'I teach kids skill and stability through boxing'
· Yahoo Sports
A former professional boxer from Lancashire has said he is "trying to give back and give kids something to aspire to" by teaching young people boxing skills.
Adam Little's gym in Kirkham provides a structured environment for children aged 10 to 16 to build confidence and learn new skills.
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Little said between 30 and 50 young people train at the gym at Sunny Bank each night "off all kinds of shapes and sizes".
"I'm trying to create something that I wanted when I was younger," he said. "I've done it since I was 10 years old and it's kept me on a positive path in life."
Initially the youths can be nervous "and we completely understand that" Little said, "but we've got their best interests at heart".
"You've got to get stuck in, that's the sport," he said.
"We install a discipline, a mindset, that I think it gives them confidence and a bit of stability - that's what it gave me, so I'm hoping to guide some of them in the right way and hopefully make some world champions out of Kirkham.
"There's the skill aspect of it as well and it gives the kids focus."
The aspiring boxers say the gym is a friendly environment [BBC]Though predominantly a boxing gym, coaches also do mixed martial arts and have been helped by funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner's Community Fund, which uses cash seized from criminals and invests it back into Lancashire.
Joey said he enjoyed sparring at the gym because "it's like a fight, but there's not a winner and there's not a loser".
"It's a place for learning and it's a friendly environment."
Mum Rebecca said her son had been going to the gym for two years.
"I um-ed and ah-ed at first because of it being a fighting arena," she said, "but it's been the best move that I've ever made."
"It's good for mental health and he's happy, he's made friends," she said.
"They all help each other and it's a great environment, it's like a big family.
"My son's here every single night for two hours, so it beats them hanging around n the streets, playing on gaming consoles all the time and it's good for fitness."
Seized criminal cash has also helped Brian Rose Boxing in Blackpool, who have bought a minibus for amateurs to travel to schools and for sparring and competitions across the country.
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