Punching bag

Emily’s Pov

“Hey.” I greeted Blake when I enter the gym.

He doesn’t greet me back. He threw the gloves at me and instructed me to punch the kickboxing bag.

“Okay.” I thought we connected last night, but clearly, he is still a jackass.

I put the gloves on and hit the bag as hard as I can. I kept going with Blake busy on the phone, glaring at me like I’m failing a math test.

“You’re doing it wrong,” he said, walking up to me.

“Clearly, that’s why I’m here for you to show me how to do it, remember?”

“Get your posture right by standing with your feet and shoulder in a wider distant, and your front foot facing the punching bag.” he grabs my leg and pulled one to the back and one facing the bag. He pulled my shoulders up.

“Don’t shy away from emptying your punches. And do not stand and dance around the heavy bag, because this just wastes your time,” he explains.

“Didn’t you just train me last night with dance moves?” he glares at me. I don’t know what pissed him off, but clearly, he is in a bad mood.

“Always plant your feet firmly when knocking the punches, and when you are not throwing, punches move around on your toes. Try throwing different combinations and ensure that your every punch flows nicely into the next.” I do as he says and tiptoe to my feet before throwing a punch.

“You’re doing it wrong,” he growls and stands behind me. I can feel his breath close to me.

“When hitting the bag, you have to throw a powerful, snappy punch. It’s very easy to fall into the routine of shoving the bag rather than punching it.” he picked up my hands holding it, showing me how to hit the bag instead of shoving it.

Our breathing became as one as we kept hitting the bag together. Blake’s face is next to mine, my left foot close to him and his hands still on mine while we kept the momentum of hitting the bag.

“The only shots that you need to throw have to be a front kick or cross. Other shots, like jab or hook, need to make a good snapping noise as your hand moves in and away at a fast pace. If you push the bag on every punch, it will just soak up your energy and make you tired.” he moved away from me. I kept the tempo and did exactly as he told me to.

“Do you always need someone next to you, to show you how to do things?” he grabbed the bag, and I stopped punching it.

“Excuse me?” I asked, shocked.

“You’re doing it wrong. Do you need someone at the ER to hold your hand as well when you’re treating a patient?” I can feel the anger stirring again inside me.

“Sorry, but help me understand? Did I piss you off or did you forget to use protection last night when you took a woman home?” I throwback at him. For some reason, I have the guts to just tell him exactly what’s on my mind.

“Go home, Emily,” he says and pulls the bag back.

“No, I came here for training. What did you except a woman that will be able to hit a bag the way you want her to? I told you, I don’t know how to do this.” my eyes feel like it’s about to pop out from anger. I need this, and I need him to help me.

“Okay Emily, get in the cage.” he put on some gloves and jumped into the cage.

“See me as a punching bag.” I did exactly as he told me and put my one foot in front and the other one backward.

“Now hit me.” he stands in front of me. I swing my right arm and he ditches the punch.

“Boxing isn’t just about punching a bag, it is about doing every move with accuracy and proper form. A punching bag workout lets you experience the impact’s force when you punch, but your opponent can ditch your punch and hit you to the ground in seconds.” he punches me and I fell to the floor. He held out his hand and pulled me back up.

“Focus on my breathing and do it again.” I did exactly the same and focus on his breathing, but before I could hit him, I was lying on the floor again.

“The challenge of giving it your all is to move out of your comfort zone, which builds strength over time. The more you get out of your comfort zone, the more your strength increases,” he explains, but I don’t even know what my comfort zone is.

“Switch your legs and your position.” I did as he said.

“Focus on my breathing.” he moved closer to me, too close, and I hit him in the face with my glove. I don’t know if he let me do it or if I actually moved out of my comfort zone, but he smiled, so I guess I was doing it right. I smiled back at him and he took off his gloves.

“Go home and rest.” I nodded and removed my gloves as well.

“Emily?” he calls back when I stepped out of the cage.

“I didn’t have a woman with me last night,” he said. I don’t know why. If he did, that’s his business, but for some reason, he wanted to let me know.

“I was just pushing your buttons, Blake,” I admit. I don’t want him to feel angry at me for saying that.

“Okay, but I still just wanted you to know,” he said and turned his back.

“Okay, I will see you tomorrow,” I said softly.

“Blake?” he turned around and face me.

“Thank you.” he nodded and gave me a small smile. I know he is fooling around with women. That was clear on Google, but I feel safe with him, even though he makes me angry and sad, but the training is helping. I checked the clock and my shift at the ER starts in half an hour.