Let's start at the beginning and figure out what went wrong and why I lost shape in the first place.
Soon after winning my last title I bought my first house of which the term "fixer upper" is far to much of an understatement.
I also started my kickboxing club in Bristol. So now I have much less spare time on my hands than I used to have. Also the time spent at my club is much more teaching than training, so where as before I spent around 4-5 hours a week kickboxing training, I was now spending around 6 hours a week kickboxing teaching, not to mention all the extra time spent doing admin and promotions for the club.
Soon after winning my last title I bought my first house of which the term "fixer upper" is far to much of an understatement.
I also started my kickboxing club in Bristol. So now I have much less spare time on my hands than I used to have. Also the time spent at my club is much more teaching than training, so where as before I spent around 4-5 hours a week kickboxing training, I was now spending around 6 hours a week kickboxing teaching, not to mention all the extra time spent doing admin and promotions for the club.
At first I managed to maintain shape, just about... but soon after moving
into the house I had a rather unpleasant break up with my then
girlfriend. The little time I did have to devote to training was
replaced with seeing friends, drinking and going out into town.
I made the decision to focus more on dealing with real street fights rather than kickboxing competition. So my Friday and Saturday nights were spent working the doors, with lots of standing around and the occasional punch up.
So to summarize:-
But now things have changed. I've been seeing my new girlfriend Laura for a year and a half. She is, putting it mildly, physical perfection :) The relationship has steadied and we are very happy. So that cuts down the drinking and going into town. Leaving:-
Less time available
All the essentials of my house are now done, Bath room, bedrooms, heating, plumbing, electrics. So although there is a lot left to do, it's not as urgent as it was in the past.
Now teaching kickboxing rather than training
The clubs been running for 3 years. We have some higher grades and Laura is usually on hand to help out. We also have a separate Adult class which makes it much easier for me to teach and join in at the same time.
Focus on real life fight situations
After more than 2 years door work I've learned much about real life fighting. I don't think of it as street fighting anymore, but as street conflict. With being able to spot and read the signs of street conflict, much street fighting can be avoided. That said sometimes the quickest and easiest way to resolve a situation is with physical force, after all, unfortunately there are some people that only understand one thing. I'm comfortable that for the time being I've learned enough so I need to devote the time to my business and getting back into shape.
Verdict
I've still got a lot less time on my hands, but things are not as bad as they were. I'm going to need to structure my time properly so a weekly timetable is in order.
In my next post I'll cover my motivation to get back in shape, how I plan to do it, what's in my time table, and other concerns I'll be trying to address at the same time.
I made the decision to focus more on dealing with real street fights rather than kickboxing competition. So my Friday and Saturday nights were spent working the doors, with lots of standing around and the occasional punch up.
So to summarize:-
- Less time available
- Now teaching kickboxing rather than training
- No steady relationship
- Focus on real life fight situations
But now things have changed. I've been seeing my new girlfriend Laura for a year and a half. She is, putting it mildly, physical perfection :) The relationship has steadied and we are very happy. So that cuts down the drinking and going into town. Leaving:-
Less time available
All the essentials of my house are now done, Bath room, bedrooms, heating, plumbing, electrics. So although there is a lot left to do, it's not as urgent as it was in the past.
Now teaching kickboxing rather than training
The clubs been running for 3 years. We have some higher grades and Laura is usually on hand to help out. We also have a separate Adult class which makes it much easier for me to teach and join in at the same time.
Focus on real life fight situations
After more than 2 years door work I've learned much about real life fighting. I don't think of it as street fighting anymore, but as street conflict. With being able to spot and read the signs of street conflict, much street fighting can be avoided. That said sometimes the quickest and easiest way to resolve a situation is with physical force, after all, unfortunately there are some people that only understand one thing. I'm comfortable that for the time being I've learned enough so I need to devote the time to my business and getting back into shape.
Verdict
I've still got a lot less time on my hands, but things are not as bad as they were. I'm going to need to structure my time properly so a weekly timetable is in order.
In my next post I'll cover my motivation to get back in shape, how I plan to do it, what's in my time table, and other concerns I'll be trying to address at the same time.
