Director of Boxing Resource Center, U.S. Olympic Coach

Christy Halbert, Ph.D. is the Director of Boxing Resource Center. Dr. Halbert has used her background as an academic in sociology and a collegiate athlete, to take a multi-disciplinary approach to coaching and studying the sport of boxing.

Halbert became the first researcher to publish on the social experiences of women professional boxers in her article "Tough Enough and Woman Enough." Her book, The Ultimate Boxer, was written in an effort to make Olympic-style boxing skills and tactics accessible to all audiences. Dr. Halbert continues to research the sport, and regularly gives multi-media lectures on the "Debut of Women's Olympic Boxing," a socio-historical analysis from her perspective as researcher and participant.

Her coaching work has been devoted mainly to three areas: coaching boxers at Boxing Resource Center, coaching and developing women's Olympic boxing in the United States, and coaching girls and women in international development programs.

In 2011, Dr. Halbert received the United States Olympic Committee's Olympic Torch award, for her pioneering work in the development and advancement of women's Olympic boxing in the United States. Coach Halbert is recognized internationally as an expert on women's boxing, and became the first U.S. coach, and only woman coach, to serve as instructor for the International Federation's Road to Dream program, which gives training and World Championship opportunities to boxers in under-represented countries.

Last summer Coach Halbert served as an Olympic Coach for Team USA at what was the inaugural Olympic Games for women boxers (and the first Olympic Games in which women athletes participated in every sport). The three women boxers for Team USA brought home a gold and bronze medal. Just 11 years earlier, Halbert served as Head Coach for the first-ever World Championships for women boxers.

In 2013 Halbert was awarded the Guiding Women in Sport Award by the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, given in recognition of extraordinary service and leadership in female sports, demonstrating a pioneering spirit and commitment to improve sport for girls and women.

Short Biography

Christy Halbert coaches women and men, boys and girls, in the art and science of Olympic-style (amateur) boxing. She conducts courses in coaching Olympic-style boxing, in her role as a Level IV Coach with USA Boxing, and is an international instructor/coach with boxing's International Federation, in her role as a 3-Star Coach/Instructor. She holds administrative appointments as Chair of USA Boxing's Women's Task Force, Chair of the Americas' Boxing Confederation Women's Commission, and Secretary of the International Federation's Women's Commission. Halbert has published and presented on coaching techniques as well as her ongoing research and observations in the sport.  Link and copyrighted article with more details, go here:  http://www.boxingresource.com/christyhalbert.html