Member   of   the   Month

Luis Benavides

  Luis Benavides started his kickboxing journey as a 14 year old tag along with his father. “I didn’t think the old man was really going to do it.” Luis remembers, “I told him if he does it, so will I.” This was not as easy an answer as you might think. Luis, a Southern California native, at 14 years old weighed in at 285 pounds. “The first class was tough, but I didn’t want to quit,” Luis recounts of his first experience. “It felt good to let out some aggression kicking and punching the Muay Thai bag.”

  That first class was all it took for Luis to be hooked on Kickboxing. Through consistent training and a proper diet Luis lost over 100 pounds in one year!!! Luis speaks candidly about his weight loss. “I never thought I would lose weight kickboxing. I always thought I would be this way and I wanted to lean how to defend myself.” Luis continues about the change in his life. “I can’t really describe the feeling of being picked first and not last when teams are selected, not having to hold my breath just to tie my shoe and being noticed by a pretty girl.” Luis counts the love of the sport and his father as his biggest inspirations. His advice to anyone of any size wanting to learn kickboxing: “Don’t miss class, stay motivated and make small achievable goals.” When Luis isn’t training for an upcoming fight or fighting off all the girls, he collects medieval collectibles and plays video games. Luis plans to study physiology in college.

Note from THE MACHINE GUN:
Luis is a Powerbox member of the month not just because of his incredible weight loss, but because he is dedicated to the sport, loyal to his school and helpful to others. He exhibits the best of Powerbox.