muay thai

thai kickboxing

Yeah, it sounds like the guys at your gym respect your ability.  I think you'll do well in sparring (and sparring with someone close to your own height is nice!).

The cheddar biscuits were sooooo worth it.  Perhaps not ideal fuel for the Muay Thai training, but I usually eat just one when we go to Red Lobster (if I eat more than that, I have no hope of enjoying my entree -- the biscuits and salad are quite filling).  I ate, like, eight of the danged things this time (though not all at once, LOL!).

I also checked out their "Lighthouse Selections" menu, and it turns out that an entire 1.5-lb lobster is something like 45 calories.  Looks like Red Lobster (and similar seafood joints) are good options if you're watching what you eat -- the wood-fired salmon is pretty low-cal, and they have good veggies and so forth.  You just have to avoid the stuff with 'sauce.'  I don't like sauces adulterating my meats, so I rarely get anything with sauce or cheese when I dine out anyway :D  I'll usually do salad with oil & vinegar, a baked potato (with butter and/or sour cream, depending on how crazy I'm feeling :D), and the smallest meat I can find that I actually like.  Normally, at Red Lobster, I just get the wood-fire grilled salmon, though on Saturday, I threw in some crab legs, because we were celebrating.

It also looks like I'll be working out on my lunch breaks at least three days a week -- my Biggest Loser team decided to do a lunchtime workout, so that should boost my training for now, while I'm still doing for days a week.

Yeah, my experience has been that Valerian is quite effective -- sometimes too effective, LOL!  It apparently pretty much wiped yesterday from the radar.  I sat here for like fifteen minutes this morning staring at the date/time display on my phone, thinking, "Is it really Tuesday?  Did I forget to come to work yesterday?"  LOL  And then I realized I did work yesterday, and I even dropped by Brian's desk and chatted with him and Russell (the guy who sits next to him) for a couple of minutes.  All of which I had forgotten!

I guess do have a busy schedule ... it's weird, I was so used to not doing anything after work, but now I'm totally used to it (though haven't yet figured out how to parcel out housework around the gym schedule).

LOL, yeah, I hear you with the 5-6 days week is nuts, but I'd do it if I could!  I could technically do it now, if I was willing to be out 'til 9 PM or later Monday through Thursday.  However, that would mean no housework would ever get done, b/c my room mate, for all his good qualities, doesn't really do housework (this only makes me mad when he cooks and leaves a thousand dishes in the sink; beyond that, he doesn't really make a mess).  I am pretty sure that those of us who really love it would live at the gym if we could.  I know I would, LOL.  They could be like, "Hey, we need a receptionist," and I'd be like, "Oo!  Pick me!  Pick me!"

This weekend is going to be interesting.  I volunteered to help handle an inflatable Pegasus in our Derby Festival Parade.  The Derby Festival in Louisville is kind of like Carnaval in Brazil -- two solid weeks of debauchery and excess, followed by a period of repentence (LOL).  In this case, however, the major religious holiday involved (in our case, Derby Day, since Derby is Louisville's official religion) follows immediately on the heels of the debauchery and excess, leading to even more debauchery and excess.

Myself, I don't go in for the debauchery and excess so much -- but I do love the fireworks and the parade :D  So this weekend we have 'Inflatable Handling Boot Camp,' which takes place at 9 AM on Saturday.  I should, in theory, be able to make the sparring class at noon.  I hope.  I might wind up missing bag class, though.  Once again, I double-booked myself, because I'm terrible at planning.  Argh.  Will I ever learN?

The cheddar biscuits sound worth it!  Just like those margaritas and chips I had, nothing wrong with it once in a while.  Although the sodium content probably quadrupled so I'll gain about 8 lbs in water weight, haha.  I can't believe a whole lobster is 45 calories!!  i really wish i liked seafood because at least I'd have more options.  Every year I try something but ultimately I just don't like it.  I do the same with o & v on the side and baked potato.  I always have to special order so it's so easy to say grilled chicken and baked potato then asking them for every ingredient that's used to prepare something.

That Biggest Loser contest is great.  I love that show.  Good luck with it.  Good idea to workout at lunch.  Ever since I've been walking at lunch time I notice less stress.  I think it's all those endorpins, and I feel like I made good use of my time, plus I get outside and get some fresh polluted NJ air.  You know its funny because when I'm driving and I see the same person jogging or walking every day, after a while I kind of feel like I know that person, and if one day they aren't there I actually go 'hey the walker wasn't out today wonder if he/she is ok'.  Well, now life has come full circle because I am the walker person now. 

I tried Valerian for a couple nights, I only took one though.  I noticed that I tossed and turned a lot.  My husband had success with it, he used it for a couple weeks and it helped him get back on schedule.  I guess maybe you need a bit less.  That's scarey that you forgot conversations, now that's tired.

Housework is definitely my problem as well.  Between laundry, cleaning and cooking  in addition to working out at home, taking MT and walking the dogs, it's tough.  I don't know how people who have kids do anything.  I feel your pain, do you go to school and work?.  When I went to graphic arts school at night I was working full time and I was lucky to be able to do a lot of my school work during work, which was really cool.  What sucks is that sometimes I just save everything for the weekend, then I end up inside cleaning and doing laundry on my 2 days off, which blows in my opinion, I hate chores.

I guess 5-6 isn't nuts I'd do it too, if i lived closer and could better manage the house work i'd go every day they had a class, but then again i think my husband might mind that.  Yeah, living at the gym would be cool.  I was going to mention to the master that his friend who visited on Saturday's place is really close to my house, who knows maybe they'll need demo person when they start up, can't hurt to network.

Well that inflatable Pegasus sounds quite interesting!  Sounds like a lot of crazy people will be drinking and doing who knows what else!  Good luck with that!  I'm the same, the fireworks and the parade would be enough.

You think with today's technology it would be impossible to double book things.  I always have a problem because for some stupid reason I keep all my important appointments on my work wall calendar.  Not the calendar on my phone, not my google calendar (which is awesome by the way), not my outlook or mac calendar....but my stupid wall calendar that I need to write on with pencil....it's just stupid.  I've been trying to use the phone more but I only remember half the time....oh well

Have a great class.

LOL on the cheddar biscuits, margaritas, and chips -- I agree 100%!  You have to be able to cut loose now and then, or life just gets dull.  I think you're right about the sodium, too -- I felt distinctly puffy yesterday before class, and feel less so now.  By Saturday, I should be back to normal, I think.

I know what you mean about seeing the same person jogging or walking and kind of feeling like you know them.  I get that way about other cyclists that I see biking to and from work and so forth -- LOL, I wonder if of them are thinking, "Where's the little fat dude on the black Schwinn?"  (Actually, I doubt anyone but me looks at me and thinks "little fat dude," LOL, since I'm 5'9" and I carry my weight darned well.)  Or I'll see a guy with a BadBoy or TapOut sticker on the back of his car, and automatically think, "I wonder if he trians at Core?" 

Last night, I rode in with Brian, and we passed a guy with a TapOut sticker who looked exactly like Jamie from Mythbusters.  When I first saw the sticker, I thought, "I wonder if this guy trains at Core?"  Then I saw him, and I thought, "Nah, he doesn't look like the Core type.  If anything, maybe his kid trains."  Sure enough, though, he pulled in a few minutes after Brian and me, and I saw him in the lobby in his gym clothes ready to go to class.  I think he must do Krav, because BJJ has a gi class T/Th and he definitely wasn't in boxing or MT.

LOL -- you'd think, looking like I do, that I'd know better than to think, "Nah, he doesn't look like the Core type."  God knows I don't look like the kind of guy that 99% of Americans would expect to see in a serious Muay Thai or MMA gym!  (These are the people who have never laid eyes on Kaoklai, who is now The Guy I Want to Be When I Grow Up, only I guess I'm going to have to settle for being 5'9" and 145 lbs instead of 6' and 170.)

I think Cam has a similar response (or lack thereof) to Valerian as ytou do.  Yeah ... I was nuked on Monday, LOL.  The only other thing that has made me feel that way was an anticonvulsant I took for a little while (I had a skull fracture when I was 13, and had seizures for several years).  It messed me up so much that I had to stop taking it.  Since the vast majority of the seizures I had were petit-mal 'absence' seizures anyway, it wasn't all that big a deal.  At any rate, I was a zombie on that stuff.  I have the same problem with Benedryl, though not to the same degree.

OTOH, I slept well Monday night without any meds, so I guess what I should do is take 2 Valerian on Saturday night, so by Monday I'll be fine, LOL!  (Or maybe I could try just taking one!)  Last night I barely slept at all, but I feel okay today.  It's kind of weird.

I so hear you about people who have kids -- especially middle-school kids; that age where they're involved in all kinds of activities, but not really old enough to get to most of them on their own.  I would go crazy, LOL.

I'm actually not in school this semester.  I should've been, but didn't get all my ducks in a row in time and get registered and stuff.  Next semester, I'll either be doing 2 classes and working full time, or doing 4 classes and working part-time, depending on my income and expenses.  Heck, I may do 2 classes, work part-time, and train 6 days a week :D

I have a terrible habit of leaving all the chores for the weekend right now.  When I cook, I'll usually do the dishes as I go, but when Cam cooks, he doesn't wash anything, so then I wind up with a whole sink full of dishes that I don't even want to look at 'til Sunday, LOL.  We also do laundry on Sunday because we still don't have our W/D installed.  I bought a pair from a guy I know at work, and he has a truck to drop them off, but we keep passing like ships in the night on the weekends -- if he's free, I'm busy; if I'm free...

I actually kind of enjoy some housework, but only when I don't have other stuff on my plate.  I guess when I have lots of free time, I'll do housework happily, is what it boils down to.  Well, lots of free time and a radio.  I can do housework 'til the cows come home if I can listen to good music at the same time -- I think it's because that's how it was when I was growing up.  We always had good classical or Jazz playing on weekends, and we had little chores like most kids do, so now I associate cleaning with music :D

LOL -- yeah on the technology part ... As much as I'm a huge geek, I almost never remember to use my calendars.  For that matter, I don't use non-digital ones very well, either.  I have one on my fridge, and I almost never mark anything down on it.  Thus, I double-book myself all the time, LOL.

I so <3 google calendar.  I have mine set up to send me text messages when my bills are due.  I should really use it more frequently for things other than bills!

PS: Class was pretty great :)  I journaled it, so I won't belabor the details here :D

I was just looking into making my own shirt, unfortunately a lot of stuff is blocked here, then when I get home, I'm busy and I forget to look.  I like your phrases...

Nothing spectacular happened at class last night.  Although we found out that Monday will be our temporary sparring class which will run simultaneously to our regular Monday class. He is going to be pulling us out 2 at a time so we can go to another mat and do some contact sparring.  I am assuming that nobody from the day classes want to spar, I think there's 7 of us from the night class.  He just wants us to try it out before we purchase the gear.  The head gear is expensive, it's the kind with the steel bar in front of the nose. 

I always wonder about people who have the Tapout stickers too, I also wonder about people who Affliction clothes too. 

Oh, I was wrong about the Valerian.  I had a problem with Melatonin.  I tossed and turned all night after I took it.  I like Valerian except for that horrid smell!  My sleep is hit or miss.  I have to get up for work at 5am so on the weekends I have a lot of trouble sleeping past 6am, it really sucks. This week has been a particularly crappy sleep week.  I've been so tired all week, I'm not sure why.  I haven't been logging my food and I've been overeating a bit.  I also haven't felt much like exercising outside of MT of course.  I guess my body is tired, I'm trying to take the hint, so I'm taking it easy this week.  I'd really like to go to MT tonight but I really think my body needs a break.  It's probably allergies, I recall doing this every year....definitely not feeling it this week. 

I'm like you with the dishes, I clean while I cook so when I'm done cooking there's not many dishes left over.  I'm not a fan of the other method of stacking them all up then doing them afterwards.  Hope you get that W/D soon, I'm sure that will be helpful. 

Have a great class tonight!!

Wow -- it's interesting that you had that problem with Melatonin!  I had a similar experience with Rozerem, which basically works by elevating melatonin levels.  Very interesting!

Yeah, Valerian root does smell awful, LOL.  The tablets I have aren't bad, but they get worse the older they get.  It sounds like you're a natural early bird.  I'm the opposite -- it's hard for me to get to sleep before 2 AM, and if I do go to bed earlier, it's hard for me to stay asleep, and then it's hard for me to wake up in the morning, LOL.  The world running on a 9-5 schedule doesn't work out well either for early birds or night owls.

It's cool that you guys are getting some sparring in, finally!  Let me know how it goes.  I'm looking forward to hearing your war stories!

Those headgear things with the steel bar are definitely pricey.  The cheapest ones I've seen are around $70 before shipping -- eek.  I would guess they probably make you wear those because of insurance regulations or something ... eek. 

I think insurance must be way cheaper here, in KY.  If you're over 18, Core pretty much just asks you to wear a mouth guard and shin guards for full-contact sparring.  A couple of guys wear ear protectors, but that's about it.  Even the under-18 set doesn't have to wear headgear unless they're hard-contact sparring in the ring.  I'm glad of that, because I don't have the funds for it right now, LOL.  As it is, I'm still using the community shin guards, which is kind of lame.

Do you have to order your equipment through your school, or can you order it yourself, as long as you get the same make/model?  Sometimes you can find better prices online (though every time I decide I'm going to order a pair of shin guards from someone's eBay store, it turns out they're in Thailand, and are going to cost $30 extra to ship, LOL!).  Then again, some schools can get discounts, too, so equipment pricing is always a wildcard.

You know, everyone I know has been really tired this week.  I wonder if it's some kind of seasonal transition period thing, or something, LOL.  Though it could be allergies, definitely -- allergy season is off and running, here, and there is definitely a connection between allergies and fatigue (and also between allergies and poor sleep -- if I can't breathe through my nose, I can't sleep).  I'm trying to get outside as much as possible, because from about June through August the air quality in most of the city plays havoc with my asthma (I'm hoping the Singulair will help with that).

Well, whether or not you do class tonight, I hope you get some rest and feel better soon!

BTW ... I have hatched an evil master plan.  As part of the Biggest Loser challenge at work, a couple other guys from my floor and I are going to be exercising at a gym in a building a couple blocks away.  Turns out they have a 'cardio-kickboxing' class that fits nicely into our Monday lunch hour :D

While I assume it's not going to be anywhere near as hard-core as Core's, I am going to drag the other guys from the team along.  The plan is to get them hooked, then bring them to Core.  BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Muay Thai FTW!

This also means I'll get something like 3 days of conditioning class -- Wednesday and Saturday at Core and Monday down town -- without running into the headache of being out 'til 9 or later every week night.

As much as I hate to say it, I'm seriously thinking about buying a car -- it would be 20 mins each way to Core, instead of a long wait after class followed by an hour on the bus, LOL.

Too Many Mind!

LOL, I'm too cheerful this morning to think of anything constructive to say.

I had a great class last night.  Executed some truly sweet kicks.  Also, some amazingly bad ones, and many, many, man mediocre kicks of various flavors.  Likewise, my hook sucks less every day, though it still sucks.  It no longer turns into 1-2-WTF-2 when we're supposed to be throwing 1-2-3-2 combos.  I can now do 1-2-mid kick-1-2-3-2-switch kick without looking like a complete moron, though the last couple executions of that particular combo got all hosed up last night because I started THINKING.

My partner gave me the 'Too Many Mind' speech during partner drills, LOL (this will make sense to you if you, like I, have seen The Last Samurai 100,000 times because you are madly in love with Ken Watanabe, or for other reasons).  He said, 'Turn off your brain.'

My blocks are less slow when my brain is off.

Is this surprising?

Um, no.  :)

Did kick-play with a tall dude with legs like stilts, Mike, who is now known as 'Rusty Guy,' as there was some confusion over who was 'New Guy.'

Mike trained MT several years ago when he lived in some other city, but is teh rusty, and is thinking about signing up with Core, but isn't 100% sure because he's due to take a month-long trip and wants to know if they'll let him not pay for that month.  I have a feeling they'll be cool about that, honestly.  If it were my gym, and I were doing the books, I'd think one more paying student is a good thing, even if we know he's going to be not paying one month because he'll be on some other continent.

So I am 'New Guy,' and Mike is 'Rusty Guy,' and kick-play with Rusty Guy was interesting, LOL.  He has the world's most deadly-accurate push kick.  I would go to throw a switch kick, and he'd push-kick me in the knee.  Admittedly, this is largely because my switch kick is still hella slow and telegraphs like AT&T.  The man is hard to kick (though he complimented me on my inside kicks and inside block).  Therefore, I like him.

He also sort of complimented me on my sumo calves.  He was like, "I'd like to have calves like his.  He could break someone's neck with those legs."  LOL  I still want them to be smaller, so they go with the rest of my body, but it's kind of cool that someone out there thinks sumo calves are a good idea :D

Now that I'm starting to get some sense of technique and my cardio is pretty good (as opposed to simply being a lumbering juggernaut struggling to complete six rounds of bag work without dying), I'm trying to start backing down the power and working on execution and control.  It surprises me -- I have a very, very hard time not kicking hard.  I also have a hard time not punching hard (this strikes me as hilarious, because prior to starting MT, my punches were all wimpy TKD stylie).  I don't want to be the inept n00b you read about all the time on Bullshido -- you know, the aggressive spaz that pisses everyone off by kicking too hard, or whatever, LOL.

I also learned that, at Core, you can pretty much say, "Hey, Matt!" and be guaranteed to be answered by at least half the guys in the building -- so if you want to ask someone a question, and you don't know anyone's name, you can just say, "Hey, Matt!" and you have a pretty good shot of finding someone who can give you an answer.

 Edit: I also learned that a good half of the Muay Thai class is, shall we say, visually impaired.  Jay is blind as a bat without his contacts -- even blinder than I am -- and tells hilarious stories about his first fight, wherein they asked him if he had contacts, he said, "Yes," and they made him take them out.

I suggested that we start a Braille Muay Thai class.

OMG I'm still laughing about Matt, how great is that!  Hey Matt... and 6 people answer you, too funny!

Sounds like you had a good class.  I didn't go last night, it's so hard to get there Thursdays, plus I had a bunch of crap to do around the house so I didn't go.  I feel like this has been a light exercise week, but my idea of light exercise is about 8 hrs a week, so I really can't complain.  The weather hasn't been that great so I was only able to walk twice this week.

I can't wait to spar.  Yeah the head gear is expensive but we have to have it.  It is an insurance thing.  He told us we have to wear the head and chest gear (shin gear, mouth guard).  I'm sure he's afraid of people getting injured and suing.  NJ is a sue happy state so I really can't blame them.  You have to be 18 to do MT at his place, he won't take anybody under 18.  I'm buying the stuff from him.  I find that his prices are the same as everybody else, I could probably find cheaper on the net but once you add shipping it ends up being more so it's easier to go through him (yeah like all that stuff from Thailand).  I'll be using the community chest guard.

I think the tired thing is the allergies, everybody here and at my husbands place has felt crappy.  I used to take Singulair and Allergra every day but I gave up the meds last year (and that's a whole other story - heavy metal poisoning - so I'm trying to cut out as many toxins as I can).  I didn't notice that much of a difference without the meds so I stayed off.  I think Singulair really helped (I know you take it for asthma but it works good for allergies too), but not enough of a difference to keep taking it.

I love that you found a cardio kickboxing at lunch time for the Biggest Loser team.  Maybe they will get hooked and join you at Core.  It's funny how it almost feels like a cult....join my Muay Thai clan, where you gain focus while hitting and kicking people.  I'd love more people to talk about it with or workout with.

If you are thinking of buying a car, now's the time to do it.  Everything is cheap, and I think it's going to stay this way for a while.  Hanging around afterwards sounds like a pain, amazing what one will do for the love of MT <3

So true about turning off your brain.  I did something weird the other day.  We've been learning new combos and one of them I did right like 10 times, then my brain farted, and I totally messed up and my hands did their own thing, but I got right back to it.  It's funny because if the master looks at me and says good, then I mess up, he still makes me nervous.

It's funny the other night my bag partner was going all out and I'm on the other side, laughing, like hey dude, tone it down I don't wanna break my wrist when it's my turn.  Geez, I think I would've been better off with the fanner, she may be slow but I don't have to wait for the bag to stop moving!  HaHa.  It's funny sometimes when we do form, everybody tries to do it as quick as they can but form really needs to be done slow so you can get the technique in there.  It really amazes me that what you think would be a simple punch, turns into a project when you have to make sure you pivot right, your shoulder has to turn, do this, do that, all at the same instant, blah blah blah.  I hope my control is good, well actually I hope the sparring guys' control is good so they don't hit me too hard!  I'm excited, so hopefully Monday I'll get a turn.  

Oh, and that's hysterical (well not really) that Jay had to take out his contacts for his first fight....that must've sucked! 

Well it's almost lunch time, it's raining here so I opted to ask my husband out to lunch.  There's a pizza place that makes Gluten Free Pizza not too far away.  I usually order it to go then reheat it later so it will be awesome to actually have a fresh hot piece of GF pizza.  Pizza was my favorite food so this is exciting (although I really shouldn't eat the cheese::::sigh:::: it's always something)!!

"It's funny because if the master looks at me and says good, then I mess up, he still makes me nervous."

ROFL, OMG yes!

I totally had that happen last night.  Almost exactly that, in fact -- we were doing some combo or another during the bag-work phase, and I was all proud of myself because I was actually doing it pretty much right, and Jay came over and said, "Good!" ... And then of course I did it all wrong like three times in a row :::sigh:::

Yeah -- Singulair actually helps my allergies considerably as well as my asthma.  The only thing it doesn't seem to help with is the itchy reaction that I get when I touch dogs, but I guess that's probably a function of the way it works -- that's a histamine-driven skin response, and Singulair's action is much more specific to leukotriene-driven airway responses.  The great part is that skritching dogs used to give me itchy welts and asthma attacks, so just having being mildly itchy is a vast improvement. 

I can fuss over the gym dogs and play with them without having to hit my inhaler, and that makes me happy :D  I am cursed, of course, being a lover of animals, with allergies to dogs, cats, and horses.  I'm so allergic to rats that I can't even touch them -- they set off severe asthmatic episodes -- which also sucks, because I like rats.  I'm hoping Singulair takes care of most of that, though I'm afraid to mess around with rodents at this point, simply because the last time I did, I had an attack that would've sent me to the hospital if I didn't have a nebulizer nearby.

Yeah, hanging around afterwards is kind of a drag sometimes -- not that I mind hanging around at the gym; it's more that sometimes you need to go home and wash the dishes before, say, 10:00 PM, LOL. 

OTOH, it was fun last night, because a bunch of the guys who know what they're doing were there, and we all sat around, talked shop, and they traded some amusing anecdotes (apparently, Soneca is a trip to hang out with outside of the gym).

I know what you mean about forms -- my TKD class was allergic to forms, but I liked doing them for the very reasons you mention.  Plus, the meditative aspect was nice.  I'm still thinking about learning Tai Chi.  I don't think it would hurt my Muay Thai, and it might even help with some of my coordination weirdness.  We don't do forms, per se, at Core, though.

LOL, I wish I could remember more of Jay's stories about his first fight.  He described the other guy as 'a big fuzzy blob,' LOL ... apparently, the guy was more of a boxing-type fighter, so he would get in close and Jay pretty much just blocked and blocked and blocked and blocked and then fired off a kick, and the guy kind of staggered back, and Jay couldn't really tell whether he was just off balance or what, and then a friend of his was like, "Yeeeeeeah!!!  Good job!  You got him!"

Yup, Braille Muay Thai.

That's me in about two years, if I don't get Lasik.

It sounds like your forms are well-designed to contribute to technique.  Right now, I tend to rely on velocity to assist in achieving proper hip rotation, etc, which basically means I have to throw my kicks hard to get the technique right, primarily because I am not strong enough to execute them slowly and correctly.  I've decided that a program of progressive strength training, coupled with practicing my strikes more slowly, should rectify this problem.

I've also found that I can learn things by observing the boxing class.  Specifically, the execution of my punches -- particularly hooks -- has been somewhat lacking.  The jab and cross have improved on their own as I've begun to loosen up and my stance has improved -- the hook, however, is improving because I eavesdrop on our boxing instructor. 

I like his philosophy, anyway -- the end of his class overlaps with the beginning of my T/Th class, and last night they were doing their conditioning stuff while we were warming up.  He said to them, in the midst of a motivational (read: Yes, I know your muscles are in mutiny; push through it) speech, "You earned the right to be here.  You may think you're here because you pay to be here, but you're not -- you earned the right to be here." 

I kind of missed the rest of it because, at that point, my rope went crazy and I smacked myself in the feet and then had to spend about fifteen seconds sorting the stupid thing out (I will be replacing it shortly with a proper speed rope and donating it to the community rope rack). 

But it got me thinking: a lot of people set foot in a Muay Thai class once or twice, then realize it's hard, and they never come back.

A few more people try a few classes, then realize they're not going to be good at it right away -- and they, too, never come back.

Those of us who stay dedicate ourselves to training several times a week; to putting ourselves through levels of physical exertion most Americans, anyway, wouldn't dream of.  When we screw up, we know it, and we handle it gracefully -- we keep coming back.  We work for every inch of progress we gain.

Even if we pay for instruction, by our efforts, we earn our right to set foot on the mats, and -- eventually -- to set foot in the ring.  We earn every bruise we carry home and every bruise we inflict upon someone else.

You've earned your sparring class.  I hope you'll love it, and I have a feeling that you will.

Original Post by kokorozashi:

But it got me thinking: a lot of people set foot in a Muay Thai class once or twice, then realize it's hard, and they never come back.

A few more people try a few classes, then realize they're not going to be good at it right away -- and they, too, never come back.

Those of us who stay dedicate ourselves to training several times a week; to putting ourselves through levels of physical exertion most Americans, anyway, wouldn't dream of.  When we screw up, we know it, and we handle it gracefully -- we keep coming back.  We work for every inch of progress we gain.

Even if we pay for instruction, by our efforts, we earn our right to set foot on the mats, and -- eventually -- to set foot in the ring.  We earn every bruise we carry home and every bruise we inflict upon someone else.

WELL SAID!!!

LOL I'm glad I'm not the only dummy who messes up when somebody says good job.  I think it gets me out of the zone.  I actually stopped looking at him unless I think I'm doing something wrong then I'll look at him for a thumbs up or something.

I tried Tai Chi a couple years ago.  Its very controlled movements.  It wasn't for me at the time, but I could see liking it now.  I didn't care for the instructor but I think with a better instructor I might like it better.  He never explained what the moves were, it was kinda like simon sez.  Very good for balance.  I like doing forms because you really have to put your body into each move and it kind of emphasizes that part, you have to really move your hips a lot.  I know what you mean about the hip rotation on the kicks, everybody has a hard time with that.  Sometimes he makes us do the round kick in slow mo and it is sooooo hard.  I practice that way too.  I like to watch videos to see how other people teach how to do it.  It's such a nasty kick!!

Well I'm heading out for the weekend!! Wu Hu Friday is over!! 

I finally got to spar tonight!  I think I have (or I will have tomorrow) my first official MT bruise. I took a good kick to the leg.  But, I accidentally tried kicking the guy's leg and I kind of missed...he was okay though, he barely flinched.  So we all got to spar so we are going to order our gear and set up a class after the Easter holiday.  I think there's only 6 of us, I'm surprised.  Maybe once we get going others will come. It was fun to finally put some action to all those fancy moves we learn.  I can't wait until I'm comfortable enough to slip in a spinning back fist or something, haha.  It will be even better once we are all geared up and don't have to worry so much about those accidental hard blows.  I'm so excited to learn this part of it.

It was a pleasant end to a crappy (and rainy) Monday.  I really do hate Mondays::::sigh:::::

WOOOOOOOOT!!!!!  Congrats on your first official MT bruise, and on your sparring class finally getting underway!

Yeah, I'm kind of surprised there are only 6 in your sparring group -- maybe now that you have a sparring class, more people who are interested in that kind of thing will join up.

I seem to have Teh Bronchitis, so I am taking a week off.  As I mentioned to Melissa in my journal, I am trying to make myself feel better about this by reminding myself that even the pros in Thailand take time off.  However, my stubborn, macho side insists on reminding me that they also train like eight days week.

I will be seeing my doc on Friday, though, and I plan to go over my eating and exercise habits with her to see where I need to improve.  I have a feeling she's going to tell me I'm insane, what with 6 hours+/week of Muay Thai and all the biking and walking like 3 miles most Saturdays and Sundays.

YAY!!  Well my bruise didn't really manifest, but my shin is still a little sore.  It's not a good idea to block a kick with a kick I guess, but hey that's what sparring is for.  It was great when the master whispers in my ear, clinch when I tell you, without my sparring partner hearing what he said, but he did know that he said something.  it was funny when I did clinch him because he didn't know it was coming.  The guy was happy that he survived sparring with 'the leg' although I certainly didn't do a good job, and I certainly didn't kick hard. I definitely need improvement in sparring area!!  Have a good day and feel better!

LOL -- OMG, I so hear you about blocking a kick with a kick.  Especially when you get jiggy with the shin-to-shin lovin'.  I wasn't really sure how to block during my first sparring class, and thus wound up blocking most of Brian's hoss-kicks with either a shin or a hip -- ow.  Though I guess some people might find a person who steps into their kicks instead of away from them a little disconcerting, LOL.

It sounds like your sparring has a healthy respect for your kicking ability!  You'll get better quickly, I'm sure -- you've got all the compenents already, it's just a question of getting the timing and the 'feel,' I'm sure.

I spent pretty much the whole weekend asleep.  It's beginning to look like I will have to immerse myself slowly in the waters of Muay Thai (is that possible???) when I get clearance -- so it might be a while before I'm training seriously again. It's all good, though.  Even if I wind up having to take a whole month, it's not like I'll be starting all the way back at zero, since I've got a lot of technique wired in and I will (eventually) be able to practice slowly, at home.  So it might take me a little bit longer to reach my MT-related goals: no big deal.

I might see what Jay thinks about me sitting in on class or something -- there won't be much point in trying to participate until I get my lungs back in good enough shape, because I will be worse than useless as a training partner and simply won't have the cardiovascular endurance to make it through class for a while, but watching might be useful.  Goodness knows I've learned a fair bit watching the boxing class :)

ROFL - glad I'm not the only one who blocks a kick with a kick!!  Well today will be more sparring hopefully, I didn't get a bruise (well maybe a faint one but you really have to look, definitely not noticeable) but my shin still hurts.  I thought by now it wouldn't hurt but oh well, what's one to do, continue on....'pain is just weakness leaving the body'  haha.

I'm hoping for a good workout tonight.  I didn't do anything on Sat. and yesterday was Easter and all, I think I went a bit overboard which means I'll be puffy for about a week!  Geez!  Hope you had a good Easter, but it sounds like you were in bed all day. 

When I went to Wednesday class, everybody heard about my sparring faux pas (that being kicking my partner in the balls - did i add that he wasn't wearing any protection either..yikes).  The guy's new nickname is iron balls but me, well, they think it's funny to tease me about it, so I said...'well, who's next then??' haha, that shut them up!! 

I'm glad you are taking a rest, you really do need to get better first.  Watching class wouldn't be a bad idea, you can still learn stuff from watching and you'll be kept in the loop too, at least.  Even if you did take a month off it shouldn't slow down your goals too much, although I'm not sure what your specific goals are (other than training like a crazy person 6 times a week haha).  And, when you do go back you'll be going back fresh, anxious and ready to kick butt!!

Oh, and on a previous note, I got the angry comment again.  I had a couple people tell me that next time I spar to think about (insert person's name here)  :::heavy sigh::: I try to explain that I don't think of anything or anybody, nor am I angry, I just want to use my skills ......GEEZ!!  It's still a sport, and it's still competitive.... people need to get that. Oh well, I'll let the non-believers think what they want!

Feel better! 

LOL, ppl with their silly angry comment.  I think next time I get that one, I'm going to look at them very blankly and say, "But ... it's fun to kick people.  Everyone knows that!"  I try, but I admit, I don't understand the 'hitting people must equal anger' idea, LOL.

I think there's this very basic idea ingrained in our culture that it's somehow wrong to engage in any form of ... um, violence, for lack of a better word ... even if everyone in the room wants to and they're all enjoying themselves.  In fact, I suspect that many people, on some secret level, think it's twice as bad if everyone in the room is having a blast. 

Perhaps we feel that after thousands of years of smacking each-other around for fun, we're supposed to be more 'civilized' now?

If so, I'll take my barbarism with a side of steak, Pittsburgh rare, please :D

It's like the Puritans and sex (and feasting and dancing, and everything else enjoyable, for that matter).  Somehow, if anything feels good -- especially if the feeling is the result of a very physical, rather than a very intellectual, exercise -- it must somehow be tainted with Evil.  Never mind that, if we want to bring religion into the debate, it only makes sense to concede that if we're enjoying this violent sport, it might just be because we were made by some almighty Creator to do so!

I find it striking (no pun intended) that the angriest people I know are all more or less sedentary and would never dream of pursuing a hard martial art like Muay Thai.  All the folks at Core, on the other hand, may be a little wild 'n' crazy, but they're happy and cool from moment to moment. 

I suppose that doesn't mean no one from Core ever has one too many and finds him- or herself involved in the style of altercation traditionally known as a 'bar fight,' but the same goes for the people who don't train (a hunch tells me they're prolly more likely to look for a fight than those who do).  That the MT guys and the BJJ guys and so forth happen to know how to actually inflict some damage, however, means that they/we come off looking like the Bad Guys.

:::sigh:::

LOL about Iron Balls.  I have to say, I respect a man who gets whalloped in the jewels with no protection and returns to fight another day :D  But I also think you found exactly the right strategy for dealing with the teasing!

When I spar, I'm not usually thinking about anyone other than the guy standing in front of me -- and, usually, I notice that he's got a big stupid grin on his face, just like me :)  Hell, the last time I was doing clinch work with one of the other noobs we both started laughing -- not because we were being dorky noobs, but because we were having fun.

But, of course, we must've been angry, 'cause we were working on fightin' skillz ... right?  :D

lol Iron Balls...I'm glad that I'm not the only one who occasionally makes contact inadvertently.  I'm not MT, but I completey agree with you two, it's fun, not mad, but focus and balance and coordination.

smwhipple - LOL! At least I'm not the only one who has these accidents!  Do people think you are crazy too, I just don't get the attitude.  It's totally about the focus, balance and coordination!

So when I got to class my sparring partner IB (iron balls) tells me he was so excited because he had a bruise on his arm from sparring last week.  I told him I almost had a bruise...  Well now I definitely have a bruise after last night sparring!  It was so much fun, I too smile and laugh the whole time.  Anyway, IB did very well, got quite a few square shots to my face, which I had to stop and compliment him on, LOL.  It's very difficult to spar, I guess that's when you have to think, haha.  Form, no thinking. Spar, think quickly.  Speaking of which I just couldn't remember any combination last night, I kept messing up!  Anyway, can't wait to get the safety gear, we are ordering this week. So we will be sparring on Mondays, the master said it's up to us to form some kind of camaraderie so they'll be enough of us to spar.  So we are all going to exchange numbers.  Not sure of the time yet though... I'm excited!  It's funny because last month I was all bummed because there wasn't sparring and I was looking at other places and now I'm happy again, yay!

I like your angry comment response, I will using it!

Hope you are feeling better!

Smwhipple -- that's a great descriptor of exactly why I love MT so much -- fun, focus, balance, and coordination!  (Well, okay, and the whole 'test your prowess against yourself/others bit works for me as well XD)

Snoop, it sounds like you had a great class last night.  I will have to live gratuitously through your experiences until I'm back in action!  Though, LOL, every time you say "IB," I automatically think, "Irritable Bowel," LOL.  I think I'm going to retrain my mind so every time I see that, I will read "Iron Balls," so when I hear commercials for IB syndrome meds, I will automatically think "Iron Balls Syndrome."  That's much more fun than "Irritable Bowel Syndrome!"

I hear you about remembering combos, btw ... I have less trouble with that when sparring than when shadow-boxing.  I think it's because I still feel self conscious when shadow-boxing, so I'm always like, "Jab-jab-cross-hook ... push kick-jab-jab-cross-hook ... round kick-jab-jab-cross-hook ... switch kick-jab-jab-cross-hook..."  You would think the only think I know how to do with my hands is "jab-jab-cross-hook," LOL.

I miss training :::mope:::  I will continue to remind myself that Resting Is Good For My Future As A Fighter.

Awww, I feel bad.  I know you miss training

Resting is good though!

I never thought I'd like shadow boxing but I do it all the time now at home, which helped me get over the discomfort of it.  You have to just do it and forget that you might possibly look like an idiot.  I used to hate doing it in class but I'm pretty comfortable now.  It took about 8 months though!  Sometimes we have to do all defense moves and move around the bag, so all you do is head covers, leg blocks, bob & weave, slip, parry....I used to feel like an idiot doing that too but I don't anymore.  I'll tell you what really helps with sparring is getting those head movements in.  I tried to get some of my combos in while sparring but you never can tell what the other guy is going to do next, then i see that glove right in my face and the combo goes right out the window!  (although I was lucky that the master acted like my ring guy, Iron Balls didn't get the ring advice he just knew something was eventually coming his way..haha) I try to remember everything the master tells me to do but you know how that goes....haha, I'll get it, as long as I'm having fun who cares. 

Remember, resting is good!