BALAZS BOXING PRESS RELEASE

ALLENTOWN, Pa.; May 14, 1998 - From strength training to cardiovascular conditioning, boxing is proving to be essential to any workout.

Just ask the head strength and conditioning coaches from the University of Washington and Michigan State football teams. They're finding it's the perfect compliment to whip their players into shape, especially during the off-season when the NCAA prohibits contact.

"We use martial arts punches to develop combative hands and blow delivery," said Ken Mannie of Michigan State. "We incorporate the heavy bag and speed bag to teach these punches and arm movements."

Pounding the bags adds more than skill. Like a boxer in his 12th round, a football player needs endurance quarter after grueling quarter. "We want our team to learn to keep their hands high when they're tired," Mannie said. "They say 'Coach, this is brutal.' It's not as easy as it looks in the Rocky movies. It's a hell of a conditioning workout, especially when you incorporate running and jumping rope."

After weight training workouts, Rick Huegli of Washington, makes his players pound the heavy bag for three one-minute sets. "You're putting the body back into motion and getting the athlete out of the repetitious patterns of weight training," he said. "They're working the shoulders, the torso, the legs. We even have the athletes with lower body injuries do a lot of conditioning on the heavy bag."

The speed bag, Huegli said, helps with hand and eye coordination. "It helps with concentration," he said. "And it's like playing a video game. It's addictive."
For a comprehensive workout, it's best to alternate between the speed bag, heavy bag, water bag and double-end bag. "If you have a three or four station circuit, it's great," Mannie said.

To handle the blows, Mannie and Huegli wanted a sturdy system, like Balazs' Universal Boxing Stands. "I didn't want to buy anything that a 330-lb lineman would send flying across the room," Mannie said. "Balazs is heavy duty."

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