Why do Kickboxing?
World Champion Baxter HumbyCommonly known as "The One-Armed Bandit", I first saw Kickboxing World Champion Baxter Humby back in 1998. He's a real nice fella who just sent me pics of his fight last month. If you ever get the chance to see him fight before he retires, please check him out. He's a great ambassador of the sport of kickboxing.
Being from Los Angeles, I've seen a lot of great fights there. But watching Baxter Humby fight is a truly unique experience. Baxter's originally from Canada and moved out to L.A. in the mid 1990's. When he was an up and coming fighter, the guys I trained with at the time would talk about a crafty, and deceptively powerful "one-armed kickboxer." I thought, "How could a guy with only one arm be any good at kickboxing?"
I thought it was some sort of gimmick - that his opponents weren't legitimate. That he wasn't for real.
Then one night back in 1998, I saw Baxter Humby fight in person. Baxter is no joke - he is the real deal.
There's no better blend of "ring strategist" with "otherworldy" leg power and an uncanny sense of timing. What I didn't know at the time was that he was born without his right hand, which explains his ability to fight so naturally one-handed.
I just found out that he's in the new Spiderman 3 movie. So now Baxter is breaking into show business after a great career kickboxing. How many guys - 2 arms, whatever - can say that about themselves in a lifetime? They should make a movie about him.
Being from Los Angeles, I've seen a lot of great fights there. But watching Baxter Humby fight is a truly unique experience. Baxter's originally from Canada and moved out to L.A. in the mid 1990's. When he was an up and coming fighter, the guys I trained with at the time would talk about a crafty, and deceptively powerful "one-armed kickboxer." I thought, "How could a guy with only one arm be any good at kickboxing?"
I thought it was some sort of gimmick - that his opponents weren't legitimate. That he wasn't for real.
Then one night back in 1998, I saw Baxter Humby fight in person. Baxter is no joke - he is the real deal.
There's no better blend of "ring strategist" with "otherworldy" leg power and an uncanny sense of timing. What I didn't know at the time was that he was born without his right hand, which explains his ability to fight so naturally one-handed.
I just found out that he's in the new Spiderman 3 movie. So now Baxter is breaking into show business after a great career kickboxing. How many guys - 2 arms, whatever - can say that about themselves in a lifetime? They should make a movie about him.
So why should anyone get into kickboxing? Well, I think that particular path (if taken properly) rewards you with a level of self-awareness and true humility that safe journeys can't.
It's easy to pick a sport - any sport. Do it long enough, and I'm sure you'll get into good physical condition. But being 'fit' doesn't mean that one is healthy. While the body can be as fit as can be, someone's attitude can still be selfish and unhealthy.
The rewards of truly knowing your substance beyond expectations takes a combination of adversity AND the right motive.
No self-help mantra or yoga or pilates can make you healthy if you do it to convince yourself that you're better off than people who don't.
Participating in challenging sports - even kickboxing - won't make you healthy if it's only to say to yourself that you're a superior human being.
Baxter is a sincerely humble and generous guy that has done inspiring things despite adversity. He probably was a cool guy to begin with. He'd probably tell you that Kickboxing helped. One thing I know for sure is that Baxter Humby is a healthy man.
It's easy to pick a sport - any sport. Do it long enough, and I'm sure you'll get into good physical condition. But being 'fit' doesn't mean that one is healthy. While the body can be as fit as can be, someone's attitude can still be selfish and unhealthy.
The rewards of truly knowing your substance beyond expectations takes a combination of adversity AND the right motive.
No self-help mantra or yoga or pilates can make you healthy if you do it to convince yourself that you're better off than people who don't.
Participating in challenging sports - even kickboxing - won't make you healthy if it's only to say to yourself that you're a superior human being.
Baxter is a sincerely humble and generous guy that has done inspiring things despite adversity. He probably was a cool guy to begin with. He'd probably tell you that Kickboxing helped. One thing I know for sure is that Baxter Humby is a healthy man.
posted by Gorilla Revilla at 4:23 PM
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