My Grind with the ‘Turning Stone’ Thing This Year
Alright, so 2024 kicked off and I felt… well, kinda stuck. Needed something physical, something tough to pour energy into. Heard some folks talking about metaphorical stuff, you know, like “turning a stone” with persistence. I box a bit, just for fitness, nothing serious. So I thought, why not combine them? My own little challenge: “boxing turning stone 2024”. Sounds a bit daft maybe, but it made sense to me.
First thing, I needed my “stone”. Didn’t have a big rock handy, obviously. I went down to the garage where my old heavy bag hangs. It’s packed solid, barely moves when you hit it clean. Felt close enough. That became my stone.
So, I started. Just simple stuff at first. Getting into stance, focusing on putting my whole body into just a few punches. Jab, cross. Real slow. Trying to feel the connection, from my feet twisting on the concrete floor, up through my hips, into the shoulder, and bang – into the bag.
It felt clumsy. My knuckles hurt even with wraps and gloves. The bag just sat there, mocking me. First few sessions were just tiring and a bit frustrating. Felt like I wasn’t ‘turning’ anything, just punching sand.
- Wrapped my hands extra careful each time.
- Focused on breathing out sharp with every hit.
- Tried not to just swing my arms, but push from the ground up.
I made a simple routine. Didn’t want to overdo it. Maybe 3 times a week, 20-30 minutes just focused on this ‘stone’ work. Some days just left jabs, trying to make it snap. Other days, just right crosses, aiming for power. Sometimes alternating.
Hitting That Wall (or Bag)
There’s something weirdly satisfying about hitting something that doesn’t give. You pour energy into it, and it just absorbs it. It forces you to check your form. If you’re off balance, you feel it immediately. If your wrist isn’t straight, you feel that too (ouch).
Weeks went by. Slowly, things started to feel… different. Less clumsy. The punches felt heavier, even if the bag still didn’t swing much. It was more like a solid ‘thud’ sound now, less of a slapping noise. My shoulders and back started feeling stronger.
Mentally, it was the real workout though. Some days I really didn’t want to go down there. Felt pointless. Just hitting a bag in a cold garage. But I dragged myself down anyway. Told myself, just gotta keep hitting the stone. Little by little.
Now, halfway through the year nearly, I’m still at it. It’s not like I’ve suddenly become some super boxer. But I feel… grounded? Like I faced this immovable thing and just kept chipping away. My punches are definitely better, more solid. And that feeling of being stuck? It’s eased off a bit. Guess the simple act of doing something hard, consistently, helps turn more than just a metaphorical stone.
Still got sore knuckles sometimes though. Part of the process, I guess. Still chipping away at my 2024 stone.