Tag: Jeet Kune Do

Training Martial Arts 02/08/2021: Training During COVID-19, Getting the My First COVID-19 shot

This is going to be a short post. At least I think it will be short post. I have been training the entire time during the pandemic. The fist three months (March – May) we stayed at home, and trained at homed. Since H and I live together we were able to do drills together with pads. We worked the heavy bag and did what we could at home. The world was still reeling from this pandemic and we did not know what was safe other than staying home and keeping our kids safe.

We follow safety precautions and when told to shelter in place and avoid contact we did. It was not till our couch/Kru/Instructor made sure that our entire team wore masks, made sure the gym was sprayed down and cleaned before our class, that people stayed 10 feet apart, the gym doors were opened and stayed open, each other person in our class stayed at a station and if they moved they cleaned it with cleaner before another person got to it, and H and I only partnered up since we live together. When we get home we avoid sitting on the couch, or touching much of anything. We shower and throw our dirty clothes from the gym into the washer. We hand sanitize after every equipment change we make even when we are just working with each other. We have kept this up since we got back to gym in June.

So now my training schedule is as such:
1) Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I train at home. (Running when weather permits, rowing on the machine, HIIT, and weight lifting)
2) Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday I train at the gym. (Muay Thai, and Kali)

It is really hard to sometimes navigate this world and our training due to the extra problems that the pandemic has caused but we feel that it is worth the precautions for the health and safety of our family. It will be a year in March since we here in the U.S.A. have had to deal with this pandemic and the havoc it has wreaked on us all. I am glad we have found some workarounds that we can use during this time. I think if I did not have my outlets and or my training opportunities it would be much harder to navigate this new world.

Just this last Friday I got my first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. I got the information and the link from my place of employment. My eligibility is due to I normally work with infants to kindergarteners (that job has been on a holding pattern since the pandemic started). This vaccine has a booster that I have to get in 3 weeks. I will say it took about 2.5 days for the pain at the injection site, and the dull ache to go away. 2020’s flu shot hurt at the injection site this year, and that was different that the previous years. This COVID-19 shot felt like someone hit my arm with a lead pipe. It was extremely sore and stiff. I iced it, took Ibuprofin for pain, and felt just kind of run down. I decided to go train on Saturday. Because like the flu shot, while it was painful, it was nothing I could not handle. My shoulder and arm was sore and stiff, so I just avoided going full out while training in Muay Thai. My fellow team mate did the same and warned me that when he trained the day after the first shot, he crashed that night. I will say I did feel exhausted and more run down for training. So I would recommend that if you do train after you get the shot, then you should account for the fact that you might be out of commision for the rest of the night.

We will see what the second shot does to me, when I get it. Hopefully I don’t have to many symptoms, or none at all would be great.

Here is my training for the week.

Monday 02/08/2021 : 1 mile run, 15 minute plyometric HIIT, weight lifting leg/glute day, #Shefit30 Booty Band day 6 challenge

Hey it’s Monday and I started off my week great. How are you starting off your week?

——————
Went for 1 mile run , it was 25 degrees F out, and only icy in the shade. But it was nice to get out and feel the pavement underfoot.
——————
15 minute Plyometric HIIT:
35 seconds on 110% then 30 second rest
3 minute warm up

1) squat to high jump, skiers, 4 x 180 turn jumps, skiers, 4 x 180 turn jumps, 4 x jacks, 4 x star jumps, 4 x jacks, 4 x star jumps
2) repeat above
3) repeat above

4 ) run in place, 2 x jacks, side lunge tap the floor, 2 x jacks, side lunge tap the floor, 2 x side lunge tap floor, 2 x standing lunge crunch, 2 x side tap the floor, 2 x standing lunge crunch, 8 x jump lunges
5) repeat above set
6) repeat above set

7) run in place, 2 x jack, 2 x high jump, 7 x wide jack, high knee jack, 4 x jack to high jump
8 )repeat above set
9) repeat above set

2 min cool down
——————
Weight lifting:
1) goblet squats and press – 3 sets of 15
2) Bulgarian split squats- 3 sets of 15 each side
2) standing banded kick back – 3 sets of 15 each side
——————
Shefit30 booty band challenge: 3 x

1) 90- degree glute contractions x15 each leg
2) clam shells x15 per side
3) squat and hold + 3 knee pulses x15
4) standing abductors x 15 each side

Tuesday 02/09/2021 :1 hour of Muay Thai training

(TLDR : I was tired today, but flowed through training like you are supposed to do, and my strikes were effortless and powerful. Muay Thai not-secret secret.)

I was tired today! Let’s start with that. I was so tired I did not even get my challenge workout before my training in.

Does it help to vent? Yup sometimes. But not today.

I got to the gym, was getting ready, stretching and warming up. Going through the motions.

We start the drills and my training partner says, “ohhff your kicks are landing with a gut busting thud!”

I am not putting power into it. I am just trusting my body to do the thing I have taught it. I am to tired to force myself through the drills. I know this is “the way” to Muay Thai, but it’s so easy to forget.

When a drill is introduced and all you want to do is progress you (or at least I sometimes barrel through it, focusing so hard on my technique, I don’t relax enough) force your way through the drill. I don’t realize how hard I am trying to get the punches it kicks in til my coach mentions it and tells me to relax, don’t try so hard.

Not tonight though. I am to tired mentally to over think each technique. I just work the drill and work the flow. According to my partner he says my punches and kicks are really landing with a great thud. I was not trying to.

Training:

1) jump rope
2) jab, jab, right lateral pivot, cross
3) side step pivot, jab, side step pivot, lead shield, shuffle back Lead Teep

4) lead kick, lead kick cut step to lead Teep, jab, jab, lateral pivot, cross, rear kick
5) held pads for H

6) jab, jab, sidestep, cross, hook, rear kick
7) held pads for H

8 ) lead kick, fake lead kick, switch stance, rear hook, cross, hook, cross, switch kick
9) held pads for H

10) jab, rear lateral, lead cross, pivot, cross, lead kick
11) held pads for H

12) bonus footwork- box advance jab, advance Teep, advance shield, step side jab, side step teep, side step shield, back up jab etc till you make a box.

Wednesday 02/10/2021 : 30 minutes rowing, #shefit30 Booty Band challenge Day 8, and Day 9

Today it is cold outside and I really did not want to go out in the cold. So I tried out our new rower. H wanted something he could do at home, that was not running, and I needed an indoor cardio machine. This seemed to fit the bill.

Don’t quite know how this compares yet but today did 480 rows.

I followed a beginners how two video, and a beginners workout. So far I like it, and I can see how learning to row in the correct way will be a great addition to my training and cross training.

Then I did the Shefit30 Booty Band Challenge days 8, and 9. I missed doing yesterday’s challenge so I did both today.

Tuesday/day 8
3x word set

P – 20 Reverse Lunges + bicep curls
O – 30 Sit-Ups + press at top
W – 15 Supermans
E – 15 Push-Ups + glute activation
R – 60 Crunches- 30 frog, 30 pike
F. 1 Minute Wall Sit
U. 60 Bicycle Crunches
L. 15 Mule Kicks

Wednesday/day 9
3x set

1) in and out squat jacks 3x sets of 20
2) monster walks 3x 30 steps
3) bridges with knee abductions 3x 15
3) single leg plus ups 3x 15 each side

Thursday 02/11/2021 :1 hour of Muay Thai training

I got some action shots of practicing Hanuman Climbing The Mountain Teep, or flying Teep. I am still working on my ups.

H thinks it’s about 18 inches, but my best jump yet. I have been working on my footwork and agility for about 6 months. To work on this I have been jumping rope, drills on the agility ladder, fast feet, jumps, star jumps, and burpees. Yay! Best ups yet.

We had a brand new person in class. I stopped what I was doing to help him out with his stance. I told him we are on our feet so our stance is the most important thing to learn first.

Thank you Khun Kru Krysta for a great class.

Training:

1) jump rope
2) jab, jab, right lateral pivot, cross
3) side step pivot, jab, side step pivot, lead shield, shuffle back Lead Teep

4) lead kick, lead kick cut step to lead Teep, jab, jab, lateral pivot, cross, rear kick
5) held pads for H

6) lead kick, fake lead kick to Teep, jab, jab, sidestep, cross, hook, rear kick
7) held pads for H

8 ) lead kick, fake lead kick, switch stance, rear hook, cross, hook, cross, switch kick
9) held pads for H

10) jab, rear lateral step, lead cross, pivot, cross, lead kick
11) held pads for H

This was a fantastic day of training.

Saturday 02/13/2021: Training: 3 hours of training #shefit30 challenge, Jeet Kun Do, and Muay Thai

I got my first COVID-19 shot yesterday. So I slept in till almost 9 am. My arm is super sore, stiff, and feels like I got hit there with a lead pipe. It’s sore to the touch and hurts to move it in certain ways. My coach/instructor told me to take it easy and not over do my training.

So I focused on form and flow. Removing power on the left side entirely.

My team did pad work for the first hour. I did a round as well. I did the Shefit30 challenge day 12.

Day 12 of the Challenge– Let’s get LEGENDARY!

LEGENDARY

L – 15 Mule Kicks
E – 15 Push-Ups
G – 15 Burpees
E – 15 Push-Ups (changed to 30 sit ups with press cause arm hurts)
N – 15 Jump Lunges
D – 60 Second Plank
A – 30 Star Jumps
R – 60 Crunches – 30 frog, 30 pike
Y – 100 Flutter kicks

Then we worked on Jeet Kun Do. I have missed the form and flow of JKD trapping. (Forgive me if the spelling is wrong, I am trying to spell it phonetically.)

1) pock sau, da, pock sau, da (pock sau = slap hand, da = hit)

2) if opponent pocks your hand to 45 degrees, pock sau, da, lop sau, gua choy (slap hand, hit, lop sau = pulling hand, choy = backhand)

3) ping choy, lop sau, gua choy (ping = low punch/block, backhand, pulling hand backhand)

4) ping choy, lop sau, gua choy, pock sau da ( low punch, backhand, pulling hand, backhand, slap hand hit)

Muay Thai – we worked on drills similar to Tuesday and Thursday’s training.

We just added naotec kick to one of the drills.

1) pendulum kick to the leg, fake the pendulum kick, switch stance, overhand, cross, hook, cross, pendulum out and go back to original stance.

Thank you Khun Kru Krysta for the great class.

What do you do to train during this time?

Do you want to get the vaccine, and will you?

What was your experience if you got the vaccine already?

Thank you for reading my blog. To all the new readers please drop me a line and say hi if you want. To all the people still reading my blog hello there. If you liked this please hit the like button so I know. If you want to see more please subscribe, and if you are feeling chatty please feel free to comment.

If you want to see day to day stuff, and sometimes my food, I put that on my instagram account @sharpcupcake . And don’t forget: Don’t photo edit, just go get it.

Martial Arts 01/07/2020: Sandal Rubs the Forehead, Tang Kao, and Siep Kao

I really love Muay Thai. I love learning the rich tapestry of history that is behind this art. I love learning about Thailand, the people, and why this art came about. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I practice. I feel like I am making my body and mind stronger. I feel like I am learning an art and that I can eventually pass it down myself. This week I learned many new terms, words that are the names for some of the strikes we do, and they mean. Like Tang Kao, and Siep Kao, names for some of the knees. I learned names of some of the teeps. Like Sandal Rubbing the Forehead. I love how descriptive the name is in Thai.

Also as a person who has learned multiple languages in my life, Thai is one of the hardest I have ever tried to learn and pronounce. English, Japanese, Spanish, and some German, are the languages I have learned. In various levels of fluency. English and Spanish being the ones I am most fluent in. Japanese I learned from my grandma and mother when I lived and visited Japan. Finally German when I have time to study, so I have a basic kindergarten level knowledge. =) I digress though. Thai is so nuanced and the letter y seems to have a sound like ny. I could be wrong on this, but that is my understanding. I may want to pick up a class on Thai and pronunciation.

Tuesday 01/07/2020 – 3 hours… Muay Thai and JKD

3 hours of Muay Thai and JKD training tonight.

I love it when my instructors say that they can see that changes, the progress in my training.

This time last year I was feeling like I was in a rut. I felt like I had hit a plateau. However this year, I am feeling like I am making progress on the training side of things. My cardio is head and shoulders above that of last year, my endurance is improving even more, my technique is improving to the point my speed. Yessss!

Conditioning warm up:

  1. 4 count rear to lead on bag, then sprawl
  2. bob and weave drill down under a rope hanging across the mat
  3. ladder where we switched our lead foot in and out of the ladder

Training:

  1. Check the kick lead leg, return kick lead leg, teep lead leg
  2. Check the kick rear leg, return kick rear leg, teep rear leg
  3. lead knee (siep kao, pushing knee), to lead kick
  4. rear knee (siep kao, pushing knee), to rear kick

JKD:

  1. sitting hubud (sitting removes the ability to move around with your feet. You have to feel the partners movements and focus on working the technique.)
  2. sitting 1 to 1 flow drill
  3. sitting 5 to 5 flow drill
  4. sitting 2 to 2 flow drill
  5. Then we flowed between them
  6. Then we worked on standing up while doing one of these drills and sitting back down, without stopping the drill.

We were drilling without shin guards. We were going light but still shin bone on shin bone will cause bone bruises. This is normal. You have to push out the fluid in the bruise. I treated it with Thai Oil, and rolling it out with the tiger tail. It hurt, but cumulatively it will start to hurt less the more it happens. So this is toughening up your bone and shins.

I only document this and show it to show what really happens in this martial art. These kinds of bruises happen, you need to know how to treat them. I am going to put a hot compress on it as well as roll it out again.

Wednesday 01/08/2020 – 2 hours… Muay Thai

2 hours of training Kettle Bell and Muay Thai. I let my baby girl take pictures and that is what I got. However, I am a little shook. Is this what I look like? It’s blurry but heck.

4 rounds of:

  1. KB swings 10
  2. 1 arm KB swings 20
  3. Side to side KB swings 10

Anyway I digress… today was Kettle Bells, then all knees all the time. My coach Tony who is Thai and is teaching me all the Thai words for the move we are doing. Siep Kao, yat (pronounced yhut), thee (pronounced tee) and Tang Kao We learned different kinds of tees today.

  1. 5 minute round of doing Siep Kao knees on the bag
  2. 5 minute round of doing Tang Kao knees on the bag
  3. 5 minute round of Siep Kao with partners
  4. 5 minute round of Tang Kao with partners
  5. 5 minute round of Swimming/clench work while getting knees in

Then we finished with core workout! Woot!

Terms for knees in Thai:

Siep Kao (pronounced see ep cow) – is pushing knee, where you knee the person with upper shin bone/knee

Tang Kao – is the spearing knee, where you knee the person with the top of you knee.

Yat (yhut) (pronounced nyet or yhut) – when you push with the knee

Thee (pronounced tdee, you will hear Americans say Dye) – word said when you knee a person

45 seconds each exercise, with 15 rest, 4 rounds

  1. dead bugs
  2. crunches
  3. leg raises
  4. bicycle
  5. mountain climbers
  6. clenching core with feet off ground and hands on head
  7. pike ups

Friday 01/10/2020 – 2 hours… Muay Thai and JKD

2 hours of Muay Thai practice. My coach Tony kicked our butts again. We learned the names for three different teeps. I thought I took a pic. You the kind of thought you took pic, remembering you put camera up and clicked, but for some reason it is not in your pics. I will get the terms tomorrow at training. But it was the rear teep, a rear hop teep, and lead head teep (that is called Sandal rubbing the forehead) will get terms in Thai tomorrow. Thank you so much for the awesome class. 🙏

Something I was thinking about. When I learn a term like ( Sandal rubbing the forehead) it’s easier to remember for me and I get to learn and extrapolate the culture from it.

Warm up:

  1. jump rope till all students got there

2 rounds of:

  1. bent over KB row
  2. push ups, inside and outside
  3. mountain climbers
  4. bicycles
  5. leg lift
  6. alternating lunge jumps
  7. sit sweeps
  8. plank ups
  9. prison squats

Training:

  1. 2 rounds of pad rounds – feeder kicks and you hold for immediate response
  2. Rear leg teep
  3. rear leg hop teep
  4. lead leg head teep
  5. Tiger walk or begging of Wai Kru in Muay Baron style ( meaning 50/50 stance, fist over fist movements, goal is to make it pretty, and to work on balance)
  6. Abbs – 50 crunches, and Tony hit bellies of trainees with pad 10 times in a row.

Terms for teeps in Thai:

Mon Yun Luk (pronounced mon {like Monday}, nyun, lock) – rear leg teep

Ka Don Teep (pronounced ka {like caw caw}, don {like Donatello}, teep) – jump teep, or feign leg shield teep

Bata Loop Pak (pronounced bata {like baton}, loop {like lopping}, pak (like pac in Tu Pac) – means sandal rubs the forehead, or head teep, executed where you blade the body to your opponent and using lead leg teep the head.

Saturday 01/11/2020 – 3 hours… Muay Thai and JKD

3 hours of Muay Thai and JKD training. I did less conditioning and more pad holding which is a skill in itself.

JKD we worked on bridging the gap, feigning, nao tek kicks, ping choi, pak sau, and punches.

Thank you Khun Kru Krysta for great training and a fantastic class.

Saturday was a busy day after training, so I am posting this today. I did less conditioning yesterday, but I did a lot of pad holding. I feel soreness in my ribs today. My hamstrings are tired from the training this week. I clocked 10 hours of training total this week.

Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think. If I got the terms incorrect, let me know and I will fix them. I am still learning. As always keep working to be the best you that you can be.

Martial Arts 01/02/2020: “Deal with your self” Tony, “My safe word is a teep!” Krysta

Today starts a new week of training. When we have several days off, sometimes it feels like I may have lost my conditioning. I know it is a silly worry. But it did crop up today, I was working and had to do some heavy lifting (literally 30 and 50 lb buckets of product). Well I was tired and thought oh crap am I going to make it through my classes tonight?

Thursday 01/02/2020 – 3 hours… Muay Thai and JKD

Muay Thai and JKD- Little less than three hours of training tonight.

I did 4 rounds before class with my coach Tony thank you Sir.
We did 3 x 4 minute rounds and 1 x 3 min round.

Then Muay Thai and JKD with my coach Khun Kru Krysta. Thank you for the great classes. We did boxing in Thai, and trapping in JKD!

Muay Thai:

We worked on the boxing 20. Focusing on the cover of your organs.

JKD:

We worked on Jeet Kune Do (JKD) today. I am going to digress here and talk about what JKD means “The way of the Intercepting Fist”. It was developed by Bruce Lee and was personal to him. There has in his own lifetime been a lot of controversy over the art he developed. Wing Chun was his basis for the martial art, and what he started with first. He added to it with the best of Taekwondo, Boxing, Fencing , and Wrestling. He had many people in his time that were upset that he was melding and mixing martial arts the way he was. They wanted their art to stay pure. However, I really like the way he always wanted to learn from everything and use the best.

“Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless. Add what is essentially your own. “

-Bruce Lee

My instructors, Ajarn Chai, and Dan Innosanto worked with him while he was alive. I have the honor to learn from them, and from my other instructors who have subsequently learned from the legends above.

We worked on the following today:

  1. Ping Choy, Gua Choy, Lop Sau, Gua Choy, Pak Sau Da, Loy Pak Sau

Ping Choy = low strike block or horizontal fist

Guay Choy = back fist

Lop Sau = grabbing/pulling hand

Pak Sau Da = slapping/grabbing hand

Loy Pak Sau = inside (of the arm) slapping hand

So with those definitions, this is the trapping drill we did is as follows:

  1. horizontal fist, back fist, grabbing/pulling hand, back fist, slapping/grabbing hand, inside slapping hand

I also learned the hand positions names:

Biu gee = Shooting fingers, or finger jab, usually to eye or neck

Tan sao = palm up block

Jong sao = Palm inward block, or sideways hand, (between biu and tan sao)

I made some graphics for those who are visual learners below:

Friday 01/03/2020 – 1.5 hours… Muay Thai Conditioning

1.5 hours of Muay Thai conditioning and practice. My coach Tony kicked my butt again. It was amazing. I like when he pushes me! I want to push through. He was working with me. When we had a break Tony asked me if I was feeling heavy and tired, and I said yes. He said, “good, you are pushing through the barrier. I can tell you are working past it.” He meant the tired, the pain and the haze you get when you are pushing hard.

He had us doing one for one drill, kicking on pads right after a conditioning warm up. And then the more one for one hit response rounds. I am getting better about being hit, tougher. Then we did asymmetrical response
rounds. Finally he had us doing core. I am exhausted but a good exhausted.

One of the most awesome things was I got to train with my first instructors side by side. Thanks you Khun Kru Krysta and Kru Kristen for working with me! It’s amazing to work with them and train with them as well. Different than just being taught by them.

After Thai training snack was yogurt, fruit, and almonds. Nom nom nom

Favorite quote of the night, “Deal with yourself”, Tony. This was in reference to how he was taught Muay Thai. Sometimes you just kinda have to suck it up. Its going to hurt, change is hard. When your molding your body to your art, it gets hard. However, you persevere.

Saturday 01/04/2020 – 3 hours… Muay Thai Conditioning, and JKD

Whew! The last training day of this week. We did 3 hours. 2 hours of it were conditioning training.

We did between 12 to 15 rounds, either holding or working the pads. I got my numbers in for my upcoming testing. I was tired from Friday, but it was a good tired. I got a chance to work through it and it was not so bad.

For class this day we worked on JKD (Jeet Kune Do) again. This time adding the Nao Tek or pendulum kick to the routine. We worked on feigning and getting out of the pocket using the nao tek. I really enjoy JKD. I like learning the trapping and response moves. It transitions so nicely into Muay Thai and I learn better how to redirect blows with JKD.

Best quote of the day, “my safe word is a teep”, Khun Kru Krysta. This was absolutely hilarious and I loved it. I wanted to write it down so I would remember forever.

There were two great quotes this week from my coaches/trainers. “Deal with yourself,” Tony. “my safe word is a teep,” Khun Kru Krysta. This was a fantastic week of training. We did 7.5 hours of training this week. Even though it was shortened due to the holidays it was a fantastic start of the new year. I got to work on JKD trapping which I love. I got to work with and alongside two of my coaches/trainers with us all being students. It was a wonderful experience.

Finally as if the week could not get any better. I had the honor of being asked to help demonstrate Muay Boran from my coach Tony. From what I understand we are going to demonstrate this art at the Royal Thai embassy. For this I will be learning Muay Boran. Muay Boran is predecessor to current modern Muay Thai.

What I have learned so far is that this style and art was used by the slaves to get out of slavery, to fight off the Burmese, and was used as the Thai soldiers martial art style. As modern day Muay Thai moved to more of a martial sport in the ring, they had to take some of the Muay Boran out. It changed partially because it was a style used to kill, and not used for scoring points originally. It also changed partially because it was easier to award points to the person who hit more often then the person who was able to deflect and control the fight. This made it more accessible to everyone in watching the fights. (I am still learning, and if I made a mistake let me know I am happy to change it. Everything I wrote is from what I have read, and been told/taught by my instructor Tony.)

Thank you for reading. I hope you all had a fantastic new year, and I hope the rest of the year is amazing for you all as well. Keep working to be the best you, that you can be.

Saturday Striking…Pak Sao Da, Violent Rainbows, and a kick for good measure

I missed Krav today because I got home from work at 1130 pm. I was exhausted and really did not want to wake up. I decided sleep was more important. I only did 1.5 hour Striking workout today. We focused on JKD, or Jeet Kune Do.

Today we worked on dealing with a jab, and returning a strike. For instance we worked on what to do when some one was throwing out noise, or just crappy jabs that were not committed. We need to watch the body movement for when they commit to a jab and put their body into it. One way is the Violent Rainbow. Where when they jab you perry, grab the glove pull them in, and elbow them. I then like to grab a hold of the person and then knee them or kick them for good measure.

We worked on slipping the jab, and then hitting them with a gut shot. Coming up with a uppercut, hook, cross, and then a nao tek. Or what is referred to as a nut shot.

The hardest part is watching the other persons body, and realizing when they are actually going to commit to a shot. You have to do this analysis all while you are parrying incoming hits, and trying to avoid getting hit in the face, or kicked for that matter.

It seems to me that a lot of people do not realize how much brain power goes into these arts/sports. When you see a person get into the ring to fight it just looks like two people going at it. You don’t see what they are actually doing internally. You have to:

  1. protect yourself,
  2. you have to block hits
  3. you have to return hits
  4. you have to look for openings
  5. you have to also look for committed shots so you can use their momentum against them
  6. you have to learn to read people
  7. you have to look for minute shifts in their stance

These are are hours taken to learn, and so many more hours spent training your body to have a reflexive response. This allows for lightening fast reactions.

I am not at that level yet. I have to actively remember to protect myself/block, I have to consciously look for openings, and I am still studying people. I have however, seen times where I block as a reflex before I knew what I was doing. I have also returned shots/kicks, that surprised my training partner, that I did, because I have been training to get those in, when I get the opportunity to. I assume its my training starting to seep through.

One of these days I hope to have some skill. Alas for now I will just keep training. I had a great day, and it was a fun class.

I hope you all have a great rest of your day. As always thanks for reading.

Saturday Muay Thai and Striking… entry, rhythm, and JKD (Jeet Kune Do)

I sit here writing this after a 2.5 hour training session, we also just refueled with some delicious Thai food. Because it is H’s birthday and we are celebrating. In most Asian families, long noodles are the thing to eat to ensure a long life. =)

I trained Muay Thai for one hour before our striking class. We worked on entries to get in and land our punches. We were working our range management. I am very short, 5 foot nothing, and my range is very short. In a fight I am going to get up close and personal. Where a taller 6 foot person is going to be hit me from further away. I have to get in close. There are advantages for the taller person. They can kick and hit from further out, and I have to eat a hit or kick to get into their pocket. However, the advantages for a shorter fighter are to my knowledge I have a shorter range, which is good cause I can then switch up what I am doing faster than they can. I can change my range with moving a little bit. I can cover up my actions by putting interference in their faces and then kick them without them seeing my legs move if I am executing the move correctly.

In Striking class we worked on JKD (Jeet Kune Do). ” Jeet Kune Do, “The way of the intercepting fist” in Cantonese, abbreviated JKD, is a hybrid philosophy of martial arts heavily influenced by the personal philosophy and experiences of martial artist Bruce Lee.” Wikipedia

We worked on both orthodox fighting and south paw fighting. What this means is we had to change our stances. We had to change our lead leg. Orthodox fighters have left leg forward, and south paw fighters have right leg forward. We had to faint, high, and low jabs, then work on entries into and range management to get the crosses, hooks, upper cuts, and then lead pendulum kicks a.k.a. Nao Tek.

From a technique point of view, this is hard to switch up. When I an orthodox fighter has to switch up to south paw, or right lead leg. It takes all your mental acuity to just make sure your throwing a hook with the right hand and not a cross like you would with orthodox stance. We then worked on a pop the leather practice where we try to use the tools we learned in JKD to asymmetrically spar our opponent. It was a fantastic training session, and I had a great time.

I have rambled on enough. I hope you have had a great day. Talk to me if you have questions or thoughts.

Here is a video of me doing some training on the bag. I was working on some left and right kicks. As you can see I am a orthodox fighter and I have left lead leg.

Working on Muay Thai Kicks