New York Done Down South

As 2013 is ticking away and I look back on the year it was in my life, I am amazed at how much has changed for me the past 365 days.  A large part of the changes began when I started boxing.  But the funny thing about life is that even though my boxing has been about me developing as a person, it can effect others as well.   From people who tell me I make them want to try pad work to my trainer, it seems my workouts didn't just play a part in my life. 
There is no way that any other trainer could get me to do the things Espo has taught me this year.  As grateful as I am for that, I am as happy that we have become friends.  
So, there is no one better than him to write the first "Guest Author" on this blog.

"New York Done Down South" 
By Adam Esposito, Espo Boxing

It was a Saturday morning and I was a new trainer at a North Carolina gym covering a kickboxing class for another trainer who needed the day off.  Usually, I was on the other side of the gym teaching the technique aspect of the sport but when asked, I thought “how hard could teaching a cardio class really be?” All I have to do is keep them moving and keep them engaged.  I had my own way of wanting to go about teaching this class and I went on with that Saturday morning as planned. The hour was up and everyone seemed to be pleased. I got through it with no complaints, hopefully made a few new fans of my class and all was good in Esposito world.  While I was saying my goodbyes and thanking everyone for joining me in the workout, I was called out on my accent. She was the only one in the class that knew when I said "tree" I really meant “three” and it was supposed to be a left hook.  She was from Long Island and I was from Brooklyn. The code was already set and the mutual respect was already a given. We became friends and she began to frequent my classes that I now started regularly teaching. She always gave it her all and wanted explanations on technique. How to distribute the weight on her punches properly and the science and reasoning behind it. As a coach that is what you want in your students. It was also a fun mix being her friend where she can bust my chops in the meantime.

It was another week and another class. I wanted to mix it up from the usual bag work routines that I did with everyone and add some pad work. I remember getting the death stare from Robyn as she began to tell me how much she hated pad work. I thought to myself how can you hate if you never gave it a shot. I knew it was foreign to most and intimidating so I understood her reasoning. She got in her few combinations and did great. I gave her the look that she knew meant “I told u so.” We were both pleased.

Fast forward 3 months. I left the gym that I was working at and an opportunity to start my own business fell into my lap. The timing couldn't have been any better and I was able to do what I love; Giving people a great workout incorporating boxing pad work.

Espo Boxing offers a fast pace type pad work training consisting of a lot of high number punch combinations at a fast speed. It’s a great cardio based workout along with a great skill set to learn. Every punch and every block has its purpose and it’s a fun way to get in shape. Robyn was my first client and for her this was her first time with a full workout geared only towards Pad work. We took it slow the first day and just went over the basics. I wanted to make sure her punches were turning over the right way, her hands were coming back to protect her face, weight was distributed properly and proper footwork was intact. I knew after our first session she got a good workout but I wasn't sure if this was what she wanted to base her exercising around.

Luckily for me (I will explain more later) she was hooked and I was ready to take part in this journey with her. A lot of hours in the gym, hard work and drilling combinations over and over. Some days were better than others but she always kept pushing. I was her #1 fan.  She was her harshest critic. It was my job to let her know how much she was progressing. This is when I started videotaping our sessions. She was very hesitant at first about doing these videos. I knew this was the only way to get through to her how good she really was. Months down the line and there are videos to document how much Robyn has improved.

It’s the end of 2013 and I can’t even tell you how many people talk about how fast her hands are and how far she has come. As much as I came into Espo Boxing with a background in boxing and muay thai, things changed when I started training Robyn. She gave me a whole other reason as to why I want to inspire and train people. No one I have ever met works out as hard as she does. Whatever limitations there might be is always overcome by the size of her heart and will. She has made me a better me a better trainer and person.  At the end of the day I can say I did this for a very close friend as well. That means a lot.