"Kicking, punching, blocking & throwing" - How martial arts has been a part of me
- Live-well
- Jan 14
- 5 min read
Live-well Blog #5 - 14/01/26
Susanna, 59, does another impressive head height roundhouse kick into the bag. The session is going great! We’ve been doing PT sessions together for about 4 months. Before she had sciatic pain down her leg, mental fatigue and wanted to burn excess weight. Now she can do 15 rounds of kickboxing, is more toned and totally pain free. I love being a personal trainer! 🥳🙌
Martial arts has been a big part of my life, in fact for more than half my life.
From being obsessed as a kid with superhero comics, where the hero and antagonist battle it out with flying kicks and dynamic movements (I drew the Spider-man and Venom characters a Lot!). 🦸🕸️
To my adolescent years starting karate at a local hall, to build some internal confidence in a rough neighbourhood and working on my self-defence skills. 🥋
Admittedly initially I started martial arts with gaining wholly physical benefits at the front of my mind.
“To be fitter and stronger!”
“To have more confidence in myself!”
“To be able to kick some butt (in defence) if I really had to!”
But, with each art and style I have been part of through the years, I have gained much more than that. 😁
After karate in my late teens I joined a local gym, filled with heavy weights and grunting friendly giants! It was my safe place for me, and I went about 4-5 times a week in between college and work. At the bottom of the gym was a large room where I gravitated to most – The punch bag room. Where I spent many rounds working on boxing techniques and sweating lots. 😅 However, I must say it was a time I had a lot of anger at myself and I had a habit of bottling things up, so the outlet of hitting the bag solo did help me. It’s what I felt like I needed at the time.
However, there was a problem. I did not consciously realise at the time, but I was actually quite lonely. Others had tried to build friendships and links with me through training – a burly chap with a boxing bulldog tattoo on his neck (it’s true 🐶) kindly offered me boxing advice whenever we happened to be on the boxing bags at the same time. Another man in his twenties even offered to be my coach, but I declined because I lacked so much confidence to except his generous gesture. For some reason, I saw this type of training as a solo pursuit, like I should not be able to share it and I was using it to try to “quiet that negative voice and feelings” with it. I would soon realise there was more to it than that.
I later moved to a new town for a fresh start in life and by chance stumbled upon Bob the Builder (highly recommend 🔨), who welcomed me to join him where he and others did kickboxing in town. Initially I was super nervous. Yeah, I loved the idea of doing combos and exerting my body, but I was apprehensive of doing that with other people.. I was incredibly introverted at this time, the idea of going to a new place with strangers was quite a thing to process.
I entered the dojo (training hall) and was kindly welcomed by a group of soon-would-be close friends. Running upon the matted floor, doing combos together, laughing and sharing the challenges along the way. Within 20 minutes of my first kickboxing session, I knew I wanted to dedicate myself to this.
Separately to this, it was also at this time that I was in the early stages of being part of the fitness industry, as a PT. Lots of gym intros, making sure customers were happy and cleaning/fixing equipment! 🔩🔩
Again, martial arts started as a simply physical purpose. But with the growing community of my fellow martial artists, my guidance from my sensei (teacher) Brian and the path of progression in front me, the benefits were vast in my mind also. I will always be grateful to everyone at the All-style Kickboxing Academy (AKA). 🥊
My kickboxing journey went something like this: 2-3 times a week, 5 years, competitions, mishaps, community and grading up to to 1st dan (black) later. I could never imagine life without martial arts.
Later, the dojo disbanded and everyone parted ways, life was busy and we all had commitments. At this point I made sure that I spent time every week maintaining my art forms on the bag and in practice.
I also made a clear decision that I wanted to share the fitness and health benefits of martial arts with my clients as a personal trainer (without people worrying about gradings, competitions or potential sports injuries..). By specialising in martial arts fitness-based workouts. And I am proud to say that I have focused on bringing the fitness and mentally empowering benefits of martial arts, and been lucky to share it with close to a hundred individuals. I love teaching a client, who would never dream of doing a martial art, how to do a roundhouse kick at their head height! It really makes my day! 🥲👍
In my own training, as much as I still loved doing my kickboxing, karate, boxing combos… I was seriously craving a new journey… So last year I began again. I entered a new dojo (Dynamic Judo), met new people, with a whole new art form. This time judo. Judo is based around throwing, close contact and ground work. Things I had very little experience in with my current skillsets!
When I first walked in, in the back of my mind were those echoes of nerves like all those years ago. But this time I knew that it’s okay to be new. As much as it is a real pleasure to be able to coach people of all walks of life in my PT business, there is also something special about being “the newbie” in a sport I had never done before. Again, the community welcomed me! Without realising that evening, I would gain another network of friends who shared the same path: To share and always strive forwards in learning and improving as a martial artist. And, speaking for myself, also to better the person I am in my own life.
A year later… with learning lots of Japanese terminologies (I’m working on this!), a couple of colour belt changes with gradings and the exciting prospect of continuing being a keen student. I feel very blessed indeed. I’ll definitely do a more in-depth blog on my experience with judo in the future. 💪🦸
Our training, like life, is always organic and changing. Move in the way that is right for you in this present time. Do the thing that speaks to you most. And if you need any help, I’m here too 👍 – Luke from Live-well.
Want to feel fitter, more flexible and empowered? Reach out to see how I can help you with martial arts fitness sessions - Let’s get those combos started! 😁🥊
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