Ons team werkt elke dag hard aan het met de hand vervaardigen van armbanden met de grootste zorg en aandacht voor detail, geliefd bij fans over de hele wereld.
Every month we will interview the boldest craftsmen who are living the Pig & Hen lifestyle. This month, we have the story of...
Jacob Schaap'NYC BASED KICKBOX TRAINER'
You’re living the dream in New York City, how did that happen?
New York City, I’ll never forget the first time I came there. It was in December of 2001, right after the 9/11 attacks. The city was recovering, but it still felt so strong and powerful. I was 17 back then and I immediately fell in love with the place. I was drawn to the hustle and bustle, the lights, the action and the noise, the blurring ambulances and the yellow cabs. I was amazed by it. After one day I already told my travel companions: “One day I’ll live here! I don’t know when or how, but one day I will make sure to live here.”
Can you tell us about your passion
In that same year, back in Amsterdam, I fell in love again. This time with kickboxing. It became a big passion, probably bordering an obsession and dominating my life for the years to come, both personally and professionally.
What does boxing mean for you?
Boxing has truly transformed me as a person, from the very first moment I started training, fighting and after that also teaching. It has changed me because when you start boxing your improved physical health is just a start. Boxing is really about your mental health, because boxing is an ideal outlet for stress and tension. It teaches you control, it heals your head and at the same time it can boost your confidence.
Sounds like boxing has taken you to the next level?
Ever since I’ve started boxing I’ve been blessed, because boxing has enabled me to travel the world, teach people from all walks of life. From underprivileged children in the Middle East to my own foundation called ‘Boxing: A Game Of Life’, to millionaires on rooftops in Beirut. And now, almost twenty years later, it has finally enabled me to fulfill my dream of living in New York City.
How does it feel to live your dream?
Nowadays, every morning, I get to wake up and bike to through the stull deserted city streets. As the city awakes, I make my way to my favorite spot along the Hudson River. Here’s where I conduct most of my training sessions in the summer. Outside with the upcoming sun, I work with all kinds of leveled boxers. From professional fighters, absolute beginners, talented warriors to so-called desperate housewives. I love them all equally as I get the chance to assist them in becoming better versions of themselves while doing something I still enjoy every day in the city that I love.
