Kickboxing for Personal Development

Since I lived alone, I thought it would be a good idea to learn to defend myself, so I went down to a dojo and asked to sign up for a Self Defense class. Since then, my mind and body have never been the same.

I had no idea what a Self Defense class entailed. I figured I would be shown some moves to deal with potential attacks and so on. But when I got to the dojo I realized that the Sensei conducting the registration was using the terms �€Å"self defense�€� and kickboxing�€� interchangeably. I started to get worried. It then dawned on me that I was going to learn kickboxing (for self defense purposes as opposed to competition). Uh oh. What had I gotten myself into? I was no athlete. I didn't play sports in high school or university and I wasn't what you'd call the �€Å"athletic type�€�. I only went to the gym occasionally and the Tae Bo class I did twice a week was purely for vanity �€" I didn't want to get fat. Kickboxing on the other hand sounded like a sport - a real sport requiring gears and training and discipline and commitment. It didn't sound like me.

Precisely for that reason, I made up my mind to jump right in, after all, this was the year I had said I was going to develop myself in all areas and if learning how to fight couldn't boost my body and confidence, I didn't know what would. So I bravely stepped into the room and stood in line next to everyone else �€" about six others. I looked around the room and realized I was the only woman in the class, my heart sank. Two of the men wore ghis so I realized they were martial artists, but the others wore regular sweats. They looked ordinary enough �€" no big bulging muscles, scowling faces or visible battle scars - so I figured I'd be ok; I wouldn't look too out of place. Sensei Timothy came into the room and we got started.