Wednesday, December 14, 2011

"Sometimes I lay under the moon and I thank god Im breathing, then I pray dont take me soon because I am here for a reason.." Matisyahu

  The demands of soccer can really take a toll on your body. When I got back from Finland I decided to give my body a bit of a break.  It is really hard for me to take a break.  I started exploring different forms off cross training.  In the past I would do things like play tennis, yoga or bike the lake at Florida Southern. Now I am back in Massachusetts.   I joined a local gym; the Northampton Athletic Club.  Its a great gym; they have a wide range of classes, the people are really friendly and they have everything I need.  Since I decided to take a little break from soccer I decided to try things I never thought I would and see what happened. 

The first class I tried was tae kwon do  This was one of the most different types of exercise I have ever done.  The movements where very slow and methodical.  There are many different courtesies and formalities that go along with this class.  Tae kwon do was a great learning experience, but it was not for me. 
The next class I tried was Kickboxing.  The warm up was fun and intense.  The music was blasting, my heart was going and I was having fun.  When I took tae kwon do there was no music and I think that's what I missed.  I like doing things to a beat and a rhythm.  The teacher taught me how to punch and kick properly and then she put the class through a mini circuit.  I learned different combinations to use when I hit the bag, and I was really good at the speed bag.  After the workout was complete I was pretty tired but I wanted to keep going. 



Since kickboxing went so well I decided to try their boxing class.  This class was a smaller class; the teacher showed me how to wrap my hands and we got to work.  My wrists and hands are not the strongest so I never thought I would be good at this, but the wrap and the gloves  serve as great support.  The warm up was good and the instructor taught us different combinations on the bag.  I felt really good this day; the theme song to Rocky came on, my feet were quick and I was putting some power behind my punches.  I was completely in the zone; it was like nothing else existed but me and the bag.  The only other time I feel like this is when I am out on the field.  I was also impressed with the other people in the class; a few of them are older than me but they are working just as hard.  It was a great workout; I was pretty tired afterwards and the next day I was pretty sore. I rarely ever get sore.. I was impressed. 

I'm going to keep trying new things but I will continue to kick box and box until my next adventure.  Both of the classes are a challenge and  I look forward to them. I'm working muscles I don't usually work. This is a perfect type of cross training for me and I think it will help me become a better player as well.


Now I have been starting to get back into soccer.  My lungs
have hit a little bump in the road but I have recovered.  I am slowly getting back into it and building my strength up.  I felt strong enough to go to the field; it was a beautiful day and it was just me and my ball.  I started off by just juggling and dribbling around and then worked on some shooting and free kicks.  Before I knew it a few hours just flew by. It felt so good to be on the field again; every time I hit that little "bump" it makes me appreciate playing even more!  When I was out on the field it was like nothing else around me existed.  Its like I am trapped in this zone; it clears my head.  Its a weird but an incredible feeling; I always get like this on the field; Its the one place where everything feels completely right.       

No comments:

Post a Comment