This is a story about someone somewhere who decided one day that enough was enough and it was time for a change.

I have always been afraid to be in a fight, being afraid I cannot take a punch in the face and being afraid I am not able to punch someone when I need to. If the situation would occur, I believed I was not able to defend myself as needed. Part of the reason was my poor self-esteem considering fighting. This is generally due the fact I have been (physically) bullied in primary school and have never been able to see myself as someone who fights back. Another reason is some health issues. I have incredibly bad eyesight and am afraid to lose my expensive contacts in a fight. More importantly, I have a sunken chest. You can imagine it would suck to get a punch exactly in that spot.

Mentally I have not been doing well as well lately. I felt I was living too much "inside the box". I have not felt the buzz I had when I started swallowing the pill. I was not challenging myself anymore and playing safe. I knew it needed to stop and I needed to find a new activity that would re-ignite the beast inside of me. A good friend of mine offered to follow a practice lesson at his Krav Maga club. I declined because I did not have the time, but to be honest I was afraid having to take punches.

About two weeks later I am going out with some friends and decide to get some fresh air. I stepped outside the club and stand practically in the middle of a fight. I see two female friends standing next to it and order them to remove themselves from the situation. At the same time I took one of the guys who was fighting and put his back of the wall. Eventually he calmed down. My actions were based on instinct, not on thought.

First of all, I was amazed with my strength. I go to the gym three times a week and have developed quite some muscle through time but never really used it in a situation like this. Secondly, I felt the buzz. Strangely enough, I felt amazing and completely in state after what just happened. When I went to bed I only thought of one thing: I need to do that practice lesson at the Krav Maga Club.

And so I did. I introduced myself to the instructors and some members of the group and watched the group practice for 90 minutes. I was instantly hooked and felt bad for not bringing any gym clothing. What I was so afraid of a couple of days ago I wanted to do so badly now. I loved the spirit in the group as well. Most of the guys were way bigger and more muscled than I was but I was not intimidated by them at all. I felt they shared the same spirit as I do and wanted to be part of their group. When the instructor asked me what I thought of the lesson I said: "This is it." He handed me some pages to sign me up and before I knew it I was part of the Krav Maga club.

My first training is next wednesday and I cannot fucking wait. I cannot wait to take and give the punches. I cannot wait to feel the buzz again. I am fucking ready. Bring it on.