Mizblog

TJ’s Saturday morning class started normally with some jogging around, inside shuffle, outside shuffle, backpedaling, lunging, and waving our arms around. Spread out shadow boxing, pushups, shoulder tag with new guy Blake, squats, more shoulder tag with Blake, crunches, shoulder tag with Jeff. Then we stretched out, got a sip of water, and gloved up for focus mitts.

Jeff held mitts for me, and I thought I did okay. Only a couple of screw-ups. We were supposed to work Blake in, and I don’t think we did a good job. After that, we put on headgear and did some boxing sparring. I sparred with Jeff, Scott, and TJ. I did decent on that as well.

Gear away, kick shields out. Started with side kicks to a low pad, then a higher pad. I had to hold the pad really low for Jeff, whose flexibility is not so great, and he was having groin stretching issues. After side kicks, we went to back kicks, then stepping back kicks, then turning back kicks, then jump spin back kick. Jeff hits really hard with his back kicks, and one time I didn’t brace properly and took a hard shot right through the pad and into my gut. Not serious, just woah. I kicked harder. One of my turning back kicks lifted him up off the mat. We both even managed to land all our jump spinning back kicks without injuring ourselves or each other, and that was a happy surprise.

TJ’s Thursday morning class was a surprise. I didn’t think I’d be able to attend, but my morning meeting was over in 30 minutes and I was ready to go! TJ started by asking who’s scheduled for upcoming testing and wanted to see something, and I suggested bearhugs.

Warm up started with running and stuff, then shadow boxing, then shoulder tag. I paired with Jeff twice on that, and he’s very good. Tagged me a bunch of times. Mixed in was more calisthenics, then we got down to stretching. I was sweating a pool, and so was lil’ John next to me.

We strapped up the Thai pads, and I again paired up with Jeff. He’s awkward with the Thai pads and kept holding to the wrong side or forgetting to hold for the kick. He wasn’t terrible, but he was a lot like how I was a month or two ago. He’ll pick it up quick, I’m sure. Anyway, we got through it all without getting hurt.

After putting away the gloves and pads, we pulled out heavy bags and practiced the hip push move for bearhug defense before getting into the details. Base and strike/push the hips to make space, then strike and escape or whatever. We covered bearhug from the front with arms inside and outside, with space and without space. Lil’ John got to practice with Renee, and TJ joked that he was not supposed to do the motorboat defense.

To finish the class, we had a gauntlet that started with eyes closed spinning followed by a bear hug escape, run through a gauntlet of kick shield wielding classmates, and then throw continuous strikes on the tombstone pad that Brandon was holding up.

Good class.

Christian’s Tuesday morning class started with the selection of a medicine ball. Here was the circuit (30sec each round):

1. medicine ball squats
2. palm heel strikes
3. medicine ball squats
4. palm heel strikes
5. medicine ball squats
6. knees
7. medicine ball squats
8. knees
9. Russian twist
10. front kick
11. Russian twist
12. front kick

I think that was it. A little stretching and we gloved up and did focus mitt work for a bit.

After that, we went over all the elbows 1-7. Practiced a bunch in the mirror and then with a partner. I paired up with Ronnie.

At the end, we did baseball bat defense. Kind of like shooting the Street Fighter fireball. Ronnie was brand new at it and didn’t get many reps, but it felt pretty good for me. We ended 5 minutes late in the small room, as the BJJ folks warmed up on the big mat.

Brandon’s Saturday morning class while Mark taught the kids BJJ. We started with a lot of running, which I hated. Then interminable arm circles while Brandon caught up with Mike. Eventually the warm up was done and we did… stuff. I was hoping I’d remember by now but it’s not coming back. I guess we did thai pads. Mike said I had good kicks.

We learned step turning back kicks. Step across with your back foot to show your flank to the opponent, then pivot and send a back kick with what was before your front foot. These were awkward for me, but not as awkward as they were for Mike.

Then we reviewed level 1 choke defenses and did some drills.

TJ’s Thursday class. I had to miss the Tuesday class because of that stupid work meeting, so this was my one chance at training during the week. My knee was achey.

TJ started us up with a TRX warmup. We got a brief intro to the TRX bands and the wide variety of exercises you can do with them. I felt uncoordinated and out of shape and a bit foolish.

We got right on to throwing an overhand punch. We explored different fist orientations on impact by throwing lightly on the heavy bags. Most decided that thumb down was the best. Then we practiced with the new thai pads. I partnered with Melissa. Her wrist was her weak link so I suggested she hit lightly. I did the same, for the most part.

Then we learned outside defense, which is basically a 360 defense against a straight(ish) punch, if you’re caught off guard. Meh.

Then we did stick defense, with the knife hand to deflect the stick while the other hand makes a fist and delivers a punch to the face. It’s tricky to get the fist and hand action going, and pray you never have to do it from the other side!

TJ’s Saturday morning class. I came in feeling uneasy in my guts, but that went away during the class.

Started with shadow boxing, calisthenics, shoulder tag, etc.

We did no-flinch drills to face and body, inside and outside defenses with boxing gloves, and covering.

We did combos including body shots and stuff.

At the end we did boxing sparring.

Afterward, on the drive home, I realized I was a little out of it. Must have taken a good brain rattling that I don’t remember. That or I’m just pretty tired.

TJ’s back, and his ribs are messed up worse.

Renee also has messed up ribs. Oh, and Josh too. Ha!

Sorry. Just glad to know I’m not the only one.

So, shadow boxing. Running the gauntlet on multiple heavy bags. Odd angles of attack. Unconventional strikes.

Multiple attackers. Combos on focus mitts interrupted by a padholder with a kick shield holding for odd angle attacks.

Gloves off, choke from behind with pluck. Forearm choke defense and carotid choke defense.

Gun from behind, then choke + gun to side of head (hostage) defense.

It started in a locker room, with yellow lockers 3 high on either side of the aisle. It had been a long time since I was there, and I wasn’t confident that I remembered my combination. Gwen Stefani was there, and she came over and started to work my combination, but I was dismissive and told her she was way off. Imagine my surprise when the locker opened!

Inside the locker were bags of nutritional supplements. I had L-Tryptophan and L-Phenylalanine in plastic bags, and some notes on how much to take. Gwen wanted to use a plastic knife to measure it out, but I looked deeper into the locker to try to find a measuring spoon or something.

What I found instead was an elaborate first aid kit, and what I slowly came to realize was a filthy skeleton. I was in shock when I realized that something dead had been stored in my locker, so when the skeleton started moving I was ready. I froze. The spine and pelvis popped up and started hopping around. Gwen and I shared a nervous chuckle, because it was kind of like a macabre puppet performance. Then it pulled itself together and suddenly became Sangeeta.

I confronted Sangeeta about how come I had just seen her bones and now she looked fleshy, albeit encased in something that looked like partial plate mail. She admitted that yes that was her, but she didn’t explain. I then asked her what my D&D dwarf priest would say if he met her. She got nasty and replied that things would start to go very bad just before that happened. I asked her if she was evil and she admitted “Well, yes.” Then she scrambled my brain and made me start chanting “La la la la” and running down the street.

At this point I still remembered that she was an evil undead creature. She was powerful but not too smart, and she thought I was completely dominated (and I guess I was, at least at the time.) I headed for the mall. I was going to see if there was something there that could show me what to do about her. I ran ahead.

Inside the mall, it was tricky to get to the section I needed, because there was a crowd of mannequins blocking the corridor. I managed to get around them, and found Sangeeta talking to a naked guy who was playing video games. Specifically, he was playing 3 video games at once. The main one was a DDR clone for drumming, and he was amazing at it. I barely paid attention to the other two games he was killing, because the drumming was so good. And that’s about when I woke up.

Christian finished a private lesson for Arlene and Franco before the 10am Tuesday class.

We lined up, got the clean white belt dissertation, and went into shoulder tag. Then knee tag. No injuries.

Then we did calisthenics. HEAVY ab work today. Not bad, but ended in a butt walk that I sucked at.

Straight punches with MMA gloves, a la KMW level 1 classes. 1-2 and then bursting punch. Also we did front kick to the groin. Finally we did a combat circuit interrupted with squats, sprawls, push ups and sit ups. Got me breathing heavy and sweating profusely.

After that we went out back for gun-from-the-front defense. Paired with Thomas, and it went well. :)

TJ’s Saturday morning class. I went in feeling pretty good after 3 straight days of very very VERY sore thighs from medicine ball squats.

Started with shadow boxing, then added small hand weights and continued shadow boxing. Good shoulder workout I guess. Mixed in calisthenics, then stretching.

Partnered up with Ray and went back and forth with level 1 chokes. I forgot the “shoot the arm up, bicep to ear” bit from the push from behind, and I couldn’t get the basket action right because Ray kept pulling his hands back. Other than that, I felt I did a pretty good job.

Then we gloved up, got thai pads, and went outside to the back alley to do some combinations on rough terrain under the sun. Ray was all about staying in the shade (Thanks Ray!) but he was very inventive about the terrain and the combinations. I like Ray. :) After the first round of combos, we added kicks in as finishing moves.

Then we geared up fully for some one minute sparring. I sparred with Ray, Mike, Scott, Ronnie, and Rick. Rick was in sandals, and he was still a monster. Very scary.

Then it was back into the cool classroom to get back on the mat and go over some ground defense. One guy on top with boxing gloves would mount the defender and rain down strikes, while the guy on bottom would defend by moving and blocking. I did pretty good. Ray took a few blows more, but he was also decent. Then we added the buck/trap/roll defense and practiced that. Then we switched partners for the mounted rape choke defense, so Mike and I practiced that a bit. That’s a move I don’t ever anticipate having to put into practice.