Kickboxing

Coming back to kickboxing after an eight month break was certainly a shock to the system. Even though I've been going swimming and running, my fitness levels were tested for sure. The warm up varies, but generally includes running, sit ups, push ups, star jumps and sprinting on the spot.

There were very few familiar faces, but everyone was as friendly as ever. They run children's classes and the adult group has a good spectrum of men and women. Kickboxing is certainly a sport that attracts testosterone-filled guys who love pounding an opponent in the ring, but more commonly people are there to keep fit and have fun. I'm definitely in the later category. Kicking the punch bags is my favourite thing, especially the ones where you take off from the ground and kick more than once. I couldn't imagine delivering a full-power kick to a person, unless they'd just killed and eaten my family or something. The idea of punching genuinely nice people seemed a little strange to me at first, but I suppose that is what the sport is about.

I've got a little more used to sparring since I first started. I'm still at a stage where I hit more lightly than necessary to make sure I don't hurt the other person. I would say I punch like a girl, but most girls punch harder than me, so it wouldn't be quite true.

In terms of actual fights I've been in, there really haven't been many. Being the tallest kid in school meant that lots of the boys would have a go at me verbally, but it was rare for someone to start an actual fight. It was always the same format. One: they would punch or kick me to provoke a reaction. Two: I would say, "If you hit me again, I'm going to kick you". Three: if they decided to hit me again I'd kick them hard in the shin. This would inevitably cause them to fall to the floor crying, which I guess I saw as their own fault for not listening. It's always easier to hit someone after they've already hit you. It's feels more like fair play. Cause and effect.

This permission seems to apply to fighting sports of any kind. It's not likely that sparring partners will punch each other as hard as the possibly can. However, if one person starts hitting a little harder than before it provides a kind of permission for the other person to hit harder too. I guess that's how you get used to taking such ferocious punches. If every punch you receive is a tiny bit harder, you don't really notice it.

I admire people who can step into the ring knowing that the other person has most likely reached a stage where they can take any punch that you can throw. That's a scary prospect. It means a fight goes on for a while and a boxer will have to take numerous blows to the head in order to stay in the fight long enough to win. I salute you, you brave souls.

Maybe one day I'll want to get in the ring to give someone a pounding (or most likely get pounded), but for now I think I'll stick with doing it to keep fit. Punch bags don't mind when I go all fire-fists on them, so that's good enough for me.
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