How to.. Each week, ET entertainments reporter Duncan Hall tries out a new activity. This week, Duncan tries out..
How to.. Thai-bo
Each week, ET entertainments reporter Duncan Hall tries out a new activity. This week, Duncan tries out Thai-bo
AS
you can see from the beautifully cut-out picture (right), my body is not
so much a temple as a rather oversized church hall, a condition I put
down largely to sheer laziness.
For many years, my number one new year resolution has been to get fit and possibly see my feet again. So, when the opportunity to try a multitude of different activities for The Evening Telegraph came along, I jumped at the chance.
Well, not so much jumped, obviously, but definitely shifted slightly and murmured my assent.
Admittedly, choosing my first activity because I had never heard of it before probably wasn't my best idea, but Sunday morning found me walking through blistering sunshine to Peterborough's Regional Swimming Pool dressed, as instructed, in loose clothes and my long-forgotten trainers to try out Thai-bo.
Instructor Mo Ramji quickly explained to me that Thai-bo was essentially a combination of aerobics and martial arts moves done to music. I was not the only new boy in the class. Christian Mulvana, from Orton, decided to give the sessions a try on Sunday as a variation on gym visits, after an Achilles injury stopped him playing football and hockey.
He said: "The gym can get a bit boring, just doing the same things all the time, so I thought it would be good to try something a bit different." Almost too soon the disco music started, and Mo had his hands-free microphone on to get us all moving. Having done an aerobics class once when I was at school (that day was known for months afterwards as black Monday) I knew roughly what to expect from that side - essentially keeping your body moving and stretching to get your limbs and muscles warmed up.
When it became interesting was when the punches and kicks started being introduced to the general movement - first of all on the beat of the music, and then in double time. With one windmill punch move I could feel long-under-used muscles slowly creaking into life and letting me know about it.
But the fluid movement of the class meant we were constantly shifting between different muscle groups all the time, so they did not become too tired.
I soon realised that I had lost all sense of co-ordination, as some of the more complex moves slipped out of my grasp, leaving me a windmill of awkwardly flapping arms and legs.
But Mo explained later that his main objective, especially for beginners, was to keep everybody moving, and not worry so much about technique, which improved with time. All the way through, Mo had a smile on his face as he encouraged everyone in the room to push themselves. And to be honest, he wasn't the only one in the room smiling.
It was hard work, but it wasn't impossible, and it was good fun. Especially when you had the chance to make your air-punches connect as Mo brought a pad around during the session.
The time seemed to pass really quickly, finishing up with some floor exercises to tone up the stomach. Admittedly, I have a long way to go on that score. Speaking after the class, Mo told me he originally came from a kick-boxing background, but found its discipline very restrictive, so he started teaching Thai-bo a year ago.
He said: "Women want to get involved in martial arts, but get turned off by the discipline. Something like this works out your whole body, but is fun too. "It has become very big in America, as it is doing something that is more fun for everybody.
Any age can do it, although I normally take 16 years and upwards."