My Trainer, My Friend

"Roll over. Get up on your feet! What?!? Are you tired? I don't care. I'm not doing my job if I don't train you. I'm not here to be your friend. I'm here to be your trainer!"

That would be the words of Mark, an instructor whose classes I took this week.

When I first started writing this blog, I told myself I wasn't going to hold anything back. For the most part, it's all worked out o.k... But sometimes I question myself when I have to walk into LA Boxing after I have made a post. Oh well. Why stop now?

An Open Letter to Mark:

Dear Mr. Mark,

You scare me. I am highly intimidated by you. You are the type of person that commands attention when you walk into the room without even asking for it. You have a presence. You have sensei written all over you and I would never want to piss you off in a dark alley. You have that New Jersey/New York thing going on and as a shy, quiet girl; I never know how to respond to you. With that being said, I have a soft spot for people like you. Afterall, I did marry a man who hails from a family completely from New Jersey... full of Jersey cops. They used to intimidate me, until I learned that they are actually the nicest people I'll ever meet and are so warm and endearing once I got to know them. Ya see, I think the problem is that I am that nervous girl that never knows what to say or how to respond. I like to come to class and never be noticed because I really don't have a clue as to what I'm doing... and unfortunately you don't let any of your students go unnoticed.

Your classes are hard, and trust me- you are excellent at your job of training us. I know that practice makes perfect and that repetitions are good... but I now officially hate the word repetitions, reps, or any form of it. If I have to throw one more jab this week, my left arm might fall off. You said this week that the goal is to move as fast as you can while maintaining integrity to our form. Integrity is a strong word, and I love it. I hope you understand- I'm just trying to maintain my integrity... I'm just trying to be whole, sound, and honest writing this.

The other day when I was at Wegman's (who can resist this store?), I saw a greeting card I love. It said, "Life begins when you step out of your comfort zone." I'm beginning to think I couldn't agree more. When you said in class that you aren't our friend, I questioned that. I would never in a million years have had the nerve to take one of your classes, but I did it, and went back for more. I'm nervous during it, and I know that you are probably biting your tongue every time you walk by me because my technique is so bad. But ya know what... I love your class. You somehow manage to get a rather reserved person fired up. You are helping to change my outlook and I'm slowly finding my confidence again. And for that sir, I think I owe you a BIG thank you... And whether you like it or not, I hope that one day you not only refer to yourself as my trainer, but also as my friend.

Thanks for all that you do,
Shelley