Three Winter Breaks ago, I noticed that my cousin’s boyfriend, who was visiting from Texas, had a boxing glove with him. He told me it was for kickboxing and how he loved the whole-body workout it offers. He usually practices near the gym back where he lives.
While I enjoyed the idea of seeing someone punch or hit a sandbag, I never thought of doing it myself. So for two years, I let the idea go, until I noticed a kickboxing gym in Jenkintown, not far from where I live. The closeness of the gym, along with my doctor telling me to exercise more, convinced me to finally give kickboxing a try.
Turns out, kickboxing is good for you. Doing 150 minutes per week of physical activity, such as kickboxing, helps to greatly reduce stress and anxiety symptoms, according to a 2019 study by The American Psychiatric Association.
Ron Dukes, a group fitness instructor at the Athletic/Recreation Center (ARC) on the University City campus who has been in the professional fitness field for 25 years and teaches a kickboxing class at the ARC once a week on Thursdays at 6 p.m., told me anyone can do kickboxing.
“I am able to modify classes for people that don’t know [their] left from their right up to actual fighters and make the class both enjoyable and educational,” Dukes wrote in response to written questions from The Hawk.
I wanted to give kickboxing a try, but location and price are big factors for me. I am a Hawk Hill commuter student, so adding a shuttle ride to the other campus wasn’t going to work, even if those classes are free to St. Joe’s students.
iLoveKickboxing in Jenkintown is a beginner-friendly kickboxing gym. With kickboxing classes offered as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 9 p.m. on weekdays, they allow newcomers to try a free trial class. After the trial class, customers can choose between a package that offers three additional classes for $30 and/or a package that offers five classes for $40.
I decided iLoveKickboxing was a good choice for me. I scheduled a session, drove to Jenkintown, got a bit lost and finally arrived at the front door of the gym.
One of the best things about kickboxing is being able to improve yourself, said Quan Ilkb, a former barista-turned-kickboxing instructor at iLoveKickboxing.
“I love learning how my body works and pushing past preconceived limits that our mind puts on our body,” Ilkb said.
When I arrived, I was surprised at how welcoming everyone was. I was given a tour by one of the staff members, guiding me through the operation and the facilities.
After everyone had arrived for the class and removed their shoes, class began. The experience humbled me quickly.
Music through the speakers got everyone’s adrenaline pumping for some warm-ups. We did leg lifts and even tried to do splits. We moved onto the upper body with push-ups and sit-ups.
Then it was time to actually put on our gloves. We practiced right and left hook punches on the punching bags. We followed with a cross punch and a left and right uppercut. Afterward, we incorporated sidekicks with our left and right legs. Exhausted from the warm-ups and foolishly not bringing enough water, I struggled at first, overextending myself to try and keep up.
Eventually, Ilkb told me to take my time. I took his advice, slowed down, ignored what everyone else was doing and began to pace myself.
I remembered to spread my feet apart, positioning my right foot in front of my left foot and keeping my arms raised.
After doing this eight separate times, I fell down on the ground, exhausted. Every single part of my body felt sore for several days, and it became difficult to move. Despite that, it felt good to get through my first class, let off some steam and get a good workout.
Brandon Coleman, a teacher who lives in Philadelphia, attended the same class as me. He said he loves how much stress kickboxing relieves.
“You start hitting something and you feel better and you get a good exercise,” Coleman said.
While my body isn’t ready for anything beyond a beginner’s class at the moment, the class made me realize why people do this, and I hope to try it again in the future.
