As it is my first time doing this, I am excited, a little bit nervous and also unsure about the response I will get when I explain my intentions to them. The people I meet inside the gym are an accurate representation of the neighborhood: most gym members seem to be Serbian. They are very friendly to me and surprisingly open to the idea of me, a complete stranger, writing about their gym and taking photos. It is a good sign, they have nothing to hide. I believe there are two main reasons a martial arts gym would choose to be secretive: either it is a big gym where world class competitors train and do not want to reveal the details of their preparation for upcoming big fights, or they are a fraud taking advantage of the ignorance of their members.
Viktoria’s Gym is neither of those things. It is the typical small local gym, where training is hardcore and the environment friendly and laid back. The coaches are a big Serbian man called Boban Djordjevic and coach Vanchana, from Thailand. Both come across as friendly and down to earth. It is the first time I am training Muay Thai under a Thai coach and I find the idea exciting.
Ottakringer Straße is the long street that separates the 16th and 17thdistricts of Vienna. It is easy to tell why this street is sometimes referred as “the Balkan Mile”, with lots signboards and flags in shops, cafes, and restaurants announcing the nationality of the owners. Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, etc. That is where Viktoria’s Gym is located.
Training takes place every day from Monday to Friday, from 19:30 to 21:00. If you want to show up and try, Monday is the day for that. The monthly membership cost is 70€, which is reasonable for 5 training sessions per week. Also, no paperwork needed.
The martial arts taught include Kickboxing, obviously the combination of kicks and boxing techniques;
Muay Thai, a traditional and extremely hard fighting style from Thailand, where punches, kicks, knees and elbow strikes are allowed; K1, a middle ground between them, with knees being allowed but not elbows; and
Savate, a French style of kickboxing that I am not very familiar with.
After the usual warm up, we hit the pads in an intense session and follow with stretching, finishing with a show of respect to the coaches and training partners. I am a little disappointed when they tell me sparring takes places on Fridays; I was really looking forward to that. I guess I will have to wait a few more days.
In the end, I love the experience and I go back home with a big smile. I like it there so much that I decide to sign up and train there for the rest of the time I will live in the 16th district. It will help me sharpen my kickboxing skills, as well as to meet the local population and practice my German.
In short, my first attempt goes very well and I am both really excited to go try other gyms and happy about finding a good place next home where I can go back to training on a regular basis.
Mikel
http://talesofawarrior.com/victorias-gym
