Thanks Mariana!

Years ago, and I am guessing about seven, my son got a speed bag and some gloves that he had asked for on his birthday.  We talked about getting one of those stands that holds the full punching bag and a speed bag.  We looked at supports that I could hang in the garage.  In the end, we purchased none of those and decided that Niko could go to the athletic club and use their speed bag support until we figured out what we wanted to do. 

Flash forward seven years to today.  That same speed bag has sat in a cubboard in our garage collecting dust since that birthday.  It had never been used and only occasionally was moved around when I remembered it was in there and Niko or I thought we might use it.  Well, tonight, that speed bag finally left our house for it's first journey out in to the world.  That speed bag was filled up with air for the very first time.   And, that speed bag took it's first beating... if you can call what I did tonight a beating!   Believe me, that speed bag still looked brand new after I was done with it. 

Before leaving the house, I got on YouTube to see if I could grab any pointers.  I found a great how-to describing the 1-2-3-punch rhythm and clearly showing how easy this must be to learn.  So, two and a half minutes later I knew all I needed to know about the speed bag and left for the club. 

I finished my workout and headed to the room to hang the speed bag.  Got it up and then started punching the bag in the same 1-2-3 rhythm.  Only one minor problem.  I knew that the bag swiveled back and forth on a pendulum.  What I didn't realize was that the bag also spins around in a full circle... and rather easily as well!  I could get that first punch in easily and then most of the time a second before I would watch the bag start spinning around like some crazy Six Flags' amusement park ride.  Damn YouTube video never went in to the mechanics of the speed bag support!

After about 10 minutes of futility and an occasional third punch hitting the bag, a young girl and her little brother came over to watch my Muhammad Ali impression.  The little boy asked if he could hit the bag a couple of times and proceeded to whack it with all of his might while jumping off a pile of mats.  Then Mariana stepped up and asked if she could try.  Mariana couldn't have been older than about 10 or 11.  She lowered the support and then started punching the bag in a rhythmatic fashion similar to the video I had watched earlier.  Not perfectly.  It took her a little time.  But, in a few minutes she started getting a pretty good pace going with her right hand and then her left.  This was right about the time that I thought of leaving the club and just letting that speed bag find a new home that might actually use it.  I laughed at my ineptitude and told her she was making it look easy.  She told me she had done this a couple of times with her Dad who was really good and then started trying to teach me how to get it going.  She never laughed at my efforts and was so sweet and kind while critiquing each go of it that I made. She giggled when I told her she was kicking my butt.  So, I took another turn trying to emulate what Mariana had just done and it was a small improvement.  She took a turn.  Her brother slammed the bag again for good measure.  And, then I went again with even more success.  I gave her a five and she beamed, proud of her 45 year old student.  A few more turns and I was starting to get it.  That was right about the time the lights went out because the club was closing.  So, I thanked Mariana and decided to take the bag with me for a return attempt tomorrow night.  Thanks Mariana for your patience and kindness!  What a sweetheart.

By the way, the speed bag is much more difficult than it looks on YouTube.  But, like everything I do, I had fun.  I think it's one of those things that seems impossible at first but will seem just as easy in a couple of weeks once I really get it.  Here's to new challenges... especially those that make me sweat...