burn it all off, as boxing training is one of the most energy consuming work outs you can do. It makes use of all 3 of the different energy systems, to include the aerobic, anaerobic and AT-PCR system. For adults with ADHD who no longer have the hyperactive aspect, boxing training is a great way to help alleviate in the internal feeling of restlessness.
Emotional regulation
One of the biggest challenges for people to manage ADHD is being subject to extremely high intensity emotions. In particular that of anger or ‘rage’ when upset. This often causes problems in particular when it comes to social interactions and handling conflict.
Boxing training helps you learn to manage your emotions because you have to be in control of your anger when you’re boxing. If you get too angry, you won’t be able to think straight and you could make a mistake that gets you hurt. In particular developing the ability to not act on your anger is the first step to getting it under control. This ability is gradually built up during training when the person learns to tolerate and persist by the pain that is felt by certain exercises and activities. Further development in this area is provided from activities such as sparring and works in relation to learning how to control the adrenaline released from the ‘fight or flight response’.
Boxing training is also a great way to improve your mood in general. The endorphins and dopamine that are released when you work out have a positive effect on your mood and can help to combat depression. Working out is one of the best ways to relieve stress and feel good.
Developing self discipline
Due to the nature of ADHD it is incredibly important for people who have it to develop a greater level of self discipline than would otherwise be required for neurotypical people.
Boxing training is great for building self discipline, as the sport provides a very obvious real time feedback loop of how the training you have done (or lack of) translates into your performance in the ring. This provides a very high level of motivation to work hard in the training and creates an understanding of self responsibility.
As mentioned earlier you also will develop an improved tolerance to pain enabling you to face uncomfortable situations head on (a core part of discipline) rather than avoidance, and learn to just get on with things. This provides help with things such as procrastination or getting on with activities you find difficult outside of the boxing gym.
A safe alternative to other risk taking behaviors
People with ADHD are very often people who take unsafe risks as they are addicted to the adrenaline they get from such activities.
The feeling of the adrenaline rush from boxing sparring is very similar to the feeling that people with adhd get from doing things like taking risks or being in scenarios that involve a lot of noise and action. Boxing gives you something to get those adrenaline highs in a natural, safe and controlled way.
Building confidence and self esteem
Boxing training can provide a sense of accomplishment and boost self-esteem. When you achieve something in boxing, such as mastering a new skill, improving in sparring or even winning a fight, it feels great! This improved self-esteem can carry over into other areas of your life.
Achieving mini goals
A key aspect of building confidence is that it needs to be done incrementally, a bit like building fitness or strength. Often people with ADHD have very low levels of self confidence due to facing many challenges and ‘failure’ throughout their lives.
The first step back on to the path of building confidence back up is to achieve mini ‘wins’. An example of this is with activities such as skipping. Simply improving the number of ‘skips’ that are completed each session, gives real time feed of how improvements are being made. Seeing results such as these improve week on week really has an amazing ability to build your confidence. You will then start to believe in yourself and your ability to achieve in other areas of your life.
Boxing also builds an incredible level of self confidence due to developing the ability to defend yourself. You do not have to worry so much about conflict with other people when you know you can defend yourself. This is because you are less likely to enter the ‘fight or flight’ response and manage situations more calmly.(Meaning you are less likely to end up in a fight).
You will also feel less anxiety around interactions with other people in general.
Improving your overall quality of life
Boxing training not only helps with these aspects of ADHD, but also is beneficial in so many other ways for your life in general. It will get you fitter and healthier than you have ever been. You will get many other physical benefits such as improved coordination and reaction times and will develop a great physique too (which also helps boost your confidence)
Best of all you will gain a fun and engaging hobby to participate in and meet many new people. There is also the aspect of going on to box competitively yourself and going to watch your friends boxing at events themselves too.
Boxing is becoming more recognized for its benefits for ADHD Check out this article from the BBC about how boxing is being used to work with kids excluded from mainstream education who have ADHD.
Get started with boxing today!!
If you’re ready to start seeing real results and improvements in challenges caused by your ADHD brain, the ‘Zero to Hero’ 12 week boxing transformation course is the perfect choice for you.
You will learn about all the different aspects of boxing, fitness, weight loss and nutrition (including monthly recipes sent directly to your inbox).
For more information please check out the ‘Learn More’button below.
Adam Azim wins 3rd pro fight by KO stoppage live on Sky sports
Adam Azim who is a professional boxer aged 19 from Slough won his 3rd fight against Jordan Ellison by KO stoppage in the 3rd round live on Sky sports. He was fighting on the Amir Khan vs Kell Brook undercard. Adam is hailed as an amazing future talent by many boxing pundits.
This is great news for Boxing Evolution coaching as Adam Azim first started boxing aged 7 when he attended the Boxing Evolution summer camp. His Dad initially wanted Adam to get involved with boxing because he had so much excess energy due to having ADHD. ‘I was really hyperactive as a kid and dad wanted me to be a boxer because I was so enthusiastic,’ Adam recalls. ‘I had ADHD and needed something to drain my energy, so we went to the local boxing gym and started from there.’ as Adam tells the Daily Mail.
Adam showed incredible natural talent and was extremely game for such a young lad. During his time at the summer camp he also completed the A.B.A boxing award scheme.
Adam then continued on a one to one basis with Boxing Evolution coaching for a number of years during which time he progressed to an extremely advanced level for his age. Adam Azim went on to enjoy a decorated amateur career that included 10 national titles and was ranked the No 1 Youth Amateur welterweight in the world. He is now currently being trained by Shane McGuigan. Commenting on Adam recently Shane has said,
“I think he’s going to go right to the top. I think he’s going to win world titles and do huge things for British boxing. Everyone has to get behind him.”
Here is Adam Azim aged 8 years old is on the pads developing his head movement and footwork.
Check out Adam’s improvement in sparring over a period of only 4 months after being coached by Boxing Evolution.
It is incredibly important to develop these important and fundamental skills from a young age to ensure unconscious competency later on. All of these skills are built upon the foundations of stance, guard, footwork and punch technique. If these basics are not developed properly there will be weaknesses in any techniques built upon them.
Adam is truly a testament to the Boxing Evolution philosophy of developing your full potential and how much sports such as boxing can help with neurological divergence issues such as ADHD. Read more about how Boxing helps with ADHD and how Boxing Evolution can help you by clicking the link below.
If you would like to get started with the sport of boxing then check out the 12 week ‘Zero to Hero’ boxing body transformation course.
You will learn about all the different aspects of weight loss, nutrition (including monthly recipes) and developing fitness along with learning real boxing skills. There is no better way to lose weight and get in shape than with boxing!
For more information please check out the ‘Learn More’button below.
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Boxing Evolution has the perfect solution with our very own ‘Zero to Hero’ boxing body transformation course.
You will learn about all the different aspects of weight loss, nutrition (including monthly recipes) and developing fitness along with learning real boxing skills. There is no better way to lose weight and get in shape than with boxing!
For more information please check out the ‘Learn More’button below.
SAM THOMPSON – IS THIS ADHD? Matt Flavell who runs Boxing Evolution coaching features in a new documentary on attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The documentary follows Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson as he is tested for ADHD and try to discover more about the condition in the hope of understanding how it impacts personal relationships and how ADHD is managed. Matt who is based in Maidenhead in Berkshire and […]
This article has been written with an aim to help raise awareness and educate people around the psychological manipulation tactics that are currently being used by organisations such as the mainstream media in order to create a particular narrative and shape the perception around current events. For the purposes of this article, what is generally being referred to is articles or news clips released by the mainstream media companies, but […]
Foreword The following presentation is on the work of Arnold van Gennep an early 19th century Anthropologist and focusses on some aspects of human development that I personally feel we have lost as a society in the present day. In particular this presentation is talking about how boys in tribes were raised into men and even warriors. This presentation is aiming to create a foundation of understanding about where […]
How the benefits of boxing help people manage ADHD Did you know that boxing training can be beneficial for people to help them manage ADHD? In fact, boxing has been shown to help improve focus, concentration, discipline and resilience. It can also help reduce stress and anxiety levels. Not only is it great for kids who have hyperactivity and lots of energy to burn off but also great for helping […]
Your healthy lifestyle leads to your wealth. Fire in a proper diet and make a healthy living as your companion before you land in any hospital bed. And there is one thing we have learnt from the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and that is that those with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, are the ones who have been worst affected and least likely to recover…. Remember, […]
Empowered motivation has a positive contribution in helping you achieve what you really want. How hard do you push yourself to get motivated? Aiming to do something and motivating yourself are two different forces of upkeep. Motivation is what keeps us going despite hurdles and obstruction coming our way. It’s the internal drive to develop, produce, achieve and keep moving forward. When you are close to quitting your aim, you […]
Overcome the fear of failure: you CAN’T fail! We all learn from our errors, and no one is perfect enough not to commit any mistakes. Learning from failures is important. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be your own failures; learn also from the mistakes and errors of the people who went before you. You should be proud of your mistakes. Don’t feel horrible because of mere […]
Hello guys, I thought I would make this video due to the fact that I always get people approaching me who say they want to start training at the gym, but then go on to tell me reasons why they can not make it. Ablot of the time these are not valid reasons and often just thought processes that people use to avoid having to make the change in their […]
One of the reasons partaking in boxing training helped me to turn my life around was the way in which it developed my character. What I mean by the term character is things such as mental toughness, courage, confidence, discipline, delayed gratification and determination to name a few. These were quite a few qualities that I lacked in my younger teenage years. These I feel also tend to be qualities […]
SAM THOMPSON – IS THIS ADHD? Matt Flavell who runs Boxing Evolution coaching features in a new documentary on attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The documentary follows Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson as he is tested for ADHD and try to discover more about the condition in the hope of understanding how it impacts personal relationships and how ADHD is managed. Matt who is based in Maidenhead in Berkshire and […]
This article has been written with an aim to help raise awareness and educate people around the psychological manipulation tactics that are currently being used by organisations such as the mainstream media in order to create a particular narrative and shape the perception around current events. For the purposes of this article, what is generally being referred to is articles or news clips released by the mainstream media companies, but […]
Foreword The following presentation is on the work of Arnold van Gennep an early 19th century Anthropologist and focusses on some aspects of human development that I personally feel we have lost as a society in the present day. In particular this presentation is talking about how boys in tribes were raised into men and even warriors. This presentation is aiming to create a foundation of understanding about where […]
Foreword The following presentation is on the work of Arnold van Gennep an early 19th century Anthropologist and focusses on some aspects of human development that I personally feel we have lost as a society in the present day. In particular this presentation is talking about how boys in tribes were raised into men and even warriors. This presentation is aiming to create a foundation of understanding about where modern […]
How the benefits of boxing help people manage ADHD Did you know that boxing training can be beneficial for people to help them manage ADHD? In fact, boxing has been shown to help improve focus, concentration, discipline and resilience. It can also help reduce stress and anxiety levels. Not only is it great for kids who have hyperactivity and lots of energy to burn off but also great for helping […]
Getting rid of a bad habit is not a walk in the park. It’s a daunting task that requires much simpler “step by step” strategies, inclusive of a healthier habit. Everyone has a habit that doesn’t please his/her personality. The great thing is that we have all been granted wisdom and capabilities to change bad habits. It’s a tough experience trying to replace a bad habit with a good habit. […]
Your healthy lifestyle leads to your wealth. Fire in a proper diet and make a healthy living as your companion before you land in any hospital bed. And there is one thing we have learnt from the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and that is that those with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, are the ones who have been worst affected and least likely to recover…. Remember, […]
Who doesn’t like to taste success? We all do. However, the success path is not easy. Achieving your goal is not a walk in the park. You need the readiness to face difficulties, put in long hours, stay consistent in your actions, and always be relentless, no matter what. Here are the TOP tips you can use to develop an undying commitment to your goals: • Set Worthwhile goals: Typically, […]
Making exercise the enjoyable part of your daily life is easier than you may think. These tips show you how. What keeps you exercising? You probably know that there are so many reasons you need to do some exercise. To emphasize, more exercise improves your body’s energy, improves sleep and moods, and also reduces anxiety, stress and depression. Making exercise your habit is just a click away; remember, you need […]
SAM THOMPSON – IS THIS ADHD? Matt Flavell who runs Boxing Evolution coaching features in a new documentary on attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The documentary follows Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson as he is tested for ADHD and try to discover more about the condition in the hope of understanding how it impacts personal relationships and how ADHD is managed. Matt who is based in Maidenhead in Berkshire and […]
Foreword The following presentation is on the work of Arnold van Gennep an early 19th century Anthropologist and focusses on some aspects of human development that I personally feel we have lost as a society in the present day. In particular this presentation is talking about how boys in tribes were raised into men and even warriors. This presentation is aiming to create a foundation of understanding about where […]
Adam Azim wins 3rd pro fight by KO stoppage live on Sky sports Adam Azim who is a professional boxer aged 19 from Slough won his 3rd fight against Jordan Ellison by KO stoppage in the 3rd round live on Sky sports. He was fighting on the Amir Khan vs Kell Brook undercard. Adam is hailed as an amazing future talent by many boxing pundits. This is great news for […]
Exercise is essential for good health. However, we limit ourselves to one or two exercises. Sometimes when we lack the space or time to train, exercise and fitness aspects are ignored. Despite the time and place obstacle to exercise, we should all do some aerobics, stretching, balancing and strengthening exercises. Here is a list of exercises you can do despite time and space limitation and also what you need to […]
Your healthy lifestyle leads to your wealth. Fire in a proper diet and make a healthy living as your companion before you land in any hospital bed. And there is one thing we have learnt from the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and that is that those with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, are the ones who have been worst affected and least likely to recover…. Remember, […]
Do you find losing weight challenging? Or do you want to reduce your weight faster? We’ve got you covered! Our weight loss conventional ideas need willpower. Get ready to learn how you can reduce weight without necessarily getting hungry. Perhaps you need your weight harmonically regulated now. Here we go! Start using the low-carb diet: If you want to lose weight, consider a low starch and sugars diet. Modern science […]
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that increase a person’s likelihood of developing diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The risk factors of metabolic syndrome include: ● High blood pressure (more than 130/85 mmHg) . ● High blood sugar levels due to insulin resistance. ● Excess fat within the waist. ● Increased triglyceride levels. ● Reduced level of good cholesterol (LDL). Having any of the listed risk factors doesn’t necessarily […]
Exercising often has wide-ranging physical, emotional, and social health benefits. It would be best if you exercised safely to remain healthy and free from injury. If it is safe and painless, you are more likely to stick to it! Safety is about using common sense, basic understanding techniques, and listening to your body. Here are some tips you can use to stay safe and injury-free: • Be aware of your […]
There are more options than ever for exercise equipment. Even your average mid-sized gym has racks of free weights and some sea machines. However, in the battle of the free weights and machines, which option is better than the other? Goal: Overall health and fitness Use: Free weights Why: Free weights work more clusters of muscles, and it also trains your body to function in a way that you move […]
SAM THOMPSON – IS THIS ADHD? Matt Flavell who runs Boxing Evolution coaching features in a new documentary on attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The documentary follows Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson as he is tested for ADHD and try to discover more about the condition in the hope of understanding how it impacts personal relationships and how ADHD is managed. Matt who is based in Maidenhead in Berkshire and […]
Foreword The following presentation is on the work of Arnold van Gennep an early 19th century Anthropologist and focusses on some aspects of human development that I personally feel we have lost as a society in the present day. In particular this presentation is talking about how boys in tribes were raised into men and even warriors. This presentation is aiming to create a foundation of understanding about where […]
This recipe is perfect for those early mornings when you need to get off to a flying start with lots of energy for a completely productive day, all whilst helping keep that calorie count low… If you would like to know more information about weight loss please register your email address below for a copy of the Boxing Evolution FREE nutrition report. Email Address First Name Surname Website RELATED PRODUCTS […]
Snack cravings are a dieter’s worst enemy. Cravings and lack of physical exercises are the top reasons why many people find it hard to lose weight. Here Is What You Should Do: Eat proteins Eating lean protein reduces appetite, which keeps you from overeating. Plan your meals. Know what you’re going to eat and at what time to eliminate uncertainty and spontaneity issues. Eat spinach extract Spinach extract is obtained […]
Cow’s milk has been touted as a go-to source of calcium for a long time. However, let’s go past the spin: is milk really necessary for you? How bad is milk for your health? You’ve got health problems waiting for you. Here are the reasons why: ❖ Milk and cheese are linked to increased risk of developing prostate cancer. ❖ Lactose in cow’s milk might be difficult for people to […]
It’s very easy to get confused on which foods/drinks are healthy for your body and which aren’t. Generally, you need to avoid certain foods/drinks to lose weight, prevent chronic illness, to keep fit and also to keep a healthy body. Here is a list of unhealthy foods/drinks you can consume in moderation during special occasions without any permanent damage to your health. ❖ Sugary drinks (sugary drinks fasten obesity and […]
Your healthy lifestyle leads to your wealth. Fire in a proper diet and make a healthy living as your companion before you land in any hospital bed. And there is one thing we have learnt from the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and that is that those with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, are the ones who have been worst affected and least likely to recover…. Remember, […]
What makes a superfood? The broadcast definition of a superfood is a food with extraordinary nutritional benefits. Eating well is good for your physical health as well as mental health. However, which foods are particularly essential to make you healthy? Superfoods are rich in antioxidants, fatty acids and fiber. While research supports the health benefits of certain foods, upgrading them to a superfood level is more useful when it comes […]
Do you find losing weight challenging? Or do you want to reduce your weight faster? We’ve got you covered! Our weight loss conventional ideas need willpower. Get ready to learn how you can reduce weight without necessarily getting hungry. Perhaps you need your weight harmonically regulated now. Here we go! Start using the low-carb diet: If you want to lose weight, consider a low starch and sugars diet. Modern science […]
