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Happy January S.O.U.L. family! I hope that you all had a lovely start to the New Year and by the time that you read this we will all be thoroughly immersed into our first month of training.

January 6th was our first official day back and Ma’am did not disappoint with a first-session beasting. There are two ways that you can ‘ease’ yourself back in after two weeks of rest/indulgence…the gentle way or the Mrs Mayne way 😆
 

I’m very happy that the Friday night sparring sessions are returning to a monthly program so thank you to everyone who has been turning up to support this. The pre-Christmas meeting was filled with new faces and the next one is on the 31st January…please make sure that Ma’am is fully booked so that we can enjoy it every four weeks.

 

I was a little bit absent during December because I knew that January was an important ‘start’ for me with regards to my black belt. Jim Dale and I have received our official invitation, so we are now in our six-month count-down. Any-one who has gone through the grading process will know just how quickly time passes and that a black belt needs attention to detail and some special preparation.

Long before I was kickboxing, I was a racing cyclist and the entire year would be based around being fit for the start of the season in March and staying fit. Traditionally the Winter months would be spend building a ‘base’ with long, slower road miles followed by an increase in intensity before the first event. Today things are increasingly scientific and ‘peaks’ can be targeted throughout the year using heart-rate training and many other methods.

Some of my preparation is going to be done at home using heart rate zones but no amount of tweaking can compensate for active participation.
There is something about working with others in a group, under pressure and with full encouragement that makes our classes at S.O.U.L. the best way to achieve the highest level of fitness. Nothing matches it and you will see me attending as many classes as my work schedule will allow, as well as helping out as an assistant instructor.

 

There are some really exciting dates for your diary coming up. Following the first colour belt grading on the 7th March we have got a tournament at Sturminster Newton Boxing Club on the 5th April. If you haven’t participated in one of these before and you enjoy sparring, then get your name down because they are really good fun.
Ma’am has also just announced that this years Rocket Race will be on the 25th April so sign yourself up nice and early! Details for any of these events can be found on the S.O.U.L. website or ask your instructor during class time.

 

Looking forward to seeing you all in class, it’s going to be a fantastic year!

🥊Tim Whild 🥊