Gym: Sokudo Gym

Location: Hoorn, The Netherlands

Price: 1 to 1 training with Ernesto Hoost 60 Euro per hour

Training video’s: Training Video’s

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Having had the honour of meeting Ernesto Hoost at Kingdom Fight Gym in Siem Reap in  Cambodia, I got the idea of training with him to coincide with a trip to visit my brother in Amsterdam. Kwok, one of the Dutch owners of Kingdom Fight Gym very kindly put me in direct contact with Ernesto and we very casually arranged a start date. Now as a complete novice in the world of martial arts, I didn’t understand what a big deal he was until I researched him. Most Dutch people and kick boxers/fighters know exactly who he is and sitting down for lunch with him one day in Hoorn you’re constantly aware of his status by people acknowledging him constantly! I felt very honoured.

The gym:

Sokudo Gym, where Ernesto trained me, is a lovely Gym in Hoorn very close to the train station. There is a gym, floor space with punch bags for classes and practice and a ring where I spent my 6 sessions with Ernesto. The manager was so welcoming and had Hoorn not been a 40 minute train ride (almost 9 euro one way) from Amsterdam central (where I was staying) I would have taken part in the classes I observed- they looked like hard work but thoroughly enjoyable and the group was a great mix of male and female without being over crowded.

We first managed to train for 3 consecutive days and it was everything I hoped it would be. His pad work absolutely exhausted me but even Ernesto noticed a difference in my training during that short time, he really pushed and encouraged me.

I usually moan a lot during training (I’ve been told this multiple times haha), it’s because I am so unfit and get tired really quickly and I have hope that they will go easier on me, however, you don’t moan to Ernesto. He is a champion fighter and he straight up told me he has no empathy. That told me! I will be honest though, I was so exhausted after every 2 minute sparring session that the 1 minute break I got in-between was just me trying to get my breath back for the next 2 mins. Some times I couldn’t even manage to take in water. It was immense and I loved it.

 

 

Due to injury we couldn’t train again for a few of weeks and when we went back to training it was to do punch bag exercises…….these were super tough! After a few weeks of drinking beer and doing zero exercise I struggled as you can cleary see in my videos!!

He is quite the national treasure in The Netherlands and I can certainly see why! He is an imposing figure but such a gentleman and an all round nice guy….well, he is Mr. Perfect after all.