IT'S TIME TO GET FIT! MY FIRST KICKBOXING CLASS

DefenseMonkees
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IT'S TIME TO GET FIT! MY FIRST KICKBOXING CLASS

I have been into sports my whole life. I played handball for 10 years, soccer for 5 years, did some tennis, a few bootcamp classes, and in the last few years, I have been working out.

I notice that sports are currently not at the top of my priority list. There are other things in my life that are now a bit more important and take precedence. But I am aware of the cliché “When you do something you enjoy, it naturally becomes a priority again.” Hence, I am looking for a sport that truly suits me and where I can easily put on my sports gear without any reluctance. Kickboxing has always intrigued me. I did b-kickboxing for a while, and I thought it was fantastic; I love to go all out. You know you're alive! My first kickboxing class at Defense Monkees is coming up; in this blog post, I’ll share my experience and whether this sport suits me.

THE FIRST IMPRESSION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

What I find important when you go to do sports somewhere is the first impression; the feeling you get. When I walked in, Instructor Alvaro was already busy preparing everything for the class and immediately came over to introduce himself. I was very early, so it took a moment before the other students started trickling in. I was happy to see that there was a mixed group, consisting of both girls and boys, experienced students and students who, like me, were attending their first class. There was an immediately pleasant atmosphere, and I felt right at ease. After I had a brief chat with Simon, my contact person at Defense Monkees, it was time to start the lesson.

At Defense Monkees, they find it important that everyone feels comfortable and can train well!

MORE THAN JUST KICKS AND PUNCHES

Kickboxing consists of more than just kicks and punches. To be able to do this well and for a long time, you need to have your fitness in check. We started the class with a warm-up, which consisted of running laps, doing burpees, and push-ups. I quickly noticed that my fitness needs improvement, so I have quite a bit of work to do.

After the warm-up, it was time for some stretching exercises. My God, I am so stiff. Now I remember why exercising is so good for me. I suffer a lot from neck and back pain; my body is actually not made for a sedentary job. These stretching exercises have made me aware again that I really need to do something about sports. In any case, I did my best and tried to perform all the exercises as well as possible.

Once the stretching exercises were done, we worked on our fitness again, this time in the form of burpees and push-ups. I noticed that I was a bit better warmed up, and the exercises were a bit easier than at the beginning.

Slowly but surely, it was time for the real work. It was time to work on technique. Together with three other women, I was in the beginners' group. I learned a lot in this first lesson. By the way, did you know that you stand strong behind and that you cross your legs so that you protect your face? These are the basic principles of kickboxing, but essential to be able to do it well eventually.

Instructor Alvaro explained all of this very clearly and calmly, and after practicing a few times, I already had it down pretty well. In my daily life, I have a right-left ‘problem’; I still confuse them sometimes. So this was actually my biggest struggle. Here you notice that it is still not automatic, and that I have to think about every punch and kick.

After we practiced some punches, Alvaro also told us that stepping out to the left, right, and backward is very important in kickboxing. This way, you increase the space between you and your opponent, and you can also punch and kick better. If you don’t have space, you can’t put in power either. We practiced this ‘on’ each other, which I found a plus. This way, no one stands still, and you both keep busy. One keeps his gloves up and steps back, the other punches at the gloves and steps forward. This way, you train both the stepping out and the punching.

Finally, we practiced the kicking. We also practiced this on each other; one held the pad, and the other could practice the kicks. Ultimately, we ended the lesson with a combination of kicks and punches. Before the exercise, Alvaro explained the technique well.

IS KICKBOXING A SPORT THAT SUITS ME?

YES! This was my first kickboxing class ever, and I found it fantastic! I actually knew pretty sure that I would enjoy the sport. But what actually struck me the most was the atmosphere. When you think of martial arts, you quickly think of macho behavior, and I was afraid that my 1.55m height would make me unseen. But there was a nice atmosphere and everyone respected each other. It was a mixed group of beginners to advanced, from boys to men and girls to women.

Here, instructor Alvaro played well into this, I think everyone left the class with a satisfied feeling. It also didn’t matter that I didn’t know anyone; I practiced together with a girl who spoke English. I think this is so beautiful about sports; it doesn’t matter who you are or how you look. The only thing that counts is that you enjoy the lesson you are following.

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