by Jeff Kim – IJC Muay Thai Coach
The one word I feel best describes martial arts, and perhaps life at large, is failure. I started Muay Thai at 15, not understanding what I had gotten myself into, or how it would change me, but it wasn’t long until I faced my first challenges. Everything felt so new and unfamiliar. I was not athletic growing up, and tended to avoid sports. And so, I was out of breath in the first few classes. My footwork was awkward, and my technique shotty. But it was a challenge: learning how to kick properly, learning how to box, learning the clinch.
My fight career is another area that I saw constant challenges, with losing streaks and winning streaks. I’m currently on the journey to make a name for myself in the fight game, regardless of how difficult it is.
The point of all of this isn’t to make a generic message about never giving up, as true as that sentiment may be. It’s to say that sometimes we get blinded chasing an end result, instead of enjoying the process. Instructing at IJC has me teaching people who may not necessarily have an interest in competition, or beginners who have never had any athletic interest prior, like me. Seeing people fall in love with the process, like I had, reminds me of why I had started in the first place.
Even when I had started coaching, I had only ever instructed children before. Never adults. But as I teach with every day I am here at IJC, I learn how to convey that love of Muay Thai to our members.
I look forward to going as far as I can in my fight career, reaching the world class level eventually, and conveying that same passion to every single one of IJC’s members.