Mon 3/8/10

"Arrogance diminishes wisdom” - Arabian Proverb

I love Martial Arts for many reasons, but here is an example of two just from tonight.

Tonight we did some MMA starting with Thai kicks, take downs, grappling drills, and then boxing.

I am not sure if it was because I was a minority in a rough urban city, came from a broken home, or because of Bi-Polar issues, but I was very insecure as a kid. I was tall, skinny, white, and goofy, so I got picked on a lot. I was not good at sports because I was a klutz, I wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, and believe it or not, I wasn't always a hit with the ladies. A girl once told me I was ugly and smelled, and I didn't even have any hard boiled eggs that day.

Martial Arts changed a lot of these things for me. Now I am not saying I am the best in the world, not even on my block, but I have some skill. I learned how to use my long arms & legs for reach in stand up and control & submissions on the ground. Being thin gave me a certain flexibility on the ground, I am able to think and use strategy, and I can even distract my opponents with my goofiness sometimes.

Tonight for instance, while boxing, I was having trouble with my sparring partner. He was covering and ducking while throwing. That made it difficult for me to hit him without getting hit myself. I figured out by throwing certain combos how he moved and was able to time him and set him up for some shots while not getting hit. I also did well on the ground against a very tough college wrestler. See, Martial Arts gave me confidence, it showed me that with a little hard work, no one if hopeless.

The second reason came a little while after I started doing well in boxing and feeling pretty confident. Earlier I showed my partner how to duck under a lead hook and follow up with a right hand. Wouldn't you know it that late in the last round, I throw a lead hook against the same guy, he ducks, momentum spins me, and he lands a really good right hand square on my goofy face.

Even though I need confidence, I also need to stay humble. In an odd way, this makes me feel even better about working out, there is so much more to learn. How boring would it be if you beat everyone up, never getting hit or submitted. I have room to get better as a Martial Artist and a person.

Have a safe journey.

2 rounds of Thai kicks each leg on bag, 1 rd only kicks, 1 rd 2-3 punch combo then kick -

3 min drills

Alternating take downs -
Shoots/sprawls -
Pass guard -
Side control/get guard -
Roll -
Roll -
1 punch, partner counters with 1 punch -
2 punches, partner counters with 2 punches -
Spar -
Spar -