‘Let it all out on the bag’: Boxing at local club is mental exercise as much as physical

TITLE Boxing Club, located at 2120 E. Dorothy Lane in the Kettering Towne Center next to Dollar Tree, is a business that’s been on my radar for the last four years, but I never worked up the courage to try it until now.

The Kettering gym is the only TITLE Boxing Club in the Dayton area and has been open for about 11 years.

As a first timer, I bought my $10 hand wrap and Owner/Trainer Rob Scott walked me through the six punches I would need to know for the class:

All classes start with a warm up because you can’t go in and just start punching a 100-pound heavy bag. My warm up consisted of stretching, some high knees, butt kicks and shadowboxing.

I took a Box 45 class, which means I had eight rounds of boxing with a 45-second active rest in between. Active rests include anything from squats to planks or pushups. There’s also a Box 60 class, which consists of 10 rounds with a 1-minute active rest in between. They also have a Box 75 class with 13 rounds of boxing.

“The reason the class format is that way is because you’re training like a boxer,” said Krista Thobe, the lead trainer at the Kettering gym. “When you watch a boxing match, their rounds are 3 minutes long and then they sit and rest.”

At the end of each class, there is a cool down that typically focuses on core work. Sometimes they even use a weighted ball.

During the full-body authentic heavy bag workout, I used everything from my legs and core to my arms for punching. Once I got the technique, I was able to throw my body into it.

“It’s a lot of cardio, but it’s also strength and resistance because you’re hitting a heavy bag,” Thobe said. “It also makes you feel powerful because you’re hitting a heavy bag.”

This workout was not only physical, but mental. When I was punching the bag, I was focusing on what the trainer was saying and forgetting about daily stresses, as well as letting some of those stresses out.

One thing Thobe likes to say is, “let it all out on the bag.”

After class I felt stronger, empowered and confident.

Scott said about 70 percent of the club’s membership is female with varying ages, fitness levels, shapes and sizes. There are families and couples who attend together. Some people have been coming since it opened 11 years ago, and others are new. Some workout every day, others come once a week. While taking the class, you can go at your own pace and modify if needed.

Those who are hesitant about taking their first class are encouraged to attend an Intro to Boxing Box 30 class to learn the fundamentals, punches and defensive moves at a slower pace. This is not required, but offered and as always, the first class is free.

“We’re going to take you on a boxing journey,” Thobe said. “We want a purpose with our workout, so what we do is each week we have a new focus. It’s a boxing focus. It’s a skill we’re trying to teach you guys.”

With the focus comes a new combination that changes daily. During the class you’re building up and breaking down the combination until you put the combination all together at the end.

I absolutely loved my first class — so much so that I am doing a second class this week. I liked that I was getting my cardio in while learning new moves and combinations. The core work at the end of class was no joke, but again, modifications can be made. I felt accomplished and an instant feeling of Zen when I walked out the gym doors.

“It’s very much a community,” Scott said. “It’s fun. Some of my closest friends are here.”

Scott said he took over the gym during the pandemic when the previous owners were planning to shut it down. He had previously been a member that fell in love with boxing and was coming every day, seven days a week. He said he didn’t want to see it close, so he stepped up to the plate with the help of Thobe.

“We will push you to the edge and keep you there as long as we can,” he said. “You’ll learn something about boxing. You’ll learn something about yourself and you will walk out feeling like you accomplished something.”

Other classes at TITLE Boxing include kick boxing and a class for kids. They also do one-on-one personal training. The club has a ring where sparring is simulated, but clients and trainers do not hit each other.

Memberships range from $59 a month for one class a week to $129 a month for unlimited classes each month. They offer specials throughout the year and family plans. TITLE Boxing Club is also available on demand with online workouts from their corporate coaches.

The club has eight to 10 coaches helping teach around 32 classes a week. Class times throughout the week include 5:30 a.m., noon, 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday morning classes are available between 8 and 11 a.m.

For more information, visit titleboxingclub.com or the club’s Instagram or Facebook pages (@titleboxingdayton). With questions, call (937) 938-5222.

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Natalie Jones writes about wellness and dining in Dayton and the Southwest Ohio region. If you would like your business to be considered for this feature, email natalie.jones@coxinc.com or find her on TikTok @natalie_reports and Instagram @natalie_reports937.