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When someone hears the word “boxing,” they may imagine two people fighting in a ring with a loud crowd cheering on their favorite fighter. When they hear the word boxer, they might imagine someone with boxing gloves and a mouthpiece ready to brawl in the ring.

For TITLE Boxing Club members, those perceptions are not the case.

TITLE boxing is a form of cardiovascular boxing that offers a full body boxing and kickboxing workout. For a combination of high intensity free boxing, kick-boxing, and mixed martial arts, TITLE Boxing offers classes such as Power Hour, boxing and kickboxing. The Power Hour class is an hour-long combination of exercises, where participants may burn up to 1,000 calories.

“We do all the heavy bag work that the pro fighters do,” said TITLE personal trainer Michael Schippers. “The whole point of TITLE is to make people feel like they’re a fighter.”

The basic boxing class is said to be the most popular and favored class at TITLE. The class begins with a 15-minute warm-up consisting of stretching, jogging, calisthenics, jumps and squats. The next 30 minutes are geared toward the punching bag, and the last 15 minutes consist of core exercises followed by a basic cool down exercise.

“We offer this type of class for those who want to feel like a fighter, without the actual fighting,” Schippers said.

When participating in a class, members must wear hand wraps and boxing gloves for protection of their knuckles and wrists.

TITLE boxing club receives members from every gender and age range. Trainers at TITLE also offer individual and group training.

“What sets us apart from a planet fitness or any other gym is that we have trainers who will guarantee you a good workout,” Schippers said.

While some may go to TITLE to blow off some steam or work on their punches, others are dedicated to the sport.

“We’ve had a few success stories from a couple of our members,” he said. “Some members come in here looking for a way to blow off some steam, while others have made a huge impact in their health journey.”

One of those members is Alex Bastock, a senior fashion design major at Kent State, who started at TITLE seeking a healthier lifestyle, without going to a regular gym.

“My favorite part about TITLE is the variety,” Bastock said. “A gym is so typical. You get bored with the same activities and lose motivation. TITLE shaped me and gave me a lot more motivation that I had.”

Bastock works primarily with Schippers.

TITLE is located in Stow; just minutes away from campus. Schippers stated that he works with local high school baseball teams, as well as a few players from the Kent State basketball team who are seeking to maintain their stamina.

Kent State Women’s Fitness chapter, Kent CHAARG, has taken classes at TITLE to entice its members to get off the elliptical and take part in a more exciting way of exercising.

“I love TITLE. Simple,” said Laura Heminger, a sophomore business management major. “I enjoyed getting off campus to explore a new type of exercising. I’ll definitely be coming back.”

Contact Nicole Zahn at [email protected].