This last weeks martial arts week of training post is a little late. I have been a bit tired, and I did not realize how tired. When we were prepping for this test we were doing extra training before and after classes. We have been pushing our bodies to get them to be ready.
My trainer Tony said that a fighter after a hard fight will need to rest for 2 weeks after sometimes. This is our first week after the test that happened Thursday 02/27/2020. Really We only took 3 days off before the Thursday I just could not make myself train.
I ended up doing a Tuesday class, then Thursday my body said no… you need to sleep. I listened and just slept. So our last week of training was light, but still awesome.
I got to teach a class on Saturday. That was fun, and a great learning experience.
Tuesday 03/03/2020: 3 hours of Muay Thai, Kali
3 hours of training Muay Thai and Kali. Thank you Khun Kru Kfor a fantastic classes.
Muay Thai: It was a fun class today. We worked on all the knees. My favorite knee is the knee number 2 side in Striking knee, also known to some as the Michael Jackson knee.
Kali: Wow we went to the next level. Instead of dealing with strike with say a hunting/scissors and just one strike. We deal with the incoming strike with a 7 count that changes levels, and distances due to us using Espada y Daga/sword and knife. Then we did that same thing of the 1 -5 strikes and a knife attack coming at us where we outside deflect and diss arm the assailant.
So much fun tonight.
Friday 03/06/2020: 1 hour of Muay Thai
1 hour of Muay Thai training. I stayed home yesterday cause my body was tired.
We started with 2 rotations of these: 1) 2 to 3 shadow box hits with a jiu jitsu sprawls 2) wide stance burpees 3) traveling lunges 4) hip thrusters on the floor 5) walk out from squat, (squat and walk hands forward into plank) 6) crouched bouncing squats (bounce on the balls of your feet, letting your butt hit your heels) 7) super men 8 )bear crawl 9) in and and out push ups
Muay Thai training: 1) Walking kicks in the pads all the way down the gym and back 2) double leg kicks where you have to travel a little to close the distance between the rapid kicks on pads all the way down the gym and back 3) lead teep to flying elbows all the way down the mat and back ( I was getting air on those)
Then we sparred. I notice for me sparring after the Thai test is so different. It feels more like play to me. Pow pow pow 💥, loose and fun. Not have to get kicks or knees in I can just look for openings or draw openings out of my opponents. So yay!
Video is one of my trainers Tony listen to how hard he hits, also look at how smooth his movements are. Goals to get more like him and Khun Kru K. This is the measuring stick I measure myself by. I put up my videos of myself and I am not near this level yet.
Thank you 🙏 for the awesome class Tony.
Saturday 03/07/2020: 1 hour of Muay Thai
1 hour of Muay Thai. I taught the class today. Thank you JD for the help. My thoughts at the bottom.
Warm up: 1) Jump rope 3 min 2) Shadow box 3 min
Thai: 1) Lead to rear 4 count 2) Rear to lead 4 count 3) Boxing 20
Cool down: abs 1) Frog style hip thrusters 1 min 2) Swiss ball pikes 1 min 3) Swiss ball crunches butt hanging off targeting upper abs 1 min 4) Swiss ball crunches but abs leg on ball upper body hanging off targeting the lower and upper abs 1 min 5) Concentric sideways walking planks down and back
I have noticed that there are different types that come to any classes I teach. In cake and pastry I command the class because I know what I am doing. I have been in the business for so long.
However, in Thai class I changed up what I was doing to make a person happy. I am new to teaching Muay Thai. So I feel like I should honor requests. However some people are kind of bossy. 😆
I am learning as I go. Even if I make lots of mistakes teaching.
Looking back on my week, I see when we tested and how much time we took off or did not take off. That is why I write this down, and document it. Sometimes if I take a look back I realize why my body is doing what it is doing. I can then be more forgiving of to my body if I understand.
If you read this far, thank you for reading. I hope you have a great week ahead, and keep working on being the best person you can be. Tomorrow starts the new week of training. I am going to have to figure out a way to get a run in at least 3 days a week.
This is my last week to train up before the big test. To say I am worried, even scared I will fail is a bit of an understatement. Everyone will be watching, but I am going to keep training, and try to be as ready as I can.
I have a week of training ahead of me, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. After this week it is active rest till Thursday of the next week. My trainer said she wants us to take a break before the test so that we are fresh.
I have been training for months for this test so here is hoping. I know that the test is designed to be hard, and to test you. It is physically challenging, mentally challenging when you get hit, and modulating yourself when the adrenaline dumps is going to be tough so you don’t gas yourself on the first round. I am going to do my absolute best, and put everything else out of my mind.
Tuesday 02/18/2020: 3 hours of Muay Thai and Kali
3 hours of training Muay Thai and Kali. Woot what a fun night. Thank you Khun Kru Krysta for two great classes.
Pad rounds before class
Thai class: 1) Jab, cross, rear kick combo 2) Jab, lead horizontal elbow, rear side in elbow, rear inward knee, teep 3) Catch kick combos, return quad spike, knee to hamstring, cross stomp the knee, side kick the leg. 4) Catch kick combo, with leg pass and 4 count afterwards.
Kali class: We worked on open box, to open box flowing into what ever disarms we could get through the flow. I like the 7 arm bar series personally. And the kumbiata switch to leaver on shoulder and smash trachea/chin.
Then we worked on sword and shield. Took a video of it we have not worked on this in a few months. But it came back to us and it was super fun.
What a great night.
Thursday 02/20/2020: 3 hours of Muay Thai
2 hours of Muay Thai practice. Thank you 🙏 Tony for the great class.
Pad rounds before class
Thai:
We warmed up with- 3x each exercise 1) high knee opposite punches 2) mountain climbers 3) jumping jacks
(This is assuming both people are orthodox fighters, if one of them is south paw then the logic differs, on which catch to do to protect the liver.)
1) jab, cross, rear teep, lead teep
2) catch a incoming rear kick with lead arm and a small step onto your rear foot instead of a slide, pass it and return a rear kick
3) catch lead kick with your rear arm, lateral back with your lead leg, turning your body away from the kick, (this distributes the force along your lower back and hip, saving you liver), pass the kick and return a rear kick from your temporary south paw stance?
4) rear knee, lead knee, rear flying knee
5) lead teep, rear teep, fake with lead teep to execute rear aerial knee called Hanuman Climbing the Mountain.
The break through with the last rear aerial knee for me was, that I realized it is like the crane kick like Mr. Miyagi taught just instead of kick you did a knee. Still need to work on it, and practice, practice, practice. =) So Mr. Miyagi was mostly right.
Cool down and ab work- Shadow boxing
Crunches Flutter Kicks Crunches Scissor kicks Crunches 15 Clockwise and 15 counter clockwise double leg circle
Friday 02/21/2020: 1 hour of Muay Thai
1 hour of Muay Thai training. I am about as tired as this picture looks today. Thank you Tony 🙏 for the class.
Warm up: 45 seconds rapid kicks on the bag 15 sec rest 45 seconds teeps on bag 15 sec rest 45 seconds rapid kicks other leg on bag 15 sec rest 45 seconds teeps on bag 15 sec rest
45 seconds left and right leg kicks in the bag 15 sec rest 45 seconds skip knees 15 sec rest 45 seconds left and right leg kicks in the bag 15 sec rest 45 seconds skip knees
Drills: Step in jab, cross Jab Lead teep Flying switch knee
Jab, cross, hook Catch incomming rear kick, Return a jab Shrug off and let go of leg pushing opponent back into ropes Immediately throw a flying knee into opponent on ropes
Then we did rounds of sparring just boxing first, and then legs and punches
Saturday 02/22/2020: 2 hours of Muay Thai
2 hours of Muay Thai practice. Thank you 🙏 so much Khun Kru Krysta for the test prep and the really fun class.
Test: Technique demo Thai 15 count Boxing 20 count 2 x 3 min test rounds with 30 seconds rest ( goal is 60 kicks 40 knees minimum for each round) (all the while the feeder is kicking and hitting you back)
My numbers for test rounds: first round – 76 kicks 46 knees second round – 77 kicks and 45 knees
Class: We worked on the entire Inosanto 18 count. I don’t have the permission to publish, and I would want to ask first anyway. But it involves knees, elbows, kicks, and punches in a flow.
Whew I am exhausted now!
9 hours of training this week. Next week is our test. It has been highly recommended by our trainer/coach to rest up the next few days. So we will rest Sunday and Monday, we will train lightly Tuesday, and then we will rest Wednesday, just so we can be fresh for Thursday our test.
I feel better after our last training session and our test rounds. Here is hoping I am ready. =)
Thanks for reading. I hope you all have a great weekend. As always please feel free to ask questions, if you like it like, and subscribe if you want to hear more of my rambling, recipes, and product reviews.
New week new training. WOOOOOO… nah… this week did not start like that. I like everyone, I assume, have off weeks…. Er lets say off days. I try not to let it color my entire week. When I feel like I don’t want to be there, for what ever reason, I still get my butt into the gym. Barring a injury that requires rest or some horrible plague that has taken me down. But the general doldrums I don’t let dictate my training.
As strict with my kiddos as I am, I do the same to myself. So I tell myself to get to it, and get to work.
Enough blathering on. On to the training.
Tuesday 02/11/2020: 2.5 hours of Muay Thai and Kali class
We started off with pad rounds. I held for H, and he held for me. I drug my butt up off the mat and made myself focus on my martial art.
In Muay Thai we worked more on the knee counter strikes. We started last week with, the arm posting on the bicep of opponent, then we did the shielding the knee. Today we worked on the ball room dancing dump off of the lead knee from opponent.
Ball room dancing dump:
When opponent knees you with lead knee. Step deep into their box, grab knee with rear hand, grab their lat around back with lead hand. Like you are hugging them with one arm. Then twist them over your leg that is behind their rear leg.
If done right this will dump them on the ground. It is pretty fast when you get the flow in.
We also did a drill that was fun. I was able to get a head kick regularly.
Jab, lead knee, cross, lead head kick.
I was repeatedly getting head kicks in! Head kicks! So that is a thing. I never thought I would be able to do a head kick. Not in a million years. Because you know… I am short. Vertically Challenged as some of my friends say.
Kali we worked on the high box and disarms, to take downs. Also…never snake a blade! It’s a good rule of thumb. (snake is when you disarm a person only using your arm and hand instead of the vin where you use the weapon to help you disarm the opponent)
She mentioned with the high box you strike, move it, strike it, move it. It was a great way to think about it.
Thank you Khun Kru Krysta for the great classes.
Thursday 02/13/2020: 1.5 hours of Muay Thai
I have my gyms level one test coming up. This includes a technique drill, Thai 15 count, Boxing 20, and the 2 x 3 minute rounds of 60 kicks and 40 knees each round. All the while getting kicked and hit by the feeder.
I have trepidation about this test. It is designed to be hard, and to test your abilities and resolve. I have been training for it. However, I don’t want to fail. I really want to pass.
We did pad rounds with Tony before class. With only 15 seconds rest time. He liked my hooks, lead and rear hooks. I felt good, flowing through kicks, knees, elbows and punches.
Muay Thai Training:
plus sign foot work with jab cross
Opponent throws a jab, you parry, cross you parry, a switch knee, you post on their bicep, you throw a cross, you throw a rear kick
Elbow check the body kick 3 times and on the third one you step in and eat the kick but at their knee level, and return a cross to their chest simultaneously. Followed by a lead to rear 4 count.
Clench over under, with a off balance, and knee
Friday 02/14/2020: 2 hours of Muay Thai
2 hours of Muay Thai training today. Thank you Tony Kap Kun Ka for the fantastic class.
Today was all about the mad ups. We started with conditioning with kettle bells, then knees to flying knees, and then finished with abs.
So I have only done flying knees once before. I went from barely getting off the ground today to some mad ups. Pictures and video so I could see.
Kettle bell conditioning:
40 seconds for each exercise with 20 seconds rest between. Do all exercise in three rounds.
Kettle bell swings
Kettle bell goblet squats
Push ups
Right arm tricep rows
Bicycle crunches
Left arm tricep rows
Jump lunges
Double thrust burpees
Thai: Drill #1 1) jab, rear leg kick 2) jab, cross, rear leg kick 3) jab, cross, hook, rear leg kick 4) rear uppercut, lead hook, rear leg kick
I was so tired after our conditioning warm up. My shoulders were burning trying to keep my hands up during this drill.
Drill #2 Two walking knees, then a flying knee, followed by a flying knee burn out for last 30 seconds.
Thank you Khun Kru Krysta For working with me.
Ab workout: 40 seconds each for two rounds Pike ups Reverse crunches Flutter kicks High flutter kicks
Whew!
Saturday 02/15/2020: 2 hours of Muay Thai
2 hours of Muay Thai Training we got to the gym and I sunned myself while I stretched, then Khun Kru Krysta had us practice the skills test, boxing 20, Thai 15, then the two rounds of testing with thirty seconds of squat jumps between.
Then we worked on catching kicks, follow up Striking of catches kicks, and countering opponents catching your kicks.
Key things to remember when catching kicks:
Step offline
Mid calf
Posture
(For me to remember- cinch up on the leg)
Strikes to do when you have caught a kick:
Knee the hamstring
Spike elbow the quad
Cross Stomp the opponents supporting leg/knee
Side kick the opponents leg
Round house to the thigh
Outside cross to step to dump them
Pass/Throw leg, return a 4 count
Spinning back elbow, while holding onto the leg
Counters to do when some one catches your round house:
Walk out – turn your knee down and walk your foot out
Foot Jab – turn our knee and foot jab on hip bone
Weave – weave foot inside and push with knee
Clench/climbing downward flying elbow –
if they catch closer to your knee, clench up, jump up and while pushing all your weight down into their arm, come down with elbow.
Superman punch
Whew I am exhausted!
8 hours of training this week. Whew I feel it. My body is tired, and I am looking forward to the rest days. I had a great week. I started off not so great, but it turned around. I was able to get mad ups and actually do a flying knee. I can do it! Woot!
I honestly saw the set up of the flying knees that my coach wanted us to do, and I did not think I could do it. I kept working at it till I did. Then we went home.
As always thank you for reading. I hope you had a great week. I hope you keep trying, and I hope that you don’t let a bad day color your week. You never know when you are going to learn how to fly through the air like a freaking ninja. If you want to like, comment, and subscribe to hear more about my training and fitness journey.
This is the start of a new week of training, and what a start to it. Khun Kru Krysta came back from Thailand and training there. H gave me a the best Valentines gift I have ever gotten, and even though I started the day not wanting to training. It ended up being one of the best days.
Tuesday 02/04/2020: 2.5 hours of Muay Thai and Kali class
What an amazing start to the week of training. I have to say I came into the gym not really feeling being there. But I like to practice what I preach as it were. So I was there. I was going to put time in on the mat, was going to train even if I was feeling crappy.
However, what a turn around… I got a chance to work with my coach Tony. Then Khun Kru Krysta came back from Thailand and her training in camps there. I was so happy to see her. Then my husband apparently worked with Khun Kru Krysta while she was in Thailand to get me some new gloves, because mine were dying on me. He present it to me as an early Valentines Day present. We don’t normally celebrate Valentines day, but it is the best V day present I have ever gotten. I squee’d so loud the whole gym heard me. Below are pictures of the new gloves, and the gloves I have beaten to death.
Both Tony and H said I put many miles and many hours of training in on those gloves, and it was a great sign of hard work. I like to think it shows hard work, dedication, and love for an art.
We talked about what to do with the retired gloves. I could hang them up/display them. I could donate them to needy kids in Thailand who would be happy to have them. Or I can do like my predecessors did, and when I find a person that I see potential in, or I have made a connection with, I can give it to them. Kind of a passing on of honor and tradition. For now I guess I will retire them and place them in a place of honor.
On to what we did for training. Enough of my prattle for one day. I just had a fantastic day, when I thought it was only going meh.
For the following drills, we worked both orthodox and south paw stance.
foot work drill – plus sign foot work with knee
1 – 4 counter knee drill:
1) counter/stop knee with hand on peck muscle
2) counter knee with cross shield
3) catch the knee, and off balance toward the knee caught for a dump.
4) catch the knee, and off balance over your own leg/knee, while lifting their knee for a dump.
Counter switch kick – teep the incoming switch kick with lead teep to stop, teep with rear teep to push.
Counter punch after you pocket kick an opponent – pocket kick with knee across belly/chest, then you push off with leg to avoid being hit with opponents hands.
Response to leg kick – check leg rear leg kick with lead leg, and return lead leg kick right away
Response to leg kick – check lead leg kick with rear leg, and return a rear leg kick right away
catch torso kick (we worked both orthodox and south paw stances)
catch rear torso kick, throw leg caught, and do a spinning back elbow following the leg
catch rear torso kick, spin and catch thigh with other arm, then return spinning back elbow.
counter kick catch with flying elbow -pocket torso kick, that some one catches, you lean in on climbing up, grab behind their head, and drop an elbow.
Kali –
Single stick, snakes and vines drills. Snakes are unassisted disarms, vines are assisted with weapon disarms.
equise drill, low back hand high back hand
inside deflect, snake and plus sign disarms
outside deflect, to snake, plus sign, and equals sign disarms
Sparred with single stick.
Thursday 02/06/2020: 2.5 hours of Muay Thai and Kali class
2.5 hours of Muay Thai and Kali practice! Woot. I got a chance to work with both Khun Kru Krysta and Tony my trainers before class.
Muay Thai- Then we learned (counters to knees), (catching torso kicks to kneeing opponents caught leg, to pushing it off and kicking their sciatica nerve in the back of the leg), (over under clench grip, off balance, to knee to opponents face), (pocket kick to push off)
Kali – we worked on snakes and vines from inside deflect, and outside deflect, kumbiata switch to chokes, and learned a new attack which was a outside deflect to vine and then a trap smash. Woot!
So after we did rounds before class, and were waiting for class to start. Tony my coach said he could see a difference between when I first started Muay Thai pictures and now. How I have trimmed up and slimmed down. I told him thank you. I am getting better at just accepting the compliment. I did tell him I just don’t see it. But I decided to go back and look at the pictures. So here they are two pics from June of 2018, around when I started and this month. ☺️
Friday 02/07/2020: 3 hours of Muay Thai
3 hours of Muay Thai training with some conditioning at the end. Thank you Tony for a great class.
We hit pads before class started. We did 30 mins of sparring just punching, then 30 minutes of kick boxing sparring, then 30 minutes clench sparring, then we did a conditioning workout.
Five rounds of each exercise as fast as we can: (Note: 35 lbs is the heaviest KB I have done so it’s a PR for me! Woot!)
1) Kettle Bell clean walks (L and R side) (16 kilo = 35.27 lbs) 2) 10 x burpees 3) 15 x Kettle Bell squats 15 lb 4) 18 x Kettle Bell swings (16 kilos =35.27 lbs)
We put the time in on the mat and it will show. Sparring: constant light play lets you feel out the range and what you can get in there.
Saturday 02/08/2020: 3 hours of Muay Thai
3 hours of training and getting ready for my test at the end of the month. Thank you so much Khun Kru Krysta Scharlach for working with me and H.
We worked on technique demo, then boxing 20 and Thai 15 drills, then she held for test prep rounds 2 x 3 minute rounds with 30 seconds rest between. We worked on Ajarn Chai’s Family Wai Kru as well.
Then we worked I Muay Thai drills, catch the jab, long guard the knee, perry the cross, high elbow cover an incoming head kick.
Then we worked I Muay Thai drills, catch the jab, long guard the knee, perry the cross, lean back/ride back to avoid the head kick, return a cross hook cross.
Then we worked I Muay Thai drills, catch the jab, long guard the knee, perry the cross, to avoid head kick – kick the opponents rear leg
Pop the leather three for three punches.
Lead and rear leg 4 counts.
Whew I am tired!
Well I got super busy during the weekend and forgot to post my blog entry last weekend. I did not even remember to finish it and post it till I was training today, halfway through class, and thought. Wow I forgot to post. c’est la vie… it is what it is, and I am posting now. I felt bad, but what can I do.
It was a great week of training. Even though I could not go to Wednesday training cause I had to teach a class of my own, in cake decorating. I still clocked in 11 hours of training. Wow!
I got brand new gloves brought to me from Thailand by my trainer Khun Kru Krysta. H and She got together and secretly got the gloves for me. I had a great week of training, and I got to train for my up and coming test.
I am posting this today, it is Tuesday, and the start of a new week in training. After this I will jot down my thoughts and then shower this sweat off. Pass out if I am lucky and start the day over again.
Thanks for reading. Have a great day. As always, if you want to like, comment and or follow that would be awesome.
Steps – 31,935 Calories – 5,337 Active minutes – 394
I finally made it to day 4. I was only able to due this with friends and family supporting me. Every night after a day at camp. We would shower, talk, and I would pass out. Then get up and do it again. I was worried I would not make it this far. I was told there were some people who could not do 4 days. This was an amazing adventure, and I am so much the better for it.
This day my body was tired but kinda resigned to the process. It seemed my body just said ahh well I guess we are doing this again.
Looking back on this day, it was amazing. I got to work some of the most inspiring people in the martial arts.
And while I am finishing this post 5 months later. I wanted to finish this post before the new year. Man did I cut that close.
Total for this whole 4 day period of time we did: 250 rounds, 7500 knees
That is mind boggling. 250 rounds, and 7500 knees!
Having a post take this long is good on some level. I can focus on the highlights of the last day, of the entire camp itself. I don’t have this swirling whirlwind of emotions, thoughts, ideas, and everything just trying to shoulder each other out of the way to get down on the page. I have a bit of clarity. =)
High Lights:
I got to work with masters of the martial art I love Muay Thai. Who are also masters of other martial arts as well.
Ajarn Chai ( Surachai Sirisute )
Ajarn Parker
Ajarn Greg Nelson
Trigg
Kru Aron (Juice)
Khun Kru Carro
Khun Kru Elise
Khun Kru Krysta (my trainer/coach)
Nichole G.
Kru John H.
Khun Kru Sonya Y.
Raja
Many more I cannot remember, and all part of my tribe now, my extended family. If I did not get an Title (Ajarn, Kru, Khun Kru) correct please let me know I will make the change.
1 week of Muay Thai training. It is amazing what you learn just dedicating your time all of your time to one thing. Normally we split it between our obligations, our jobs, our bills, and add training in too. You soak up the training like a sponge.
This kind of good stress, good challenge, good push beyond your abilities, will show you what you are made of. It sounds cliche but it really will. It will ask you to go further than you have before, and you will decide in that instance to give up or continue. To pull from reserves of power, and will that you never though you would before.
You get to see so many people who have the same love you do for the art. You get energized by their love, you get to make connections, and friends with people who dedicate themselves to what they love. That alone is in infectious.
For me it was ground breaking. I got to see masters in their art. I got to get past a plateau I felt I was on. I pushed forward. I have made leaps and bounds in my art.
Last but not least a dropping trousers story of my first Muay Thai camp. One of my now friends, a beautiful lady I met at the camp, whom I love and she is so supportive. Was asked to come up and test for her Khun Kru test, this is the test to go from Kru, to Khun Kru. In it you have to do the Wai Kru. You also have to have Thai shorts on. She did not, and she ran over and asked me to use my shorts. I was wearing workout tights under them. Without hesitation I dropped my shorts and handed them to her. She thanked me up and down. She was so grateful that I was able to help her in the last minute. I would do it again and again. I have grown to love this community, and this is what this community does for each other. We will help out when and where we can. We will do what we can for each other.
Training:
Kick shield – knee – lean to avoid uppercut – knee – teep OR elbow 8 – 6
Kick shield – knee – elbow 4
Trigg 10
If they go to your left, punch straight left
If they go to your right, punch straight right
If they cut in, left hook
Dip and wipe
Shovel hook cross hook (jab)
Shovel hook hook cross
“In a stressful situation, you don’t rise to the highest level of your training, you fall to the lowest level of your mastery.”
John Holt
So yeah… This is 5 months later. I had such an amazing adventure. This is the end of the year, and I look back on this amazing adventure. That I was asked to go to this camp is an amazing honor. I was able to attend Thai Camp in Oregon. This opportunity to learn from some of the best instructors/trainers/coaches ever.
I took time away from my family. I took time for myself. I learned so much about my art, I learned even more about myself.
I plan on going again this next year. I need to learn as much as I can, and I look forward to seeing friends, and team mates again.
Thank you for reading. I am sorry it took so long to get done. I have just had a lot of life happen between then and now like we all do. I did want to get it done before the new year. So yay I did it! Just one day away. I hope you all have a had a fantastic year. I hope the new year is what you all are looking forward to. Keep working hard, keep trying to be the best you can be. As always please feel free to ask questions.
This week starts with a really cool experience. I got to work with a girl whose first time in Muay Thai class was this day. I hope she comes back. She is shorter than I am which is amazing, because I am 5 foot nothing, and easily the shortest in the class. She had the same look on her face as I am sure I had on mine when I first started. The look of amazement, fear, and determination. I really hope she comes back.
I have mentioned it before, but working with brand new people, or just people that are not as far along as you can really highlight just how much you know compared to the average bear… Sorry that is an American colloquialism. The phrase is, “smarter than the average bear” A cartoon character called Yogi Bear claimed he was, smarter than your average bear. He would say this when he did something smart. I digress because I know I have some international readers, and some of my turns of phrase may not be universally understood. =)
Back to the topic at hand… yes working with new people is not only good for the community/Muay Thai family, but it is great to help you see maybe just how far you have come. Little did I know that Thursday was going to hold a surprise for me.
Tuesday 11/05/2019 – 2.5 hours… Muay Thai, and Kali
H and I worked on sword and shield all by ourselves for 30 minutes. We wanted to work it more cause we just learned it. And practice makes us a little better than we were before. =)
I am tired so I just wrote down what we did. Here it is.
Muay Thai-
Elbows 1 -3
lead horizontal, rear downward diagonal, rear knee, lead teep
lead upward diagonal, rear downward diagonal, rear knee, rear kick
lead horizontal, rear horizontal, spinning left elbow, knee, kick, teep
plus sign foot work, horizontal elbow, horizontal elbow, your opponent keeps up pillar block
Kali –
Sword and shield, high box Strikes 15, 1, 2
Sword and shield, full box Strikes 15, 1, 4, 3, 2
Thursday 11/07/2019 – 2 hours… Muay Thai, and Kali – Surprise Test
Today started out like most other Thursdays. I am extremely exhausted cause I had to get up at the crack of dawn, hell before the crack of dawn to get H to the metro and my butt into the bakery to work. I was up at 4:20 am and have been up ever since.
Needless to say by the time Muay Thai and Kali class rolled around at 7 pm. I am tired. I could take a nap that would turn in to a sleep all night. That is about 14 hours non stop.
I come to find out that we are doing a surprise testing in Muay Thai. What? I would normally know its coming and make sure I know my stuff. I would also be slightly worried I would not be ready, so I would go over terms, and moves, and anything I could. Because that is how a Tanya like me do.
Nope I did not have that time to prepare/worry. It was a testing day today and I had to not think but do.
So we tested:
technique demo – where we all line up in lines and show our instructors what a #1 elbow is (by the way that is a horizontal elbow), what a number two skip knee is (that is a one foot on the ground only skip knee), etc.
Boxing 20
4 counts, and advanced 4 counts
Muay Thai 15 count
I did it all. I passed my test. I was promoted three ranks, because we had our last test months ago.
I went from blue to purple white! That is being promoted past two whole ranks!!! It’s been a while since we had a test. Squee!!! I can’t believe it yet. When I started Muay Thai the level 1 test was so far away. I just wanted to try to remember how to kick right. Now the level 1 test is right around the corner.
Thank you Khun Kru Krysta for the test and class. Respects 🙏
I added our rank progression so you can see where blue is and where purple white is. Red we call Rank 1 but on the chart it is Rank 2. I believe after Rank one you can fight in the ring.
Kali – we did sword and shield again.
With sword and shield it is learning how to use the shield to deflect the blows, using the stick/sword to return blows, and the shield is completely different than a stick or other weapon. I have to move my body in a way that will make it possible for me to move the shield up in time. This movement is different than the other weapons we use.
In all it is super awesome to practice sword and shield. I have only done it 3 times so far and it is one of my favorite Kali forms. Also Kabri Kabrong the precursor to Muay Thai used sword and shield.
Friday 11/08/2019 – 1.5 hours… Muay Thai
Tony is a fantastic teacher, and he knows that some of us are going to go to a Ajarn Chai seminar tomorrow. That is a 5 hours of training. So he wanted to do a lighter training day. Well let me tell you it was not as light as he might think. But it was fantastic. He had us work on hit then respond right away.
3 x 2 minute rounds of Jump rope
1 x 3 minute round knees on bag
1 x 3 minute round of lead kick on bag
1 x 3 minute round of rear kick on bag
3 x 3 minute round shadowboxing with jumping jacks in the middle
4 x 3 minute rounds Hit for hit drill … (you hit one, opponent hits one/you hit 2 opponent hits 2/ you hit 3 opponent hits 3/ up to 5) The object was to respond right away, hit back after being hit. Because in Muay Thai the person that get the last hit in get the point.
2 x 3 minute round Thai slide in side teep, with a hop knee
5 minute round where ever 30 seconds we switched form rapid jab cross, to skip knees
It was fantastic. I am tired though now.
Saturday 11/09/2019 – 5 hours… Muay Thai Seminar
OSMA Muay Thai group with Ajarn Chai
Kevin and I photo credit Kevin
First time in a ring.
photo credit Khun Kru Krysta
Today was an exciting day. I got the wonderful opportunity to go to a Muay Thai seminar with the legend Ajarn Chai himself. I am home now. Husband has fed me and I am exhausted. I am over the moon I got to see him again. He remembered me from Thai Camp and gave me hugs. I am shocked and honored that he remembered me. Not because he could not remember me, but because I don’t think I am all that memorable, or there is anything to remember about me. =)
We worked on the basics. Khun Kru Caro said, “if you don’t have a solid base/stance you don’t have anything, and you will lose your balance.”
We went through the elbows 1 -8. We worked on left and right kicks. It was fantastic.
Combo #1:
right cross
left hook
right overhand
Combo #2:
Opponent does a Thai lean, you scoop the lean out
#3 elbow/Downward Diagonal
Opponent throws a overhand punch
You block the bicep and tie up with other hand
You cock the shoulder and deliver a #6 elbow/ side in
Tie up, #3 knee/side in knee
Then skip knee #2
We worked on a counter to an elbow. A way to stop an elbow coming in hard, and basically shut that elbow down.
Combo #3:
Opponent throws a cross you scoop it inside out
You throw elbow #4
Tie up
Run skip knee #2
Thai lean to teep
Today was an awesome day! I am so lucky to have been able to make it to this seminar. I got to see familiar faces, people I love and love to train with. People from the Thai Camp I got to see again.
I got to see Ajarn Chai’s famous paper trick. His whole point for this paper trick, is relax and you will hit better, and don’t think about getting hit or stabbed because that will make you tighten up. If you are relaxed you are faster. Your muscles are not taut and your reflexes are far faster than you think they are. If you employ this thinking in your fighting you will loosen up, and you will hit faster.
I was able to get it on video. Part 1 and Part 2. Ajarn Chai wanted my phone to be in the middle so that you could see what he was doing for part 2. This was a great video, and an honor to see this demonstration. I have heard about it from my instructors, but never gotten a chance to see it.
Part 1:
This is the first part of the Paper demonstration with Ajarn Chai.
Part 2:
This is Ajarn Chai doing the paper demonstration, with 6 guys with training knives. His object is to take the paper before they can touch his hand with a knife. These are training knives. Do not try this at home with real knives.
I may have missed a combo in there. If I did and I get it from my friends. I will edit and post it to this blog post.
It was a fantastic day. I am happily coming down off the excitement. I am tired, and going to go pass out soon. I learned so much. I worked on my form, an when form is great, your power an speed will come as Ajarn Chai says. I was complimented on my form and I was honored.
Thank you for reading my blog. I had an amazing week for martial arts training. I completed 10 hours of training. Getting to see the great legend Ajarn Chai, and having the honor to train with him. I had a surprise test and was awarded the purple white Pra Jiad/armband.
I am amazed you all read my blog. Let me know if you have any questions. As always keep working to be the best you that you can be. My respects to you and yours.
What a quote to start the week on. “Don’t focus on kicking hard, you will just waste your energy.” Tony… This is such a Muay Thai mentality. In Muay Thai you are told that power comes later. It comes when you are throwing your strikes correctly. It comes when you are moving correctly. It especially comes when you are tired. Why does this happen? Its because your body is tired, so when you throw your kicks for instance, you will throw it in such a way that you don’t have the power to put it in hard. Hrm… Here let me see if I can explain it better.
What does not focusing on kicking hard do? Why does this matter? This seems so counter intuitive. I want to kick hard, shouldn’t I just kick hard? The reason is, this form of martial art is all about the mechanics of the body and how it moves. Instead of just using the strength in your muscles you use physics, and body mechanics. Anyone can put power in to a kick by trying to kick hard with your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. But how much harder can you kick when you use your leg like a bat on the end of a chain? You whip the leg with your torso like you would whip a flail with your arm. This lets not only the momentum that you can create with your muscles, but the huge amounts of force created since a small acceleration that happens at the center helps create a large velocity at the end of your leg.
The more tired you get, the harder you kick. Why? Because you are not forcing the kick. Your body is moving like you taught it, and your leg is going along for the ride.
Tuesday 10/29/2019 – 2 hours… Muay Thai, and Kali
There are some days after class that I sit here in front of the computer and have a hard time of thinking of much to say. Most of the time it is cause I am so exhausted I just don’t have the faculties to put to words what I am feeling. Sometimes I am so tired, I just don’t have much to say other than I just want to shower, and sleep. Tonight is the latter kind of night. So here is an overview of what we did.
In Muay Thai we were working on isolating jabs and kicks. We worked on traveling, distance management, and Thank you Tony for a great class.
In Kali we worked on panastas (cut and cover), funnel tapping and sticky hands, and Paula soot. Then we did a circle drill. It is hard to fend off a gang of five people. Thank you Paul for a great class!
Well I have been trying to listen to my body. I have been fighting congestion a small cold that my husband brought home so I stayed home last night and rested. Today I went in and only did Muay Thai for training. Returning home early so I can rest.
2 years ago I would never have thought to go and train, or work out at the gym on Halloween. I am so happy I did. I love Muay Thai. I love the people. I love my Thai family. I am so happy I went.
My husband and I went int costume and Khun Kru Krysta went in costume as well. I trained the entire time in costume and it was awesome. I should wear wings when training all the time. =)
Here are some pictures I was able to get. I was a Muay Thaicorn!
Enough of that frivolity. =) On to the training. Today we worked on the Inosanto 18 count.
Khun Kru Krysta broke it down into three digestible parts. Where we worked them working on our form.
Striking drill part 1
burn out, lead knee, lead kick done all the way down the mat and back as fast as you can.
Drill part 2
Burn out, rear knee, rear kick done all the way down the mat and back again as fast as you can.
Drill part 3
Burn out, jab, cross, lead elbow, rear elbow done all the way down to the end of the mat and back as fast as you can.
Put part 1, part 2, and part 3 together and do the whole 18 count.
I don’t have permission to publish the entire 18 count here. I would never want to disrespect my teachers and the great Innosanto, whom I have had the pleasure to meet. So until I do. I will only mention part of one of the drills we did.
There was a small part where it seems my Khun Kru was watching and she said I had perfect form. She mentioned that it was really just great, and that it was not because of the wings. I was over the moon about it. The part I am talking about is a cross, a rear elbow, a knee, and a kick.
You know what was even better. I took the compliment as it was intended. I did not second guess her, or doubt my abilities. Yay… that is progress for me.
I had a great time today. I am glad we went home after though. I needed to just rest.
Friday 11/1/2019 – 1 hour… Muay Thai – Everyone starts out with the same tools
Today we worked on something called Hanuman climbing up the temple a.k.a. flying knees. We also worked on hop double kicks.
I have some… a form of a mental block. I often think I can’t jump or do some of these more acrobatic moves. I am working on it. I see it and think wow how in the heckity heck am I going to do that. Mental blocks are the worst some times. However, I still keep trying. Today was a day filled with those things that my brain says ohh heck no we are not able to do that. So it is a great learning time for me. Pushing me beyond what I think my limits are.
Tony mentioned that all people start with the same tools. What he meant by this is that, everyone has a teep, is taught kicks, knees, elbows, and punches. But not everyone processes it the same way. They may morph it to what works for them. The basic is still there, but they may get to it in a different way. He does not want me to get down on myself about not being able to do a move just yet. He says, “you will get there.”
Training:
Warm up
Skip knees on bag 30 seconds as fast as you can
Jab, cross on bag 30 seconds as fast as you can
Skip knees on bag 30 seconds as fast as you can
Jab, cross on bag 30 seconds as fast as you can
Skip knees on bag 30 seconds as fast as you can
Jab, cross on bag 30 seconds as fast as you can
Skip knees on bag 30 seconds as fast as you can
Jab, cross on bag 30 seconds as fast as you can
Jump rope for what felt like 10 minutes but was probably more like 5 minutes.
Rear knee, to lead teep, to walking lead knee
10 kicks right side burn out
Parry the cross, to jumping knee
10 kicks left side burn out
Lead teep, to rear flying knee (Hanuman climbing the temple), to hop double kick
10 kicks left side, 10 kicks right side.
sparring
In training when he demonstrated the hop kick he said something that just clicked for me. Now this is not the first time we have been taught the hop kick, however, this is the first time that a light bulb went off and I understood the mechanics of it. He mention that at the beginning of the hop kick, to just pull the leg up like you are shielding, then put it down, and do the kicks. This may seem silly, like well of course… but for some reason my brain and my body did not understand each other. Today when he explained it like that, it felt like a puzzle piece just slipping into place.
At the end of the class not only was I doing the hop kicks, but I was also doing the Hanuman climbing the temple. I was doing it! Yay!
In sparring I had one of my class mates compliment me on my kicks. I am placing them well, and I am actually getting them in. We talked afterward and he mentioned that he did not know if I was just more relaxed in sparring or what but it was showing.
So yay today was a good day. I seem to have something to say today. One more day of training tomorrow and then I get a much needed. break.
Saturday 11/2/2019 – 2.5 hours… Muay Thai, Kali, and Silat -Asymmetrical Sparring, and Lead With the Heel
Woot today was a great day to train. H and I started on working the flying knees I am trying to get down. So we did that, and moved on to parry the cross to a jumping knee. We did this so I could get the leaping, pushing, movement down. Similar to the flying knee. The pictures above are of that training. I wanted to take pictures to see if my feet were leaving the ground and how far.
We worked on Kali, and Silat the rest of the time. Its getting cold upper 30 F, or lower 40 F. So we worked on Kali inside instead of staff class.
Kali –
Today we in Kali we work an asymmetrical heaven and full box with sword and shield. That was awesome. The main thing we had to work on was figuring out how to hold the shield to keep from getting hit. You might think ah whats the difference. However, there is a big difference in the way you angle your shield so that you can stop the incoming blow.
Today that is what we were working on and puzzling out.
Here is a video of us puzzling it out. We are not good at it yet, but we will keep working on it. It was fun trying to puzzle out the correct angles so that we don’t get hurt or hit.
Silat – Lead with your heels
We focused on the Puta Kepala, Biset Dolem, Sieko Kinjet (elbow compress), and then we learned a new very vicious or brutal way to end a fight. Put your heel on their chin, and walk through to break their arm.
Puta Kepala – you are redirecting your opponents head, you are facing them and using their moment put them on the ground.
Biset Dolem – you are facing away from your opponent, you control the body of your opponent taking moving their balance, weight and structure out from under them to put them on the ground.
Sieko Kinjet (elbow compress) – you are facing away from your opponent, and connecting hip to hip, you off balance them, and drive/compress your elbow in to their hip. This pushes them down onto the ground.
Once they are on the ground there are many things you can do to a person. You can knee on belly and arm bar them, or knee on belly and punch them. You can knee on belly and then drop knees into belly or face. When you drop the knee on belly, we started calling it knee on soul. You can return their knife to them or in them if they are attacking you with a knife. But the last one most vicious move we did was a… walk through to break the arm. You have their attacking hand or hand with weapon, you stomp their chin with your heel, keeping their shoulder up, then you hook your rear foot on their arm and walk through. This is not a compliance this is a break. This is a person is attacking you, and does not stop, you successfully got them on the ground and you still fear for your life, so you break their arm in hopes that they will stop trying to stab you. Here is a picture of me learning to do this in a very slow careful way.
It was a great day of training. I learned a lot. I worked on things I know. I was able to puzzle out things. Some days it is great to do that. Some days it is great to just move through the motions/strikes you know, and change it up. See how it feels to do it a different way.
Thank you for reading my blog. I am so amazed that you all read it. I started this blog to catalog my thoughts, and things I learned. This is a place I can look back and see how far I have come. I can see how much I have to work on still. I hope you all have a great weekend, and had a great week. I know I did. My respects to you and your family.
