Workout Challenge: Boxing – 5

I went back to the gym 3 years ago because I had good memories of it, and even though I was seeing visible results from working out consistently, I started to see problems with the gym. Of course, this may have been a problem only for me.

Rather than giving detailed guidance to each person, the director tended to give them tasks to do and check on them periodically. There were many students, but there was only one person who could teach. This wasn’t much of a problem for me because I tolerate boredom well and I exercised to build up my stamina. However, the level of neglect has become more severe compared to before. The director’s interest was entirely focused on young students with good athletic skills. I encouraged those students to participate in the competition, and the students received more guidance because they participated in the competition. Of course, it is understandable that competition winnings will help the director’s performance as a leader, but the problem was that there seemed to be a strong tendency to receive intensive guidance only from students who participated in competitions. For me, who remembers the past, it was a very disappointing part. If it had been like this before, I wouldn’t have thought about signing up for this gym again.

The gym atmosphere has also changed a lot. In the past, there were many children in the lower grades of elementary school who would gather in small groups and chat in the corner of the gym, and then go to the academy when it was time to go to the academy. The sight of me playing with my friends whenever I had free time between classes was like playing at the playground when I was young. There seemed to be no such kids anymore. The overall age group taking classes has increased to that of middle school students, and the number of office workers has decreased significantly. Before, it was a lively place where people wanted to exercise, but now the attention is focused only on a few elites, and the older director seems to have lost his enthusiasm. I was disillusioned with this kind of elitism in sports since I was in elementary school, and I really didn’t like this.

I don’t know if this change is due to the gym being closed for a while due to the impact of COVID-19, or if it is due to a generational change(?). The biggest reason would be the economic recession. I’ve heard that economic downturns change people’s sports. In times of recession, people tend to engage in relatively inexpensive exercise. And for students without income, their parents have full power to decide which academy to attend. Physical education academy is a choice, not a necessity. If I were a parent and had limited resources, I would first consider private academies for major subjects. Could this be the reason why the number of young students is decreasing? Unlike students, office workers can afford to invest more in exercise. This leisure may have led people to visit Pilates and PT shops, which have increased significantly in the neighborhood recently.

In the meantime, I received a notice that the price would rise further. The place I worked at after graduating from graduate school allowed me to use the gym at a very affordable price. If I was going to exercise alone without guidance, it would be better to go to the company gym. So I ended my nine months of gym attendance without registering any more.