Not My Regular Sparring Partner

There were only six of us, initially, at boxing class and by 6:15, I knew that my regular sparring partner was not coming.

I partnered up with the person who stood next to me during the warm-up. Not knowing someone, standing face-to-face and in close proximity? An introvert's brief nightmare.

Still don't know my partner's name but he was super nice.

The seventh student walked into class about 15 minutes into the session and quickly had to sit down after a moving series of jab...jab...jab...cross...duck...duck...duck....jab. Dude, the youngest one in the class, looked downright woozy.

She broke him down quipped my sparring partner. I thought about it afterwards. I've seen the woozy one walking after class and he probably got broken down by the heat prior to class.

We worked on self-defense moves at the end of class. One exercise involved rotating on the hips (as if someone had pushed you down) and kicking at the same time. Part of me didn't want to do it because I knew it would be an awkward maneuver and I said as much. My sparring said: Now is a great time to practice then...

Taking Out The Knee

Move her back, Mike told me as he demonstrated a side kick...1-2-3-4...knee...3-4 maneuver. And it was fun moving Michelle back once I got into a good rhythm.

One of my favorite sequences of the night was a simple right (roundhouse), left (roundhouse) and back kick. My hips didn't quite agree with me though.

At the end of class, Mike showed us a self-defense move. Taking out the knee is vital. He told us that if we didn't kick the knee the first time to keep trying then told us again that the knee is the key.

I immediately thought about yoga and how we are told to be careful with the knees. During tree pose, we are told to put our foot anywhere except for on the knee. I've also heard to not torque the knee etc. so it makes perfect sense to take out the knee if someone is attacking you.

Mike asked us to read a poster on the wall -- the one with blood dripping down it -- with an excerpt from a David Baldacci novel whenever we have time...

I stretched immediately after boxing. Otherwise, there are consequences. I also pulled out Cathe's Stretch Max when I got home because I am now copycatting Gingerzingi. I chose stretch routine three that incorporates a resistance band.

I see why Gingerzingi calls it a bondage scarf. I felt hog-tied during the quadriceps stretch but being in that position was amazing.  I kind of got lost during the process of stretching my forearms. It took my mind a while to get with the program as far as positioning the resistance band.

After stretching I wondered why I don't do it more often but yoga takes care of a lot of my stretching needs but I like variety and I also like "10 minute" solutions so I'm going to stretch on my non-yoga days.

Oh yeah, totally dug the pink and burgundy outfits that Cathe and her crew had on.

Just In Case

Memorable Lanes

The YMCA that I go to for boxing classes has two locations. The old building is now referred to as the historic YMCA and martial arts classes are housed there.

When it was not historic, I took swimming lessons so I couldn't resist taking a look at the pool on the way to boxing class....

Yesterday, I had lots of fun and got an amazing workout. My favorite sequence of the night: roundhouse kick...roundhouse (right leg)...roundhouse (other leg)...jab...jab...cross...

We practiced self-defense moves at the end of class and worked on what to do if someone is choking you or throwing a punch. Even though we were practicing, it was totally unnerving to have someone's hands around my throat but totally empowering to have maneuvers in my repertoire just in case...

As I left class, my sparring partner told me how much she enjoys boxing. It's the only exercise that I don't dread, she said.

Forward, Not Backward

Went to boxing and about half the class showed up. We'll just chalk up the attendance to the post-snowpocalypse. It was a good class and, as my sparring partner Michelle said, there was something very gratifying about one sequence that Dawn gave us: right kick, left kick, jab and cross. When you get into a good rhythm, it's beautiful and taxing.

Dawn reminded me several times about my stance which is often too wide. When we did one sequence: kick, jab...jab, cross, she told me that, after kicking, I needed to land my foot closer to my opponent. Of course, it made perfect sense when she demonstrated how you, essentially, want to be in your opponent's grill so, therefore, your momentum should be forward not backward.

At the end of class, Dawn showed us a hip-thrusting-foot-stomping-elbow-throwing self-defense move. She now wants to show us one technique per class. I still remember Dawn's talk about elbows in a previous class. She said that the elbow is one of the hardest bones in the body. It's a no-brainer but a fact that was not in the forefront of my mind even though I often joke about throwing 'bows. Now, I think about the hardness of the elbow a lot.