A blog that delves into the learnings of an escapist in his journey through life. The blog covers a plethora of items ranging from Travel, Food, Fitness, Entertainment, Reflection, and occasionally Technology.
Human trafficking and abuse are serious issues in developing countries. While criminal activities that fall under these categories tend to involve child labor and slavery to produce goods using cheap labor, the Philippines’ human trafficking issue is alarming due to the nation being a hotspot for cybersex and prostitution catering to pedophiles. It is estimated that there must be at least tens of thousands of children in the Philippines alone that are subjected to cybersex.
Seeing the prevalence of this problem, the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF) a non-government organization, was established in the Philippines on 1991. Known for its innovations in addressing modern slavery such as human trafficking and domestic servitude, VFF is dedicated to rescuing "survivors" of human trafficking, slavery, cybersex and forced labor.
The girls of Center of Hope are lined up and ready for training.
VFF has saved several survivors of cybersex and abuse, most of them being young girls ranging from as young as 2-yrs old to 25-yrs old. Young girls have unfortunately been preyed upon by sexual predators because they're seen as vulnerable. Realizing that these girls need to learn self-defense, VFF reached out to my company's Muay Thai Club to host Self-Defense Workshops for survivors.
I'm putting on handwraps for the youngest member of Center of Hope in this picture.
I'm part of my company's Muay Thai club. I'm proud to say that right now I'm one of the two representatives of the club. Back in February 2017 up until May 2018, I was just a member. It was during this time that I showed the team what I'm made of, both as a member of the team and as a fighter, by participating in the Muay Thai Club's Self-Defense Workshop with the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF), one of the club's most ambitious long-term-ish projects to date.
Most of the members of the Muay Thai club. Pic taken after the first self-defense workshop.
An epic shot of one of the girls ready to work the mitts with one of our members.
The Self-Defense Workshops happened every two weeks, starting at February 8, 2018. We equipped the little girls with the proper gears and taught them the basics of Muay Thai: proper stance, punching, and kicking. Since my true forte is boxing, the girls that were under my wing were taught techniques like weaving and bouncing on their feet, which are unusual in Muay Thai.
The training have been extremely successful. Not only did the girls learn the basics of self-defense, the workshops also have: boosted their self-esteem, help them have a healthier lifestyle, and most importantly empower them as individuals. They are always looking forward to the next session.
A swift right hook from one of the girls lands on the mitts!
The Self-Defense Workshop sessions between my company and Visayan Forum have stopped a long time ago, but I will always treasure the moments I've spent in Center of Hope. Teaching the kids have taught me the fulfilling experience of giving back to the community. It's nice to be able to turn a skill that others thought as destructive into something that can protect others. :)
I've always wanted to write a post about Boxing. It's become an integral part of my lifestyle and there's so much I want to say about it, but I don't actually know where to begin. I can write endlessly about how awesome it is to practice the sport, to wear cool gear like gloves and handwraps, and to teach other people self-defense. I could write about whatever came into my mind about boxing, but then my thoughts would be really unorganized because there are just so many aspects of the sport that I can delve into.
One of the great things about Boxing is you can practice it anytime and anywhere. My video above shows what I mean. It's a video of me and my sister doing mitts work in our living room. You can't practice like that with other sports because they require a wide spacious area to practice, like basketball, or football. You also need to get more than a couple of people to free their schedules so they can join you, which is a hassle for everyone.
I titled this blog post the way it is because I wanted to emphasize how beneficial boxing is for those people who want to get fit and toned. I've been practicing the martial art -- and adhering to exercises relevant to the necessary conditioning for the sport -- for nearly 5 years now. I can easily say that it does a great job at keeping my body toned and my spirit confident, as I've shown here. I've listed down some very nice features of boxing that might lure others to be a fellow practitioner of the sport.
1.Gear and Gym Rates are super affordable
Boxing is one of the cheapest sports around. The Philippines is a nation full of people tight on budgets, so affordability is a heavenly characteristic. The bare minimum you have to invest in are a couple of boxing gloves and handwraps, which would cost no more than $40. Your handwraps and gloves can last a couple of years even if you're rough with them (and you will be rough with them; you'll be throwing punches the whole time you're wearing them.)
Boxing gyms like Elorde and Elite are incredibly cheap compared to places like Fitness First and Anytime Fitness. The latter two gyms I mentioned charge you membership rates on a monthly basis. The boxing gyms? They charge you cheaper membership rates per year. You save up so much money by working out at a boxing gym instead of overpriced places like Fitness First and Anytime Fitness.
2.You can practice it anywhere, even if you're alone
Like my video above showed, you don't need a lot of space. More space is good so you don't hit any walls or people while you're doing your thing, but obviously you don't need an entire basketball court to box.
You don't even need anyone else but yourself, per se. It's always nice to have a partner to do mitts work with, or a coach who can whip you to shape (that's of venerable importance to athletes who are aiming to be professionals) but when it comes down to it you can just box by yourself. More specifically, you can shadowbox by yourself, which is a fundamental workout for all practitioners of boxing, regardless of skill level.
3.Boxing exercises your body, mind, and soul
When you box, you use every inch of muscle in your body. Obviously, you use your arms to punch, but punching requires more than that; it takes back and hip muscles to throw punches packed with power. A lot of people underestimate boxing because it doesn't have any kicks involved, but these people don't know that the footwork required in boxing will make you use your legs to their fullest extent, because you always have to be on your toes. Your abs will also get a lot of workout, because a good core is important to quickly slip and dodge incoming fire.
Boxing requires your mind to be sharp so you can see the punches coming, and react accordingly. You also need to train your mind to stay focused (even if you're exhausted!) so you can throw your own shots with precision and accuracy. Boxing also has strategy. You need to fight your enemy with a plan in mind so you can exploit his weaknesses and vulnerabilities while protecting your own.
Finally, boxing is good for your "soul" because it's an immensely cathartic experience. We live in an age of stress and anxiety. Our bodies were designed to react to stress with fight-or-flight responses. Depriving ourselves of the physical outlet in which we can let our bodies do what they have to do eats away at our souls. Boxing lets our body release all the adrenaline it's producing, so we come out of the ring with a better state of mind; destressed, confident, and free.
So there you have it! That's all I'll say for now. Thank you so much for sticking around until this part of the post. Maybe in the future I'll blog about more specific things in boxing, like who are my top 5 favorite boxers lately, the times when I taught young girls self-defense, or about the different Boxing Gyms I've been to and which of them do I think is the best. There are really a lot of things to talk about in this exhilarating sport.
What do you think of boxing as a workout? Leave a comment below and let's talk :)
