Taking a break from getting high

In Thursday's core class we worked some drills to extend kicking height.

Round kicks went great, I'm easily at head height getting much higher than I thought possible at this relatively early stage in my journey to Black Belt.

Hook kicks went well, but...the last one or two had me extending a bit far and I suffered a minor hamstring pull in my left leg.

As my supporting leg at the time, it was pretty much under maximum tension as I stretched to reach the target; leaning slightly back, I felt it give right where the muscle meets my pelvis.

That's the closest thing I've ever felt to a broken butt. The pain was sharp and very localized, right near the bony bit of pelvis one sits on.

After talking with my instructor, I decided to take a week off to rest the leg, not wanting to chance more injury sparring tonight.

The pain has subsided, but I can still feel some tension with mild stretching. I should be fine, just have to watch that leg--and avoid high hook kicks for a month or two!!!

Monday's lesson: being seen

Sparring class on Monday was quite a blast this week.

An early lesson we had involved studying your opponent: If they make a move twice, expect them to keep doing it.

Warming up with some free sparring, I faked a hook kick to one side drawing my opponent's guard, then followed through with the same leg delivering a round kick to the opposite side of my opponent's head. He congratulated me with, "Wow, nice fake with that hook!"

Worked so well, I did it again with the same result. It was kind of funny, but just drives home the importance of not being predictable in the ring!

I also managed to go about 6-7 minutes with one of our top fighters before losing 5-4. Wow. My developing defenses and counter-attacks actually keep me from being a 30-second punching bag!

He said I deserved the win, actually, since one particularly well-landed kick was not seen by enough judges to award points with a majority decision.

Lesson learned. In point sparring, majority rules for judging an attack; therefore, try to position yourself where the center judge can see you score the most!

Opportunity

My Karate school is remodeling which presented me with a golden opportunity:

Purchase several 40" X 40" squares of interlocking floor mat squares for $5 each!



Since I have plans to add a major addition to the house, which includes a workout area for Karate, I snagged 25 tiles--enough to make a 16 X 16 sparring area. These premium mats usually go for $20-22 each, so it's an easy choice to make.

As for Karate, things are going fantastic. I'm still enjoying Monday night sparring, and look forward to my first tournament on September 14th. It'll be my first time sparring in a tournament, and first tournament since last November!

Also, my band will be performing an acoustic show in October that'll broadcast live over the Internet. I'll be sure to post a link.

Meanwhile the knee is holding up just great, and I pretty much give it no thought these days.

Be good. Keep smiling at those opponents!!!

Anyone have time for sale???

If I could save time in a bottle...

Just a short note to let you all know that things are proceeding wonderfully.

It's been a fantastically busy summer, lots of great things happening at the moment:

- My band's CD recording is wrapping up, hopefully this week
- Spent a week camping hard-core, canoeing on the Canadian border
- Most significantly: Monday I accepted a new job at my company with a 20% salary increase!
- Loving the hell out of sparring, learning a lot and having a blast working out with so many great fighters.

Tournament season starts in September, so our classes will begin to intensify very soon in anticipation of the first event. I look forward to trying out my sparring skills against unknown opponents after hanging out with 13 or so of the same fighters all Spring and Summer.

Be good, and keep smiling at your opponents!