‘I went to a boxing retreat and I’ve never thrown a punch in my life’
Hold the spa treatments. When it comes to impactful wellness breaks, a boxing retreat in Bali combines strength training, self-discovery and the chance to unleash one’s fighting spirit.
Jab cross, eyes up, jab cross – in a few short days these commands have become a powerful mantra. Drenched in sweat, out of breath, I’m delivering swift punches to a boxing bag almost on autopilot. With every clumsy one-two strike, my self-consciousness fades and my confidence surges. Elbows tucked, chin down, thwack! thwack! pow! One blessing of this challenging workout is that my dopamine levels are spiking and I’m alert with a steely focus usually fuelled by caffeine and deadlines. “More power,” roars one of my expert trainers, and I show the bag who’s boss.
I’ve never thrown a punch before in my life. I’m not especially coordinated, and the only bobbing and weaving I’ve done are in awkward social situations. But I signed up for a boxing retreat to think outside the box – and inside the boxing ring – when it comes to fitness. Having battled low self-esteem, I tend to gravitate to Pilates and spin classes where I can disappear into slow-paced movements or high-energy music. What persuaded me to don gloves was the camp being hosted by Como Uma Canggu, a revered resort in Bali.
Como is a Singapore-based lifestyle brand known for its haute, health-centric retreats that prioritise common-sense wellness principles: good nutrition, regular exercise, and deep levels of comfort. Its far-flung lodgings, scattered everywhere from Bhutan to the Maldives, are a unique reflection of their lush environments. In Bali, both Como Shambhala Estate and Como Uma Ubud, set in luxuriant green jungle, offer holistic programs based on East-meets-West healing. In contrast, the Canggu property, on the island’s south coast, is shaped by the surf culture of the locale. Part of the hotel’s allure is its chilled-out approach to healthy living.
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On site it has a surf school and wellness centre, which includes a kitted-out gym, reformer Pilates studio, as well as a café serving smoothie bowls, chia puddings and artistic arrangements of fruit. Across its global portfolio, Como organises multi-day retreats that run the gamut from yoga and meditation workshops to skiing and full-body training, all hosted by elite athletes and trainers. This inaugural boxing retreat is led by English trainers Ryan Pickard and Darren Barker. The pair founded 12x3, a renowned boxing gym in London, where finance bros, senior citizens and pop stars like Ellie Goulding all sweat it out.
Both boxers are chiselled visions of masculinity who have collected medals, accolades and national titles for their country. Pickard represented and captained the England team as an amateur boxer, while Barker’s career includes earning gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the world middleweight title in 2013. “Anybody that participates in a retreat with us is getting proper boxing knowledge,” Barker tells me. In our sessions, we zero in on developing strength, speed, and endurance. More than technical skills, adds Pickard, “There are transferable life skills that can be gained through the sport. Boxing builds confidence, improves concentration and patience. We’re not training you to hurt people.” The trainers are gentle but assertive in their approach to their charges. “It’s all about building supportive relationships with your students,” says Pickard.
I’m dipping into the six-day retreat at its tail end. The next few days are a crash course in mental and physical toughness, inspiring lessons in coordination, stamina and concentration, nudging me well outside my comfort zone. Avoiding conflict and confrontation is my natural state of being. For two to three hours each morning we practise Rocky-style interval training – that is, if Sly Stallone worked out in an air-conditioned yoga studio near a beach – including drills, footwork and shadow boxing. With their emphasis on learning the basic moves on repeat, the sessions feel more like a choreographed dance than combat training, bringing to mind Martha Graham as opposed to Tyson Fury. I quickly learn that boxing is both brain and brawn, with mental power-plays lifted from a chessboard: anticipation, deflection and attack.
Scanning the class, it’s a diverse group of participants, including a 40-something Singaporean woman recovering from an illness, an eagle-eyed Aussie bloke in his early 30s, and a super-fit 67-year-old Englishman who trains with our instructors in London. We quickly learn each other’s foibles: the cautious one too hesitant to throw a punch, the gung-ho one who tires easily, and the slow and steady one with great instincts. I’m overly timid and I find myself apologising after every light brush. “How you are in the ring is how you are in life,” Barker tells us. In a few rounds of training our keen-eyed coaches have not only sized us up but diagnosed us, too. One student is a little overeager in his punches, not alert to his training partner’s movements. “You’re concentrating too much on yourself and forgetting about what the other person is doing,” instructs Barker. Sage advice in life as well.
The days are capped with a yoga and meditation class overseen by a sinewy teacher, who guides us through hypnotic breathwork exercises that feel like we’re learning to breathe for the first time. As remedial as these classes are, my body is aching. Muscles I didn’t know I had are throbbing, and massages from nimble therapists at the resort, also part of the program, become a necessity rather than an indulgence. Still, I feel stronger, my mind is sharper, and a wave of contentment washes over me at the end of the day. Plus, it’s not a merciless bootcamp, and we have ample time to unwind. It’s a high thread-count retreat, and that’s its appeal.
Although we spend hours drilling, there is a camaraderie among the participants. Between sessions, we dart to the resort’s two pools and beach club, an open-air restaurant that spills out onto spectacular Echo Beach. The bountiful menu is based on sustenance rather than deprivation, with lunch comprising plant-based, nutrient-dense dishes, seafood cooked over coals, and Indonesian favourites like nasi goreng. Come sunset, as the crowds gather on the black-sand beach and surfers ride their last waves back, the virtuous juices and smoothies turn into tequila-spiked cocktails.
The classes leave me in a meditative state, so it is comforting to retire to the minimalist sanctuary of my chambers at dusk. Designed by Koichiro Ikebuchi and Paola Navone, the hotel’s 119 rooms are bright, inviting and graced with tropical accents of woven-grass furniture and leafy plants. Among the breezy accommodations are expansive suites with garden courtyards, living spaces and ocean or pool views. There are also tony residences where one can slip directly from your private deck into the lagoon pool.
Fitness-focused getaways are a burgeoning category as travellers emphasise health goals over unlimited indulgence – the idea being you come home feeling better about yourself. With escapes for activities like trail running, horse riding and pickleball, the new travel credo could be “eat, pray, workout”. Boxing, it turns out, blends many swirling wellness trends. As pulse-quickening exercise, it helps foster longevity, mental clarity and mindfulness. It’s so all-encompassing it could be viewed as a digital detox – I barely look at my devices during my time here. It could also easily be paired with a nutritional plan if you’re counting calories. And being part of a collective ensures you feel connected and not isolated.
Our final session entails trading the sleek confines of the hotel for a nearby MMA (mixed martial arts) gym scented with sweat and testosterone. The only sounds are whirring fans circulating hot air and the now-familiar thud of jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts against elbow pads and punching bags. Each student must take part in a three-round sparring session with Pickard, while the rest watch from the sidelines. And though mine is a fight no one would pay to see, a kitten versus a tiger, I’m more excited than nervous as I enter the ring, and that’s already a win. To my surprise, I feel powerful, self-assured and in control.
What a change. Three days prior, I could never have attempted a sparring session. I didn’t even know how to bend my knees or move my feet properly. I didn’t trust my instincts and was constantly looking for affirmation. The idea of a life-changing trip might sound like hype, but I leave Bali with a fresh outlook. Since the retreat I have enlisted in boxing training. I appreciate that it’s a full-body workout and also, because I need to concentrate, I can’t think of anything else – it’s a breather from all the things that normally occupy my mind. I guess you could say I found my fighting spirit.
The writer was a guest of Como Hotels & Resorts. comohotels.com
This story is from the February issue of Travel + Luxury Magazine.
