Mizblog

First Krav Maga class in 3 weeks+! I came in early (10am) for TJ’s class. We started shadow boxing and mixed in exercises like push ups, sit ups, and squats. I was worried my calf might give me problems but it was fine throughout.

Next we put in our mouthpieces and took turns punching each other lightly in the face and the body, just to get used to the contact. Chad and I were fine.

Next we worked punches with partners and gloves. I paired up with Thomas, who’s an old blue belt. Single straight punches into a tombstone while our partner moved around.

Then we learned the straight body punch, lowering our body, putting our head slightly offline, and throwing the punch into the midsection. This was difficult but I think I did okay. My punching range is a lot closer than I’m used to maintaining in sparring, so that’s an issue. I kept finding myself out of range and having to reach or lunge or stretch into the strike. Burst? Nah, I don’t want my calf to blow out during the first class back!

After that it was inside defenses, then outside defenses, then a combination. I met new guy Jeff, who was throwing sneaky straight punches and I was really bad at blocking them. Plus he had short arms. Sometimes he wouldn’t even get the punch to my face when I froze and did nothing. Not the best training. My right inside defense (against a left punch) is the worst. I really need to work on that.

By the end of class I was sweaty and my left bicep hurt, but I was otherwise fine and ready to change and jump right into 805BJJ!

I got to take Saranya to her orange belt test.

She passed. She passed me in only 6 months of training, and I started Krav Maga in 2009!

Her consolation to me was “don’t worry, dad – you’re old and fat.”

Christian’s Tuesday night class now starts at 8:15pm.

Warm up was straight into straight punches and inside defenses. Mouth guards in. I partnered up with Adam, our newly minted black belt! My inside defenses improved greatly since last time! I did get punched a couple times but no worries.

Next drill was standing relaxed and then bursting in with a straight punch. Very first one I threw, I strained my calf. At first I thought it was a cramp, but it is now definitely strained. Hard to walk. I sat out a bit and iced it, but got back in for the chair drill where we sat on chairs and then bursted up to throw punches. My punches were flat footed, obviously, but I participated.

We reviewed choke defenses. At first I forgot front guillotine, but then it came back to me.

Then we did rear naked choke defense again. I did okay.

Now walking is difficult. I think I strained just one particular calf muscle, because some angles of foot and ankle don’t hurt, but I sure can’t walk properly.

Saranya was sick today so she stayed home playing Minecraft and listening to squiddy.

Sean’s Saturday class. Started with warm ups that went very very well actually. My left pinky toe was heavily bandaged so I was hoping for the best.

Started with front stomp kick to a pad holder. I paired with Collin. He’s funny.

Then we pulled out heavy bags and did lead elbows, then straight punches, then combo elbow+punch. Then we picked up training guns and practiced punching with them, making sure to keep the line of fire off ourselves. Then we did the combo of elbow and gun punch on the bag. I punched very lightly with the gun, because my hand slips off it and it scrapes the skin and jams the thumb.

Then we did gun defense from the side. Collin improved greatly, and one time he pinched my thumb so bad that I’ve got a little red line gouged into my right thumb. Hope that’s my worst training injury of the day. I can cope with that.

Finally we did 3rd party gun defense. Take a gun away from an attacker who’s threatening someone else. Sneak up behind them, come along the gun side and take it, then use it to protect the original target.

Woke up late! Barely had time to have my coffee before it was time to dress up and prepare for class. The girls had already gone. I got there in time to watch the end of Saranya’s class.

Saturday’s class was taught by TJ. He also had come to watch his kid in the KMx class, and he was not impressed. Saranya was pretty good. Looks like she had fun.

Anyway, warmups went fine. Shoulder tag went well. I was able to do very well against novices. I got a cramp in my right calf.

I met Andrew (Steve and Anna’s son) and we partnered up for the partner drills. Bursting in right cross then 1-2 combos while moving around. Front kick and 1-2. Then we did 360 defenses, then added a simultaneous punch, then worked it into overhand knife defense. It was a little different from the way I learned it last time, in that we controlled the wrist and pushed it back behind the attacker. It didn’t feel very secure. But we did put a lot more work into the disarm, which I had never really done before. Step back and extend the arm while putting the attacker off balance, then roll the wrist and either unroll the knife from the fist or (if the handle is sticking out) lever the knife from the hand. We finished with a stress drill where we stood with eyes closed and got to do either a front kick attack or a knife defense when someone approached us.

Christian’s Tuesday night class. I went with my brand new shoes, and they worked out perfectly!

Started with a mouthpiece and never took it out. Partnered with Steve mostly, though I also met his wife Anna and his daughter Desiree.

Started with controlled stomp kicks to our opponent’s midsection. Front, round (not stomp) recoil all the way back then side and back kicks. Both legs. Then we did a stress drill with it. I got surrounded by girls and was proud of myself for landing controlled kicks that didn’t send the girls flying through the mirrors or windows.

Then we did picking people up and moving them. To counter that, we learned to base and if possible push the lifter’s hips away so they can’t get good posture for the lift. Then we did some close combatives and used those to finish off the bear hug defense.

The final stress drill was a gauntlet run punctuated by bear hug defenses. We had to spin while looking down at our finger, and an attacker would come and bear hug us. Then we had to traverse a gauntlet of the whole rest of the class holding kick shields and impeding progress. Steve smashed me in the ear. Other than that I was okay.

Coming into the class, my neck/shoulder was stiff. After the class it was horrible. 2 Ibuprofen later it’s tolerable. Hope I’ll be able to sleep.

TJ’s Saturday class started with warmups jogging around the mat, and I immediately dislocated my left big toe. Not sure exactly what did it, but ouch.

Shadow boxing went pretty well. I gave as well as I got.

I paired up with Christian (no not the owner Christian – another guy with the same name) and he was pretty green but had some pretty good punches and kicks and was in shape.

I found out my left front kick is stronger than my right front kick.

I also decided that I am NEVER throwing a round kick with the ball of my foot because my toes do not bend that way. Especially after the early dislocation. It was a pretty miserable class.

Christian’s Tuesday night class. Warmup was a stress drill! We got into groups of 2 and had to throw repeated and varied strikes to a tombstone pad. Then we did the same thing in groups of 3 with one person pulling the striker back with a belt. I got to go twice while Christian held the pad for me and Brian. Cardio!

Then we did kicks. Advancing front kicks and front/side/rear stomp kicks. We did a drill where we had to fend off our partner with a straight leg. Then we did a plank kicking drill where one partner got in plank position and the other kicked them in the abdomen and legs to toughen them up.

Next we did inside/outside defenses with counters. I SUCK at inside defenses. I SUCK at counters with defenses. I’m too slow to see them, and don’t get my defenses up in time. Then we got into groups of 3 and had the 3rd person try to attack but the defender could kick them away.

Our last exercise was defense against back mount with a rear naked choke. Brian kept re-wrapping my near leg in almost a backward half-guard. Made it tough to escape. I ended up hurting both my big toes, jamming them into the front of my shoes during that drill. Let’s see how they recover.

[Edit: Toes are feeling better in the morning. :]

Today was TJ’s class, who I met for the first time. He’s a cop.

Lots of shadow boxing to start off. Played a game of flags, which I won every time.

Did elbow strikes. First 1-3 then 4 and finally 5. 1 is strong, and the rest are not really.

Did advancing punches and retreating punches. Advancing is a bursting in punch. Retreating is a punch and using the recoil momentum to burst backward. Ended that with a 2 combo followed by a bursting in 1 elbow.

Ended the class with guillotine choke and defense. Turn toward the hand, pluck the hand, groin strike + up (5) elbow alternately and repeated until space opens to shoot your hand through their connected hands, then step through and keep their captured plucked hand close to your chest in a wrist lock.

Christian teaches Tuesday night class. Tons of weird jumping jacks that made me want to quit. Good stretching.

Focus mitts training followed by perception of information on the peripheral vision. A person behind the pad holder would hold up fingers and/or tap a foot on a side. Pad holder called rapid combinations 1-4. Striker had to do the called combos, call out the number of fingers up and the direction of the foot being stomped.

Then we did inside defense practice. I did okay at first. Then we did 3 inside and 1 outside defense. Then we added a knife to show that the defense is the same. Switching partners. Mixing inside and outside. Adam punched me right on my nose because I didn’t do the inside defense right. Then we had a stress drill with everybody attacking one defender in a line one after the other.

We ended after a getting-up-from-the-ground drill. Christian gave a long talk about the coming new schedule, BJJ classes, focus mitt classes, gun seminar, TRX seminar, and class schedule changes. Can’t wait! Hope my work schedule doesn’t prelude my participation in any of these new domains.