Bodycombat Initial Training- I Passed!

 

I passed Bodycombat Initial Training! This is just the very first step toward becoming certified to teach Bodycombat classes. And, for me, certification will just be the first step toward becoming a good Bodycombat coach.   

I have never done any martial arts before and I had only ever taken two live Bodycombat classes before training. I was just doing my best to imitate what I saw the presenters doing on the video and what my mentor was doing in class.

Bodycombat puts a lot of emphasis on proper technique. I have taught freestyle kickboxing classes for a long time, but now that I see how different those classes are from Bodycombat, I don't even consider that experience very relevant to what's ahead of me. The freestyle kickboxing classes conditioned my body, but I will need an entirely new skill level to do Bodycombat as well as I want to.

I knew nothing about martial arts, so Bodycombat training was like an introduction to martial arts for me. Our trainer demonstrated, drilled, corrected, adjusted, and constantly reminded us about proper form throughout the weekend. Now I find that I think I have a budding interest in martial arts and a new appreciation for images like this one. I would love it if my side kick looked this good.

 

I learned a lot this weekend at training, especially about the proper technique, but the main thing I learned at training is that I still have a lot to learn, especially when it comes to proper technique.  

I hope that makes sense.

At this point, almost all of my punches and kicks are clumsy, weak, slow, and off target and my range of motion is severely limited.  But I am actually excited by the years of very physical work I see ahead of me.  This interest in martial arts was a totally unexpected and surprising affect of the Bodycomabt training on me, but I think it means Bodycombat will be a good, long-term fit for me.

There are other pre-choreographed kickboxing programs out there that I could have gotten certified to teach, but I have never felt comfortable with those programs for some reason.

"Why not?" I asked myself.

Bodycombat puts so much emphasis on technique that I will have to learn how to fight to do it well.

"Why do I feel so comfortable with learning to fight?"  I asked myself.

I saw this quote on Facebook last night, just as I had finished training, and I thought it was really appropriate. 

Don’t hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit softly.

-Theodore Roosevelt

I try to be thoughtful about everything that I do.  I had the chance to do a lot of soul-searching about these things while I drove to training.  (I had to get up at 4am to be on the road by 5am, to be at training by 8am and I came home after training each night, so there was a lot of time to process.)   As I drove, I realized Bodycombat actually fits squarely into my worldview.  I think I am drawn to it because it is so much more authentic than other similar cardio workouts.

Here's how my thought-process went-
 
This world is imperfect.

There are two sides in every conflict.

We live in this world.

And we are free to choose sides in every conflict.

None of us choose to be good all the time and even in one situation, we are often guilty in one regard and innocent in another.

That's why Jesus Christ is so relevant, essential, and necessary, even today. Those of us who want to do good need a Savior because none us have always done what is right all the time in every situation.

It is always appropriate for the good people to "Turn the other cheek." I think this especially true when we are offended and angry.

So when that crude old man saw me and my precious little girls coming toward him where he sat on his park bench and he choose to use the f-word loudly several times as we walked to shock and offend us, I didn't give him a piece of my mind like I really wanted to. Instead, I felt the Spirit of God restrain me and my daughters and I did not engage with this fool. We just kept walking in the same direction faster.

But there are other times when action might be required, times when inaction would be wrong. One example would be America's action to help stop the Nazis in World War II.

If someone is using their freewill to hurt innocent people and I am empowered, I am bound by my faith and good conscious to help the innocent people.

So what I like about Bodycombat is that it is much more authentic than the other programs I have seen.

It empowers me in a way that may actually help me in the real world.  

God forbid I ever need to use an ascending elbow on another human being, but it will be good, yes, good to know how to break a bad man's nose if I ever need to. 

So, if you, like me, were wondering how this gentle, Christian, mother of three has found herself on this journey towards a Bodycombat certification, now you know.  Once again, I am grateful for the Lord's guidance in my life, because I could not have known how happy this program could make me. 

You can read more about my journey by clicking on the Bodycombat tag at the bottom of this post.