After “chess boxing”, a mix between chess and boxing, here comes “drumboxing”, a new discipline which emerged in Los Angeles.
This new discipline is practiced in a boxing studio, which could not be more classic, in Malibu, west of Los Angeles. The classic mirrors and punching bags are therefore accompanied by congas and Cuban drums.
Participants tap the drums following the Afro-Cuban rhythm given and written by the “drumboxing” teacher or coach. Inevitably, the tempo changes, speeds up and slows down during the session. The idea is to work the heart obviously but also the brain, focusing on rhythm and logically, mistakes are made, but they are part of the exercise.
The journalist from Los Angeles Times, who tried the experiment, says that half of the people present, a majority of them women, wore mixed martial arts gloves, thinner than boxing gloves. Former top model Cindy Crawford and singer LeAnn Rimes are said to be among the fans of the discipline.
A discipline to improve concentration
We would spend between 200 and 400 calories per session, without forcing too much and between 600 and 800 with more intensity, according to the inventor of the discipline. But she has a long list of other advantages, such as better pace management, better control of her movements, better concentration and she would learn to overcome her mistakes. To the point that participants should soon be able to compare the activity of their brain before and after a session via electroencephalography.
As these sessions can be physically demanding, they also encourage resilience. A drumboxer, who suffered from dyslexia and coordination difficulties when she was younger, also tells Los Angeles Times that the sessions help him build up his confidence.
The inventor of the discipline is John Wakerfield, a percussionist at the Los Angeles Opera. He began working on drum beats in sports 14 years ago, in a boxing gym where a trainer asked him to see if he could help one of his fighters loosen up with music. The experiment resulted in an improvement in the athlete’s concentration level, so much so that other boxers joined in the exercise.
Little by little, the discipline evolved to become drumboxing, first in the form of private lessons then with the opening of the studio in Malibu. The discipline is not yet available to everyone since it is only taught in one studio and the 55-minute session costs $45. The idea is to expand with online courses and especially with the training of other instructors to teach the discipline elsewhere than in Malibu.