Kickboxing at TITLE Boxing Club
My sister Kyu (pronounced Q) and I took a free kickboxing class at TITLE Boxing Club in Springfield, Virginia last Saturday. I love fitness studios that offer a free or discounted first class as it gives me an opportunity to check out a real class and an instructor before making any sort of commitment.
I’ve taken a number of kickboxing classes at the former LA Boxing (now UFC Gym) in Alexandria, Virginia so I generally knew what to expect. Some gyms have a very distinct, wet rag smell but the gym was clean with updated equipment. My only gripe was that there weren’t any mats to lie on when doing floor exercises. I know mats aren’t necessarily clean as they can breed bacteria if they aren’t properly wiped down, but I prefer them to lying on the ground people have been stepping all over.
Kyu had never taken a kickboxing class before so she bought wraps, and the front desk coordinator helped her properly wrap her hands. I had forgotten my gloves but they let us borrow gloves free of charge. The class started with fifteen minutes of sprinting and jogging around the gym, alternating between shuffling and high knees. Afterwards, we spent thirty minutes punching and kicking our individual bags with combinations called out by our instructor, Kevin. The last fifteen minutes were spent doing floor exercises, including burpees, push ups, and variations of sit ups with a medicine ball.
I’ve always enjoyed kickboxing classes because they’re a great break from traditional gym workouts. They’re even more fun when taken with a friend because you can share looks (and shrieks) of pain and misery, and laugh together as you take a mini-break when the instructor’s back is turned. The class definitely kicked our ass and we were both sore for an entire week.
Unfortunately, TITLE Boxing doesn’t offer drop in classes, only monthly gym memberships ranging from $60-$80 like traditional gyms. I find drop in classes are a great way to build brand loyalty and makes economic sense for the business, as most people end up not using all of their classes anyways. While TITLE Boxing had a number of promotions going on, the reality is that unless I’m offered an incredible monthly rate, I probably won’t be going back. This is such a shame as Kyu and I really enjoyed the class and would have loved the opportunity to check out the other classes and instructors.
