Kickbox to relax and release the monster in you
Interview with Enes Yılmaz, national athlete and kickbox champion
I met him the day after he won the collegiate championship in Türkiye. Enes Yilmaz showed up at the kickboxing studio in his usual sweatpants, hoodie, jean jacket and baseball cap. He walked in calm and relaxed with a smile on his face, which hinted at his constant flow of vitality, drive and fire. His energy permeated the room. He moved toward the ring to hang it on the wall among other awards he’s won in the past.
“I became a Türkiye champion yesterday; I painted the walls of the studio today,” says Enes, raising his hands so I could see the paint still stuck on them.
Enes Yilmaz is a five-time Türkiye champion and a national athlete. He is an International Open Cup champion and won third place in a European championship. He earned his degree in logistics at Beykoz University and continues his education there. He will participate in another European championship in Croatia in September.
His coach and father Oktay Yilmaz told me that Enes was two-and-a-half years old when he showed interest in kickboxing. While his father trained his students, Enes watched with his milk bottle in hand. “I always knew that I would be an athlete,” he says now at 23 years old. Enes started his training when he was 6 years old and officially became a fighter when he was 12 years old. He won his first medal two years later.
Enes also is a coach at Oktay Yilmaz Fight Club. He offers private and group lessons for children and adults who are athletes or just interested in kickboxing. I found his studio when searching for a martial arts class for my daughter. After a brief talk over the phone with Oktay, I decided to check out the studio. Its only sign read: KICKBOX, MMA… in neon yellow paint on a black barrel next to the entrance. The obscurity of the entrance reminded me of a speakeasy – the term that was used for secret bars and pubs during the Prohibition, a time when alcohol consumption was illegal in the U.S..
The black metal door led directly into a large space where the large, imposing ring was centered like a trophy. The walls were decorated with posters, belts and medals from championships and professional fights.
Enes greeted my daughter and me warmly. He explained the training schedule and options. My daughter signed up right away and started her first lesson among other kids her age.
I don’t know for sure what I was expecting to see in my daughter’s face while she took the class, but when I saw a smile, I realized I was not expecting that, although I was delighted. Since then, she has become a regular student – and I am a regular audience. It is relaxing and joyful for me to watch her while hearing the sounds of boxing gloves in the background.
Not just Enes and Oktay Yilmaz but also other teachers in the studio emphasize the discipline required for learning and excelling in kickboxing, like any other sport. However, they do relax their strictness for children to make learning more playful without overwhelming them as well.
Weeks after my daughter’s first lesson, when I met Enes in the studio to interview him for this article, we sat in the ring. He explained that the kickboxing tournaments are meant to select the most resilient sportsmen in three rounds each year – in January, May and July. He has been participating in the competition in the 67kg group for seven years. Even though he enjoys food, Enes says he cannot eat much as he is supposed to remain 67kg for the contests. Once athletes start the tournament in a specific weight, they need to stay in that group. He shared his victories and defeats and said he learned much more from his defeats.
I asked him what he meant by that. “I am fine until I get to the locker room where I am alone,” he says. “I feel extra pressure because my father is my coach, and I am not just a fighter but a coach also.” After digesting his sadness and frustration and accepting the outcome, he goes back to his life.
“I am happy in the studio when I coach others or train myself,” says Enes. “I give 7-8 lessons and have a training session for myself in a day, but it is not like a job. Instead, I feel like I paid off my debt for that day and relax.” Before a contest. he has three training sessions in a day, six days a week. For the last contest, he lost five kg in 10 days.
We also talked about his training in Thailand that lasted a couple of months. His friends who went to Thailand before him had asked him to bring 11kg of cheese. Enes was not able to understand why they were craving cheese from Türkiye until he hit his 20th day in Thailand. He missed its taste. He missed eating something familiar. He asked his friends if they had any cheese left.
Besides food, he likes walking along the shore and listening to rap music, which he plays in the studio and Instagram reels where men, women, children, ordinary people are training.
Kickboxing is a challenging sport that leads people to gain confidence, he said. “I have seen people who were shy, stressed or avoiding eye contact transformed into being confident with kickboxing.” I nodded along with the beat. I could feel that confidence in the studio for sure.
Eda Uzuncakara
IG: eda.u.kara
sparksinshadows@gmail.com
