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More Than Boxing is housed inside the Academy of Martial Arts. It's a place where people with Parkinson’s disease can take boxing classes and fight back through high-intensity, brain-stimulating exercise.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, this disease affects more than 1.1 million people in the United States, and nearly 90,000 are newly diagnosed every year.
Steve Payne is trainer and founder of More Than Boxing. He has been a fitness trainer for over 42 years. In 2016, he obtained his certification through Rock Steady Boxing, an international nonprofit organization that offers programs to train coaches for a boxing-based fitness curriculum tailored for Parkinson’s patients.
Payne has hosted boxing classes at the Academy of Martial Arts, on the outskirts of San Antonio, since 2017. His clients meet there three times a week to train and gather as a community where they share a commonality.
Boxing is considered an aerobic activity that is neurologically stimulating, meaning that this exercise challenges the brain. Boxers have to think, react and coordinate their movements. High intensity workouts help the brain produce a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor which, according to Payne, helps to slow down or halt the progression of the disease.
“Exercise has pretty much replaced much of what the protocol for Parkinson's treatment 30, 40 years ago was —70% drugs, 30% exercise. Now that has switched. So now exercise is the primary modality to help control the symptoms of Parkinson's” Payne said.
For example, “the bike” is an exercise where boxers perform bike-riding movements while they are punching the boxing bag. There are multitasking movements of the feet, legs, arms and hands at the same time.
“[Boxing] uses so many varying functions of the brain in the cross-kinetic chain, you know, left, right, up, down, side to side. Plus, we add in some vocal vocalization to stimulate and maintain vocal capability”
Payne includes movements that encourage his clients to lift up their feet. This helps them avoid dragging their feet as they walk to prevent falling — one of the main causes of death in Parkinson's disease.
Payne said he witnessed firsthand the toll the COVID-19 lockdown took on many of his clients when they could no longer attend classes.
“When we had the COVID thing hit a lot of the folks that I didn't see for months to a year, the dramatic difference in what they were doing when they were coming here versus not, the decline of the capability; it was heartbreaking” Payne said.
Mike Stanford is a student at More Than Boxing. He began his classes shortly after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's in October 2024. Stanford’s wife, Susan was referred to Payne through her friends.
Susan said she is glad they found a program where they feel comfortable. Besides Parkinson’s, Mike also has dementia. The couple had previously tried a different boxing class, but the terminology used in class made it difficult for him to remember the movements as they were being called out. Susan said Payne is good at calling the names of the boxing moves. “Hammers,” “hooks,” and “speed punch” are terms that Mike can still process, making it capable for him to participate in all of the rounds.
Susan has noticed the classes have benefitted Mike’s mobility and improved his cognitive exercises.
“I think it would be sadder just to see him sitting in the recliner. Do you know what I mean? Watching TV all day? So I think keeping him active and taking him out, and, you know, exposing him to programs like this keeps him in more of, like a normal kind of situation,” Susan said.
Students attending More Than Boxing said their favorite part of the classes was being able to channel their frustration from their gloves to the punching bags, cheered on by what they affectionately refer to as “bad jokes” told by Payne.
Donna Rudolph-Miller is also a client at More Than Boxing. She began experiencing Parkinson’s symptoms when she was in her 50s.
She found out about Payne and his training, thanks to a stranger who approached her while she was having a full-body tremor episode in public. He asked if she had Parkinson’s, and Miller denied it. At the time, she had only been diagnosed with essential tremors. The man left her Payne’s contact and now she has been training with him for nine years.
“I had just lost my father, and [Payne] saved my life. It was just somebody up there was watching out for me, and got me to him, and I've been boxing ever since,” Miller said.
She struggles the most with stiffness and rigidity. Catching up to her husband as they walk around the grocery store is presented as a frustrating challenge for Miller. Payne said he has noticed a difference in Miller’s capabilities, balance and movement patterns.
“I knew that's what I needed. And with that, I saw a lot of people. I've seen what he's done for people, people who've come with walkers, who started walking canes and reversed because their balance got that much better.” Miller said.
Payne’s purpose is to provide a safe place for his students to interact and stay physically active for the benefit of their health.
“We want to make sure that they're getting something [beneficial] from it. They feel confident doing it, they enjoy doing it. And, you know, it helps improve quality of life.” Payne said.
