Scholarships
National squad
Details of the application process for an Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) residential scholarship are available on the Applying for an AIS scholarship page of this website. The national coach, in consultation with Boxing Australia, is responsible for the selection of AIS Boxing athletes.
Scholarship periods for full-time residential scholarship holders depend on the international calendar. Existing AIS Boxing scholarships will run until November 2009.
National Talent Identification Development squad
Selection of athletes for the AIS National Talent Identification and Development (NTID) squad are made every six months (in January and June). Athletes who are members of NTID Boxing Centres of Excellence are encouraged to trial for national NTID scholarships.
Training at the AIS
AIS Boxing athletes have individual training programs that include boxing skills and tactics, strength and conditioning, monitoring and analysis of performance, and incorporate a full range of support services, including medical, physiology, nutrition and psychology.
The structure and intensity of boxing training programs vary according to the phase of preparation for competition, but strong emphasis is always placed on fitness, and strength and conditioning work.
In the early stages of preparation for a competition, boxers have three two-hour sessions a week in the weights gym, which they combine with distance running for endurance and speed work. During this period, boxers spend about ten hours a week in the boxing ring. When close to a competition, gym work is reduced, generally to only one session a week, with time in the ring increased to around 20 hours.
Athletes attend training camps at the AIS prior to departure for competitions, during which games such as soccer and basketball are incorporated into the program to increase speed, endurance and flexibility. Swimming is also an important part of the training-recovery process.
Note that training programs for junior and beginning boxers will be very different to this program. If you want to find out more about training at these levels, talk to your coach.
