Small Gym Openings Post COVID 19…

Yesterday I was greeted by a Facebook post from the main gym I frequent, Canino’s Karate and Boxing in Dania Beach Florida. For those that do not know that Bonnie Canino is the world’s Women’s Featherweight Kickboxing and Boxing Champion from the 90s and early 2000s. I have been under her instruction on and off since the 90s. She is my 3rd and last Master.

And in her Facebook post, she said she was going to be reopening but with a lot of changes to be COVID 19 Compliant. There will be a membership price change, and a requirement for face masks and that is ok and I get that. But basically the group classes that are her bread and butter will be no longer. And sadly I get that too but again as I said those group classes are what has helped her gym survive. Now OK eventually we will be back to normal but when? Can her gym survive when there are no group classes, no one over 10 people allowed including trainers, and the price increase? And now you just can’t simply walk in there and train you have to set up an appointment. And if you miss your appointment you have to wait two weeks.

Again I am not mad nor am I complaining I am just starting on how hard it will be for small gyms like her’s to stay afloat with all that in place. Like me, I have a business to run as the owner of a Non Profit The JRX Foundation that is on the road for days, weeks, and even months. It was convenient for me just to walk in there whenever I could to catch a few classes for the week then be on my merry way. Now sadly I just can’t I have people that rely on my charity as well. But Bonnie has run a gym since the late 70s and she has done it amazingly and she did what she had to do which is set up her business module to say in business.

To be honest, it’s better for me to just make my own place and train like I did when I was in my teens except I have 32 years of knowledge behind me. So I am good either way but I will be missing the gym togetherness we are a family there. I have watched many young fighters grow and develop into great young men and women. I’m not saying it’s over but it’s definitely not going to be the same for a very long while.

And basically now with all the YouTube channels that tell people how to work out and the availability of equipment nowadays who really needs a gym.

But to be perfectly clear if you want to do and Boxing, Kickboxing or Martial Arts you NEED sparring you do and sadly if you attend a fighting gym you will have to wear a mask that is if they are even going to have sparring. Now I can get away with it because I know how to breathe during sparring. But what if you are first starting out and you get winded that mask is going to have to come off at some point in order for you to catch your breath. Trust me on this because when I first started to use a mouthpiece it was hard as all hell to breathe. And then add being under pressure of you getting your ass kicked it’s even harder. So I am really interested to see how that works out.

Will the Bigger Gyms Survive?

I don’t know I mean how do you run a 50,000 square ft gym if you can only have a certain amount of people in it. I mean my regular gym workouts were at least an hour and a half. 20 min for weights and the rest for the treadmill so I mean for some people it is longer maybe? I dunno I am just spitballing here. And I am guessing they have to raise their rates too and many have been pretty expensive well in my own opinion anyway. And I imagine that the people working out would feel kind of rushed too right, you are going to have people waiting to go in I don’t know about you but I’m not going to pay money a month to wait when I can again have my own place in my apartment for nothing. Play my own music and watch my own TV while on my treadmill and I will not have to drive to get there so there goes any gas I might use too.

Now…

I am writing this post prematurely meaning it is May 19 so who knows what is going to happen between writing this blog post and you finding and reading it. Not to mention what state you are in, because it is to my understanding that different states are have their own set of rules and regulations so for right know I can only go by what my main gym has decided in South Florida.

Life is changing before we know it and the scary part is who knows what its going to be like in the end..

Stay Safe everyone..