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This weekend has been one of the toughest weekends I have had for a long while, it just goes to show how soft you get when you don't push yourself hard during training.
Chief Instructor is coming to my club a the moment to push me through christmas for my Dan grading. And man is he being tough about it (which I am thankful for).
On friday he had us doing some basic streches, such as back up against the wall lift your knee up high and extend your foot into front kick (high as you can) and hold it there for eternity and repeat. Also doing the same but kicking out without lowering legs. Something I havn't done for a few weeks, and it really shows, I could barely keep my leg at 90 degrees after 5 mins.
Then we went on the sunday into contact sparring, first taking basic attack and defense combinations in turns with a partner, only full contact with power to either wind or push over depending on technique used. Eventually going into free sparring using what we had practised to defend / attack for cumulative points.
I have been kicked in the gut and chest with so many spinning back kicks and flying side kicks that I ache all over... my main problem was that my instinct was to step back and change guard rather than slide back in same guard, the former give the illusion that you have moved out of danger, but a skilled opponent can change tack and still hit you, where as sliding / skipping back actually does move you out of the line of fire (panic panic DOSH argh!).
I feel good even though I'm bruised, why? because I now feel more confident in being able to hit a moving target and either stop it and move it without me missing or being hit in return... aways a bonus. And my leg strength has improved just with that one weekend of pain, I started on friday with trouble moving the guy in the impact pad to sunday where I could wind him through the pad. Possibly thats not stregth, more focus and application.
Oh and I kept getting stabbed with a rubber knife too in self defense techniques (we trained simple takedowns, although there was an element of wrist locks involved - not too sure I would use any of them in a real situation, but then I havn't much experience of using them, 50-50%).
Anyway, train hard and you'll be better off for it. After being pummelled by big men with fast strong kicks / punches I think I can handle a 'real' situation better or a tournament situation with better control than I could last week. I know I can take a licking at the very least!!
Chief Instructor is coming to my club a the moment to push me through christmas for my Dan grading. And man is he being tough about it (which I am thankful for).
On friday he had us doing some basic streches, such as back up against the wall lift your knee up high and extend your foot into front kick (high as you can) and hold it there for eternity and repeat. Also doing the same but kicking out without lowering legs. Something I havn't done for a few weeks, and it really shows, I could barely keep my leg at 90 degrees after 5 mins.
Then we went on the sunday into contact sparring, first taking basic attack and defense combinations in turns with a partner, only full contact with power to either wind or push over depending on technique used. Eventually going into free sparring using what we had practised to defend / attack for cumulative points.
I have been kicked in the gut and chest with so many spinning back kicks and flying side kicks that I ache all over... my main problem was that my instinct was to step back and change guard rather than slide back in same guard, the former give the illusion that you have moved out of danger, but a skilled opponent can change tack and still hit you, where as sliding / skipping back actually does move you out of the line of fire (panic panic DOSH argh!).
I feel good even though I'm bruised, why? because I now feel more confident in being able to hit a moving target and either stop it and move it without me missing or being hit in return... aways a bonus. And my leg strength has improved just with that one weekend of pain, I started on friday with trouble moving the guy in the impact pad to sunday where I could wind him through the pad. Possibly thats not stregth, more focus and application.
Oh and I kept getting stabbed with a rubber knife too in self defense techniques (we trained simple takedowns, although there was an element of wrist locks involved - not too sure I would use any of them in a real situation, but then I havn't much experience of using them, 50-50%).
Anyway, train hard and you'll be better off for it. After being pummelled by big men with fast strong kicks / punches I think I can handle a 'real' situation better or a tournament situation with better control than I could last week. I know I can take a licking at the very least!!
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