Andrea Nelson
Head coach
Andrea has been teaching and coaching boxing for almost three decades. In 2003, Bob Lynch invited her to help out with teaching classes, coaching, and overseeing the sparring at Ford’s Gym in the Atwood neighborhood of Madison. In 2014, Bob officially handed over the reins for the amateur boxing program to Andrea.
She came to boxing after six years of training, teaching, and competing in martial arts during the 1990s, winning multiple state championships and four full contact fights in kickboxing. She holds a 2nd degree black belt in Okinawan Shorin Ryu and a black belt in Okinawan weaponry.
Needing more of a challenge, she turned to Bob and boxing, and began competing as an amateur in 1998. After a relatively short amateur career and two national tournaments, Andrea began fighting professionally with Bob as her manager. She retired from the ring due to training related injuries in 2003, with a professional record of 9W-1L-1D.
After stepping away from competition, Andrea went back to school and studied Sports Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Athletic Training in 2011. She is licensed in Wisconsin and works part-time as an athletic trainer for Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital and UW-Hospitals and Clinics.
Andrea works with people of all ages, athletic abilities, and aspirations. She teaches both the Boxing Fundamentals and Techniques for Competition Boxing classes at Ford’s Gym, and coaches competitive boxers, some of whom have become Golden Gloves and Wisconsin State champions, as well as Olympic contenders. She teaches/coaches those with other goals as well, such as wanting to test themselves in the ring with a little sparring but no interest in competition, or perhaps just using the boxing workout to lose weight and stay in shape.
She most fully integrates her love of boxing and teaching with her knowledge of sports medicine when working with people rehabilitating from injury or surgery, as well as in leading her non-contact boxing class for people with Parkinson’s disease. The full body movement, balance, and control necessary to learn boxing’s punches, footwork, and other movements have been shown to have great therapeutic value.
Her degree and experience in Sports Medicine, along with her years in the ring as both a fighter and a coach, have enhanced her ability to use boxing as a medium for helping a wide range of people with varying goals improve their lives.
Watch a video of Andrea teaching the Boxing Fundamentals class: