4/1/2023 0 Comments Real boxing ring![]() ![]() Arturo taught me to apply pressure to my opponent and build forward momentum. I've never been knocked out, but I've sure been rattled a few times!īecause I can't see my opponent's moves, I have to be the aggressor. I put my hands up to guard my face, but my opponent can spot pockets of opportunity. It's hard to block punches when you can't see what your opponent is up to. Typically a boxer watches their opponent and sees when punches are coming so they can block them. ![]() If you're blind, though, you have some particular challenges. Whether you're blind or sighted, it takes a lot of guts to get into the ring. However, some of my sparring partners admitted that getting beaten up by a blind guy would be a humbling experience. When I walked in with my cane, no one ever told me I shouldn't spar. To my relief nobody at the gym seemed to be put off by my blindness. We wear headgear and mouth guards and throw a lot of punches. It's a way to practice the moves you might use in an actual boxing match. Sparring mimics real boxing, and theoretically nobody gets hurt. Sometimes at the end of class people would get into the ring to do some sparring. We began meeting for weekly private lessons to develop my technique.Īfter a couple of months, I started taking group classes to work on fitness and conditioning. Arturo had no issues about working with me as a blind boxer. ![]() He had been a professional boxer, and he had trained world champions in his native Mexico. I observed people going into the ring and sparring, and more and more I wanted to try it myself.Įventually, I found a terrific coach named Arturo. I had a pair of boxing gloves, and sometimes I'd try hitting a punching bag. I started out by going to the gym to lift weights and work out. The gym had a full-sized ring, and it was pretty intimidating. I found a gym where I could get some boxing experience firsthand.Īt first I felt a bit hesitant about trying to box with a live opponent. When the pandemic lockdown eased up in June of 2020, I decided I was ready to try something I'd dreamed of all my life. That fascination stayed with me as I got older. ![]() I loved to watch wrestling and boxing matches, and I would study the strategies used by professional fighters. The martial arts fascinated me when I was growing up. I started to use a cane, and I began to study Braille. Finally I realized that it was okay to be blind and understood that I could be successful in life, if I learned blindness techniques. I was still trying to function as a fully sighted guy when I connected with the NFB in 2017. When I was twenty-one I noticed that I was losing even more vision. I even took driver's education, but it turned out I didn’t have enough vision to get my license. I had low vision all through school, but I managed pretty well using large print. I grew up in the town of Pekin, Illinois, a rural community in the center of the state. Dustin serves on the board of the NFB of Illinois, and he is the youth and employment coordinator at Blind Services Association in Chicago. ( back) ( contents) ( next) Forward Momentum: My Adventures in the Boxing Ringįrom the Editor: Boxing may not sound like the ideal sport for anyone, blind or sighted, but for Dustin Cather it has been an exciting challenge. American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adultsįuture Reflections Winter 2022 TESTING THE LIMITS ![]()
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