My Kickboxing Journey in Eugene
So, I decided I needed to shake things up a bit. Sitting around wasn’t doing me any favors, felt kinda soft, you know? I live in Eugene, and I kept seeing ads or maybe flyers, something about kickboxing. Didn’t know much about it, honestly. Thought it might be good for getting some energy out.
Finding a place wasn’t super straightforward. Looked online, saw a few gyms. Some looked too intense, like for pro fighters, definitely not me. Others looked like those cardio-only places, which wasn’t quite what I had in mind either. Drove past one place a couple of times, looked okay from the outside. Decided to just walk in one afternoon.
First Day Was… Interesting
Walked in, kinda awkward. Place smelled like sweat and cleaning stuff, which I guess is normal. Talked to a guy, seemed alright, told me to just try a class. So I did. Man, that first class kicked my butt. I was clumsy. Couldn’t get the wraps on right, felt like I had two left feet trying to do the footwork drills. Threw some punches at a bag, felt good to hit something, but my arms were jelly after like five minutes. Everyone else seemed to know what they were doing. Left feeling exhausted but also kinda… energized? Weird combo.
- Felt totally uncoordinated at first.
- Wrapping hands was harder than it looked.
- Hitting the bag felt surprisingly good.
- Was completely wiped out afterwards.
Getting Into the Groove
Decided to stick with it, signed up for a month. Went a couple of times a week. It was tough. Some days I really didn’t want to go, especially when it was raining, which, you know, Eugene. But I kept showing up. Slowly, things started clicking. My punches got a bit snappier, I could actually follow the combos sometimes without tripping over my own feet. Started recognizing faces, nodding hello to people. It wasn’t just about hitting things anymore; there was technique involved, timing, moving your body right.
Learning the Ropes (Literally Sometimes)
They taught us basic stuff: jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts. Then kicks – front kicks, roundhouses. Putting them together was the hard part. Jab-cross-hook, then maybe a leg kick. Sounds simple, but getting the movement, the power, the balance… takes time. Lots of practice on the pads with partners, hitting the heavy bag. Sometimes we did conditioning – push-ups, burpees, stuff like that. Hated it at the time, but probably helped.
Had a few bumps. Missed the pad once and punched my partner’s elbow – hurt my knuckles pretty bad. Twisted my ankle doing footwork drills another time. Nothing major, just part of the deal, I guess. Had to learn to listen to my body, not push too hard when something felt off.
Where I’m At Now
Been doing it for a while now. Still wouldn’t call myself good, not by a long shot. But I’m way better than when I started. Feel stronger, more coordinated. It’s a great stress reliever after a long day. The gym has a decent vibe, regular folks mostly, not scary fighters. Still go a couple of times a week. It’s just part of my routine. Didn’t exactly become a pro kickboxer or anything, but hey, I’m not feeling soft anymore. Gets me moving, clears my head. That’s pretty much why I started, so I guess it worked out.
