Advanced class

With only Check and myself in the class I expected time to slow way down. Foul weather embraced our small town like a grand-mother's hug. No one was moving anywhere and if they did it wasn't fast. So Teacher made due with what he had and made an advanced class. Both Check and I have different levels of green belt so the things were trying weren't normally touched upon in my memory.

Check is a 40 something mother of three who has been divorced for over five years. She's secure, humorous, and flirtatious. I believe she sees the class as her brothers and she has become good friends to most of us. In sparring or exercises with her I notice how she is better at some things than I am even though she has less experience and when she allows herself to make contact she can put her entire weight behind her fist. Amazing for someone who probably only weighs 130.

So the exercise that ties this all together was something pulled out of one of our kata (pinan cho dan) in which you punch into a punch and do circular block with the same hand. It was very difficult to learn because it forced us to leave our punching hand out until the uke punched. After we became used to this we could bring it up to real time which eliminated the hesitation and wait.

To complete the exercise after the block we would grab uke by the wrist, pull him/her off balance and do a under cut strike to the lats. Teacher encouraged us to use a fuller strike so that both people may understand underlying technique. Check pounded my lats into flank steak.

After the break Beard and Kid Speed showed up. We worked on using the slide with the elbow strike. Talk about seeing the direct impact weight and energy up close. If beard put his full energy into it I'd have a shattered sternum.

Kid Speed gave us some bad news. He's going to be moving to California for a year. What a bummer.