Anytime I watch a good fight I can't help but focus on their feet. It really is a dance. You advance, they move back, they advance you move back. Don't even get me started on someone like Muhammad Ali, the man moved like poetry in the ring. Practically floating. To me, dancing and fighting have always seemed to be more similar than not and I have often found myself wondering how beneficial it would be to cross train something like classical ballet with something like Muay Thai.
So, I started doing Muay Thai about 2 months ago. It has become my obsession. I think about it all the time, but in the interest of full disclosure, I suck. I mean I have actually left class early (citing a family emergency as an excuse) because I was too embarrassed and intimidated to spar with the other people in class. By the end of the warm up my arms already feel like lead, I'm huffing and puffing like a 50 year old smoker and I'm sweating buckets and am genially terrified of getting hit.
Last night was the first time since I signed up that I actually considered quitting. I really felt like it was pointless. It's not as though I am ever going to really get good at this. It didn't help that I was the only girl in class and everyone in there was advanced. I did they only thing I knew to do when I need to be talked back from the ledge, I called my one of my best friends. This girl who is all of 5'1, is now a purple belt in BJJ, and has years of experience in training with men as a beginner.
Of course, she inspired with phrases like, "yeah, screw that! Don't let them chase you out of there." And, "everyone is a beginner at first." Getting good at Muay Thai is going to take time, and dedication and blah blah blah. So that got me thinking about possible cross training ideas. Then a moment of exhaustion fueled clarity it hit me, why not test out my theory and use BALLET and for good measure yoga!
Why not cross train Muay Thai with two things I am familiar with and see what happens. I doubt very seriously i'll be able to Ronda Rousey anyone tomorrow, but I am willing to bet that the resistance, strength and balance training will accelerate my Muay Thai skills at least a little faster. And if not, oh well, I'll still be having fun.
"Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about."
-Sir Winston Churchill
Last night was the first time since I signed up that I actually considered quitting. I really felt like it was pointless. It's not as though I am ever going to really get good at this. It didn't help that I was the only girl in class and everyone in there was advanced. I did they only thing I knew to do when I need to be talked back from the ledge, I called my one of my best friends. This girl who is all of 5'1, is now a purple belt in BJJ, and has years of experience in training with men as a beginner.
Of course, she inspired with phrases like, "yeah, screw that! Don't let them chase you out of there." And, "everyone is a beginner at first." Getting good at Muay Thai is going to take time, and dedication and blah blah blah. So that got me thinking about possible cross training ideas. Then a moment of exhaustion fueled clarity it hit me, why not test out my theory and use BALLET and for good measure yoga!Why not cross train Muay Thai with two things I am familiar with and see what happens. I doubt very seriously i'll be able to Ronda Rousey anyone tomorrow, but I am willing to bet that the resistance, strength and balance training will accelerate my Muay Thai skills at least a little faster. And if not, oh well, I'll still be having fun.
"Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about."
-Sir Winston Churchill
