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 ...
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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.