Boxing and jujutsu will compliment your TKD training.  They are both physically more intensive than TKD so expect to sweat a lot!  I have a feeling you might like jujutsu too much and leave TKD behind.    That's a good price for 6 days a week training.

Grrrr.

 

I had dropped by last week and talked with the owner.  He asked me to give him a call and arrange an appointment for a trial workout.  I did: 8am on Tuesday.

 

So, I get there at 7:50.  Place is closed.  Ok.  No big deal.  I wait.

 

I leave at 8:10.  The doors are still locked and lights are still out.  Very unprofessional.  Someone being there when they say they will, especially when I'm arranging my schedule to meet them, is important to me.  My interest in training in that gym went from 7/10 to 2/10 over the span of 20 minutes.  And he didn't even have to lift a finger!

 

I'm currently investigating one of his competitors...

Tonight I walked in and observed some classes at Evolution Mixed Martial Arts.

 

I misread/misremembered the schedule and showed up 1/2 hour into what turned out to be about a 45 minute Muay Thai class.  The little of that that I saw didn't really impress me.  1) They were doing really simple stuff, though some of them seemed to have the simple stuff down pretty well.  Some.  2) They were getting way too much rest for it to be a good workout.  3) None of the guys in the main group were even sweating!  How can you be more than half way through a martial arts class and not even be sweating???  The instructor relied on an electronic timer which made this really loud and irritating BEEP to tell him when to tell the class to do something different.  He would give 5 seconds of instructions to the group, and then go over to the next room and spar with some other students.  Who WERE sweating.  Then with the next beep he'd give another 5 seconds of instruction.  I saw no individual guidance or correction.  Then, he dismissed the class and told them they could stay and mess around.  A number of people stayed to hit the bags, and the instructor sparred 5 people in a row.  The last person I saw him sparring must have had a small cut above his eye as a trickle of blood was running down his face throughout the match.  Nothing serious, but either the student cut themselves with their own glove or the instructor did it - in which case it is his poor skill.  In my book, injuring the other person is a direct result of lack of control.  It means you messed up.  Maybe a little.  Maybe a lot.  But you should have been more aware of where the end of your hand or foot was.

 

I may watch the first half of a class next week, but I suspect I will not be attending many Muay Thai classes at this particular school.

 

 I then watched the Brazilian Jujutsu class.  Different instructor.  I've never seen anything like it.  The warm-up was some jogging, followed by rolls and agility drills.  Very minimal stretching followed.  Then, they paired up and most of the remainder of the class was partner work practicing particular wrestling moves.  Submission holds.  Ways to escape that hold.  What to do if the other person tries that.  The students worked well together - one on top for a few times, switch sides for a few times, and then the other on top for a few times.  It was a skill class more than a workout class, for the most part. 

 

I am unsure of how I would fit in to that group.  It was about 15 men aged mid-20's to mid 30's.  Their class involved spending a LOT of time pressed body-to-body with your training partner.  My initial feeling is that I would not be comfortable being so *ahem* close like that.  I also wish I could do it.  The business owner and the one other woman in the place said that another gal had just signed up for the class.  Maybe.  I dunno.

 

But while they were having class, the other woman I mentioned was working out on her own.  She's a boxing student.  And DAMN, she's good!  The regular boxing coach is out of town this week because he's gone with one of his students to some national-level competition in Colorado.  So I know he's got at least 2 really good students, one of them female.  She said that he was very good with working with women, and that she wasn't the only one.  She said a normal workout for them includes some time with drills and exercises, punching the air, punching a bag, running 3 miles, and jumping rope.  (Not in that order, I just forgot the order.)  Um - a normal workout involves running 3 miles?  Cool!  This gal was really buff.  I think she probably weighs more than me, but there wasn't an inch of fat on her!  All muscle! 

 

So, my plan is to come back Monday, when the boxing coach is to be back in town, and to try out some workouts with him.  I can get day-passes to the gym for $15 a piece, which works out to about what their regular membership dues are anyway (with unlimited access) if I were to only go twice a week.  And I'd want to start with just once or twice a week anyway, just to give my body some time to adjust...  So... we'll see.

 

I may get to do boxing yet!

I'm sore.  And I had a great time.  This was a 1 on 1 training session, which I've not done before.  I feel like this guy is capable of teaching waaay over my level, which is very cool that he's willing to take a beginner like me.  He has a basic structure to workouts that goes as follows:

 

1) Run as a warm-up.  2 or 3 miles.

2) Abs work.

3) 3 minute intervals of jumping rope interspersed with push-ups. (normally 6 or more intervals.  I was pretty wiped out at 3.)

4) technical training, bag work, shadow-boxing.  1 on 1 training with the coach.

5) more abs work.

 

He trains boxers on a competitive level (a number at the national level! ), though he does take students who aren't interested in competing.  At this point I'm not... but I don't rule it out for me.  I'm just a little intimidated.  We'll see.  Give it a few more months.  He tailored the workout to my level - it was challenging and yet it was not more than I could do.  I saw him training another boxer right before me, and that person was working hard too.  And they looked like they were in very good shape.  So it's not just him being easy - it's that he knows how hard to push.   

 

I enjoyed the workout and feel I could learn a lot from this guy.  He would definitely be worth what he charges.  He wants $20 per session.  Which I think is quite reasonable for personal training from an experienced professional.  But if I go often, that'll add up.  Quickly.  So I need to ask not only what does my time schedule allow, but what does my budget allow?  And how much can I and will I do on my own?  It won't be worth it if I only work out like that when the trainer's looking over my shoulder. 

 

Part of what I want out of this is to be the kind of athlete who can train hard when there's not a coach or teacher about. I've not been that kind of athlete before.  I'll train easy.  I run every day.  Easy.  But I've tended to lose my motivation for harder work when there's not a (tkd) class going on or something like that.