A Very Sparry Muay Thai Halloween Recap
On the first day of our 7th week open, we had our first annual Halloween costume class. I’m not going to lie, I was nervous about doing this class with the gym only a little over one month old. I wasn’t sure if I would get the buy-in from the students. I usually love being right, but this was a case where I loved being wrong. There was a solid turn out, and the costumes were fantastic.
It was so much fun. It’s not every day you get to kick a grandma, knee Raphael, sweep the Dude, punch a construction worker, or teep Wayne out of this world. Those were just a few of the awesome costumes on display. And every single student worked hard in those costumes (a few were even striking hard, striking first, and showing now mercy 😉). Without question we were sweating that night with the extra gear on. And I believe there was only one costume casualty (RIP Neil’s sumo costume).
Now there isn’t much to recap (we dressed up and trained), but that isn’t the real reason I wanted to write this blog. What I did want to write about is why—why we had a Halloween class at The Clinic and why we will have future theme/party classes. I mean the simple answer is easy: It’s fun. Life is short, so why wouldn’t you choose fun? But I wanted to dive a hair deeper than that.
We all train for different reasons. Some want to fight/compete and some want to lose weight, while others want to gain confidence and fitness. Everyone has their own reasons, so that list doesn’t even scratch the surface. Whatever the reasons are, they pull us into the gym. And the gym can be a tough place. In a lot of ways, it should be a tough place. Our goals will not be accomplished if we don’t push through uncomfortable things.
I certainly try to keep it a positive environment that excites everyone, but, in the end, it’s a place that will always push you. And that can wear on anyone. So when you have goals that you are working hard on, it can be exhausting.
The phrases commonly used in athletics are about dealing with things that are awful: “Embrace the grind,” “rent is due everyday,” “no pain no gain,” etc. These things are all true for those who really want to accomplish their goals. I wish I could make that reality less true, but I can’t. If you really want something, there will be some tough things you have to push through. Because I want to keep The Clinic a place you can go to escape the difficulties of everyday life, if I can find little ways to lighten the mood, create more laughs, and still get your work in, I’m going to do it. It’s important to push hard everyday, but it’s equally as important to give yourself a break sometimes so your head doesn’t explode.
I also love doing things like this because Muay Thai is considered a solo sport. If you compete, you are alone in that ring, and that can be lonely at times. Even those who join for reasons other than competing usually come alone. I find that these themed nights help everyone bond more. It brings out different aspects of our personalities other than just our “I’m here to work hard” personality. The more we all start caring for each other, the more we all help each other accomplish our goals. The more you bond with your fellow Nak Muays, the more you get excited to show up for training or just have enough motivation to show up on a day where you would normally not. The more you start showing up for your training partners, the more this solo sport starts feeling like a team sport.
Most days at The Clinic will be serious Muay Thai training, but I’m constantly going to add classes that can be fun and help bond us. I’m already working on setting up an Ugly Holiday Sweater class in December, so start shopping for an ugly sweater now! Find something that doesn’t have attachments though. Jingle bells are funny, but you don’t want your partner’s foot getting caught or cut on a bell. This class will be a little more family oriented, so you can bring your loved ones to the gym to watch you train while they eat some holiday cookies. If you train hard, you can have a cookie afterwards I guess.
