February 10, 2008 * 4th Lesson
It appears to come naturally to Monica (the woman in the photo). It being the suggestion by Survivor to embody “the eye of the tiger” and “rise up to the challenge of our rival”. You’d think a woman, being at least half a foot shorter than I and, well, a woman, would be intimated by my hulking frame (ahem) and gender. Yet she threw the harder punches, and was able to contain her giggles.
Giggles… at funerals. Giggles… at a serious lecture. These damn things always appear at the most inopportune moments. In boxing, you’re instructed to look your opponent in the eye. You want to look at his glove, his shoes, your shoes, anything but his (or her, as the case may be) eyes. Why? Because it’s difficult to be both nice and mean at the same time. We’d rather believe, and would like others to as well, that we’re polite and peace-loving folk. And yet, here we are face to face with a primal part of ourselves that is a tad intrigued by the violence of it all.
My instructor pushes me to “face the music” and allow Monica to connect. I obey, and then…”THUD”, my defending hand and chin absorb the force of her blow. This seems to wake me up. For a moment or two, my giggles are cured.
Thanks to Monica for agreeing to be part of this entry, and to Dana for the photos.
February 11, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I agree that it is difficult to be nice and mean at the same time. But I would argue that neither need to be in play while boxing. When my squash opponent (a good friend) and I step on to the court, we are neither nice or mean. We step in to the zone of focused determination. we are there to play hard, and try to win. But more important than winning, we want to give each other a good game and workout, this shows respect for your opponent.
February 11, 2008 at 5:04 pm
>>But I would argue that neither need to be in play while boxing
It’s hard to avoid. Having played racquetball and squash, the overall purpose is to acquire points, not hurt your opponent. This is not the case in boxing. You punch to cause harm. You punch to wound. You punch to injure. And while our class is a fun, cardio-fueled workout, the message is clear…give a punch, receive a punch. All of which trigger primal reactions, many of them unconscious and being sublimated in a variety of ways.
>>…focused determination…play hard…give each other a good
>>game…shows respect for your opponent.
Ah, good things to remember Rob. Thanks for the comment.
March 21, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Hmmm…. I like to think that I’m being nice by being aggressive- if we went easy on each other all the time, we would never extend our own limits (pain/aggression/physicality/etc) and then we’d get creamed in the ring or in a real life situation.
By constantly pushing ourselves and each other “just that little bit further” while still in a safe environment, we’re helping to condition our brains and bodies to react instinctively when we need them to.
Having said that, I’ve been in martial arts classes facing off against opponents who hammered me as hard as they could. I don’t think it’s necessary to try to kill the person you’re training with… unless you’re aiming to become a professional.