Going Outside the Box at Goleta’s 9Round

When I ventured to work out at 9Round, the kickboxing fitness studio a few doors down from Cajun Kitchen in Goleta’s Target shopping center, I admit feeling some trepidation. Would the place be filled with hardcore cage-fighters who would scoff at my novice’s technique and snicker at my fingerless pink boxing gloves? Bad memories of being the only girl in a summer karate class started coming back to me.

I needn’t have worried. Although it’s decorated with images of Muhammad Ali and Rocky Balboa, 9Round welcomes beginners, and every workout includes certified trainers who help lead you through the circuit. Franchise owner Anthony Estrella got serious about martial arts in high school, but he estimates 80 percent of members have no prior background in boxing or martial arts and are simply looking for a challenging workout that doesn’t involve actually hitting or kicking another person. This is true even of the trainers, like Taylor, a runner who started kickboxing six years ago as a way to cross-train. Estrella says 60-70 percent of members and the majority of trainers are women; his oldest member is 75.

For those trying to be cautious during this tripledemic winter, 9Round offers a clean facility and a hand-sanitizing station. When I arrived for my first workout on a chilly December evening, the evening crowd had subsided, the door was open, and the fans were on, so I felt comfortable not wearing a mask.