Professionals who feel that they are over-burdened by office work are turning to boxing for much-needed respite.
In Beijing, for instance, interested neophytes can participate in White Collar Boxing night, where office workers with no prior experience in boxing can receive training. Originally a trend in New York in the late 1980s, it has now piqued the interest of busy professionals in China and the hobby is particularly appealing to expats.
"I have done a lot of sports, and nothing has pushed me as hard as boxing," said Lauren Himle, a 25-year-old sales person with Ecolab. "It feels great and gives you a certain confidence that you can carry into your personal and professional life."
Like other white-collar workers, Himle feels that sitting in an office all day is not good overall and that boxing is a good way to release stress and tension.
Coach Jerson Esrtoro, a 35-year-old coach from the Philippines, attests to growing popularity of boxing among expats as well as local Chinese workers.
"Sitting in the office all day can be so exhausting and as they come from work to train, they feel invigorated. It's a good way to relax and workout," said Esrtoro.
Kash Shan, a 29-year-old director with Worldlink Education, has lost a significant amount of weight due to routine training and is now more confident about his body and health.
"When you receive discipline, it gives you discipline and once you start to train regularly, it becomes easy to participate," he said. "Some people are really good at their work, but do not invest much time in their bodies."
Furthermore, many white-collar boxers believe that the training and the insights they get from boxing can be applied to other aspects of their lives.
"Whether you feel scared or not, when someone throws a punch on you, you forget everything you've learnt but you have to train yourself to do something smarter and that's the sort of development you can take to other parts of your life," said Garrett Brick, a 26-year-old Canadian.