A little over a decade ago, I discovered that kickboxing was my spirit workout. It's the only…read moreworkout that I always look forward to doing, consistently, over and over again. And movement/exercise is so important, especially for me dealing with young-onset Parkinson's disease.
So when my favorite kickboxing studio closed last summer after having been my fit fam for almost 10 years, I was on the hunt for a new kickboxing/boxing gym.
A couple of months ago, I happened to notice Title Boxing Club as I was driving by. I took the free trial class and immediately joined. And I've taken 24 classes in the last six weeks.
They offer both regular boxing and kickboxing classes to a wide range of members: I have seen students to working professionals to retirees. And while each class is paced with distinct intervals, you can punch and kick at your own speed and at your own power level and modify as needed. The classes are taught by some of the friendliest, funnest, and most approachable coaches you'll ever meet. I think I've taken classes with all but one of the coaches (my schedule hasn't lined up with Coach Oleksand's schedule yet, but I'm hoping to catch one of his classes sometime soon), and each coach has their own personality and expertise, which they bring to their classes.
Coach Mike is great with those new to boxing/kickboxing. Even though I'm pretty experienced with kickboxing in general, I find his detailed instructions helpful reminders to maintain proper form as my dystonia and dyskinesia try to take me down. (Not today, Parkinson's MFers!) Mike patiently explains and demonstrates each punch and kick and reminds everyone to be safe and to modify and take breaks as necessary. But don't underestimate him just because he's a nice guy; his class will kick your butt without you knowing it kicked your butt until after it's done kicking your butt. All while he's low-key zen-like congratulating you on a job well done and kindly reminding you to stay hydrated.
Coach Marcus has a lot of cross-disciplinary expertise and stresses the importance of defensive boxing. In his class there's a focus on light footwork, slips, and rolls. Marcus also sometimes incorporates aspects of yoga and tai chi into his class, which is so cool to me as it juxtaposes smooth, flowing, grounded movements with the sharp jabs and quick punches of boxing, showing how strength and power can be fundamental in each of these disciplines which work well with and complement the other.
Coach Diego is the ultimate cheerleader of the club and has a perpetually huge warm smile on his face because he's always genuinely thrilled to be there. You can clearly see how much passion he has for, and fun he has with coaching boxing and kickboxing. You can't help but to also smile with him; even me with my resting-workout-face, I can't not smile when he gives me a fist bump. It's especially appreciated after his super high-energy class when I'm wiped out. I'm old, he's young, and he reminds me of when I used to have that kind of energy.
Coach Emmanuel is very good at pushing you that extra bit more than you think you can do. You don't think you can do it, but you do end up doing it and then you feel great about it. How does he do this? One word: "EXPLODE!". That's right. Whenever he yells out "EXPLODE!" you do a pre-determined set of moves in a quick, explosive manner at maximum power. It could be at 15 seconds, 10 seconds, 8.5 seconds, 3.141592 seconds, who knows? Or it could be back-to-back-to-back-to-back until you think your arms will fall off but you keep going anyway until you finish the complete drill because it was so damn fun and you love a good challenge and Pavlov or something like that. Off the floor he's got such a kind and calm demeanor and is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.
The front desk staff are also wonderful. They greet you by name when you come in, are happy to help you with anything you need, and are just all-around positive and encouraging. Shout-out to Ina (manager and the first friendly smile you'll see most days walking into the gym), Cierra (she was the one who signed me up. When it was time to give her my credit card, I realized I'd left my wallet at home. I told her I'd run home real quick to get my wallet and be right back. On the way home I laughed because I realized that sounded like a stereotypical bad line to dump a business and that she probably was thinking "yeah, right, lady." I think she was surprised I actually came back within 5 minutes.), Abby (she greeted me by name the first time we met. How did she know? Is that a superpower?), and one other girl I saw one time I came in but sorry I didn't catch her name. They make me happy to show my face there every day.
If you're curious or on the fence about boxing or kickboxing, come try out Title! At the very least, you'll get a (first time is) free fun and effective workout. Or maybe, just maybe, you'll discover your newest favorite sweat therapy.