Tanya Finds Stress Relief In Kickboxing For Fitness In Westchester NY

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it until I leave the earth. Martial arts training is for everyone. We all have different paths that we follow. Along the way we will come across obstacles that try to prevent us from advancing. The lessons and values learned and gained on the mat in kickboxing class or jiu-jitsu class prepare us to handle these obstacles and overcome them. At first glance when someone looks at Tanya I’m sure they see what I see. A very pretty lady with a great smile. One would assume that she would be happy all day long. For the most part she is but at times she struggles to find her smile. Not in my class though. It’s there ear to ear.

Tanya is a single mother of three kids. That alone is an amazing success. Her son Ryan first started taking my class a little over a year ago. He is such a good kid. While he was in class I was able to speak to Tanya and find out that she had lots of other things going on. I knew then that she needed to start training. It did take a little pushing on my part but once she started she loved it. I think sometimes we are our own worst enemies. We can’t get out of our own way at times and in those times is when we need a little help to find our inner strength. At times she still needs a phone call to get her back in regularly but when she trains she trains hard.

Upon earning her promotion I had to convince her how strong she really is and how amazing she has been doing. I told her I wanted her in my Close Range Defense class where we learn grappling techniques. She had sworn that she would never be in that class. The natural feeling of anxiety when in such close contact with people is something that isn’t all that easy to become comfortable with. The success she has seen from the beginner kickboxing class gave her the courage to try. That’s all I can ask for as an instructor. The willingness to try. She tried, did amazing and actually liked it. That is progress my friends.

“One of the best feelings in life is doing something today that yesterday you thought you would never be able to do. To be able to accomplish something that you though you couldn’t or were told you wouldn’t fills us with confidence. That confidence provides us courage to do it again. Before you know it you feel like there isn’t anything you can’t do.”

Of all the things that Martial arts training gives us from great fitness to real life self defense I think the most important result is the newly found self confidence. Most people gain this by losing weight and getting in better shape. Tanya was already in great shape when she got here. The confidence she has gained has been by proving to herself that she could do this. Being able to do something today that yesterday you thought was impossible is an amazing feeling. That if she applied herself there isn’t anything she can’t do. She believes in herself and found a strength that was always there but she just forgot about it for a minute. I’m so very proud of her and can’t wait to see what she does next.