I played a lot of sports in school and some, like tennis and jogging I've continued to do in my adult life. I'm not good at sports though because I do not have quick reflexes. So when I asked Sylvain to take me boxing I wasn't really expecting quality. I didn't get it either. My thoughts about boxing before I met Sylvain was that it was sort of rough, and full contact- the only fight I'd ever seen was between Tyson and Holyfield when he bit his ear off. When I met Sylvain I thought, so you like boxing, that's nice, I hope you don't break your nose anymore or mess up your face, but his body albeit thin, is perfection. I don't mean that in a sexual way- but his abs are defined and his arms are manly neither of which falling into the category or muscle head roidinator. Until yesterday I had no idea how one got to be that way- now I do- boxing has earned my complete and utter respect.
We started with jumping rope- I was excited because as a kid I loved jumping rope- and in my memories of jumping rope everyday at recess is a memory that I was good at it (this suggestion cannot be collaborated). At 29, I am no longer the recess champion, apparently, my coordination retired with elementary school. Still I felt, warmed up. Next round, the bag, which meant putting on the gloves- Sylvain wrapped our roommates hand wraps around my hands and fingers which frankly were putrid smelling and only a couple months old still damp from their last training, and then the gloves. We went to the mirror and he told me how to punch first the left then the right, I sucked, I never brought my hand back quick enough to protect my face from imaginary punches being thrown at me. And I was too slow and awkward. After looking foolish trying to punch at nothing for a while we went to the bag and at least with a target it felt a little more real, but it was hard to get the right stance and the right distance for a feel good punch, and trying to move around the bag was a footwork nightmare. I realized just how much training goes into preparing for the ring- it's like dancing and punching at the same time and I imagine your body has to get so familiar with the movements that it doesn't have to think about them, it just reacts... I knew then just what a hopeless failure I would be at boxing, I'd be happy to learn how to dance with some semblance of grace and appearance of lightness on my feet, but adding punching and ducking and my system would crash.
Sylvain took me in the ring so I could have a go at him, here's where I realized I'd also have to be a technical artists with the fitness of a, I don't know, a really fit person. It felt good to be that physical though. To waste yourself in physical determination and effort. Sylvain probably landed more punches than I did which was really sad because of course he wasn't trying to hit me. Boxers protect their faces by holding their gloves up against their forehead- but they must be touching their forehead or when you take a punch you end up punching yourself with your own gloves instead of your gloves acting as a cushion against the blow- I could not get the hang of this until taking a handful of punches. I gave it a go but my punches were so slow Sylvain could see them coming and easily moved out of the way, my weak jabs landing nowhere and me looking like a golfer who just took a massive swing at their ball and missed.
When we finished I unwrapped my hands and for the rest of our workout and until I got home and bathed I could not stand to have my hands anywhere near my face as they had unhappily adopted the stench of the hand wraps. I learned a few things yesterday, boxing stinks or at least hand wraps and gloves do, if you're going to box, start young so you can learn the footwork and dancing before your too old and tired to bother and frankly training is pretty non contact so you don't have to worry about getting injured in the same way a kid who wants to play football might, and if you need to expend a few extra calories, boxing's your sport.
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