It was a Monday night in Breda at Impact sports academy. My boyfriend was teaching BJJ classes and we were way to early so we sat down beside the mat and watched a boxing class. There I saw Mijke for the first time. She patiently watched two big MMA looking guys doing boxing combo. Then she demonstrated the combo, she stood in boxing stance and moved her head from left to right and at the same time shifted her body in the same direction. After that she threw out a left and right punch. She taught the class with patience and not once did she scream or hype her students up with her voice or behavior. She simply walked around hands behind her back and gave tips to the students. I was amazed by her flawless moves and rhythm. I asked my boyfriend: who’s the teacher? He told me her name and where she teaches boxing and from that moment on I knew I wanted her to teach me the art of boxing.
Mijke was born on the 15th of February both her parents were artists. Her mom was a student painter at the art academy when she raised Mijke. Mijke remembered sitting next to her mom just drawing while her mother painted.
She attended high school (Havo) after that she was 17 years of age and applied to the famous Gerrit Rietveld art academy in Amsterdam. First time she applied she didn’t get in. She went to another art school in Arnhem but still really wanted to go to the Gerrit Rietveld. She wrote a letter why she was perfect for the academy and she got in second year.
She studied animation filming and graduated. She moved back to ‘s-Hertogenbosch and worked part time next to her art projects.She organised her own exibithions. For example in the Jan Cunen museum. Her work got noticed by a Belgian jeweler who wanted an animation film about his jewelry, She even got to travel to Japan to take pictures of the jewelry. The pictures were used in the animation movie. She started a project that ended up lasting six years. I asked why so long? “Well”, she answerd:”One second of animation takes about 8 to 12 drawings, so it takes a lot of time, but at the same time I began my boxing career and that also takes up time. Next to the boxing I learned how to paint Sumi-e style wich was perfect for me, because I could capture the image of Boxing.
Sumi-e Ink wash painting, also known as literati painting is an East Asian type of brush painting that uses black ink—the same type used in East Asian calligraphy, in various concentrations. For centuries, this most prestigious form of Chinese art was practiced by highly educated scholar gentlemen or literati. (Wikipedia)
Mijke describes Sumi-e painting as to be just like boxing, the strokes you make are very powerful. She wanted to make art that tells something with as few colours as possible.
Some of her paintings.
Mijke says: “At first when I began boxing I was fascinated by it, because in boxing your biggest opponent is yourself. I took pictures watching fights. But I wanted to experience it myself so I asked my trainer if I could fight in the ring. He said yes. I trained for about a whole year before my first fight. I lost my first fight but I continued training and fighting. People noticed me and I got the chance to be part of the Dutch national boxing team. My hobby got out of hand.” she says. “I got a job where I could work flexible hours and the rest of the time I was training for competition.”
Mijke’s biggest achievements were ,attending the world championships in 2005. Winning first place at the national championships in 2007.And second place at the national championships in 2011.
Mind you, she trained twice a day for the world championships. Mijke’s style can be defined by her technique, she is a technical fighter. I asked her if her art and drawings about boxing defined her technique, Mijke said: “No, I was already like this before boxing. I did Karate and I handled the technique the same way. She stopped competition boxing because she couldn’t grow at her level. She had only two fights a year and kept repeating the same mistakes during the fights. The technique that she learned during training didn’t show in her fights.
I asked if she was ever disappointed by the Dutch boxing world. She said: “Well boxing is a jury sport, sometimes the more aggressive fighter wins but an aggressive fighter isn´t always the most technical one. I really like it when a fighter fights so technically, that he or she dominates the fight. It is as if the most technical fighter is directing the other fighter. But I knew what I was getting myself into,so I got on and accepted it.”
Later on she discovered that her grampa was also a boxer. Boxing is in her genes.
Mijke has her own gym in Vught called Club Boks.She teaches Boxing and Power yoga.
Club Boks also has other teachers.It’s just since October 2014 she works full time running her own gym.
Club Boks also has other teachers.
Jer Soumokil: Dutch kickboxing Champion.
Gunter Baelen: European and Belgian Kickboxing Champion.
She describes Boxing as holding a mirror up and looking at yourself. You overcome your fears and you push yourself to the limit. Sparring can be exciting but every time you do it, you get better at it. You gain confidence in boxing and your confidence and achievements can be adapted in daily life, take for example work or school.
She wants her students to learn how to box with technique and just have fun she says: “Its very important that people keep on training and keep their body healthy.”
Mijke still paints.
She gets inspired by things she sees in daily life. Once she went to the theater around Christmas time and saw a big lamp and this little boy was sitting in the lamp, his head between the lights. She said: “Funny seeing the little man so I remembered the image and made a painting of it.” Her style is more refined now, less lines than before. “I like to be as powerful as can be with my paintings.”
Thank you Mijke for your time.
You are a true Jedi!
For more information about Mijke and Clubboks visit:
http://www.clubboks.nl
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