About 2 and 1/2 years ago, I set out on a new journey as mentioned on this very blog. After going through a few personal and professional changes in my life, I decided that it was time to do something for myself and made the decision to begin training Muay Thai. The goal was to get at least one fight. People would ask me why and I didn’t have a real answer. It was simply something that I had to do. Finally, 2 1/2 years later, that day is eminent.
I’ve always been athletic but I kind of grew up as an athlete without a sport and when I started training Muay Thai, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be the right fit. Thankfully, I have great trainers and training partners who were able to keep me motivated and helped me develop some decent skills. I put in a lot of hard work, time and mental energy into learning the sport and changing from an athlete to a fighter.
On January 2 I learned that all of the work was going to pay off. On that day, I was notified that I’d have my first amateur fight on January 28th, giving me 4 weeks to prepare. I can honestly say that I have never worked this hard for anything. The combination of a very strict diet to get my weight down, running and 2+ hour training sessions (while still working) have definitely taken their toll but I’m also in the best shape of my life and there is a sense of accomplishment that goes with completing a training camp like this.
It’s strange to think that a person Can work so hard for something in which he isn’t getting paid and there is a risk of injury but it’s one of the most valuable experiences of my life. The focus, work ethic and drive that I developed are things that only this sport could have extracted from me but they translate to all aspects of life. If I gain nothing else out of it, I know what I’m capable of when I put my mind to something and that’s a very valuable lesson.
As for the fight itself, I don’t know much about my opponent which is usually the case at this level. I do know that I’m putting my best foot forward and Saturday night, win or lose, will be a big personal milestone. Will post results.
