Gladiator Boxing LLC — Local services in Lacey Township

As my Parkinson's began to affect my balance and walking, my neurologist suggested Boxing Therapy. The nearest location for me at that time was Gladiator Gym in Forked River. I called and spoke with Shawn Darling, the owner/operator/coach of Gladiator and learned that they had such a program for numerous people with Parkinson's.

Shawn's program is sponsored by the charitable organization, "The Light of Day" operating from Red Bank, New Jersey. Shawn advised me at that time, that while I would be encouraged to donate to The Light of Day, there was no charge for attending his classes.

I scheduled to attend Gladiator Gym about four years ago and have continued to be more than pleased with the program.

I had already attended regular Physical Therapy sessions where the focus was on improvement in movements of daily living. i.e., walking, sitting, getting in and out of a chair, combining moving around with coinciding cognitive exercises like counting, looking for specific items, or performing calculations. Writing exercises were included and all of these were very helpful.

However, none of them was as demanding or physically challenging as the Boxing Therapy proved to be. After my first boxing session, I was sweating and invigorated.

Shawn begins each class with a warm up session to loosen us up and then starts us with various types of walking exercises. Each these is challenging as he keeps the class moving almost non-stop. Many of them are not easy and require effort to successfully complete that portion of the session. After some time with these, Shawn moves us on to wearing our boxing gloves and using punching bags.

Surprisingly, the use of the gloves incorporates cognitive processing, efforts of strength, balance, team work and a lot of energy You learn how to punch with purpose and intensity. Each exercise demands thought, often requiring team responses to Shawn's questions and dialogue while maintaining a rigorous regimen of physical output.

My Parkinson's has advanced over the years while I have attended Gladiator Gym. However, this therapy has allowed me to have confidence in maintaining freedom to get around and do things for myself.

I attribute my ability to continue to get around today to Gladiator Gym's effort on my behalf.

Finally, a few words about Coach Darling. He is extremely patient and kind. He keeps all class members involved, maintains a continuing dialogue with all the members during each class, and does not allow anyone to feel unseen. He has about 30 Parkinson's students who have become friends with him as well as with each other.

This strong family man has made all of us part of his extended family.

He deserves the high praise he gets from...

My husband, 80 years has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s several years ago. As his condition worsened…hands shaking more, balance issues, walking issues, issues rising up & out of a chair, putting on shoes, clothes, etc. he started seeking out help that would slow down its progress. He booked himself with all kinds of therapists who might help him, acupuncture, therapy for his back, pain management, etc. Nothing was helping long-term. His neurologist recommended Gladiator’s Gym to him. He started in April 2023 and continues every M_W_F. Jim loves the 45 minute sessions. He is with others who have the same issues he’s having. There’s a commarade with the group, since they are all about the same age and all have Parkinson’s. The session is just long enough. Shawn does an amazing job of challenging the both intellectually and physically at the same time. He changes the routine and keeps it interesting. Jim’s improvement mentally and physically have been amazing. He looks forward to MWF every week. Thank you Shawn for the amazing job you’re doing. (PS Since Shawn coaches professional boxers, works with special needs children, amateurs, etc he always talks about interesting things he’s done with these groups. As a former teacher, Jim loves hearing these stories. He especially loves when one of the boxers is at the gym at the same time. Jim just is so upbeat & positive when he returns from his classes.) Yes, Jim agrees with everything I said. He doesn’t do...

My son’s first introduction to Gladiator Gym was the few summers he volunteered for Boxing Against Parkinson’s. Coach Shawn Darling runs a top-notch, invaluable program to aid people battling against Parkinson’s disease with their physical and cognitive abilities, as well as their overall wellness. In all of his classes, Coach focuses on wellness of the whole person: mentally, physically & spiritually. After assisting in Boxing Against Parkinson’s, my son joined the teen boxing class, which is highly enjoyable and greatly improved his self-confidence, strength, and coordination. He now attends the adult class, which is an excellent progression from the teen class and further exemplifies how there is a place for everyone at Gladiator Gym. He comes home talking about exercise, nutrition, and many other motivating topics. I wholeheartedly recommend trying out Gladiator Gym, owned by Shawn Darling whose broad education, life experience, and passion are difficult to match but very easy to benefit from and perhaps give back. In many of the preceding reviews, you can read about Coach’s extensive accomplishments, including being a Police Academy instructor; training underprivileged children as well as Olympic, professional, and elite amateur champion boxers; and being inducted into the NJ Boxing...