My first muay thai class
It was Tuesday evening and I had just gotten off the bus at the Kitchener Station. The original TKO Fighting Arts was located on Charles St. West, just a 10 minute walk east of the station. I remember my mind racing with uncomfortable thoughts. Half excited, and half scared. "How will I do? Are people going to laugh at me? Was my friend John right and that I am just way over my head on this one?" (If you guys don't remember John, you can read about him HERE). These thoughts lingered in my mind as I anxiously walked towards the building; I remained determined to see this day through. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? I arrived at the location some minutes later in front of an old dilapidated greyish white building and thought, “Damn, this is some Rocky S#%* going on here!” I entered, walked up a flight of stairs and turned left down a corridor towards TKO. As I arrived at the entrance, there were a bunch of people just mingling by the entrance way. Awkwardly, I excused my way through the thickened crowd and was greeted by a young man in a grey tank top built around my size. I assumed he was the man to talk to since he was surrounded by a posse of students all trying to grab his attention. “My name is Bao, I’m here for my trial class.” I said tentatively. He replied in a stern voice with a straight face, “I’m Chris, fill this waiver out and change over there. Class will start in a few minutes and the instructor’s name is Scott.” He pointed to the change room directly behind me.
I got changed and proceeded to the training floor. This place looked more rundown than in the photos I thought to myself. I wanted the real deal and I knew after stepping in here that this was it. As I apprehensively stood there in the middle of the training floor, someone spoke out, “Name is Alvin, looks like your first class. Grab a rope over there, we are going to start soon.” I felt a little more relaxed and welcomed as someone actually noticed me! “Thanks.” I replied, and went to grab a skipping rope. Some moments later, a gentleman twice my size walked on the floor. He was wearing some funny looking shorts and towered over the rest. I assumed that he was our trainer Scott. He directed his attention at us and yelled, “This ain’t no country club! Start skipping and pick it up!” I began skipping.
We skipped for a few rounds and then followed up with calisthenics. Push ups, squats, burpees, situps, all the usual body weight stuff. After about 20 minutes of conditioning, we paired up. One partner was instructed to wear pads, and the other to get their boxing gloves on. Scott taught us a few beginner punching techniques and we would practice these strikes on the pads with our partners. The entire training session lasted about an hour long and boy was I tired by the end! I knew at that very moment that this is what I wanted to do. I signed up on the spot.
Reflecting back on that day, I realize that most of my anxiety came from the moments leading up to the class. The class itself wasn’t so bad! And the feeling I felt after the class was amazing. In my head, I had made up all these scenarios of possible things that could go wrong...but that was all it was, "made up" scenarios. Ultimately, it was just me being afraid of negative judgement and criticism. I was lucky enough that TKO Fighting Arts was very supportive and welcoming. The members were all friendly and had made me feel right at home. Within the first month, I made some amazing friends and couldn’t be happier about my decision to join. I love muay thai, but it’s truly the community and camaraderie that keeps me coming back. You’ll never know what you are missing until you put yourself out there to try something new.
Don’t be afraid of being afraid. Be afraid, and do it anyway.
Former UFC Champion, George St. Pierre, said it best:
"Before every fight, before every hardcore training session, I was afraid. Afraid to be humiliated, afraid to disappoint my mentor, and afraid to get hurt. I believe I shouldn't be afraid to admit I'm afraid. Being scared doesn't make you a coward. You know what? There’s no courage without fear.”
I would love to hear your story. Feel free to tell us your first muay thai experience below.
632 comments
FINALLY I GOT MY LOST BITCOIN BACK ALL THANKS TO // THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT
I am out here to spread this good news to the entire world on how THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT and his teams help me in recovering my lost Bitcoin. I never thought I could get scammed of my Bitcoin , I never knew these investments were fake. I was depressed and in anger but all thanks to THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT for the help and professional service offered to me in my time of need. I invested $1.3 million in a cryptocurrency platform and found out it was a scam and I had no idea how to get my money back until I contacted THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT To anyone out there seeking to recover any lost bitcoin from cryptocurrency forms of online scams or wallet hackers , I recommend THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT they specialize in recovery of lost funds. CONTACT DETAILS;
WhatsApp +1(520)200-2320) or shoot them an email at (support@thehackangels.com) They also have a great website at (www.thehackangels.com)
THE HACK ANGELS // A POTENTIAL BTC // USDT // CRYPTO // ETH RECOVERY EXPERT
I had over $800k in Bitcoin lost to a fake investor online that I came across last three months through a colleague of mine at work who also lost her investment along the line. I had to confide in a close friend of mine who then introduced me to this crypto recovery team THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. I contacted them and they were able to completely recover my stolen digital assets with ease. I had nearly given up hope before I found them, and now I can say with full confidence that they are the real deal. They have the knowledge, tools, and experience to recover your assets, and they do so with integrity and dedication. If you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to contact them. They are the experts to contact when you need help to get your Bitcoin back and they did exactly that for me.
Send an Email or WhatsApp to:
WhatsApp +1(520)200-2320
Email:support@thehackangels.com
Website: www.thehackangels.com)
THE HACK ANGELS // A POTENTIAL BTC // USDT // CRYPTO // ETH RECOVERY EXPERT
I had over $800k in Bitcoin lost to a fake investor online that I came across last three months through a colleague of mine at work who also lost her investment along the line. I had to confide in a close friend of mine who then introduced me to this crypto recovery team THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. I contacted them and they were able to completely recover my stolen digital assets with ease. I had nearly given up hope before I found them, and now I can say with full confidence that they are the real deal. They have the knowledge, tools, and experience to recover your assets, and they do so with integrity and dedication. If you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to contact them. They are the experts to contact when you need help to get your Bitcoin back and they did exactly that for me.
Send an Email or WhatsApp to:
WhatsApp +1(520)200-2320
Email:support@thehackangels.com
Website: www.thehackangels.com)
CONTACT THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT FOR ANY LOST FUNDS TO ONLINE SCAMMERS
I wanted to take a moment to express my utmost gratitude for the incredible service THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT provided in helping me recover my lost cryptocurrency. I didn’t celebrate my Christmas as expected but I am glad I will be able to make it up on New Year. I had given up and was depressed until a friend of mine told me about THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT, a cryptocurrency recovery company with 100% success stories. I didn’t hesitate to contact this company and I provided them with all the information including my wallet address, It took THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT 48 hours to recover my money. I’m truly grateful for their service and I recommend their service to everyone willing to recover their cryptocurrency funds. Reach out to them through their email or Contact;
WhatsApp: +1(520)200-2320
Email: support@thehackangels.com
Website: www.thehackangels.com
If you’re in London, you can visit them at their office located at 45-46 Red Lion Street, London WC1R 4PF, UK. They’re super helpful.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help!
Ever since my husband got me divorced for the past 2 years, i v’e not been my self. I was reviewing some post of how i could get back my husband then, i saw a testimony shared by Marina Choas from SWEDEN about a spell caster named Dr. Okosun. I contacted Marina Chaos to confirm about how Dr. Okosun helped her and she clarified everything to me of how he helped her and that gave me the courage to get in touch with Dr. OKosun for help. Dr. Okosun assured me that my days of sorrows will be over within 48hours after he has finished with his work. I followed his instructions he gave to me because i had the believe, faith, hope and trust in him. Verily i say to you today that i and my husband are back together and i can proudly say and testify to the world of what Dr. Okosun did for me. Contact him today via E-mail:(Okosunspelltemple33@gmail.com call him or whatsapp him +2348054338132 if you seek his help.