Monday, April 30, 2012
Calm after the storm
I've done some more sparring, this time with a guy in my weight class, and while it's fun to do, there's also a small amount of fear and nerves and other non-fun aspects involved. Taking shots to the face is never fun. Seeing how much of your boxing training you completely forget when you step into the ring is never fun and pushing yourself to the limitations of your physical conditioning is quite taxing on the body. For me, the real enjoyment of sparring comes the next day, when it's all over and I've I had a night to sleep on it. My sparring is always done at night and as soon as it's over my mind tends to be confused, quantifying what I did right, what I did wrong, and so on. But when I wake up the next morning, I am the living embodiment of zen. I'm subdued, calm, peaceful, impervious to stress. Tasks at work I usually dread become simple. Everything is easier when someone isn't trying to punch you in the face.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Combat fitness students are fit. Others, not so much.
Target selection was something we worked on in last night's boxing class (April 24). Our partner/coach would present targets with their hands in a random order and we had to react. This is good training because too often we are throwing punches at static targets, and while this helps build good punching form, it's not realistic and can even become detrimental to learning proper boxing technique.
We also worked on our firing line and set line. Firing line is the distance from your opponent where you are just out of your range to land punches. Set line is the few inches forward of your firing line where you can now reach your opponent with your strikes. These lines are different for everyone because it depends on size, reach, punching style, etc.
It was a good class for me. It built confidence in my skills and fitness. I'm really starting to see an improvement in my stamina. We did a two-minute punching drill and I feel like I was pretty strong throughout it and when we had to do exercises between drills, I felt good doing them. These exercises between drills is when it becomes very obvious as to who participates in combat fitness and who does not. Example: we had to hold the high plank position for one minute while holding one arm straight out in front of our heads, then we would switch to the other arm. This exercise is all core. All core. You're not supposed to shift your hips or arch your back when you elevate the arm. Combat fitness classes focus a lot on the core. People from combat fitness didn't have a problem holding the plank straight. Others, not so much.
When class was over it was time to get in the ring and do a few rounds of sparring. More on that in another post.
We also worked on our firing line and set line. Firing line is the distance from your opponent where you are just out of your range to land punches. Set line is the few inches forward of your firing line where you can now reach your opponent with your strikes. These lines are different for everyone because it depends on size, reach, punching style, etc.
 |
| Going to combat fitness classes is really paying off now. Sparring is showing me how crucial conditioning is. Even the exercises we do between drills in boxing class clearly shows the divide between who goes to combat fitness and who doesn't. |
When class was over it was time to get in the ring and do a few rounds of sparring. More on that in another post.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Closing the distance
In last night's boxing class we practiced closing distance on our opponent. This is basically the process of moving closer to your opponent to be able to hit them. Sounds simple, right? Well, nothing is simple when it involves hitting and avoiding being hit.
Properly closing distance requires you to know what your reach is and what your opponent's reach is. If your reach is longer, than you're in luck. If your opponent's reach is longer, you have a lot more work to do. We practiced closing distance by taking three steps toward our opponent until we reached our firing line. This line marks the spot where we are just out of our range to be able to land punches. From this spot, one more step forward will put us at our set line and from here we can connect with our jab. I was having trouble reaching my firing line, it tended to be too close so that when I stepped to my set line and threw the jab I wasn't able to extend it fully and I had placed myself well within the range of my opponent. This problem can be remedied with practice on the bag.
After class was finished, I continued practing closing distance in the ring with a partner. We drilled the same stuff we had just learned in class. Close distance, fire the jab, step in and to the left and fire the left hook, pivot out and throw the right. Doing it at full speed seemed a little easier than practicing it slow and having my partner punching back really showed the importance of head movement and stepping off line. I need to do some work in front of the mirror to nail this down.
P.S.: I must look silly as I write this at work because I just realized I'm moving my head and shoulders to the left and the right as I think about stepping off line.
Properly closing distance requires you to know what your reach is and what your opponent's reach is. If your reach is longer, than you're in luck. If your opponent's reach is longer, you have a lot more work to do. We practiced closing distance by taking three steps toward our opponent until we reached our firing line. This line marks the spot where we are just out of our range to be able to land punches. From this spot, one more step forward will put us at our set line and from here we can connect with our jab. I was having trouble reaching my firing line, it tended to be too close so that when I stepped to my set line and threw the jab I wasn't able to extend it fully and I had placed myself well within the range of my opponent. This problem can be remedied with practice on the bag.
After class was finished, I continued practing closing distance in the ring with a partner. We drilled the same stuff we had just learned in class. Close distance, fire the jab, step in and to the left and fire the left hook, pivot out and throw the right. Doing it at full speed seemed a little easier than practicing it slow and having my partner punching back really showed the importance of head movement and stepping off line. I need to do some work in front of the mirror to nail this down.
P.S.: I must look silly as I write this at work because I just realized I'm moving my head and shoulders to the left and the right as I think about stepping off line.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
It's not called Häagen-Dazs
People who have never done the type of training that we do at the FIGHT Center have no understanding of it. Even after explaining it in detail, some people seem to think that what we do is humorous or even silly. While we have fun doing it, I assure them that it's no joking matter, and if they like I'd be happy to show them the utter lack of humor involved in the uppercut elbow, or how there's absolutely no punchline to a couple of knees to the thighs.
I guess people have always made light of things they don't understand. So lately I'm hearing this, "Do you have your Haagen-Dazs class tonight?" The first time it was funny and I replied, "Yeah. I'm heading to it now. We're gonna sit around and eat gourmet ice cream." After the third or fourth time of hearing it I imagined myself punching the guy in the liver, and as he lay moaning on the ground ask him if he liked that flavor of ice cream, 'cause if not, I've got plenty more flavors to choose from. There's the always popular Super Chocolate Schlock Out. Peaches 'n Knees. Eye Gouge Fudge Sundae. Butter Pecan Throat Strike. Crushed Ankle Cherry Vanilla ....
The heat is on Come August, yesterday's temperature will almost seem chilly, but it felt pretty damn hot during Monday night's (April 16) combat fitness. Doors closed, no fans on, it was steamy inside the gym and it made the circuit a little harder to do. After a few days of temps in the high 80s my body will acclimate, but that first day of training in heat is always a tough one. Even with a shirt change, I was drenched for Haganah class.
I guess people have always made light of things they don't understand. So lately I'm hearing this, "Do you have your Haagen-Dazs class tonight?" The first time it was funny and I replied, "Yeah. I'm heading to it now. We're gonna sit around and eat gourmet ice cream." After the third or fourth time of hearing it I imagined myself punching the guy in the liver, and as he lay moaning on the ground ask him if he liked that flavor of ice cream, 'cause if not, I've got plenty more flavors to choose from. There's the always popular Super Chocolate Schlock Out. Peaches 'n Knees. Eye Gouge Fudge Sundae. Butter Pecan Throat Strike. Crushed Ankle Cherry Vanilla ....
Friday, April 13, 2012
Weakness has infected me
 |
| I have become a big fat one of these this week. Need a hint? It ryhmes with wussy. |
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The similarities of combat fitness and getting tattooed
I missed last night's boxing class (April 10) and will miss tonight's combat fitness due to getting tattooed on Tuesday night. I've been getting tattoos for 21 years and even after all that time the process is still god damn painful. As I laid on the table last night in X-Treme Ink in West Chester while Keith, the artist, etched a scorpion just below my armpit on the inside of my bicep, I couldn't help but think of the similarities between getting tattooed and the combat fitness circuit.
The circuit is 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, or 30 seconds of pain, 30 seconds of recovery. This is just like a tattoo. The needle is never on your skin for more than 20 seconds at any given time. The artist has to keep stopping to wipe away blood and ink and this becomes your recovery period. It might only be 5 seconds of recovery, but it's 5 seconds that steel isn't stinging your flesh. And just like during the circuit, it's a mental game of telling yourself to just get through the next few seconds and you will be rewarded with rest, or lack of pain.
The combat fitness circuit and getting tattooed both have the ability to slow time down. This is a peculiar influence of pain and duress. It's just 30 seconds, what's the big deal? I've spent lifetimes of agony lived in seconds. Whether it's hour two of getting inked, or doing jump squats during your second lap of the circuit, seconds can stretch into hours.
The similarities don't end there. The act of getting tattooed sucks, just like going through the circuit sucks. The enjoyment of both only begins when it's all over. I hate life in the midst of the circuit when all that's before me are burpees and dips and mountain climbers and I hate life in the midst of getting tattooed, I curse myself for volunteering for the pain. It's only once I'm showered and have eaten and I'm sitting down and ease into the wonderful state of relaxation that the stress of the circuit gains its value. It's only after the tattoo gun goes silent and a few days have passed and the pain of the new ink fades away that I actually begin to enjoy my new art.
The circuit is 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, or 30 seconds of pain, 30 seconds of recovery. This is just like a tattoo. The needle is never on your skin for more than 20 seconds at any given time. The artist has to keep stopping to wipe away blood and ink and this becomes your recovery period. It might only be 5 seconds of recovery, but it's 5 seconds that steel isn't stinging your flesh. And just like during the circuit, it's a mental game of telling yourself to just get through the next few seconds and you will be rewarded with rest, or lack of pain.
The combat fitness circuit and getting tattooed both have the ability to slow time down. This is a peculiar influence of pain and duress. It's just 30 seconds, what's the big deal? I've spent lifetimes of agony lived in seconds. Whether it's hour two of getting inked, or doing jump squats during your second lap of the circuit, seconds can stretch into hours.
The similarities don't end there. The act of getting tattooed sucks, just like going through the circuit sucks. The enjoyment of both only begins when it's all over. I hate life in the midst of the circuit when all that's before me are burpees and dips and mountain climbers and I hate life in the midst of getting tattooed, I curse myself for volunteering for the pain. It's only once I'm showered and have eaten and I'm sitting down and ease into the wonderful state of relaxation that the stress of the circuit gains its value. It's only after the tattoo gun goes silent and a few days have passed and the pain of the new ink fades away that I actually begin to enjoy my new art.
Monday, April 9, 2012
We are not full of S#*@
Saturdays rule! We did the Crazy 8 workout on Saturday morning and the few of us who were there definitively answered the question, Are You Fit or Full of S#*@? Not only did we get to do Crazy 8s, we got to run outside for a warmup. I like that, there's just something cool about running in a group down sidewalks.
The Crazy 8 circuit involves going around the circuit in a ladder down fashion. Eight reps at every station for the first lap, then 7 reps at every station for the second lap and so forth until you're down to one. This means you end up doing 36 reps at each station. With stations like dips and burpee pullups, it becomes a challenge.
Once everyone was down to only one rep, we took a rest, lined up and did the final lap of the circuit one person at time. To make it fun, we were timed. Almost everyone finished at the 35 second mark, except Greg, he finished a few seconds faster because he cheated and skipped a station. Just kidding Greg, don't hurt me.
Easter Sunday
What should have been my day of rest became a day of playing soccer and basketball with my 11-year-old nephews and eating my body weight in deviled eggs. I try to not even walk up stairs on most Sundays, but yesterday involved much unwanted physical activity. It also involved unwanted questions from my mom. "Is your nose black and blue?" she asked. It is, I replied. "Why is your nose black and blue?" she asked. Because I got punched in the face, I said. "Why do you want to do that fighting stuff? I can't understand it," she said. I shrugged my shoulders, I don't expect a 70-year-old woman to understand such things.
The Crazy 8 circuit involves going around the circuit in a ladder down fashion. Eight reps at every station for the first lap, then 7 reps at every station for the second lap and so forth until you're down to one. This means you end up doing 36 reps at each station. With stations like dips and burpee pullups, it becomes a challenge.
Once everyone was down to only one rep, we took a rest, lined up and did the final lap of the circuit one person at time. To make it fun, we were timed. Almost everyone finished at the 35 second mark, except Greg, he finished a few seconds faster because he cheated and skipped a station. Just kidding Greg, don't hurt me.
Easter Sunday
What should have been my day of rest became a day of playing soccer and basketball with my 11-year-old nephews and eating my body weight in deviled eggs. I try to not even walk up stairs on most Sundays, but yesterday involved much unwanted physical activity. It also involved unwanted questions from my mom. "Is your nose black and blue?" she asked. It is, I replied. "Why is your nose black and blue?" she asked. Because I got punched in the face, I said. "Why do you want to do that fighting stuff? I can't understand it," she said. I shrugged my shoulders, I don't expect a 70-year-old woman to understand such things.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Lessons learned from sparring
So I got my first taste of some real sparring and it didn't taste so good. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and I learned from it, but what I learned wasn't all that encouraging. Keep in mind that the point of sparring isn't to win, it's to learn. However, if the point of sparring was to win, I lost horribly.
My sparring partner was Earthquake Jake. I call him that because one of his punches, I think it was a right, landed dead center on my nose causing me to see a flash of white light while my legs turned to jello as if the ground beneath my feet was moving. Jake stands 6' 3", 204 pounds and has skills. I stand 5' 9", 165 pounds and pretty much have no skills. In hindsight it wasn't such a great idea to go that far outside of my weight class, but now when I spar someone my own size it might be a little easier when I don't feel like I have to stand on my toes to try and hit their face.
The worst thing I learned during the few rounds of sparring is that my conditioning blows. I've been doing combat fitness for well over a year, but after two minutes of sparring I was so out of gas that I couldn't defend myself anymore. That sucks! That more than sucks. It's kind of horrifying to realize how much more conditioning I need. Breathing with a mouthguard in didn't help, but even without the mouthguard I would have still been drained. And we were only throwing punches and kicks, we weren't going to the ground.
Another thing that became clear, and Mr. Stuart has mentioned this often, is the bad habit of "I go, you go." This is when sparring during class and we seem to take turns with our partner ... my partner hits me and then it's my turn to hit him and back and forth. So when Jake would throw rapid combinations, most of which landed on me, I kind of expected him to back off, let me reset and then continue. That ain't the way it works. He would land a combo and immediately move in and keep throwing. That was tough to get used to. And to his credit, he held back, he showed restraint. He could have really hurt me anytime he wanted to but he didn't.
My lack of movement was another lesson learned. My movement isn't good at the best of times, but in the ring, I couldn't get used to the canvas surface. It's almost slippery. Add to that how fatigued I was getting and I became a sitting target.
Back to that punch that landed on my nose. I have a big nose, or as I like to think, I have a nose with character, character that came by way of getting broken by the back of some guy's head while playing soccer years ago. Whatever you call it, I have a nose that's just begging to get smashed. When Mr. Stuart told me I was ok to spar and gave me my headgear, the first thing he said was, "Watch your nose." True that, sir. True that. Your words were prophetic.
Start sparring. There's no substitute for it. It's the only way you'll learn where you stand with your conditioning and your skills.
My sparring partner was Earthquake Jake. I call him that because one of his punches, I think it was a right, landed dead center on my nose causing me to see a flash of white light while my legs turned to jello as if the ground beneath my feet was moving. Jake stands 6' 3", 204 pounds and has skills. I stand 5' 9", 165 pounds and pretty much have no skills. In hindsight it wasn't such a great idea to go that far outside of my weight class, but now when I spar someone my own size it might be a little easier when I don't feel like I have to stand on my toes to try and hit their face.
The worst thing I learned during the few rounds of sparring is that my conditioning blows. I've been doing combat fitness for well over a year, but after two minutes of sparring I was so out of gas that I couldn't defend myself anymore. That sucks! That more than sucks. It's kind of horrifying to realize how much more conditioning I need. Breathing with a mouthguard in didn't help, but even without the mouthguard I would have still been drained. And we were only throwing punches and kicks, we weren't going to the ground.
Another thing that became clear, and Mr. Stuart has mentioned this often, is the bad habit of "I go, you go." This is when sparring during class and we seem to take turns with our partner ... my partner hits me and then it's my turn to hit him and back and forth. So when Jake would throw rapid combinations, most of which landed on me, I kind of expected him to back off, let me reset and then continue. That ain't the way it works. He would land a combo and immediately move in and keep throwing. That was tough to get used to. And to his credit, he held back, he showed restraint. He could have really hurt me anytime he wanted to but he didn't.
My lack of movement was another lesson learned. My movement isn't good at the best of times, but in the ring, I couldn't get used to the canvas surface. It's almost slippery. Add to that how fatigued I was getting and I became a sitting target.
Back to that punch that landed on my nose. I have a big nose, or as I like to think, I have a nose with character, character that came by way of getting broken by the back of some guy's head while playing soccer years ago. Whatever you call it, I have a nose that's just begging to get smashed. When Mr. Stuart told me I was ok to spar and gave me my headgear, the first thing he said was, "Watch your nose." True that, sir. True that. Your words were prophetic.
Start sparring. There's no substitute for it. It's the only way you'll learn where you stand with your conditioning and your skills.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
I can't hold a bag of ice on my nose and write
My hands were occupied last night holding a bag of ice to my nose, so I couldn't write, and this morning I have too much work to do at the paper. Tomorrow, I promise, I will detail my first real sparring session I had. If the fact that I had to ice my face isn't ominous foreshadowing, this will do the trick: Me: 5 ' 9", 165 lbs, training to fight for three months. Opponent: 6' 3", 204 lbs, training to fight for two years.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Stop getting punched by punching back
Well, last night's boxing class didn't exactly boost my confidence. It's not like I got my ass handed to me, we didn't even do light sparring, it was just one of those classes that reminded me how little I've learned in the three months of taking classes. My punches felt weak. My footwork was ... I can't even find a word for it. I'll just say that at times I was stepping forward with my rear foot. My rear foot! And my partner wasn't any help either. Not because he didn't know what he was doing, quite the opposite. I was partnered with a guy who shall remain nameless (he has a Russian accent) and is way better than I am. Running through the drills with him made me feel like I was a little child who just stumbled out of his sandbox and into boxing class.
We practiced countering for the entire class. Partner throws a left jab, I block it with my right arm and counter with a straight right; partner throws a straight right, I block with my left and counter with a left hook. It feels incredibly weird to counter with the same hand I'm blocking with, but it makes boxing sense. When you block a punch with your right arm, you have shifted your weight to your right leg, and we all know you can only punch from the side of your body that your weight is on. While this makes boxing sense it does not feel natural at all. In my mind, when I block a punch I want to keep that hand covering my face. My thinking goes like this: Holy crap, I blocked his punch. I can't believe that worked. Well, that hand did its job, I'm gonna keep it there where it's protecting my face. Wrong, wrong, wrong. When your opponent punches, it is a great time for you to punch back. Problem is, I want to counterpunch with my non-blocking hand.
Another issue I have with the counterpunch is a mindset problem, one I touched on when I first started the boxing classes. I am not attack oriented. I'm defense oriented. So when I block a punch, I fall into the trap of thinking that I can just keep on blocking punches, as if my opponent will grow weary of hitting me and give up. But blocking punches isn't going to win the fight. Blocking is only something you do when absolutely necessary and when you are not punching. The only way to stop getting punched is to punch back. Since I am defensive minded, the counterpunch should become a move I like because it relies on my opponent committing and me exploiting his opening.
 |
| This illustration from Wikipedia demonstrates the counter punch without blocking first. Boxer A's left jab is countered with Boxer B throwing a right straight punch to the head. |
We practiced countering for the entire class. Partner throws a left jab, I block it with my right arm and counter with a straight right; partner throws a straight right, I block with my left and counter with a left hook. It feels incredibly weird to counter with the same hand I'm blocking with, but it makes boxing sense. When you block a punch with your right arm, you have shifted your weight to your right leg, and we all know you can only punch from the side of your body that your weight is on. While this makes boxing sense it does not feel natural at all. In my mind, when I block a punch I want to keep that hand covering my face. My thinking goes like this: Holy crap, I blocked his punch. I can't believe that worked. Well, that hand did its job, I'm gonna keep it there where it's protecting my face. Wrong, wrong, wrong. When your opponent punches, it is a great time for you to punch back. Problem is, I want to counterpunch with my non-blocking hand.
Another issue I have with the counterpunch is a mindset problem, one I touched on when I first started the boxing classes. I am not attack oriented. I'm defense oriented. So when I block a punch, I fall into the trap of thinking that I can just keep on blocking punches, as if my opponent will grow weary of hitting me and give up. But blocking punches isn't going to win the fight. Blocking is only something you do when absolutely necessary and when you are not punching. The only way to stop getting punched is to punch back. Since I am defensive minded, the counterpunch should become a move I like because it relies on my opponent committing and me exploiting his opening.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Warming up. No chit-chat. Consistency
After Saturday's circuit with burpees, Monday's combat fitness (April 2) was toned down. And I was happy for that because a gluttonous Sunday of eating and drinking and more eating had me feeling sluggish at best by the time Monday evening came around.
I made sure I got to the gym well before combat fitness started so I could get really warmed up. I'm finding that my warm up takes longer now. I like to already be sweating when class starts. If I'm not already sweating, it takes me too long to get in my groove. Foam roller, jump rope, some pull-ups and a few minutes hitting the bag and then I feel ready to start combat fitness.
Haganah class
There's a time and place for conversation. Haganah class is not one of them. My first partner last night was more concerned with chatting than he was working the drills. You can't talk and throw knees at the same time.
Consistency
I've been good about making it to all of my classes. I've missed one in the past three weeks. I'm averaging about 10 hours per week in the gym. That's five days a week. I feel great when I can be that consistent and I need to stick with it because stuff is happening in April that might cause me to miss a few classes. It's been more than a year since I was last tattooed and that's too long in my book. I have an appointment next week to get some work done on my right leg and it might cause me to sit out a couple of days and a camping trip toward the end of the month will mean missing a Saturday. Saturday's are my favorite day in the gym and I don't look forward to missing even one.
I made sure I got to the gym well before combat fitness started so I could get really warmed up. I'm finding that my warm up takes longer now. I like to already be sweating when class starts. If I'm not already sweating, it takes me too long to get in my groove. Foam roller, jump rope, some pull-ups and a few minutes hitting the bag and then I feel ready to start combat fitness.
Haganah class
There's a time and place for conversation. Haganah class is not one of them. My first partner last night was more concerned with chatting than he was working the drills. You can't talk and throw knees at the same time.
Consistency
I've been good about making it to all of my classes. I've missed one in the past three weeks. I'm averaging about 10 hours per week in the gym. That's five days a week. I feel great when I can be that consistent and I need to stick with it because stuff is happening in April that might cause me to miss a few classes. It's been more than a year since I was last tattooed and that's too long in my book. I have an appointment next week to get some work done on my right leg and it might cause me to sit out a couple of days and a camping trip toward the end of the month will mean missing a Saturday. Saturday's are my favorite day in the gym and I don't look forward to missing even one.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Burpees replace the bun
Code what?
The fun didn’t stop when combat fitness ended. Saturday’s Haganah class was a bit of an ass kicker, too. Although we always keep partner preservation on the top of our list, that means don’t hurt your partner, I was delighted to see my partner grimace during our Haganah punching drill. The punching drill involves your partner holding a pad up to their chest while you throw a three-punch combo of straight punches. Mine were landing with some weight behind them and every time my partnered showed his displeasure I tried to hit harder. Sorry to take joy in another’s discomfort, but it is motivating to see that your punches are effective.
Well, just when it seemed that Saturday morning combat fitness had become really tough with the addition of Code X (exercise in between each station on the circuit instead of rest), it just became tougher. Lots tougher. How tough? Take the dreaded burpee, an exercise I loathe but have come to embrace for its effectiveness, and make that the exercise in between each station of the circuit. That’s what the March 31 class entailed. Bad enough on their own, burpees between stations is almost cruel. If I wasn’t such a glutton for punishment I’d rethink my Saturday morning routine of working out at 8:30 a.m. But, as it is, I’m sick in the head and enjoy physical abuse at an hour when most people are only beginning to get out of bed.
Code B, or Code V (that’s V for vomit), whatever you want to call it, reminds me of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s double down sandwich, the one that replaced the bun with pieces of chicken. The double down was an attempt to squeeze more food into the same amount of space that a normal sandwich occupied. Between-station burpees does the same thing, it almost doubles the amount of work you do during the circuit. Code V does away with the bun and puts in its place a sandwich that’s nothing but exercise. It’s a sick world we live in when burpees are considered recovery between stations. Mr. Stuart has upped the ante and I fear to see what else he has up his sleeve for Saturday mornings. I think, though, at some point the laws of physics get involved here: there is a finite amount of exercise that can be squeezed into a circuit.
Haganah classThe fun didn’t stop when combat fitness ended. Saturday’s Haganah class was a bit of an ass kicker, too. Although we always keep partner preservation on the top of our list, that means don’t hurt your partner, I was delighted to see my partner grimace during our Haganah punching drill. The punching drill involves your partner holding a pad up to their chest while you throw a three-punch combo of straight punches. Mine were landing with some weight behind them and every time my partnered showed his displeasure I tried to hit harder. Sorry to take joy in another’s discomfort, but it is motivating to see that your punches are effective.
I Received some great tips from the instructors on various aspects of my technique during Saturday’s (March 31) haganah class. I have completed three full months of Haganah, that’s three classes a week, and while I have learned copious amounts of information on inflicting pain, all it takes is the discerning eye of an instructor to show me how much more I have to learn. Thanks go to all who correct me consistently.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)