Schlink Attack: Gyms in Recife II

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Gyms in Recife II - Fight Warehouse

This week I reconnected with a couple friends I met earlier in the year. Facilitated by a mutual friend, I had the pleasure of meeting Renata and Andrew and their three children back in January. She's from Recife, he's from Kansas City. We managed to hang out a few but... life got busy for everyone in its usual fashion. I realized after missing them for several months, my promised night of homemade pizza was left unfulfilled. So I did something about it: I asked them for advice on anti-worm and parasite medications in Brazil. Makes sense, right? Isn't that what you would do in this situation?

In any case, Renata answered my questions right away as if it was a completely normal topic. We got to talking about other things and she apologized for having been off the map because she decided to open her own martial arts and fighting gym. She'd always been active with particular interests in boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In fact, I first met her with taped fingers and a body full of impressive bruises. The decision to open a gym was based on the desire to consolidate her time between raising twin toddlers and a first grader, running a household and a full time job, and getting in decent workouts. Before she even knew it, the idea grew from grew from having a small space with mats and a few punching bags, to an entire warehouse. Thus they christened the name: Fight Warehouse. She invited me over to check it out the next day. Or maybe I invited myself, I can't remember.

Renata and her team collectively agreed if they were going to do this, they'd do it right. Renata flew to Thailand to handpick Muay Thai trainers. She accessed Brazil's impressive network of burgeoning boxers and Jiu Jitsu fighters. Culture, tradition, and respect would be taught in all aspects of each sport. They planned carefully, putting in an official size boxing ring and octagon cage for competitions, plus plenty of extra space for sparring, conditioning, bag training on the mat; showers, and kitchen space space off the mat.

When I walked in I immediately wanted to punch something. There's something about entering through a corrugated storage container and into a graffiti'd, 650 sq meter space. I wanted to do handstands on the training mat, and run around Mortal Kombating the punching bags. Even though the gym was still, I could feel the energy. And maybe a little intimidation, but the staff made it clear: everyone would be welcome regardless of experience or size. They should know- one of their bosses stands maybe 5 feet tall and 90 pounds. After touring the facility and catching up with Renata and Andrew, they talked me into trying a Muay Thai class with technical coordinator and trainer Ronaldo Calado. I learned a few basics: elbow blocks, kicks, and punches. We discussed Muay Thai greetings and customs. I didn't feel patronized even after I punched myself in the face. My natural tendency was also to revert back to the kicks and prances Billy Blanks' tai bo style I learned in high school. I appreciated his attention on my practice, relaying to me the importance of steadiness and consistency.

Even at my age, I don't feel like an adult. I still feel attached to the sensation of being a kid, figuring out what to do with my life, even though I am exactly where I should be right now. I asked Renata and Andrew if they felt old enough to be owners of something so colossal- they both laughed but said it definitely felt right to invest in something so personal and meaningful. I have certainty their adventure will take off with the attitudes and priorities they've already established in their lives. Now speaking of priorities: pizza. We promised it would happen before the end of the year. I feel good about that and I will make sure I don't talk about parasite medications while we eat. How's that for a plan?