Thwack! Wallop!
I have just come back from a combat/boxing class at the gym. It pretended to be just an ordinary hi-impact aerobics class on the timetable, but in reality it was all about learning how to beat people to death.
At one point, the instructor put pads on and went round the class getting us to throw as many punches as powerfully as we could for a minute. I went at it so hard she suggested I thought about starting boxing training as 'you have an exceptionally hard and accurate hook for a beginner'. I nearly knocked her flying in fact - the floor was slippy, but I like to think it was the power of my punches. I was gritting my teeth and imagining my blows smashing into a particular person's face. Over and over and over again.
I need to work on my kicking though. Too many years of ballet classes: I keep pointing my toes.
Walked home dripping with sweat and crimson in the face, not a great look when wearing a red sweatshirt. But I had a massive smile on my face as I bought a bunch of daffodils.
I never knew being angry could be so much fun.
At one point, the instructor put pads on and went round the class getting us to throw as many punches as powerfully as we could for a minute. I went at it so hard she suggested I thought about starting boxing training as 'you have an exceptionally hard and accurate hook for a beginner'. I nearly knocked her flying in fact - the floor was slippy, but I like to think it was the power of my punches. I was gritting my teeth and imagining my blows smashing into a particular person's face. Over and over and over again.
I need to work on my kicking though. Too many years of ballet classes: I keep pointing my toes.
Walked home dripping with sweat and crimson in the face, not a great look when wearing a red sweatshirt. But I had a massive smile on my face as I bought a bunch of daffodils.
I never knew being angry could be so much fun.
posted by Rachel at 1:44 pm
You'll be a right hardcase at this rate.lol
I think it is a healthy way of expressing anger. I would not want to punch someone in the face in reality, but after that exercise class I felt not only physically energised, but mentally energised as well. Instead of walking about feeling angry, and swallowing it down, I got rid of the anger and tension in my body by punching and jumping and kicking and laughing.
I don't think I was the only one imagining being angry with someone, the instructor kept shouting - 'GO FOR THE TEMPLES!' and 'remember you're aiming for the solar plexus!' and 'JAB AT THE NECK!' all the time ( even though we were only punching the air).
One woman decided to put boxing gloves on so she could really get into the spirit of it!
I remember going to friends house and playing on the Wii with the boxing, at the time I was really stressed but I left feeling so much better...
It is good to vent sometimes...
It’s a great way of working off anger and the adrenalin buzz after is often even better. Nice to know the instructor is throwing in the appropriate contact points too.
I should do some and work off some of the fat of mine.
I've been told that clinical psychologists generally agree that the idea of taking your aggression out on something like a punchbag and therefore dissipating it, is actually a myth: Supposedly every time you act out aggressive behaviour, even when the target is an inanimate object or you are channeling it through a martial art or whatever, you are encouraging your body to generate more aggression chemicals, as well as reinforcing the habit of producing those chemicals / that behaviour on demand. So, far from releasing aggressive tension, you are in fact propagating it.
But it still seems to me that sometimes you need to let some anger out - and it can't be good to just bottle it up!