New School

Just a little note about my evening at a new martial arts school not far from here.

I was warmly received by the owner, which is a good sign. I was there to try the Muay Thai class. He explained that he isn't actually the instructor (I'd assumed incorrectly). It's Anthony Njokuani, a professional fighter. He's out this month to prepare for a WEC fight, so they have an interim instructor.

I went in just trying to be a humble, hard-working new guy. Two other new folks were there. We were our own group, going over basic footwork, combinations, and kicks.

For whatever reason, my kicks were happening tonight.

The hardest part of the evening was, perhaps, the warmup, which consisted of 15 minutes of jumping rope. Hey, when's the last time YOU jumped rope, hmm? I was lousy at it, but I got in my 15 minutes of bouncing around.

He put us on bags, and it was hard to go lightly. He kept telling me I didn't have to kill the bag.

I kept kinda quiet, worked hard, and generally tried to be pleasant. The instructor paid me a compliment, telling my my kicks looked great and asking where I'd trained before. He said that with kicks like those, I'd catch up to the other guys (aka the experienced students) in no time. I was flattered and did everything I could to take his compliments without a hint of ego.

I like Muay Thai mechanics, I really do. The workout was perfectly hard without making me miserable.

The owner didn't pressure me, just telling me to email him about tuition. Well, okey dokey.

So I am encouraged at this point. Gotta see if I can afford the place, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Here I sit at almost 11pm after a hard workout, and all seems right with the world. I needed that.











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