In the wrestling room in the Freeman Athletic Center, boxers-in-training take their stances. Coach Kyle Bennett Sr. walks around and corrects athletes’ postures. Athletes stand at attention as he deconstructs the elements of a straight punch before moving into drills where they practice the basics with partners.

This is the routine of the University’s Boxing Club, which is now in its 11th year. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, students learn the art of boxing. This past Saturday, Sept. 24, I was invited to observe one of their practices.

I was surprised by the number of people in attendance. In my experience, many clubs have suffered from low attendance since the pandemic, which forced many extracurriculars to focus on rebuilding. There were close to 30 people finishing up their crunches when I walked into the room.

After a quick break, Coach Bennett called everyone to attention and made sure to remind everyone of how to throw a punch, remaining cognizant of those who were less familiar with the techniques. Some were attending for the first time, others had up to fifteen years of training, resulting in a variety of experience levels.

Most of the captains did not have much experience before starting out, but they shared a common goal: the desire to find an athletically-inclined club. Oscar Tirabassi ’24 is an officer-at-large (he takes over the captain’s duties when captains can’t be there), but one of his first times boxing was at Wesleyan.

“I had pretty much zero experience [boxing before joining the club],” Tirabassi said. “I was looking for something athletic to do. I decided to show up, and I ended up going pretty consistently and ended up becoming a captain.”

Some students were more accustomed to the sport, having participated in martial arts, but many others are brand new to the sport and looking to learn. Terri Thirsty ’25, a co-captain, was drawn to the community that the club offered.

“I’ve got some informal training, sparring with friends and being dumb,” Thirsty said. “The reason I joined the club is because I’m one of the Posse Veterans. It’s hard to be a part of campus when all your peers are freshmen, and you’re 26. It’s hard to find your place on campus. And I feel like I really found it because of this club.”

The community offered at Boxing Club seeks to make every individual feel valued and connected, and that’s all thanks to the leadership efforts. Coach Bennett attributes the growth of the club to the rock-solid foundation that the captains and officers provide.

“It’s the best set of leaders yet, and that’s not to knock the rest of the leaders,” Coach Bennett said. “If it weren’t for the rest of the leaders, they wouldn’t have inherited what they inherited now. They have their foundation set to leave their mark. They all take the club to its next level.”

The leaders themselves are intentional in creating this community.

“We try our best to foster a culture of camaraderie and mutual respect, even though this is a super individual sport,” Tirabassi said. “Especially with the partner exercises, we’re doing our best to work well with each other.”

Safety is taken very seriously. Warm-ups are essential, and the athletes spend an hour warming up on Saturdays to make sure their bodies are prepared to learn and practice. They run a mile every practice and stretch to ensure good form. They also have equipment like wraps to protect the wrist muscles, the knuckles, and the bones in the hand.

“We teach everybody how to wrap their hands properly,” Coach Bennett said. “All the drills are done with safety in mind. Nobody’s taking any blind swings or expecting to protect themselves from any blind swings. There’s no sparring in the class whatsoever.”

Because of their dedication to safety, the Boxing Club boasts an impressive lack of injuries.

“We’ve never had any accidents. No black eyes, nothing like that,” Coach Bennett said. “We’ve had two injuries from running, like twisted ankles. But there’s been nobody getting hurt because of what we do in class.”

Even after 11 years, the club manages to keep students safe while teaching them the techniques fundamental to boxing. As time passed, the club evolved and became more intensive.

“The club grew from there from every other Saturday to every Saturday, then to twice a week, then to two hours on Saturday, one hour on Tuesday,” Coach Bennett said. “The extra hour on Saturday gives us an opportunity to actually work on the technique that was introduced [earlier in the week].”

While observing practice, I got to watch the team put into practice the skills they’ve picked up. One of their drills almost resembled a dance, as they practiced their punches while moving around the ring. Despite the high attendance, no one bumped into each other. They threw rhythmic straights and breathed out sharply, to practice simulating having a mouth guard in. It was captivating.

Students find themselves similarly captivated by the sport, and are excited to see their progress.

“Running with the group is what makes me run,” Connie Chapman ’25 said. “Noticing over time, oh hey, it’s getting easier. And then when you’re punching with the gloves or on people’s hands, you get a really satisfying sound, and you get back in position really quickly. You’re like, oh my God. That was so cool. I did it.”

That focus on progress is fundamental to the coaching style of Coach Bennett, who is always looking for ways to help students meet their goals, whatever those goals may be.

“I enjoy watching the progression of people that commit themselves,” Coach Bennett said. “That’s why I do what I do: to help people reach their fitness goals and to help them realize that they are capable of doing something that maybe they told themselves they couldn’t. The hardest thing for any trainer to do is get that person’s trust. Once you earn that trust, you can get that person to do pretty much anything. So it’s earning that trust and then having the ability to encourage as well as support themselves through a ceiling. Getting them to break that ceiling and raise it. That’s what is most rewarding for me.”

In addition to athletic progression, the club also emphasizes practicality. Despite the fact that there is no sparring in the club, Coach Bennett seeks to introduce a real-world element by incorporating self-defense lessons into what he teaches.

“I always throw in self-defense scenarios with the students so that they really understand what they have learned. You can carry [techniques] with you that might save your life.”

After the practice, I found myself trying to imitate the stances that they had been practicing. It was addictive, and even just adopting the positionality made me feel powerful. Students in the Boxing Club agree that one of the best parts of learning the sport is how it makes you feel.

“Self-confidence. People show up excited and walk out of here sweating and working hard and having learned some shit,” Thirsty said. “That’s pretty dope.”

If you also find yourself intrigued by the idea of learning boxing techniques, or are looking for a regimented way to get your exercise in, Boxing Club meets on Tuesdays from 7-8 PM and Saturdays from 1:30-3:30 PM. The first three sessions are free and offer a chance to try it out. After the third, membership is $40 for the semester, which accounts for the cost of equipment and Coach Bennett’s expertise (a singular private session with him is the same price).

I’m personally considering a session or two. The energy in the room was electric, and the members would love to see you there.

“Don’t be scared to come out,” Coach Bennett said. “Show up. Show up once or twice and just try.”

Cameron Bonnevie can be reached at cbonnevie@wesleyan.edu.