Movement Month #2 - Luiz Faye on boxing

A whole body makes a punch. It starts in the foot, in the twist of an ankle, then the hip, the core tensed, the weight of the whole side of your body and shoulder thrust forwards to impact.

This is what Luiz Faye assumed when she attended a gym in her wheelchair, and saw the punchbag in the corner. She presumed that because of her health issues, there was no way she would be able to swing a punch. On seeing the punchbag she grieved, all over again, another opportunity lost to her new reality of life in a wheelchair. Looking at the punchbag she said to her trainer, I always wanted to box. Her trainer looked down at her and said well why don’t you? Do it in your chair! That moment, of pulling on manky old boxing gloves and throwing her first punches, changed Luiz’s life. From despair to optimism, helplessness to purpose, grief to hope, she was punching out a definitive line, a line that was to separate her before and her after.

Now Luiz is the founding member of Britain’s first adaptive boxing club. She teaches both ‘mainstream’ and disability boxing. her organisation Kronik Warriors supports children with long term health conditions, disabilities or learning disabilities. Meeting her and listening to her as part of this week’s Movement Month Live was a lean in situation. We covered her journey from working Police woman to going through medical retirement, selling her house and moving closer to her parents, to that day when she began boxing and the incredible journey that followed, a journey that allowed her to come back to the thing she always wanted to do in her life, to make a difference. Our conversation is now available to watch and listen to in full above.

Thanks to everyone who tuned in for it. It was such a buzz having you with us on a Tuesday night.

You can check out Luiz Faye’s Kronik Warriors work here

And to find the index of adaptive and accessible sports in the UK go to Every Body Move.

Next Tuesday will be our final Movement Month Live. We’re focussing on strength training and weightlifting. Let us know what you thought of this one with Luiz below. Isn’t she amazing?