Explained: Why Indian boxers are training for the Tokyo Olympics in a swimming pool instead of a ring
Boxer Pooja Rani, who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 75 kg, shared a video of herself training in a swimming pool on Wednesday. The middleweight pugilist could be seen throwing punches while moving up and down the pool. It is a new addition to her Tokyo Olympics training schedule.
High-profile professional boxers such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Anthony Joshua have added swimming as part of their training regime.
The practice is so popular that former lightweight world champion Juan Diaz, who never liked running, used to just spend his time in the pool.
The method has now become common even for amateur boxers. But how is training in water instead of a ring beneficial to a boxer?
Also Checkout: Tokyo Olympic 2021 Swimming Schedule
Why training for Tokyo Olympics in swimming pool is beneficial to boxers
There are multiple benefits that come from training in a swimming pool. Plenty of research in sports and health sciences have suggested that boxing, swimming and gymnastics top the list of the most intense activities.
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Working out in a pool works a variety of muscles and burns calories in an intense manner. It is a full body workout that helps in improving breathing capacity as well.
Pooja Rani, who will be competing in 75 kg women’s boxing, substantiated the claim.
She captioned her video: “The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit.”
Does training in water also help boxers mentally?
Swimming is one of the best ways to train the mind. Many athletes use it to practice staying calm in water which eventually helps them during pressure situations in matches.
Being submerged in water can have an alarming effect on the body and mind as humans are not used to staying under water. The brain starts sending panic signals for an athlete to get to a safe zone.
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Boxers often find themselves in stressful situations during a match. Competing at the Tokyo Olympics will have its own challenges and the performance pressure will only make things worse. It will be important for the pugilists to stay calm and focused and swimming is a perfect way to train the mind to remain calm under duress.
How else do boxers benefit from swimming as part of their training for Tokyo Olympics?
Breathing is one of the basics of boxing. It is a key element of boxing which is taught as soon as someone picks up the gloves.
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Focused breathing is important to remain calm and relaxed and maximize the amount of oxygen the muscles and brain can get. It is essential to maintain optimal performance levels while also preventing cramps in a fatigued body.
When swimming, the window of opportunity to breathe is very short and it helps pugilists to practice focused breathing. Hence training in a pool is important for Pooja Rani for the Tokyo Olympics as she will be competing in one of the toughest weight categories in the women's division.