Why Boxing Uppercuts are Hard with Parkinson’s

Throughout the day in our boxing gym, we help people perfect their boxing technique so they can safely use non-contact boxing modified for Parkinson’s to help them slow down their disease. One boxing move that can be frustrating for people with Parkinson’s is the uppercut. Sometimes we see unusual wear patterns on the thumbs of their boxing gloves. This is because they can’t rotate their forearms and end up hitting with their thumbs up. There are a couple of big hurdles to performing the uppercut correctly, or any other task that requires the “palms up” position.

Watch this video to learn more about rotation of the forearm and why it’s so difficult with Parkinson’s:

Supination or “palms up” is a rotation of the forearm. People who have trouble with this movement might think it’s because their hands are stiff. Some trainers may think their clients simply aren’t understanding the instruction. In reality, there is a whole chain of stiffness and activation happening. To turn the hand upward, the ulna and radius bones in the forearm must rotate around each other, along with the humerus in the upper arm. All of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that involve the hand, arm, shoulder, and even the scapula, perform some supinated actions. It’s a very complex sequence for people with Parkinson’s disease.

If you are interested in learning how to work this whole kinetic chain to improve your hand and arm mobility, check out my seven-day online hand course. You will receive seven days of short videos, including a tutorial on how to do self-myofascial release on your hands and arms, plus tools to use to enhance your hand workouts. Click here to learn more!

Keeping your arms and hands working properly is key to maintaining your independence, and we are here to help you!

Go forth and conquer,

💜 Coach Kimberly