When i first started this sport, my only goal was to lose weight. I embarked on my boxing journey with no intention to fight and I was not particular in terms of techniques and execution of punches. However, after a painful first sparring session, my interest in fighting grew.
26 more days to my
amateur fight in Hong Kong and I cannot hide my excitement neither my fears. The mere thought of standing in a boxing ring gives me the chills, as though a live rock concert is going on in my stomach. Did
I train enough? Will I let the people who believed in me down? What if I have a
meltdown in the middle of the fight? However, I would somehow manage to snap
those thoughts out of my head and go back to telling myself to be strong,
confident and aggressive and half the battle is won. I guess
I have never been so determined to do anything this insane and it is scaring the
life out of me.
On the good side, it gives me the discipline to eat healthy and train dirty to prepare me for the fight. Every training is painful, but as much as I love to whine, I need this pain. I need it to tell me that I am doing something right. I need it to tell me that I am going beyond what I was used to be doing. And I need it to tell me that at the end of the day, people who have been through hardship are champions. To be honest, the outcome of the fight does not really bother me. More importantly, I truly want to be the best version of myself in the ring and showcase sportsmanship on that day.
On the good side, it gives me the discipline to eat healthy and train dirty to prepare me for the fight. Every training is painful, but as much as I love to whine, I need this pain. I need it to tell me that I am doing something right. I need it to tell me that I am going beyond what I was used to be doing. And I need it to tell me that at the end of the day, people who have been through hardship are champions. To be honest, the outcome of the fight does not really bother me. More importantly, I truly want to be the best version of myself in the ring and showcase sportsmanship on that day.
There is a famous
boxing quote by Joe Louis, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit”. And i believe it applies
not only to boxing but also our daily lives, at least in mine. Most of us would plan to be
successful in the future and always assume that our journey would be as smooth
as a calming sea. However, for as long as I have experienced it, life is never
fair and will never be perfect. At different phases of our lives, we are bound to get
hit by heartaches and letdowns, but it is how we deal with the situation that
matters. Similarly, in a fight, we never know where our opponent is going to attack but we
learn to adapt quickly to these punches, anticipate these blows coming towards
us and come up with another blueprint. Boxing also taught me to not let these
hurdles get the better of me. Boxing
is like a metaphor for life and everything I learned through it I try to apply
to every area of my life and I am truly lucky to have found something I am
passionate about.
Wow, I enjoyed reading your post throughout! I like the way you described your struggles and how you are managing them. I am curious as to when and why you started to like boxing! I never imagine any of my female friends doing this sport before. As for the upcoming amateur fight, ALL THE BEST!!! :) I feel excited for you! Is it like the thai boxing matches we always see on tv hahaha! It is always good that we can learn something from what we enjoy doing and apply it to our daily lives. I am sure the discipline and training you are having now would help to shape your character as a form of self-development. As for the future, do you plan to continue boxing or....? What are your future plans?? Would be glad if you can cease my curiosity hahaha :) Impressive... as your classmate from es1102 im proud of you!
ReplyDeleteHi Stelly!
DeleteThank you for your remarks! Well, I started out boxing a year ago as I had a pudgy tummy after leading an unhealthy lifestyle for 2 years. My guy friends encouraged me to join something different which I did. After my first session I thought I was going to faint because it was really a tough workout. At that point in time, I thought I am not going to stop just because I found it challenging.
It is a little different from thai boxing in the sense that we do not use our legs, rather, only our hands can be used to hit. But the impact of the punches can be devastating as well.
I would definitely continue to do boxing for as long as I can. I look forward to represent Singapore in the next S.E.A Games next year if opportunity presents itself and also participate in more amateur fights if possible. But for now, I am focusing on my upcoming first fight! It is nervewrecking just thinking about it.
Apart from boxing, I am unsure what I would like to do in the future but I will be in a finance firm this May, hence, I hope it can help me in deciding what I would like to do. Although I do have many other interest that I am exploring as well.
Please comment on my grammer and organization as well if you like:)
Peace.
Hey Fenni,first of all, good luck to your coming competition in HK! I love your post as I was really impressed by the way you describe your struggle and determination!
ReplyDeleteThere are something I would like to comment on. First of all, i feel that you may describe and write about your past event in more detail. Furthermore, I love the way you used in the fourth paragraph as it impressed me deeply!
Hi Fenni,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post. You've brought the reflective writing to a another level! Especially at the beginning, where you started describing your boxing experience, you had me guessing what it is and I was excited to know what you were describing. I think you are very strong in your descriptive writing, contrary to mine. :/ it's amazing that you're taking boxing up! I had always wanted to learn fighting, combating especially after watching a 'fighting show' but the feeling never last. Lol I love that you're doing for health too! Really enjoyed your writing! I think you have a good command of English!
Fenni,
ReplyDeleteContent and organisation: This is a very mature and insightful piece of work. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. I am impressed by the comparisons you drew between boxing and life—brilliant job. I agree with you: we all have ups and downs at different stages in our lives, but it is how we deal with such challenges and learn from them that make us grow into better and stronger people. Living itself is a life-long learning journey—a very exciting one indeed.
I am truly impressed by the maturity you showed in life, and I am even more impressed that you were able to articulate so clearly such insightful thoughts in your writing. Thank you so much for sharing such an inspirational story.
You are a good writer, but please note the following language errors:
1. Weak connection of idea. I think you intended to use the ‘neither…or’ structure. Try rephrasing the last part of the sentence.
26 more days to my amateur fight in Hong Kong and I cannot hide ‘my excitement + neither my fears’.
2. These two questions refer to the same concept, so they should be in the same tense.
Did I train enough? Will I let the people who believed in me down?
3. This is a little confusing. When I read the first part of your paragraph, I thought the event hasn’t happened yet….
26 more days to my amateur fight in Hong Kong and I cannot hide my excitement neither my fears. The mere thought of standing in a boxing ring gives me the chills, as though a live rock concert is going on in my stomach. Did I train enough? Will I let the people who believed in me down? What if I have a meltdown in the middle of the fight? However, I would somehow manage to snap those thoughts out of my head and go back to telling myself to be strong, confident and aggressive ….
However, the second part of this paragraph seems to indicate the event has happened.
and half the battle is won. I guess I have never been so determined to do anything this insane and it is scaring the life out of me.
4. Be careful: don’t overuse pronouns (i.e. ‘it’). What gives you discipline? Pronouns should not be used if the noun (point of reference) is too far away.
On the good side, it gives me the discipline to eat healthy and train dirty to prepare me for the fight.
Later in the paragraph, you used ‘it’ again, so you must start the paragraph with the noun itself…
I need it to tell me that I am doing something right. I need it to tell me that I am going beyond what I was used to be doing. And I need it to tell me that at the end of the day, people who have been through hardship are champions.
5. Compare the meaning of these two sentences:
Your sentence: Every training is painful, but as much as I love to whine, I need this pain
Misty’s suggestion: Every training is painful but, as much as I love to whine, I need this pain
Hi Dr Misty,
Delete1. "26 more days to my amateur fight in Hong Kong and I cannot hide ‘my excitement + neither my fears"
correction: 26 more days to my amateur fight in Hong Kong and I cannot hide neither my excitement nor my fears.
2. "Did I train enough? Will I let the people who believed in me down?"
correction: Did I train enough? Would I let the people who believe in me down?
3. shoud be.... and half the battle will be won...
4. On the good side, intense boxing training gives me the discipline to eat healthy and train dirty to prepare me for the fight.
I need this pain to tell me that I am doing something right. I need it to tell me that I am going beyond what I was used to be doing. And I need it to tell me that at the end of the day, people who have been through hardship are champions.
Hope I did it right.
Many thanks for your suggestions and correction as well as spending time reading my reflection =)
Fenni
I agree with the blogging buddies' comments. I am so inspired by your determination!
ReplyDelete