Hannah Schmidt has been training the Thomas-Palmer family every Sunday over-zoom since the pandemic started. Each session, Schmidt yells out kickboxing combos for the family to throw, hitting mitts and the heavy bag. 

Schmidt is a kickboxing and boxing coach at Title, and hopes to become a professional fighter in jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA). 

Schmidt has faced countless challenges as a fitness coach during this pandemic. One of which is teaching over-zoom. Without the same equipment as a gym, she had to change her lesson plans to work with what her client has at home; instead of everyone hitting a bag, people rotate from sharing a bag and hitting mitts, and instead of increasing the time of each round, the time stayed constant. Without being there with the client, her teaching has become more vocal.

“I can’t physically be there, grab your arm and tell you to throw straight,” Schmidt said.

One of Schmidt’s bigger struggles during the pandemic was being out of a job for six months. With her gym being closed, she got bored; she wanted to teach again but didn’t know when or how that would happen.

“The unknown was a major cloud in my head,” Schmidt said. 

This unknown made her more motivated to get back to work, and practice her skills in MMA from home. She wanted to help get people back in shape, regain the skills they’ve lost, and help show them how fitness can make you happier. One way she knew she could help, was to train her clients in any way she could.

This pandemic has taken a toll on many lives, but Schmidt decided to look at this challenge positively. 

“It’s fun—it’s a challenge,” Schmidt said, “I like the challenge, there are things I miss pre-pandemic but you have to live with it, life goes on every single day. You just have to make the best of it.”