The two questions I get asked more than any others, before someone has even booked, are "what do I need to bring?" and "what actually happens?" Both come from the same place, which is not wanting to turn up and feel like the only person in the room who doesn't know what they're doing. So here are the honest answers, in the order you'll need them.
You don't need to own anything
This is the part that stops most beginners, so let me deal with it first. You do not need to buy gloves or wraps before your first session. I keep gloves and wraps at the gym for exactly this reason, and I'll wrap your hands for you the first time and show you how it's done so you can do it yourself after that. Nobody should have to spend money on equipment to find out whether they even enjoy boxing.
What to actually bring
Normal training gear, whatever you'd wear to any gym, and trainers you can move around in. A water bottle, because you will need it. A towel. That's genuinely it. If you already own gloves and wraps then bring them, they'll be better suited to your hands than borrowed ones, but if you don't, it changes nothing about your session.
What happens in the first session
We start by talking, not training. I want to know what you're actually here for, because "I want to learn to box" and "I want to lose weight" and "I want to get fit again after a few years off" are three different sessions, and I'd rather build the right one than guess. That conversation takes a few minutes, then we get to work. You'll do some real boxing on day one, the basic stance, how to throw a straight punch properly, and some work on the pads with me. You won't spend an hour doing star jumps while someone shouts at you.
Fitness is not a prerequisite
I coach people across a wide range of fitness levels and I have never once expected someone to arrive already in shape. Getting in shape is the point, not the entry requirement. What I will do is read how you're moving and adjust as we go, and I'm watching for that the whole session. I don't push a first-time client into the ground to prove a point, that's how people get hurt and how they never come back. We go at your pace, and I only push harder when you tell me you want it.
Finding the place
Top Floor Boxing is on the top floor at 56 Regent Road in Sea Point. When you arrive, ring the green bell at the entrance to the building and walk up the stairs around the stairwell, and you'll come out on the training floor. There is on-street parking available but it isn't endless, so if you're coming to one of the busier class times give yourself a few extra minutes. Give yourself five or ten minutes on your first visit anyway, so you can get your hands wrapped without rushing.
What it costs to start
A private one-to-one session is R400 an hour. If you would rather share it, a private group is R250 each when you bring your own people, up to six. You pay per session, there's a card machine at the gym, and there's no contract or membership to sign.
The honest bit
Almost everyone is nervous before a first boxing session, and almost nobody is nervous after it. The thing beginners tell me most often afterwards isn't that it was harder or easier than they expected, it's how much there is to learn in the small technical details, and how quickly an hour goes when you're concentrating on something that specific.
If you're in Sea Point, Green Point, Fresnaye, Bantry Bay, Mouille Point, or anywhere on the Atlantic Seaboard and you've been meaning to try boxing for a while, message me on WhatsApp and tell me a bit about where you're starting from. I'll tell you which session to come to first.