Posts by Samuel Alvarez7

neondriver47 said:I’m not sure if this has been asked before—if it has, please just drop a link to the answer 😉. Basically, I’m looking to take up kickboxing recreationally, ideally in an all-female group if that's even an option. Does anyone know of a club in the States that offers this? I’m curious about the costs, how many sessions per week they run, what the vibe is like with the crew and the coach, and how professional the training actually is—like, do they just stick to the basics, or is there a structured progression or ranking system? I’m pretty new to how kickboxing works.

Honestly, finding something like that is going to be a tall order. There are so few women in the high-quality gyms, and even when you do find them, they usually end up training alongside the guys—mostly because there simply aren't enough female sparring partners to go around!

Tyler Jones63 said:Look, I’m not really looking to sign up for a boxing gym—I’m already hitting the weight room and doing rowing training. Now that I’ve finally built up some decent strength, I just want to work on my striking and get a feel for the impact... but I don't plan on training for competitive boxing or anything like that. I'll probably pick up some gloves, though.👍
Got any recommendations for decent gloves?😎

Just a bit of friendly advice here: I really think you should find someone to show you the absolute basics of technique, if only to prevent yourself from hurting yourself. Since you're an athlete, this is even more important—there’s no sense in risking an injury just because you have a sudden urge to hit a heavy bag. You're likely stronger than the average person given the rowing and lifting, which actually makes things worse for you; being powerful but inexperienced means you could easily end up with a nasty wrist or knuckle injury from improper form.👍

Justin Adams5 said:Those bloody articles make it sound easy, but let me tell you—hitting things without gloves is a one-way ticket to wrist destruction and a host of other nasty injuries. If you aren't specifically training your hands through proper boxing or Muay Thai, your technique is going to be off, which means you'll likely end up hurt. You’ll develop bad mechanics, and if you ever decide to join a real gym down the road, you'll spend way more time unlearning those bad habits than it would have taken to just start right. My advice? Find a local boxing club. And even if you insist on hitting stuff wildly on your own, for heaven's sake, buy some gloves.

Take the advice to heart; that bag is really just a tool for building raw power, not for refining technique.👍

Justin Adams5 said:With a private coach, you hit a ceiling pretty quickly—specifically when your progress starts depending on having high-quality, diverse sparring partners to test you against.

I see where they're coming from, but let’s look at the immediate reality here—since he’s just starting regular private sessions focused on the pads, that’s going to accelerate his growth twofold, if not more. Plus, most private coaches have a rotation of clients, so they often end up working in pairs anyway, which makes the whole setup seamless.👍>

the wild beast said:I'm 18 years old and I want to start training either Jiu-jitsu or Muay Thai, but I have no idea where to begin or which one is better. I think Jiu-jitsu might suit me more. Would I progress faster with a private coach? Let me know.

Look, you’ll definitely see much faster progress if you invest in a private coach—it’s like having a GPS when everyone else is just wandering around the woods—but as for which discipline actually suits your soul, you won't find that answer in a forum post. You aren't going to know until you're actually sweating on the mats.👍