Want to get relaxed? Join a boxing class!
Want to get relaxed? Join a boxing class!
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It is not that time of the month, and the teen angst period has
passed, like, eight years ago. But lately, the level of my anger,
emotion and rage have been reaching unprecedented levels. If
someone gets on my nerves, I want to punch him/her right away.
I was still sensible, thank God, but I knew that it was only a
matter of time until I could do something destructive. So, all of
this emotional baggage had to be channeled somehow.
But how? Getting bitchy with all of my colleagues and scolding
everyone around, of course are not viable options.
The answer then came about two weeks ago, while exercising at
the Jakarta Hilton International's LifeSpa and Fitness Center.
There was an announcement that the Center was going to open a
boxing class and invite its members to join.
This is it. Sign me up, baby!
With the spirit of Rocky Balboa, I started the class by
humming Sammy Hagar's Eye of a Tiger (cue theme of Rocky)
endlessly.
The Cus D'Amato (late, legendary boxing trainer) of the class
is former boxing champion Syamsul Anwar Harahap.
On the first day of the class, the thirteen of us were taught
how to stand, step and look fierce (I made up the latter).
We should not stand straight on with legs parallel, as it will
make your opponent easier to punch you. Instead, we should stand
with one shoulder and one foot forward.
As my right hand is stronger than my left, I was asked to put
my left foot forward.
The legs are slightly bent and apart as far as shoulder width.
The legs, however, make a 45 degree angle with our body. The foot
in the back must be tiptoed, or what Syamsul calls "heel up".
As for the fists, the right fist is placed on the right chin,
while the left fist is a span away from the left cheek.
Afterwards, Syamsul taught us to step forward, backward, step
to the side, and rotate.
"This (stepping) is the basics of boxing footwork. You have to
master it first before you learn how to punch. It's very useful
to move about, avoiding opponent's attacks," Syamsul said.
The left feet move first if we step forward or move to the
left side, and vice versa.
"The right foot, or the foot at the back, is indeed the
support. Even if you move with the left foot first, it's actually
the right foot which moves it," said Syamsul.
After we got the footwork down, Syamsul then asked us to
practice all of the steps in several rounds, each was for three
minutes, just like in a boxing match.
And, whew! After 15 rounds, it felt like we were doing a high-
impact aerobic class.
We were sweating all over, tired but fresh, and the thigh
muscles were throbbing. The right leg, though, felt a bit weary.
"Boxing is very good to improve our agility, speed and
stamina. Because as you see, we keep on moving dynamically. It's
different with weight training, isn't it?" Syamsul said.
The sport can also be done by people of any age, as long as
they are in the prime condition, as boxing requires prime
stamina.
There are some aerobic classes which have some boxing movement
in it.
"But the benefit of the real boxing is its explosive
movements. Hands and feet move with the same speed. As for boxing
aerobics, like taebo for example, it's only hands that move,"
Syamsul said.
The other benefit has to do with self defense, as boxing,
unlike karate for instance, enables us to punch right away at the
target.
"Boxing also helps to improve our self esteem and increases
concentration. Because we have to always monitor and anticipate
our opponents' movements,"
"All in all, however, the key is agility. It's very useful if
you're a dancer, or at least, like to dance," Syamsul said.
The next session will be started with a jumprope routine, a
very good exercise to synchronize hands and feet.
According to Syamsul, boxing can be combined with weight
training, but not too much.
"The mistakes of the local boxers now is that they think the
bulkier the biceps are the stronger the will be. It's untrue.
Instead, bulky biceps will make it difficult to punch, and your
moves will be more stiff. The most important is the momentum, and
the pressure to the target. And the best targets that knock your
opponents out are the chin and the pit of the stomach," he said.