Lyme & Boxing

“I really need the sun. I may look fit, but my body’s rotting away. Lyme’s. Caught it right here in the Vondelpark. It’s like HIV. My immune system’s totally buggered. I had pneumonia for two months. Look, I can’t even stand up straight. I used to be an instructor: Capoeira, Pencak Silat, yoga too. Now I can’t even get out of bed some days, so I do breathing exercises lying down. That’s why I still look so fit. I’m a fighter – that’s my main advantage. My childhood was crap, but you learn to survive. I beat cancer, but this…
I’m into mental coaching, these days. People need to start thinking about themselves: What am I doing right? What’s holding me back. A while back, there was this guy, an artist, who just kept screwing around, wasn’t making any progress. So I said: three sessions and you’ll know all about yourself. I let him talk and he had to write it down. I just sat and watched. The year after that, he sold a hundred-thousand’s worth of paintings. So he took me out to dinner.
Do you do any sports? Boxing? I thought so. Where? Bep Kneppers in the Jordaan? Classic style. Wait, watch this. You guys punch like this. I do this. Open hand. That way you can go straight for the eyes. Pencak style, yeah? Turn off your line, like this, now I’m next to you and you can’t hit me. I give you the elbow. That’s not allowed in boxing. Out in the street, I’d add a kick to the knee for good measure. And if that doesn’t teach them, I give them a stroke to the nose and then a slap to the ear. I can’t run away, see? So I have to be effective.
Boxing is brilliant. I love the English style: shoulders back a bit, front hand low, so your opponent can’t see what you’re up to down there. Shit, man, I’m in the mood to do some sparring with you. Maybe next year when I’m better.”

Translated by Richard de Nooy

Lyme

Lyme

Pensak

Pensak

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