Boxing on the Spectrum

Brut America

Inside the oldest boxing gym in the country is a safe space for neurodiverse children. Brut filmmaker Léo Hamelin visits New York City's Gleason's Gym to meet children boxing on the spectrum ...

Transcript

00:00All right, Ray. All right, you ready?

00:04A lot of people that are neurodivergent

00:06have been over-therapized.

00:08This is one place they can come.

00:09They don't have to worry that, you know,

00:11they got to do it this way or that way.

00:19It's a release.

00:20It's a physical, mental, emotional release.

00:31They're dealing with a society

00:33that isn't necessarily geared for that.

00:35So I call it an evolution revolution.

00:53Gleason's in Brooklyn, New York,

00:55is the oldest active boxing gym in the country.

00:59It's been a training temple

01:01for generations of prizefighters,

01:03ranging from Jake LaMotta

01:05to Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali.

01:09But it's not only the boxing legends

01:11that make this place extraordinary.

01:13Amy Bridges trains neurodiverse kids.

01:16She was inspired by her own son,

01:18who is on the autism spectrum.

01:20And she created this safe space

01:22for kids and their parents to train

01:24away from the pressure of a society

01:26that doesn't always understand them.

01:29Yes!

01:30Not bad for your second time ever!

01:33Boxing is known as a sport that does not discriminate,

01:36and it's beautiful to see that it can build

01:38strength and confidence in anybody.

01:42We just started, so...

01:44How long has he been doing this?

01:46Like a year.

01:47Oh, wow, that's awesome!

01:48Off and on, yeah, we've been here a long time.

01:50Ali, you want to say hi to Reema?

01:52Hi!

01:53You don't have to touch people.

01:55Are you funny?

01:56Are you funny?

01:57It's just...

01:58Are you funny, Ali?

02:01Stop it!

02:02No, don't touch.

02:03Just say...

02:04Look, look, look, look, look.

02:05Say hello.

02:06That's all right, buddy.

02:07I want a snack.

02:09I know, I know.

02:10Hey, come here, I need to get my stuff.

02:11This is the week for us.

02:12Yeah.

02:13Bye, Oliver.

02:14Say bye, Oliver.

02:16Say bye-bye.

02:17Bye-bye, Oliver.

02:18Okay.

02:23Of course, there are times when I feel

02:26overwhelmed and just tired, you know?

02:30So I just try to remind myself that I'm not alone.

02:41Come here, honey.

02:42Look at you, you walk so good.

02:45You know when you think something's off,

02:47but you're not really sure,

02:49and you might be in a little denial?

02:52Happy.

02:53Happy.

02:55He wasn't hitting certain milestones.

02:59Ray.

03:01Ray.

03:03He wasn't talking, not making eye contact.

03:07He was diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum

03:11when he was about two and a half years old.

03:15Can you help me?

03:18Can you help me?

03:20No, Mom.

03:21Okay, get up.

03:25I don't know.

03:27You don't punch me.

03:28You punch the, look.

03:29You punch the boxing bag.

03:32Look.

03:34Go punch the boxing bag.

03:36Go punch the boxing bag.

03:38Yeah.

03:39You should put your gloves on to do it.

03:40No.

03:41Okay.

03:42You don't like to put your gloves.

03:43You don't like gloves.

03:45When Ray was diagnosed,

03:47they said that he was sensory-seeking.

03:50He liked the sound of the door slam.

03:54Do you like this?

03:55I think it's so funny.

03:57You think it's so funny?

03:58He's very touchy-feely.

04:00He loves mirrors.

04:02He liked being pushed.

04:05It makes him feel good,

04:06and it also kind of centers him.

04:09And some parents,

04:10they don't want their children to be labeled.

04:14And I don't see it as that.

04:15I see, like, label him whatever you want.

04:19Like...

04:28I don't care.

04:29Call him whatever you want.

04:31As long as he gets the resources,

04:33the resources that he needs.

04:35If that means being in a smaller classroom,

04:38that means getting occupational therapy,

04:41speech therapy, whatever.

04:43I don't care.

04:50I don't care.

04:59Oliver!

05:00You want to sing Ah Ah Ah?

05:02Yeah!

05:03The camera's got to see this.

05:04It's a great song.

05:06All right, ready?

05:07Ready.

05:11You're going to want to catch this.

05:13You can ah say ah ah ah

05:17You can ah say ah ah ah

05:21You can ah say ah ah ah

05:25Wow!

05:28I'm Oliver's mother.

05:31He's eight years old.

05:35He was diagnosed when he was probably four.

05:38You know, we have a twin.

05:39He has a twin.

05:43And yeah, it's been an adventure.

05:45Ah ah ah

05:49Good job, buddy.

05:52Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

05:54It was a pleasant show tonight.

05:56Yeah.

05:57He's got some special something that just he has

06:02that connects with people.

06:04I think his innocent sweetness as well as...

06:08Wear this thing on.

06:10Okay, buddy.

06:11Has to go stay on your eyes.

06:13Oh, on my eyes.

06:14Yeah, yeah.

06:15I think, yeah, and his humor.

06:17I mean, that's definitely...

06:19He makes us laugh all the time.

06:21I like wrestling with him.

06:26I'm normally the one that wins

06:28even though he goes to boxing.

06:30What? I'm the one that wins.

06:32The reason I even enrolled him, looked for it

06:35was because he was really good at beating his brother up.

06:38Like today, someone asked,

06:42What is autism?

06:44Autism is something like when...

06:47You see like this, I'm explaining a lot.

06:50But if Oliver wouldn't be explaining that much

06:54because he would be like looking around.

06:56He doesn't even know that you're there,

06:59like standing there.

07:01But he kind of does.

07:02Right.

07:03Buddy, that's such a good way of explaining it.

07:05Thanks.

07:06Do you explain that to your class?

07:08Yeah.

07:09That's really good, buddy.

07:10I'm really proud of you.

07:11He knows what he's doing, but he also doesn't know.

07:14Yeah.

07:15Which I know what I'm doing a lot,

07:16and sometimes I don't.

07:17Right.

07:18So that's something we have in common.

07:20That's one thing we have in common.

07:22And we also like animals.

07:25That's another thing.

07:27A South Jersey school district.

07:39But sometimes when he's dancing, he's like hitting me.

07:42Hey.

07:43Stop.

07:47Ollie.

07:48That's not dancing.

07:54Hey.

07:56Okay.

08:00Come on, Cassius.

08:03We have a lot.

08:05Ah!

08:08Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

08:11I stopped once the camera stopped.

08:13I know, I know you guys are playing, but still.

08:19Hey.

08:21I love you a lot, okay?

08:23I love you a lot.

08:24I love you a lot.

08:25I love you a lot more.

08:27I love you a lot more.

08:28I love you a lot more.

08:31Listen.

08:34No, no, no.

08:35You know why?

08:36Because then they have to clean it.

08:37And those guys, they work really hard to clean the glass.

08:40Don't put your mouth there.

08:42Oh, don't hit yourself.

08:43It's okay.

08:46You're not in trouble.

08:47Just don't do it again.

08:51Okay.

08:54You just need a lot of patience with kids on the spectrum.

08:58I think there's like a saying, you know.

09:02I'm autistic.

09:03Be patient.

09:06Okay.

09:10If he hits himself, it's hard to watch,

09:15but also I understand he's just frustrated.

09:18It's like you're speaking a different language to him.

09:21That's what like autism is like.

09:23It's like, okay, well, if you're mad,

09:26don't hit yourself.

09:28It's like, go hit that boxing bag right there.

09:31You know?

09:34Hi.

09:36The first time I took him, we walked in and I swear to you,

09:40he just like looked as like eyes like lit up.

09:47And it was almost like, finally,

09:49like I found a place that is as loud and a lot going on.

09:55I don't want to say crazy, but you know, as me,

09:59you know that feeling where you're like, wow.

10:05Two punches on this side.

10:11It increases focus.

10:13It reduces anxiety.

10:15Discovering also that they have some physical power.

10:21Let's go.

10:29You've seen me box out there.

10:31What do I think I'm doing?

10:32This old broad coming in here.

10:34Years ago, you know, I actually had some moves,

10:37but right now it's about them.

10:39We're going to go some flurries.

10:42One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two.

10:44One, two, one, two, one, two.

10:48Now I'm going to give the kids a chance to then train me

10:52because that shows how much they actually know

10:55when they actually get to hold the mitts and train me.

10:58So I might try it with Raywin.

11:00I don't know if he's ready yet for that.

11:02Do you hold these for me?

11:03You hold that for me.

11:04All right.

11:05I'm going to punch them.

11:06Hold them up for me.

11:07Hold them up.

11:09There you go.

11:10One, two.

11:11One, two.

11:12One, two.

11:13Yes.

11:14Yes.

11:15All right.

11:16Just this side.

11:17You tell me.

11:18You're the boss.

11:19All right.

11:20To me, it's a whole life because I've lived it.

11:24I got it.

11:25You're doing it.

11:26Great job.

11:27You want to try and do it with me again?

11:29You think I can do it?

11:30No.

11:31Oh, you don't think I can do it.

11:32That's all right.

11:33I implore everyone else out there to listen differently.

11:37Don't expect them to be neurotypical.

11:40There's a drill that can teach you what to do when you get knocked out.

11:44It's called fall.

11:46All right.

11:48What are you doing, dude?

11:52I like the glasses today.

11:55They're 3D glasses that you get from a movie.

11:57He's insistent on wearing them lately.

12:00The fact that he goes there, he's, hi, Amy.

12:02Hi, this.

12:03Hi, that.

12:04I think it's helped him socially.

12:06Back.

12:07Yes.

12:08But do it nice.

12:10Yes, you're doing it.

12:12Good job, guys.

12:13You're doing it.

12:14Yeah.

12:15You're boxing.

12:16You really are boxing.

12:19They allow him.

12:20He often wore a lot of costumes going there.

12:26It allowed him to express him because he can't really communicate as much as he would like to.

12:30That's his way.

12:31You got it?

12:32Got it.

12:34Whatever isolation people think someone that's neurodivergent is experiencing, don't assume that.

12:43They get it as fast as any other kid that I've ever trained.

12:47They get it.

12:51He comes with a soundtrack.

12:54Yes.

12:56Woo.

13:04Woo.

13:05All right.

13:07What are we choosing?

13:08Nice job saying please.

13:10Take your money back.

13:11Wow.

13:12Money.

13:13Say thank you.

13:15Yeah.

13:17Yeah.

13:19Keep focusing on the good wherever you can.

13:22Keep being you.

13:23It's okay.

13:24You're allowed to be perfect.

13:26Be perfectly imperfect.

13:27Whatever.

13:28Someone that's going to accept you, that's warm.

13:31Keep going where it's warm.

13:32Keep finding that.

13:34All right.

13:35Grab your gloves for me, okay?

13:38He's happy.

13:39Clearly, you see how happy he is.

13:41You know, I'm thankful I have him, period.

13:45I know that we're on the right path.

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