Boxing goes to the theatre. Today there is a rediscovery of boxing, boxing or noble art, which is one of the oldest sports in the world is filling gyms all over Italy and now also the theatre. After the last edition at the Mandela Forum, the Boxing night Florence 2019 of 6 February, presented this morning in Palazzo Vecchio, will take place in an exceptional location and is not a new idea. In fact, the Verdi Theatre saw the first boxing matches in Florence as early as the 1930s.
But noble art and its talents are not only linked to noble places, they also lend themselves to a noble scopo, i.e. the form of therapy that lies at the heart of the 'A Hook for Parkinson's' Association, born of the intuition of Dr Maurizio Bertoni. Parkinson's is a disease that causes a general stiffening of the muscles with decreased postural stability, tremor and slowing down of movements.
But as Bertoni stated: ''Un recent study from the University of Indianapolis, published in Physical Therapy, reports on a specific gymnastics, which is somewhat reminiscent of boxing training, improves the quality of life of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, even in the medium to severe degree. Coordination of movements, especially between the arms and legs, and muscular harmony allowing for more balance are developed. Two sessions per week are enough to keep movements more fluid and safe and thus slow down the progression of the disease.'
''Even from a psychological point of view, there are improvements,'' Bertoni further explained.The patient trains while having fun: the exercises become almost a game and during the lesson the patient almost forgets his illness, feeling that he is in a gymnasium frequented by many athletes.''