Kick to Thrill

As you may be aware, I took up a boxing/cardio class to try and get myself in shape. I wrote THIS when I started out. I just wanted to do the boxing, get fit – not fight, and John was the guy who got that ball rolling.

It didn’t take long before I joined the kickboxing class… I just wanted to build up my fitness some more, along with co-ordination and flexibility. I had no desire to spar or even compete… mind you, only a few weeks previously I had had no desire to join a kickboxing class…

Time moves on and I’m really enjoying the continued challenge and camaraderie of the people… the friends… that I train with and have met through getting in to the sport.

On January the 22nd I took my first step on the grade ladder and earned my blue belt. It was definitely ‘earned’ as the grade class took 2.5hrs – and had no breaks. It was go, go, go from the start.

After the 2.5hrs finished I walked away with my belt, blistery feet that felt like I was walking on water filled bubble wrap, and a very dead arm from a round kick block…. and I loved it!

Many thanks to the guys I partnered with during the grading – I know it was all about the individual, but if you end up with a bad partner it’s going to take a Hell of a lot more effort. Thankfully JD’s training (Head honcho for SMA Kickboxing) meant that only those who were capable of gaining a grade were actually put in to take the grade.

Since the grading I am now able to take part in sparring… and I’m actually looking forward to that… which can only mean that sooner or later I’ll probably say “You know what? Maybe I will compete….” – but that’s most likely later, if ever!

Up until now I have been an ungraded guy training in a room of kickboxers – but now I am graded and I feel I can call myself a kickboxer (albeit one with so much to learn). Now that I have that belt, and I have all of my  protective gear (listed here on the SMA site) I am ready for those sparring classes!

Ali kicks in

I’m finding that my boxing and kickboxing (Southern Martial Arts) is really helping with my fitness. I have come to live with the fact that my cardio isn’t the greatest (lung issues), but my overall fitness is improving. The weight I lost is going back on, but my waist size is staying the same… so that suggests I’m getting some muscle back… or at least getting some muscle…

The kickboxing is really helping my flexibility, balance and co-ordination, and that’s good because that’s what I am in it for. I’ll say that right now, if you asked me, that I am not going to do any competitions. I don’t need to do things that could put my health at risk and cause me to have time off of work. Family comes first, and with that I must think about income security… and anyway, much though I enjoy it all, I’ve not got the stamina to compete (not yet, at least) – I’ll leave that to the guys at SMA that have those skills – and they DO have the skills.

Anyway, I like the training, but really need to practice in-between classes, and where shadow boxing/kickboxing is all well and good, there are times when you need to put out the full force and make contact with something…. so I purchased a kick/punch bag from BLITZ SPORTS via SMA .

I filled the bottom 18″ is filled with builders sand (in a couple of bin bags to avoid any potential leakage), and then the rest is off cuts of leather and fabric which was cut down into small swatches. The leather forms the core and the leg section, then the fabric is used to fill the sides of the bag because the leather isn’t soft enough to fill the contours around the bags curves. It is designed to allow for lower leg, body hits and upper cut work. Once filled it weighed in at 80kg.

Alex likes to know what I do, so he knows I shoot and box/kickbox. He also knows that shooting people and fighting people is bad (rogue dinosaurs and evil pumpkins are fair game though), and that there is a difference between sport and bullying (he’s a bright lad!). He wanted to help me fill the bag, so I hung it up and put his step next to it so he could reach the top to put leather in…. the thing is that help didn’t last long as he wanted to try it out whilst we were still filling it!

He really enjoyed giving the bag some punches and kicks – and I hope that he’ll become interested enough to take it up. A local gym (Maximus Gym) offers a class for 5 to 14 year olds, so maybe that’s an option. I’d like him to take it up so he learns self control, how to defend himself and also the co-ordination and flexibility it offers.

He’s a gentle lad, but can put his strength down if picked on or if he gets carried away – and due to his size I don’t want him seen as the aggressor, but because he is such a caring child I don’t want him to become a victim either. I’d like him to have the skills so that he doesn’t ever get picked on – but if he does, he can deal with it cleanly. Man… he’s only 4 and a half, but you have to think ahead.

Most importantly though…. he seems to enjoy it!