Featured Shadowball boxer: Stefon Joseph

I recently received a short message through our Shadowball Boxing FaceBook page. The message was from Stefon Joseph, a member of Olympia Performance, and it read simply,

"My Shadowball skills are improving every day. Thanks for introducing me to the ball! Looking forward to learning more."

 He also sent a short video of his Shadowball boxing routine. What I saw both impressed and surprised me. He did these impressive rolling punches (like Bruce Lee) using the Shadowball. I immediately knew I had to shoot another video, get an interview and, most importantly, get this guy to teach me this move! Here's the transcript of the interview. 

 

Cedric: You’re here at Olympia Performance all the time. Are you an athlete? What's your background in fitness and sports? 

Stefon: I played many sports in high school and CEGEP, like basketball, soccer, badminton, volleyball, baseball, football...

Cedric: This explains the level of proficiency you've attained with the Shadowball in a relatively short period of time. In one of my conversations with Luc-Vincent, head of R&D at Rival Boxing Gear and boxing trainer,  I noted the unpredictable learning curve with Shadowball boxing. Basically, some people pick up the Shadowball and are up and running immediately or within a short time, and others take longer to learn the skills. Having boxing experience has nothing to do with it: some boxers get it right away and some take longer. Luc had the same experience with his fighters; he thinks it has to do with sports specialization. As a professional boxing trainer, he believes that in sports, the more you specialize, the more you specialize. He noted that he has a much easier time teaching basketball players to box than teaching boxers to play basketball, because the range of motor skills and movements in basketball is just much wider. Luc was up and running with the Shadowball right away, because like you, he has experience with many different sports.  

Stefon: That's true... I can see that.

Cedric: What’s your motivation for staying fit and active?  

Stefon: I was small as a kid, so I got picked on all the time. I got pushed around. When playing basketball, the other kids would look at me, like, "What are you doing here?" So there was something in me that just figured it was time to move. I was about 15 or 16 years old at the time. And then Bruce Lee came along, and it changed everything for me. He was a big influence on me.

Cedric: Okay, that leads me to my next question. Do you have a background in boxing or martial arts?

Stefon: Yes, Karate; I made it to green belt in Karate. I have a friend, who I met about eight years ago, and we do sparring in Wing Chun. It’s not intense, though, he takes it easy because he's a Master now. His school is in Atwater,and he has about twelve students. I'll try to bring him here one day. If he tries the Shadowball, I think he'll be impressed with me and my moves (shows his fast Bruce Lee moves).  

Cedric: Yes, I think he will be... And I really want to learn how you do that.  

Cedric: Now about Olympia Performance, you're here almost every day, so what made you choose Olympia Performance over other gyms? 

Stefon: I love it here... I love it! This place challenges me more than any other place I've been to. Yeah, I've been to regular gyms and, basically, my experience with regular gyms is this: you go in, you do dumbbells, you do barbells, you do pullups and pulldowns, and then you're stuck. And then there's the socializing... Too much, too much of that. 

Cedric: You first found out about Shadowball boxing around the first week of October 2015 when I first came here, right? That’s when I showed it to Patrick Charron(Martial Arts Specialist and Personal Trainer at Olympia Performance). 

Stefon:  Yes, that was the first time. 

Cedric: What was your first impression of the Shadowball? 

Stefon: I said to myself, “I need to learn this... this is my new challenge!” (laughs) 

Cedric: What areas of performance do you think Shadowball boxing helps you develop and improve? 

Stefon: My instincts, my reflex, my ability to use my peripheral vision, my speed and agility. Right now, I think I'm slow. I want to be faster. 

Cedric: Can you think of a word or phrase that best describes your experience with Shadowball boxing? 

Stefon: Shadowball? Ninja training! (laughs) 

Cedric: (laughs) Okay, I didn't expect that one. That's great!

Cedric: If someone were to ask you why they should try Shadowball boxing and why they should take the time to learn it, what would you say to them?  

Stefon: I’d say, look, you've been riding your bicycle for many years, so why not try a unicycle? Basically, you're doing your workouts, so why not add this to make it more challenging? Why always do traditional? 

Cedric: So, any final words on Shadowball boxing? 

Stefon: I love it! Not many people know it yet, but I’m sure they’d really get into it if they tried it.

Cedric: Stefon, thanks for taking the time to chat with me. It would be interesting to look back on this interview at Olympia Performance in a couple of years. 

Stefon: (laughs) Yes, it would be interesting. And you're welcome, it's my pleasure.