Habits of Belonging in and through Boxing

Abstract

This paper explores how habit and belonging are interconnected in boxing. Despite being an exclusionary sport – one that is steeped in myopic traditions and exploitation – boxing practices nevertheless have the potential to empower individuals through rituals and habits that lead to self-enquiry, community building and positive change. Habit formation is sought through repetitive patterns in boxing – arriving at the gym, wrapping hands, putting on gloves, performing drills, engaging in pad work, shadowboxing and sparring. These patterns form behaviours that inform – and are informed by – ritualistic practices capable of connecting participants to a rich (and complex) understanding of what it means to be a boxer and part of a boxing community. I explore the deeply meaningful connections to self and to others in boxing, wherein transformative relationships are formed through crucial links between habit and identity formation. Through the lens of two case studies – Trans Boxing (a co-authored art project based in New York and Los Angles) and ‘Women’s Boxing Wales: Past, Present and Future’ (a community-orientated documentary project capturing female contributions to Welsh Boxing) – I argue that habit in boxing manifests experiences of transformation and belonging. For participants of Trans Boxing, the boxing spaces and practices they embody allow them to ‘reject the myth of gender which polices self-expression [and] feel liberated’ albeit momentarily ‘in the role of the boxer’ (Hanson and Easterling). For individuals and communities contributing to Women’s Boxing Wales, a particular heritage is formed and better understood, and the cultural identity of the ‘Welsh boxer’ is (re)negotiated.