I'm often asked ... why do I love teaching kickboxing? Or why do I teach group fitness kickboxing classes at all? With an always hectic schedule, how and why do I make time for this?
Here's my why ...
1. An escape from my normal daily routine.
Teaching kickboxing is an opportunity to zone out and focus on my clients/students. I don't have to think about anything else going on in my life or IT career, just what's going on in my classroom for that one hour or more. It's my "meditation" time!
2. The "Art" of Muay Thai Kickboxing.
Muay Thai Kickboxing is a martial art, the combat sport of Thailand. This physical and mental discipline is known as "the art of eight limbs" because it is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, shins, being associated with a good physical preparation that makes a full-contact fighter very efficient. In short, it involves the use of your entire body, with a ton of variations in combinations and supporting exercises. So it never gets boring, and its benefits are many.
3. Pushing students beyond their "perceived" limits.
Bruce Lee says it best in the image below. I believe everyone unknowingly puts limits on themselves. They have a perceived limit to which they will push their bodies in a workout. Call it a comfort zone, a wall, a mental limitation, a pain threshold ... whatever. I make it my mission in every class to push students beyond that limitation, to increase their ability to push themselves harder than they thought they could previously. The reward is not just physical, but very much mental.
4. The reward of teaching a skill ... physical & mental.
Teaching such a physical skill as Muay Thai Kickboxing has its rewards. That reward is seeing your students' progress. Not only are the workouts quite challenging physically, but the skills can be quite technical at times, challenging you mentally. So when I see my students finally "get" a technique that they might have been working on for weeks, or they push harder, or they start to see physical changes, even mental changes, there is no better reward (for them and me).
5. Camaraderie & Community
This might be one of my favorite things about teaching kickboxing ... the community and camaraderie between students & instructors. Everyone who walks into one of my classes is made to feel like they belong there, like they fit in, no matter their physical abilities, no matter their skill level, no matter what walk of life they may come from. Everyone is entitled to a great workout while learning a great skill. They all have their own motivation to be in the class ... weight loss, physical fitness, toning, strength training, cardio, mobility, self-defense, self-confidence, stress relief, or even just for the fun of it ... and they can get it all in this one-hour class.
Why attend "my" kickboxing class?
So what exactly is so special or different about the style of my classes compared to other kickboxing (or boxing) classes you may have attended or seen? Perhaps you have assumptions already about this type of class? Perhaps you attended somewhat similar classes elsewhere, but didn't really love them? Perhaps you've never attended such a class for various other reasons. Or perhaps you're new to my classes.
For all the same reasons I've listed above regarding my "why", these will become your "why". The community we've created is unmistakable as soon as you walk into our classroom. If it's your first time, you will be greeted warmly, introduced to your instructor (myself or one of my other trained instructors), oriented on the format or flow of the class, and most of all encouraged to "just have fun" and be patient with the learning process.
Upon completion of each class you will feel exhausted, but also empowered. You will have a sense of accomplishment with how much you've learned, and/or how hard you've pushed yourself, and/or how much you've progressed from previous classes. You will feel a connection with the other students as you struggle together to learn new skills and push your limits.
I'm not going to sugar-coat it too much though, because there will also be times when you'll feel frustrated with your progress. Some skills take longer to learn than others, and everyone responds differently when moving their bodies in such a different way. Just know that your fellow students are in the same boat, even though everyone may be at different levels in their physical conditioning, coordination and skill, they're always "learning".
In fact, we often have first-time students in the same class along with our regulars. But everyone is made to feel completely comfortable at whatever their skill or conditioning level. We know that everyone learns at different speeds, has different physical abilities, and we enforce a judgement-free classroom environment, so you can feel comfortable attending any class, while at the same time we push you out of your comfort zone (in a good way).
So come try one of my classes at Fitness FX on Quinpool Road, or at Rogue on Lady Hammond Road. You won't regret it, and you may just get hooked.
