Training is still kicking my ass, but the end is in sight. Almost a full year of training. If I make it out alive I plan on celebrating by eating a full cheesecake.
And maybe jumping out of a plane.
Because of training, I haven't been to kickboxing or bootcamp in two months.
So yesterday I went back. Somehow I picked a day when I was the only girl. If I was better at math I could probably tell you what the odds of that happening were. Out of the six girls that go regularly.. I showed up.
Which means on my first day back in two months I had to work out with a boy. One I didn't know at that. Oh, and we had an odd number of people. So I had to work out with TWO boys. A threesome if you will. Trying to spar with three people instead of two is always difficult to manage. Trying to spar when all three are strangers... is down right impossible.
All of the above made me nervous. Cause kickboxing is kinda like sex.
Don't laugh. I'm serious.
I'll explain
Everyone's got different levels of experience. Some people have been going for months but their technique still sucks. Or their stamina is lacking. Some people have a natural talent. The Boy is one of those. :) A lot of people are just naturally uncoordinated. When you start out, you start with shadowboxing. By yourself. Just you and your hands, mimicking the real thing. Then when you've proven your not going to hurt yourself or someone else, you're allowed to start partnering up. At first you'll workout with anyone, anyone, you're just so grateful to not have to workout by yourself. Time passes and you start to realize that you like working out with certain people. That you click better with some people over others, that you can move faster, more fluid and hit harder with them. You develop favorites and you keep going back to them.
Yep, still talking about kickboxing.
So back to yesterday. None of the girls that I'm used to sparring with are there. I get paired up with two guys that I've never worked with before. And that's when I realized that training with a new person is kinda like a one night stand. It's a little awkward. They do something out of sync, you laugh to ease the tension, instead they get self conscious and so they hit harder, only harder isn't necessary better. I mean, sometimes it's better, but you have to be in the mood to be hit. And there kinda needs be a trust factor that doesn't come with strangers. I'm ok with exchanging hard blows, but only if I know someones not going to end up in tears. Because one of the guys was new, I ended up spending most of my workout explaining and showing him what he should be doing. I didn't get a very satisfying workout.
Still talking about kickboxing.
When the day ended I decided two things. 1)I like kickboxing. I really like kickboxing and I don't want to let two months go without doing it. 2)I'm not a big fan of one night stands. I mean working out with brand new people. It's too awkward, you don't get a good enough workout, you don't really learn new things and you ended up leaving unfulfilled, knowing it could have been better.
I mean, I like the idea of sparring with a stranger. Of meeting in a dark smokey ring, making eye contact, touching gloves and then pounding the shit out of each other. Not caring if you actually hurt him, actually being glad when they hit you too hard because it means you can hit them harder. Pushing each others skill level, breathing hard and wiping the sweat out of your eyes. Walking away, knowing you beat the shit out of each other and not really caring. Maybe you'll meet in the ring again, maybe not. I mean, I like that idea. I've just never been able to follow through with that.
I guess I'm just not that type of girl. I like workouts with people I have a relationship of some type with. I don't like hurting strangers. I actually care about peoples feelings. I like knowing their personality and being able to navigate the tricky parts with finesse. Knowing it's ok to laugh occasionally, it's ok to try a new jab, it's ok to mess up, and it's ok to sometimes take out aggression on them and then buy them a beer to make up for the bruises.
Still talking about kickboxing.
And I'm ok with that, being that type of girl.
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