Who do you picture when you think of a kick-boxer? A gnarly, ripped guy with a slight beard and a face tattoo? How about an 11 year old boy? You’d be correct if you guessed either of those, and then some. If you’ve joined a kickboxing class, you'd know that it's difficult yet rewarding. I learned one of the most valuable life lessons from kickboxing: self-appreciation. But here are few other things I learned as well.
1. Yes, You Can.
Kickboxing makes you realize how much you truly are capable of. The first day I walked into class, I was constantly stopping during exercises and I couldn’t do everything I wanted to. But by the next class, I was already doing better. I didn’t have to stop, at least with one exercise. I kept improving, but didn’t realize how good my form and balance had become until my coach pointed it out to me. Kickboxing taught me that yes, you can do it no matter how hard it is. If you keep going, you will be able to.
2. Everyone Is Welcome.
I was nervous for my first day. Would people care that I was way out of shape? Would people care that I was overweight? No. Nobody cared, at all. Anyone and everyone is welcome. You will meet all types of people in kickboxing classes like super skinny tall women, six year old boys, 13 year old girls and 67 year old women to name a few. You’ll meet people with tattoos and piercings, people with full faces of makeup and everyone in between. You meet people like this everyday, so why wouldn’t you come across them in a kickboxing class too?
3. You Do You. It’s Not A Competition!
The first thing you learn is that you push your body as much as you want to. It’s not a competition. You are there for you, not for anyone else. I’ve watched girls try to compete with other classmates but it never works. You’re here to improve yourself, not to be better than the person to your left.
4. It’s Okay To Change.
Start with your clothes. Get new gloves, they smell awful. It’s also good advice to change your positions and techniques if it helps you. If an exercise hurts you, change your position. You’re there to get a workout, but you shouldn’t be in pain. Learn the difference between feeling the burn and feeling pain. One will help you in the end, and the other will hurt you. This was important for me to learn in my own life. If a friendship isn’t working, change it. If school isn’t working for you, change it (as much as you can).
5. It’s Your Choice.
You are here on your own will. You will only come as much as you choose, whether that’s one day a week or five days a week. Unless someone is forcing you to go, or paying for your classes, it’s all up to you. In your day-to-day life, you have a lot more freedom than you think you do. The adult human makes an average of 35,000 decisions every day. Make kickboxing one of them. Or not. It’s up to you.
Kickboxing changed me as a person. I came into class nervous, wobbly and out of breath. I’ve been taking classes for almost a year and a half, and it is the love of my life. I love the women I work out with and I love the integrity and positive atmosphere in our class. Our instructor is the most uplifting and supportive person I've ever met. At the beginning of class, we all recite a creed:
“Today I will be too calm for worry, too noble for anger, and too strong for defeat”
