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| Image: Muhammad Ali posing with his boxing gloves. REUTERS |
Day 1 - Welcome to class
After the usual welcome to class speeches, introductions to the teaching team and a tsunami of information about the coming semester we were introduced to the concept of ModBox, a modified form of boxing.
The creators of the sport seem to be balancing on a thin line. The unfolding of their journey so far is making for interesting reading. In the blue corner are attempts to reap the physical and social benefits of the sport of boxing. In the red corner is the goal of avoiding the socially negative elements of the sport. All this needs to be done while hopefully retaining the appeal to current participants of the sport of boxing.
Observations show that violent sports are attractive to young adult males, who may use the sport to demonstrate their 'masculinity' (Perkins).
Traditional boxing draws it's majority of participants from the lower socio-economic end of society. Part of this is undoubtedly due to the small space needed for the sport, making it well suited to areas of high-density living. Another factor is the relatively low cost of equipment needed for participation (Shipley).
One unintended outcome contrary to common thought about violent contact sports are findings contrary to the proposed Catharsis Theory. It has been shown that undertaking violent sports can build stronger links between anger and violence, rather than dissipating the negative energy (Bushman).
If this physical showing of masculinity can be shifted from 'player versus player' and instead be focused on competition and even cooperation through acts of speed, agility, control and physical mastery then perhaps the sport of ModBox could be the ideal sport to bridge the gap.
As students I feel that we will also be performing a balancing act.
We have the academic expectations of the course that may be seen to be competing with the desired practical outcomes of the client. This is not a battle to the end though. Far from it. With the right amount of research, thought, creative approach, and just the right amount of panache, the two elements should be able to be combined to achieve elegant outcomes.
Fortunately a lot of the initial research has been done for us. The ModBox product ecosystem has been thoroughly documented at every step of the way, from manufacture to testing to implementation. (Perkins, et al, 2018)
BUSHMAN, B. Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? tharsis, rumination, distraction, anger, and aggressive responding. Personality and Social Psychlogy Bulletin, 2002. 28(6): p. 724-731
PERKINS, P, HAHN, A, LUCAS, R & KEEGAN, R 2014, 'The Boxing Conundrum: Is there a place for a new variant of the', Quest Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, vol. 2, no. 9, pp. 9-25.
PERKINS, P., JAMIESON, A., FERGUSON, G., SPRATFORD, W., AND HAHN, A. (2018), Iterative Design of Impact-Damping Gloves for Safer Boxing. Open Journal of Safety Science and Technology, 8, 49-97.
SHIPLEY, S. 'Boxing, in sport in Britain: A social History, T. Mason, Editor, 1989, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge UK. p78 - 115
Traditional boxing draws it's majority of participants from the lower socio-economic end of society. Part of this is undoubtedly due to the small space needed for the sport, making it well suited to areas of high-density living. Another factor is the relatively low cost of equipment needed for participation (Shipley).
One unintended outcome contrary to common thought about violent contact sports are findings contrary to the proposed Catharsis Theory. It has been shown that undertaking violent sports can build stronger links between anger and violence, rather than dissipating the negative energy (Bushman).
If this physical showing of masculinity can be shifted from 'player versus player' and instead be focused on competition and even cooperation through acts of speed, agility, control and physical mastery then perhaps the sport of ModBox could be the ideal sport to bridge the gap.
As students I feel that we will also be performing a balancing act.
We have the academic expectations of the course that may be seen to be competing with the desired practical outcomes of the client. This is not a battle to the end though. Far from it. With the right amount of research, thought, creative approach, and just the right amount of panache, the two elements should be able to be combined to achieve elegant outcomes.
Fortunately a lot of the initial research has been done for us. The ModBox product ecosystem has been thoroughly documented at every step of the way, from manufacture to testing to implementation. (Perkins, et al, 2018)
BUSHMAN, B. Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? tharsis, rumination, distraction, anger, and aggressive responding. Personality and Social Psychlogy Bulletin, 2002. 28(6): p. 724-731
PERKINS, P, HAHN, A, LUCAS, R & KEEGAN, R 2014, 'The Boxing Conundrum: Is there a place for a new variant of the', Quest Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, vol. 2, no. 9, pp. 9-25.
PERKINS, P., JAMIESON, A., FERGUSON, G., SPRATFORD, W., AND HAHN, A. (2018), Iterative Design of Impact-Damping Gloves for Safer Boxing. Open Journal of Safety Science and Technology, 8, 49-97.
SHIPLEY, S. 'Boxing, in sport in Britain: A social History, T. Mason, Editor, 1989, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge UK. p78 - 115
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