Nick Nice

Review of Kensho Chicago

Having been an avid UFC fan for 5 years, and parti...

Having been an avid UFC fan for 5 years, and particularly enjoying listening to Joe Rogan and learning about the intricacies of MMA, I decided I was keen to try either BJJ or kick boxing,...... I was torn between both, and decided on kick boxing in the end because I felt that it would be a little more effective at getting me leaner and achieving my personal goals. My other passion is tennis, and I also felt that kick boxing would be a little less taxing on my joints/ shoulders/ arm etc, so it made sense for a number of reasons....

My wife Googled "kick boxing Chicago", and after looking at a number of the reviews online for various places, she decided I should try Kensho..... She's an economist and a much better researcher than me, so I trusted her intuition & judgement, and their Website seemed to have all the info you'd possibly need before making the bold step of turning up for your very first class. The next day, I arrived for my no-obligation inaugural class, a little nervous, feeling completely out of my comfort zone, needing to shed some winter weight. Christine inducted me before the class started, and made me feel completely at ease from the get-go; probably sensing I was a little self-conscious with all of the mirrors! It was a very thorough 30-minute orientation and helped me feel a lot less awkward around some of the more accomplished students.

When the class started, like Christine, I noticed that the students had a very similar energy/ friendly vibe about them, and it made my first class more enjoyable, and less intimidating.... I was a little down on myself at home later that day, as anyone would be, taking their very first steps at something new, but I felt that in order to feel good about myself and know whether it was right for me, I had to give it at least a week or two, so naturally, I attended several more classes, and during that time, gradually built up my confidence. Seeing it through was the best decision I've made for some time.....

Fast forward to today, and it won't be long before I'm almost half a year in, and I can't imagine not kick boxing 3-4 times a week. I'm lucky enough to have a flexible schedule, so I make the most of Kensho's morning classes, which are every day, other than Sunday. I have also tried some of the evening classes and they're equally great. Roger cares a great deal about helping you fix your weaknesses and focusing on being technically sound, which has to be the basis of any martial arts. When you see the belt progression journey on the Kensho wall, it is a little intimidating, particularly when it takes around 4 months to move up to your yellow belt, but as Roger has said many times, it's a process and you have to enjoy the process. With every class, I feel myself getting leaner, more flexible and more confident in all aspects of my life and I'm thinking less about being a black belt than I am about enjoying my next class and bettering myself incrementally over time.

Value for money-wise, the price is very reasonable in my opinion. The monthly price is comparable to a nice meal out with your partner, or 1 or 2 personal trainer sessions, which is pretty much what you get every time you go, the only difference being, that you can attend as many classes as you like - so you get out what you put in..... The return is incredible, both physically and psychologically. And because the instructors and the students are all cool people, the classes are fun and have become an essential part of my daily routine.....