And, I STILL punch like a girl.

I started taking a boxing class in December in the hopes of improving my fitness. I don’t consider myself an incredibly coordinated individual, but I do my best. One of my boxing classmates, perhaps seeing my desire to improve, approached me after one of my first classes.

“Can I give you some feedback?” he asked.

“Sure, I would appreciate that,” I said expectantly.

“You punch like a girl.”

Blink.

After I got over my initial shock, I responded truthfully, “I don’t know what that means. Can you please be more specific?”

It turns out what he meant was, when I punch, instead of staying grounded, I was lifting off of the ground. Okay, I thought, I actually CAN fix that. Obviously, the correction had everything to do with my improper form and nothing at all to do with my gender. 

Since December I have worked hard to stay grounded. My form has improved. My classmates now ask me for tips.

And I STILL punch like a girl.