New Boxing Club Hopes To Go Further Than Just A Punch In The Ring
Boxing is more than just punching someone. Much, much more says Adam Toto the owner/manager of Moose Jaw’s new boxing club - Moose Jaw Boxing.
Boxing develops a person physically, mentally and character wise it can be a lifesaver. Combining this with a need in the community has Toto opening a boxing club.
Something the city hasn’t had for years.
Something that has now been brought back.
Adam Toto - MJ Independent photo
Moving to Moose Jaw’s in 2021 to work for Brandt Industries the club is an extension of a backyard hobby and a love affair with the sport for Toto.
“My coworker actually got me into coaching. He had some kids that in the summertime who had nothing to do. So I coached them in the backyard,” Toto said, adding “One thing led to another and I started getting clients, but I couldn’t do anything because it was seasonal, I could only do them in the summertime.”
Toto saved money over a couple of years until opportunity came up.
Opportunity came up this past November and Toto took his savings to launch the club.
In the club’s two months of operation membership has grown to 17 but Toto would like to see the club grow in numbers.
The age group Toto is aiming for ages eight years old to adult. At the present time the oldest club member is in their mid-50s.
Both men and women are welcome to join the club.
Asked if the club offers a class where adults could show up and do a workout without stealing to get beat up the next day when they went to work Toto said they had that.
At the present time, the club is running two practices - contact and non-contact.
Non-contact is an introduction the boxing it teaches the fundamentals of the sport.
A major aspect of the noncontact training is the importance of the jab, the cross and the hook.
“It takes time it’s also a mind and muscle connection. Aside from learning you can also get into full body conditioning. Conditioning that doesn’t require two hours on the treadmill. All requires is for you to come here and be willing to break a sweat,” Toto said.
For his oldest student over the weeks he has noticeably improved.
“That is what this gym is about progression and results.”
“Boxing is an overall movement you can do for anything in your life. It’s very functional. It’s not only physical it’s also for your mental well-being, your emotional well being. It’s more of an internal and external connection that you have to do here. it takes some time for the mind muscle connection to build,” he said.
Boxing goes beyond fighting in the ring, conditioning and mental coordination it’s also about building good character and turning around lives.
Toto has seen it happen. Toto has seen it happen to himself.
A young man living in Regina Toto’s dad would die and he would go adrift into some really bad stuff.
Boxing turned his life around.
He would see a car one day advertising boxing in Regina and something inside of him told him to check it out.
Soon boxing would change his life and character for the better and he got off of the destructive path to a constructive one. It’s a path that left the aggression in the ring and not on the streets.
Boxing built his character for the better.
Boxing would be his surrogate teacher as his dad was not there for him.
“The more you get into it the more humble you get…the more you put your hours in the more you put the hours in the more you become non-violent.”
It’s something Toto is trying to instill in the youngest members of the club.
It’s how the sport is not just about punching but also about building character. It’s about the kids wanting to come back.
“All I have to do is give them words of encouragement and they see what they’re capable of and they want to do more. It’s easier to come back the next day…that’s what boxing is all about. The belief in yourself.”
Toto said he would like to develop enough boxers to take part in inter-club matches against the Regina boxing clubs and someday have the most national champions of any club in the province.
A website is under construction and the final cosmetic touchups of the club are underway.
For more information - Adam Toto 306 - 313 - 9605 .
Email - moosejawboxing@gmail.com
