To any common sports lover, chess and boxing would sound poles apart, if he is to draw any comparison between the two unlike sporting disciplines.
However very few would believe that a sport called chess-boxing has been evolved in the country and now is venturing into Madhya Pradesh through boxing coach Roshanlal.
The pugilists in this sport are required to alternate between a rapid game of chess and a bout of boxing.
States such as West Bengal, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur have taken to this game seriously. Besides, the sport has seen three national championships and an international event is about to be held in near future.
“The game is popular abroad and several states also have taken up to this game in India,” said Madhya Pradesh Boxing Academy chief coach Roshan Lal.
The game starts with two boxers facing each other at the chess board inside the boxing ring. If the three minute rapid fire game fails to find a winner, then the chess board is carefully taken out of the ring and boxers exchange blows for another three minutes to find a winner.
“If the bout fails to find a winner, then the chess game is restarted from where it was left,” Lal said, adding that this enhances mental strength of the boxer and helps me immensely in focusing on his game.
After receiving an affiliation from Kolkata based national association of chess-boxing, Lal plans to establish state association in Madhya Pradesh.
“Boxing is game which requires utmost physical fitness and technical skills both, so the game would help boxers not only gaining expertise in technical nuances but also attaining mental toughness,” the coach opined.
Boxing as a new sporting discipline in Madhya Pradesh has grown by leaps and bounds under the mentorship of Lal, who assumed as academy coach in 2007, when it was established in Bhopal.
At present we have 250 trainees including 50 girls, in all categories and our boxers have brought laurels in state, national and international championships in the recent past, said the proud coach.
Lal hails from Narkanda in Shimla who couldn’t find a job in Himachal after becoming a coach from NIS Patiala. He voluntarily trained at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in Shimla for few months but later pursued graduation and post graduation in physical education from Bhopal before assuming office as chief coach MP Boxing Academy in Bhopal.
Lal is also the assistant coach of Indian national boxing team.
Comments
0 comment