Five years ago I walked through the doors of Chicago MMA not knowing that my life would be changed forever. As a 19 year old with minimal knowledge of Tae Kwon Do, I thought I knew it all and what Martial Arts was all about, I was extremely mistaken. I’ve never been more humbled than I was during that last ten minutes of class for light sparring, and I was hooked. I HAD TO GET BETTER. Not to compete, not to become a pro, but I knew I had it in me to get better and be better. I started with a 3 month Groupon and you better believe I got my money’s worth. Every day I was showing back up, taking new classes, different instructors and working my ass off to improve. One of the best memories I have from those 3 months was not just getting better but being welcomed to a family. Getting recognized and meeting new people is half the fun at Chicago MMA, the work is just part of it. I knew this was going to be my gym for a long time.
I couldn’t wait to come back home from college, I was finally going to be able to train again and get the best workouts of my life. I would get back, unpack, and immediately sign up for classes and spend as much time as I could in the gym. It was becoming not only a habit of my life but a highlight too, this gym was becoming the best part of my life. My skills were progressing every time I would go to the gym, if it were for one month or three, I was going learning more and more with every session. Yes, physically I was improving but mentally I was too. As a young adult I learned a lot about myself through becoming a true Martial Artist. I learned that things will not always be equal: size, skill, stance, experience. It was all I saw in sparring, being smaller, less experienced and still very young compared to many other members, I was starting at a disadvantage. But I learned something that I’ve been able to translate into life: no matter how unfair and hard your obstacles may be, if you show up time and time again, you will eventually succeed. That’s the only way to get better: being uncomfortable in your most vulnerable of positions. I also learned about patience, again, not everything is going to click the first time and a few months of training will not turn someone into a pro. Yes, it gets frustrating and discouraging when a concept is difficult to understand or perform but you need to be patient and trust the process and course you are on. It is very hard to accept that you can’t do something. Failing on the first, second, third, fourth and fifth attempt is a tough pill to swallow. I’ve been there many times before and will continue to find myself in that position. What we do is not easy and that was not something I wanted to accept. But I had to. I could only progress if I was accepting of my slow growth and understood that not every move, position, setup, counter, or strike was going to be perfected immediately. Days, weeks, months, even years of work were needed to grasps these concepts. But this gym, its members, and its coaches gave me the hope and desire to put in those hours of work. I was on my path to become a Martial Artists.
Finally, the day had come to become a full time member at Chicago MMA. This was a turning point for me: I did not have to put a pause on my training and I could consistently show up to the gym to put in as much time and effort that I wanted to. I saw myself improve exponentially and others were noticing that too. I was meeting and making friends with more and more people and did not have to worry about leaving for an extended period of time anymore. I was committed and it was paying off. One of the highest honors, in my opinion, that I was able to partake in was helping be the move dummy in various classes. Whether it was being choked, swept, mounted, kicked or kneed, I loved it. I knew it was not about being a favorite or coach’s pet, but it was about being trusted, respected and reliable. It proved to me that the amount of time and effort I was putting into class was showing and my consistency as a member was being appreciated.
This continued for a while and I was very happy with just being a student, holding the responsibility of welcoming new trials and using my experience to help teach and assist less experienced members. I had received my blue belt and became more than extremely comfortable with the striking styles and teaching of our coaches. I hadn’t really thought much about the things I was being asked to do, because I love this so much and am always happy to help. Until one day I was approached about becoming a coach. This blew my mind: I had no clue I would even be considered for something like this. It was such a surreal moment for me and an absolute honor to be thought of in this way. I was excited and intrigued and more than happy to do my part for a place that has being doing so much for me.
Coaching was not completely foreign to me as I had subbed a handful of classes once in a while and had always thought about becoming a Martial Arts coach for kids or adults at some point in my life. Eventually this would be the route I would travel, but now? As a 23 year old?! Most of the people that take the classes are older than me! How was I going to make this work and take my skills and responsibilities to the next level?
After some deep thought and contemplation, I was able to work out a schedule that was going to be conducive to my training and a way that I could also contribute to the gym and hold my own class. Wednesday night’s @ 7pm, was going to be kickboxing by Coach B. Figuring out my coaching style was actually quite easy: I thought about all the things that I have enjoyed from the other classes, things that I picked up, then combined them all together and put that Bruno Dacanay flavor and mix to it to create a totally different class. Goals for each class were also going to be simple:
Goal 1: Break a sweat. There is nothing better and coming to the gym after a long day and moving around for a full hour, dripping with sweat and doing something you enjoyed.
Goal 2: Learn something new. This gym is not for cardio kickboxing. We don’t throw haphazard punches just cause. While members range from recreation to competition, everything we do has a purpose, physically mentally and emotionally, everyone is engaged. What could I help people learn? As a huge fight fan, a style that I have been seeing become more popular in MMA and have been working on to incorporate more into my style was switching stances. It is not as easy as it looks after one side becomes more dominant than the other. By trying to incorporate using both stances and sides of the body in different positions, each class was going to be difficult but a step forward in understanding this approach.
Goal 3: Have fun. Honestly, the most important rule of them all. This is the reason I and many other members keep coming back to this gym, every day is a blast and an environment that encourages people to stay. I know nothing has been as fun an activity as coming to the gym. I can consistently enter and leave the doors with a smile on my face and I truly want that experience for everyone else. I knew that if I were able to do the best I can to reach these three goals each classes, every Wednesday would be a success.