Tag: Muay Thai

Thursday Muay Thai and Kali… Put the fear of God, hour glass, and a Kali 10 count

2 hours of Muay Thai and Kali training. Sometimes you gotta know when to throw in the towel. Wednesday night was one hell of a ride. We were awaken to the shrill sounds of our fire alarm. Why you ask? It was not because of a fire, thank you God. However, it was because of a flood. Yup a flood. The pipe behind our toilet broke and was fountain-ing water all over our third floor. We live in a 3 story town home and we had a water fall that was going all the way down to the garage. I went to bed at around 11 pm Wednesday night and we were awaken about 11:30 pm. So it must have burst right as I was nodding off.

Did you know that fire alarms go off when it is super humid or water passes through them? Nope, neither did we, however, we know now that they go off. I am glad they did, or we would have had even more damage to deal with. We had maintenance come in, fix the toilet, and put fans under the carpet last night. They did not leave till 3:30 am Thursday morning.

Needless to say I was in a mood today/Thursday, just kind of agitated… annoyed… tired… and fed up. I went to my training, and I had a great time. My mood improved and I learned some new things. I will detail them below.

However, we got home and found that in the kids closet there was carpet that had gotten soaked. So I just got done cleaning out their closet. And let me tell you, they are little pack rats. Saved some things I did not even realize. Like little info card from their toys, marker caps, paper clips and many other things. This post was supposed to be posted yesterday, but will not be finished, and will have to wait till Friday! I have to know when enough is enough and just get to sleep. Throw in the towel as it were. We have gone through every towel in our house, and I have washed them all now.

Anyway enough with the winging (as my friends from across the pond say). On to our training…

Muay Thai – Put the fear of God in them

I started off feeling crappy and agitated today. I was hoping that Muay Thai and Kali would help that, and it did. Working with my friends and team mates to better our skills, got my head out of my immediate issues, and had me focusing on the now. Making my body move the way it knows how to. Focusing on the minute changes to make my strikes better was a great way to redirect my thinking.

Thursday we worked on entries on blocking/receiving a left kick, to the Thai 4 count. Tuesday it was the opposite, where we were entering in on blocking/receiving a right kick, to Thai 4 count.

Kru Kristen complimented me on my kicks. She said, “I am kicking harder and my form is good.” I just need to kick through the person. Transfer my power.

We need to work on intent. This is a martial arts that is 1000 years old. It is not meant to be nice. You need to kick with intent. Like when you kick the person you put the fear of God into them. It hurts so bad that they think twice about coming back at you. This is what I need to work on. As girls we are told not to hit, not to be physical so breaking that training is hard. But I have been kicking hard and getting my licks in. With padding and if you do it right. You can kick hard and not hurt your partner. This is what I am working on.

Kali – Hour Glass, Kali 10 count

We worked on some drills to help our foot work. Because you can’t always tell from my videos but we are supposed to be moving our feet to a certain pattern, or in a certain way as to keep from getting our knees hit, or to keep our tools (see hands and weapons in front of us and pointed toward opponent). Hour glass movement melted my brain a little. Not because it was hard to move my feet in that way, but because it was hard to move my feet in that way, and keep my hands going. Keep doing the Kali stick drills.

I made a diagram of our foot movement below:

I have mentioned before Kali will melt your brain. But it is a good thing. It is making your brain work and create new pathways, because it asks you to do multiple things at once.

Think rubbing your tummy and patting your head. It is often times hard to do for most people, but if you practice it is easier. Then if the instructors asked you to rub your tummy and pat your head with the opposite hands would it be more difficult? For me I am a right handed person and asking me to do things with my left hand is hard, its gotten better since starting Kali, but man does it mess with your brain.

This is much the same thing. I have to make moving/movement of my feet a muscle memory so I am not trying to focus on moving it while trying to focus on moving my stick, and not beaning myself in the head. =) Its a struggle. You will leave Kali some days feeling like you just did a mental equivalent of a marathon. Just because you are trying to control, the feet, the stick, and avoid hitting yourself or your partner in a way as to be injurious.

A Kali 10 count. One of many. We learned a new to me Kali 10 count. Apparently this is one of many. However, it was fun and I had a blast doing it. We only practiced on the right hand side so I did not feel like my brain was tied in knots. I am happy that I picked it up so fast. But if you break it down it is just a series of the same kind of moves I have been taught before.

Kali 10 count 1: For area to strike see doll below

  1. High fore hand hit – strike area 13
  2. Low back hand hit – strike area 10
  3. High back hand hit – strike area 14
  4. Low fore hand hit – strike area 9
  5. High equise – strikes 1 and 2
  6. Low equise – strikes 12, and 11
  7. Scoop the Punyo coming to your face

Below is a video of use working on it. Toward the end of the video we got faster, and I feel like I have a good grasp on the drill. =)

Thanks for reading. Its a day late, but I needed the sleep. I currently have a a person working on our carpet right now. We found out we need to have a new ceiling put in, and we have the appointment for that to happen. I hope you all have a good day, and a great weekend. Keep striving to be the best you that you can be.

Tuesday Muay Thai and Kali…Shield and Kick, Kiwian, Stick as Stick vs Stick as Sword

2 hours of Muay Thai and Kali training. I am bushed. Also D.O.M.s set in from yesterdays workout. So when we warmed up for Muay Thai with jumping rope, 25 push ups, jumping rope and 25 squats I was feeling it. Today was a good day, we worked on shielding a kick to a 4 count, and we learned a new Kali move called Kawian.

Muay Thai – Shield in Kick

So some things that have been said and taught recently that sometimes I forget to put in my blog posts. Why you ask? Because when I am tired after a 2 hour training session I forget things. So before I forget.

Muay Thai, or more importantly is parent Muay Boran (a.k.a. ancient boxing) is over 1000 years old. This ancient art has so much to learn from and I am so happy to have a chance to learn.

When you are kicking with Muay Thai, it may sound good, but may not be great. You don’t have to have a fantastic sounding kick for it to be a good kick. You are supposed to be kicking through your opponent. The kick you should feel in your bones when you are feeding pads, and the kicker should be trying to kick through the person to the next person behind them.

You always want to enter on pain. When you land a solid kick, and startle your opponent. Then enter in, complete a Thai 4 count, keep attacking till they stop. If you don’t land the kick, or the blow that startles or shocks your opponent, get out of the pocket and wait till you do.

Most people will not expect you to shield a kick, then return a kick with same side you shielded. This is why we practiced it. You can see the drill on bullet number 3 below.

Anyway enough talking… here is what we were working on.

Training:

  1. Warm up, Jump rope, 25 push ups, Jump rope, 25 air squats.
  2. Shield right incoming kick with rear leg, then return a Thai 4 count right to left.
    • Thai 4 count right to left – right kick, hook, cross, left kick
  3. Pyramid kicks 1 to 5 then back down again to 1 right side
  4. Shield right incoming kick with front leg, then return a Thai 4 count with left to right.
    • Thai 4 count left to right – left kick, cross, hook, right kick
  5. Pyramid kicks 1 to 5 then back down again to 1 left side
  6. Catch kick, bleed off power, control opponents shoulder, either dump them or switch arms to deliver a spinning back elbow.

I made a video of me practicing the left shield, to left stutter step or a real short range hop kick. I am also practicing bleeding off the torso kick, and then executing the spinning back elbow.

https://youtu.be/En3kZWDuuKs

Kali – Kiwian and Stick as Stick, vs Stick as Sword

Kali was cool and interesting. We learned a new move, and we discussed using a stick as a stick or blunt instrument, or using a stick as a sword or a sharp instrument. When using a stick as a blunt instrument you are trying to bash things, as opposed to trying to cut and cut major arteries.

So today we focused on blunt instruments. Wanting to use the stick to bash your opponent. There is a difference in intent, and how the stick is used.

Kru Kristen says, we need to know how to move and avoid getting hit by, slide stepping out, not just off the line, but back away from opponent, and then slide stepping in to return attack. This was a main theme for today and our training.

Training:

  1. High figure 8, low back hand, high back hand
  2. Low figure 8, low back hand, high backhand
  3. Advanced student drills: (we were to switch from all of these drills seamlessly)
    • Equise, low back hand high back hand
    • High Figure 8, low back hand, high back hand
    • Low figure 8, low back hand, high back hand
  4. Kiwian – is a drill where you do a vertical redondo, to downward diagonal backhand, to upward diagonal back hand, to redondo again. This move was meant to smash the head and keep doing damage
  5. Drills to push away/slide step away from incoming strike, and slide step in to return strikes.

I made a video below of me working on the Kiwian drill. I can never seem to make

https://youtu.be/h-ns04N2ocE

I got this new rash guard, and I love it. I love octopodes and this was a must have. Its so pretty. I bought it with my own money, the company is called Break Point. I just wore it this once and the quality on it is great. I have gotten compliments so far, and I like it. https://www.breakpointfc.com/ I am not affiliated with them, they don’t even know me or that I am talking about them.

These arts are not with out their peril. I caught a stick to the face tonight. It was my own stick, which makes one feel like… well stupid, however, it was a rebound from a strike, my wrist was not tight enough and it rebounded right into my face. I have a small lump under my eyebrow. I may or may not bruise. It is sore to the touch, but over all seems ok. We shall see. I will keep an eye on it. =)

Well thanks for reading. Let me know if you have questions or comments. What do you like to read about? I know some of you are here for the recipes. I do have one coming. Keep being awesome and be the best you you can be.

Saturday Krav Maga, Bo Staff, and Muay Thai…Single Wing Choke, 1 for 1, Difference between Technique and Tactics

3.5 hours of Krav Maga, Bo Staff, and Muay Thai Striking class. I am bushed. It is a lovely day outside, a great day for training, and I learned a lot. I can’t ask for much more on a training day.

Krav Maga – Single Wing Choke

I am going to call this a single wing choke. We did many things in Krav, but the new thing, the thing I have never done before and so I focused most of my thought processes to it was what I call the Single Wing Choke. It is probably not called that. But it reminds me of the Muay Thai Single Wing Clench.

We worked on slipping jabs and crosses, and returning a strike. This is normal stuff we work on in Muay Thai.

We worked on this choke that is supposed to cut off oxygen, and blood, to make the assailant pass out. I mention this, because there are choke holds that are meant to cause pain and submission, instead of making the assailant black out. This choke however, is meant to make them black out, or stop fighting.

In Krav we are told you do a move till they stop. Or they stop moving. Let me make this clear that this is for protection in the wide world, and not while working with you partner. If you keep knocking/passing them out, they won’t want to work with you.

So we do this very carefully, and and let the partner know that we are going to tighten now.

We started off in a standing position. Where we split the jab if you are an orthodox fighter. Then we simultaneously returned a strike to throat or face. Then you transition to clenching up on them like a single wing clench in Thai. Push your head up against their shoulder, and pull your elbows to the chest, inflating your chest to cut off oxygen and blood. Your partner will tap when you complete this properly and they feel the pain.

We then transitioned to the floor. Where we started out in cross body position that is done in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) . This is the fist time I have done BJJ. I try to be really careful with my back, and worry that BJJ will tweak my back. Anyway I digress. We start of with cross body, push up their elbow, put pressure on it with our head and neck leaning into the arm, then we snake our arm around their heads, get a cable lock, move our bodies over theirs, and then pull in our elbows, and expand our chests. We do this till our partner taps.

This was great fun, and I am always surprised how little pressure it takes to cut off oxygen and blood to their heads, if you do the move just right. Kru Kristen, says, “BJJ, they say getting a big result with little effort, is better than getting a little result with big effort.”

Our teacher Lee, is a great teacher and I am happy I made it to Krav today.

Bo Staff – 1 for 1

Today in Bo Staff class, we worked on the 17 strikes as a warm up.

Then we worked on the drill, High, Low, Low, High.

Then for the rest of the class we worked on 1 for 1 drilling. This is the precursor to sparring with a staff. Where you throw any strike, and your partner counters, then they throw a strike and you counter. It makes you think about counter moves, getting off the line, and your next strike. This helps in pattern and flow. I took a video of us doing just that. We make mistakes, and sometimes get hit in the hands, but that is what gloves are for. Protection.

https://youtu.be/3GaWx55KPAI

Muay Thai/Striking – Difference between Technique and Tactics

Today in striking we were working on more of the same drills we have been working. This is good cause I needed to get more work in on stepping off the line, getting my strikes in and then getting out of the pocket.

  1. 1st round
    1) Left leg kick, right cross, left hook/shovel hook/upper cut, right round house
    2) Right leg kick, left hook/shovel hook/upper cut, cross, left round house kick
    3) Left leg kick, right cross, left hook/shovel hook/upper cut, left round house kick
    4) Right leg kick, left hook/shovel hook/upper cut, cross, left round house kick
  2. 2nd round
    1) Catch jab, return right leg kick, hook/upper cut/shovel hook, cross, left kick or right kick
  3. 3rd round
    1) Catch jab, avoid cross, return left inner leg kick, cross, hook/upper cut/shovel hook, left or right kick

I worked on my catch of Jab, to hop left and right leg kick. However, what I have been doing when I do that, is squaring up, or placing my right foot down next to the left foot. What that does is make it difficult to almost impossible to do the rest of the Thai 4 count when I am not in the proper stance. So I need to work on laying in the right leg kick, then quickly bringing the leg back to my stance.

This is going to be my bread and butter as a short fighter. I did get a compliment on my cross. I have been working on that, and it looks like it might actually be getting better.

However, I got dinged on dropping my hands. I tend to drop my hands when I am about to throw a kick. This is according to Kru Kristen a common thing that people do, but we need to focus on keeping them up all the time.

She also reiterated that when we are tired like I was, that is the best time to work on your skills. Technique falls to your base skills when you are tired. So focusing and forcing yourself to remember to keep your hands up will develop the mental connection.

She talked about how technique and tactics are different. She can teach tactics all day, but if you don’t have the right technique, tactics won’t do anything for you. We so often work on technique while drilling, however, we have been working on tactics when we talk about how we enter in on a punch, or kick, and return strikes. Tactics makes us use the technique we learn and apply it, allowing us to return strikes, and get out of the box.

I love learning about this striking martial art. I feel so lucky to be able to learn and study under Kru Kristen. I don’t absorb everything every class (there really is so much information thrown at you), but I try so hard to learn at least one new thing, or just try to work on one skill each class. She mentioned that her teacher said you cannot instruct someone, you can only show them. It takes them figuring out what works for them, and their bodies for it to stick and for them to learn.

Thanks for reading. I waxed a little poetic today, but I truly believe everything I have said and love what I am doing. I am exhausted now, and am going to try to put food in my body. Have a great day.

Thursday Muay Thai and Kali… Minnesota Shuffle and Die, Inside Deflect Snake to Pool Cue, 7 count Espada y Daga

2 hours of Muay Thai and Kali. Muay Thai kicked my butt in a good way. The kind that leaves you sucking air on the mat in a puddle of sweat. In Kali we learned some really cool weave moves, with a snake an pool cue move.

Muay Thai – Minnesota Shuffle and Die

In Muay Thai today we are all helping our team mate train for a upcoming fight. So that means fight conditioning training for all of us. I love it. This is the stuff that pushes you hard, has you gasping for air with a stitch in your side. During the training it sucks, but after, when you are cooling off you feel so accomplished. Or at the very least I do! What did we do. Well the general warm up. Jump rope, and shadow boxing, but that is normal and some what boring. Its great training, don’t get me wrong. But it is not super taxing.

Now after that we held pads for our partners for 3 full rounds, and after each round had our partners do a Minnesota Shuffle. We switched pads, and then had to do the same thing. Let me tell you. Going three rounds no rest except that 1 minute after the Minnesota Shuffle is rough. Your body is tired, it is telling… not screaming for you to stop and rest but you push through. When you hit the end of round 3 and you complete the last of the Minnesota Shuffles, you or at least I laid on the ground and died. That 1 minute rest is barely enough for you to start getting your heart rate down.

Kru Kristen and Kru Krysta are amazing teachers and they started writing these things down for all of us, but Kru Kristen said to me, “see I am writing it down for you Tanya.” Because they know I write it down in my blog and I try to remember what we did for class. Often times after I have gotten home and am exhausted not only from the day but from the wringer that they put us through. I love our instructors, and could not have asked for better.

Anyway enough gabbing here is what we did.

Warm up:

Jump rope, and shadow boxing

3 rounds straight through with only 1 minute rest

  1. 1st round
    1) Left leg kick, right cross, left hook/shovel hook/upper cut, right round house
    2) Right leg kick, left hook/shovel hook/upper cut, cross, left round house kick
    3) Left leg kick, right cross, left hook/shovel hook/upper cut, left round house kick
    4) Right leg kick, left hook/shovel hook/upper cut, cross, left round house kick
    5) Minnesota Shuffle – ladder left round house kick (1 kick, then two kicks, then three, till 5), clench to 10 knees, ladder right round house kick
  2. 2nd round
    1) Catch jab, return right leg kick, hook/upper cut/shovel hook, cross, left kick or right kick
    2) Minnesota Shuffle
  3. 3rd round
    1) Catch jab, avoid cross, return left inner leg kick, cross, hook/upper cut/shovel hook, left or right kick

After you held for your partner for three rounds, you had to do it yourself. This is a grueling workout, and it was awesome. I felt like I pushed through. Even though I did not have an epiphany today, or make a break through in a skill I have been working on. I hit this workout hard and made it through. Some days it is good just to survive.

Below is a video of me doing the two last drills in round 2 and 3. Keep in mind I am bushed now. I have been working 2 hours on MA training, and just wanted to record this so could see myself perform and look for errors. Ohh boy… lots to work on. When you are tired you should concentrate on your form more. This is the time when it is being ingrained in to your brains.

https://youtu.be/U5Q7mGQPTAs

Kali – Inside Deflect Snake to Pool Cue, 7 count Espada y Daga

In Kali we got to work on some new and cool drills, moves? I sometimes call them moves and drills. Maybe the word exercises is more correct. Well what ever. I will say drills for now. However, I digress.

We focused on inside deflect, and then ways to counter a strike. From the Gurus we have learned from, each of them says Kali as a Martial Art is so vast, and changing. You could study it for 50 years and still learn more. The style and art form differs from village to village, from environment (sandy, jungle, grassy, rocky) to environment, and from Teacher/Guru to Guru. Each has their own way of doing some things, but there are some constants in Kali that don’t change either. Like the X or equis. An x is an x but what you do with the x or how you enter into your opponents area is where things can change.

Training:

  1. X pattern with inside deflect, counter clockwise snake, to disarm
  2. X pattern with inside deflect, counter clockwise snake, to bridge, then you bait your opponent to punch, open scoop the punch they throw, and weave trap both their arms. This leaves your arm free to punch them, or you can kick them in the knees.
  3. 7 count espada y daga, a.k.a. stick and dagger.
    1) backhand # 2 strike, to knife strike to well of neck, back hand to #2 again, block high, block low, block high knife strike, #1 finishing strike (where you hit with intent).
  4. X pattern with inside deflect, counter clockwise snake, to bridge, then stick your knife into quadrant 3, grab your stick lock their hands, and spear/pool cue their necks.

I have two Kali videos from tonight below. One is the number 2 drill. The other is the 7 count espada y daga drill.

https://youtu.be/Vaz2P5HW9aM

The 7 count Espada y Daga drill video is almost completely uncut. I did this to show you all how we puzzle through a new drill. Normally I cut the video down so that you don’t have to see all the struggling and mess ups we happen to have, when working out what our bodies and minds are trying to do. If you want to see it more fluid, skip toward the end of video marker 4:40 and you will see the drill.

https://youtu.be/F1Z0JMlXNEo

Kali melted my brain a little bit. I was tired after Muay Thai, and then they asked my brain to function and think and learn new tricks. However, I had a blast in class today. I feel like we learned some new things, and I am over the moon about that conditioning in Muay Thai.

I hope you liked my rambling thoughts. Thank you for reading. I must get to sleep. Keep working on being the best you, that you can be.

Tuesday Muay Thai and Kali…Always Enter On Pain, If You Look at the Stick You Get Hit By The Stick, The Fang

This is me putting the Fang choke on my partner, also known as Churing the Butter.

2 hours of Muay Thai and Kali. Whew it is always great when you have a breakthrough in your martial arts training. On average, every day is repetition and drilling. The goal is to try to keep doing drills to better your skills and flow. So I don’t always feel like I am making great strides. The point is to keep going and keep training.

Muay Thai – Always Enter on Pain

Today was the day though. I made a breakthrough in Muay Thai. We were working on Thai 4 counts today, and response to punches with kicks. I am a short person, and being so I have to figure out ways to close the distance. Especially with taller people. So today we were catching the jab and returning a leg kick getting off the line so we did not get hit in the face/head. Because you see you want to avoid getting hit. You want to avoid it, but when you are learning it is inevitable. You always want to enter on the pain you have given to your opponent. For instance they go to jab at you, you catch the jab, kick them in the leg, then complete the Thai 4 count.

So the flow and sound should be dat dat, one catch one kick right after another. I was working with a girl that is a little taller than I am but so much more skilled than I am. I was getting the flow down great. As I was she mentioned she hops to one side and gets off the line to land the kick while the punch is coming in. I start to mimic her to the best of my abilities. Guess what I did it. I was able to hop to the side, get off the line, catch the jab, and land the leg kick. All with the same flow dat dat beat. I did it. I figured it out. I have seen her do it before, she has mentioned it before. But something in my brain clicked and allowed my brain and body to work together to do what I wanted. Woot Woot!

Thai 4 counts: for Orthodox stance

  1. Left leg kick, cross, hook/uppercut, right leg kick
  2. Left leg kick, cross, hook/uppercut, left leg kick
  3. Right leg kick, hook/upper cut, cross, left leg kick
  4. Right leg kick, hook/upper cut, cross, right leg kick

I got a compliment form Kru Kristen. She said I was moving great, and getting off the line. I was so proud. Its these times when things clicks that make all those other hours of repetition and drilling worth it. I wish they were more prevalent.

Kali – Always Enter On Pain, If You Look at the Stick You Get Hit By The Stick, The Fang

Today in Kali, we had a guest instructor named Guru Mark Cukro. This is one of Kru Krysta’s mentors, and he was visiting. He came in and graced us with his time and teaching. You could tell how much this man has learned and the speed and grace with which he moved. We learned some new witik drills, and drills to keep your arm framed with your body and meeting force with force when a stick is coming at you.

From there we learned how to enter, say from a Kumbiata Switch, push down on the shoulder and get the Fang choke in. This choke/submission is also called Churning the Butter. =) Because once you have the stick along the carotid and you are tightening the choke with your arm and the stick you can churn the stick and cause more pain.

The carotid artery is the a major artery in the neck and cutting off circulation is not only painful, but can make a person pass out. My picture above is me working on this very choke.

I got this picture from this wiki page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_carotid_artery

Getting to learn from these Gurus, leaves you with some great gems. One for tonight was this quote. “If you look at the stick you will get hit with a stick.” What is meant by that is you should be looking at the movement of the body. In Muay Thai you don’t look at the punch coming at you. You look at the persons chest. This is cause you are supposed to be watching their body movements, not what their hands are doing.

We also worked on getting the Puta Kapala in, from the clench. This was fun, because we learned how to control the persons spine from the base of their head. I love the Puta Kapala.

This was a fantastic class. I had a blast, and it was great learning from a teacher that my teacher/instructor loves and respects. He was a fantastic teacher and so open to questions.

Thank you for reading. I have some new followers, so welcome, and please let me know if you have any questions. I have a glossary page that has definitions for terms. ah Have a great day/night/week, get out there, do what you love, and love each other.

P.S. If you are curious about where I train. It is the Pedro Sauer academy One Spirit Martial Arts. http://virginiabjj.com/ I love the feel and spirit of this gym.

Saturday Bo Staff, and Striking/JKD… Redondo Like a Helicopter, ABD/Atacking By Defense

2.5 hours of training Bo Staff, and Striking/JKD. Brace yourselves this ended up being long. =) Maybe grab a tea, or coffee, what ever libation you prefer, and hunker down for a read. I even drew pictures of where I was striking on a stick figure.

Today we worked on Bo Staff, and I was finally able to try out my new polypropylene bo. That sucker is heavy but great for an arm workout, and are almost indestructible.

This is the polypropylene staff that I have and use now as a training staff. Picture credit (Cold Steel)

You can get this staff at this website. https://www.coldsteel.com/training-staff.html I bought this with my own money. I was not paid to review this, and as far as I know they don’t know I am even talking about their products.

I also bought the Baliki Sticks for my Kali stick training. These are also made of the polypropylene. Again they are indestructible, and some what heavy, but great for training.

I mention indestructible because, my rattan sticks I had for one year, had started to shred and fall apart. The only thing that was keeping it together was the duct tape. So yeah having tools/weapons that will not get destroyed for a billion years is so awesome.

This is the Balicki Stick. Picture credit to Cold Steel.

Ok so again I am not being paid for this review. As far as I know they don’t even know who I am, except that I have thrown money their way for their products. So I paid for this with my own money and I am happy with them. They are very sturdy and they are heavy. You can buy them here. https://www.coldsteel.com/balicki-stick.html

Over all I love them. The only thing that is a little weird is they sell them in singles instead of in pairs. So if you do double stick in Kali/Escrima you will have to buy two like I did. They only alteration I did was add some bat tape to end of the stick, where I hold it. Because when I use them bare handed I find that the tape helps me hold onto the stick when my hand gets sweaty.

I have been using these for two weeks. They had been in my living room waiting for me to use them and stop being sick. =) I borrowed my husbands before and found I liked them so I ordered them.

My criteria for equipment, is:

  1. Good quality for the cost. I don’t mind paying more for something that will last.
  2. If functions as intended.
  3. It is not stupid expensive.
  4. Durability ( I don’t want to have to buy it over and over again just cause it breaks/wears out quickly)

Anyway enough gabbing about the equipment I use. If it is helpful to you, and you are looking for training equipment please take a look at these things. =)

Bo Staff Training – Redondo like a helicopter

Today was a fun clear beautiful day. It was not to hot, and we got to work outside with our Bo Staves. We worked on 4 drills that worked the figure 8 with a low strike and high strike at the end. Then we did a redondo that looks like a helicopter.

Training:

  1. Warm up using single stick, heaven figure 8 with low strike and high strike.
  2. Upward figure 8, with low back hand strike and high back hand strike.
  3. Downward figure 8, with low back hand strike and high back hand strike.
  4. Lop sided figure 8 with low back hand strike and high back hand strike.
  5. Redondo high, low, high, with a low back hand strike and high back hand strike.

I tried to scribble out what the figure 8 strikes looked like. Its okay to laugh at my drawings. I do.

In these two figures, you can see the upward figure 8 and the downward figure 8. Husband asked why they were smiling, I said cause they were happy to help me practice. Anyway, on the upward figure 8, you aiming for the knees or inner thighs. So you are targeting 12 strike point, and a 11 strike point in an upward swing. For the downward figure 8 you are targeting a 1 strike point, and a 2 strike point in an downward. See dummy below for strikes points.

In this last figure you see the lop sided figure 8. You are targeting the 1 strike point, and the 4 strike point. These figure 8 were fun, and hard at the same time. Hefting the staff and trying to follow through in the strike is hard, when it meets a resistance and wants to just bounce back.

https://youtu.be/SbKUDx9WmIA
This is the upward figure 8, with low back hand and high back hand
https://youtu.be/IR4wC2hGTsk
This is the lop sided figure 8, with low back hand and high back hand
https://youtu.be/bT-5tVj0_Y4
Redondo high, low, high, with a low back hand and high back hand

This last video is the redondo/helicopter looking swing. Swing where we go around our head hit a high point/head, then hit a low point torso, then high again head area, then low back hand and high back hand.

That is what we did in Kali, and that was just Kali. Now to the Striking class.

Striking class – ABD – Attacking by Defense

So today we worked on how to defend and react to a Jab, Cross combination. We worked on JKD or Jeet Kun Do, the martial arts created by Bruce Lee. Kru Krysta said if you get into a fight or fight in the ring, that Jab, Cross combo is going to come up, so knowing how address it, parry, block, catch and return an attack is very important. She told us her instructor called it ABD – or Attacking By Defense.

For instance if a person throws a jab at you, you can catch the punch or you can destroy their jab/hand by directing it into your elbow.

We worked on how to address, respond, and return attack when you are fighting a person who knows how to box/punch. For instance when they throw a tight Cross.

Then we worked on how to address, respond, and return an attack when you are fighting a person who is a little less knowledgeable in boxing. When they end up doing a wide cross, think John Wayne type cross you can see coming from a mile away.

Striking/JKD training we worked on Jab, Cross Defense

  1. Feeder throws a Jab
  2. You parry
  3. Feeder throws a tight cross
  4. You lean back make your shoulder tight to your face for protection and then Nao Tek their inner thigh with your lead foot, then return an cross, hook, cross, Nao Tek.
  5. Alternately you could Inside Parry, with a punch to the face, or bare handed a eye gauge, then return cross, hook, cross, Nao Tek
  6. The other alternate reaction you could is split the jab, hit simultaneously, then return a hook, cross, Nao Tek
  1. Feeder throws a Jab
  2. You parry
  3. Feeder throws a wide cross
  4. You inside wedge/post on their shoulder, return a knee to quad, step in and you are in south paw stance. Finish with an upper cut, cross, hook, and cross.

Striking was fun today. We worked on JKD, instead of Muay Thai. However, it is good to cross train. Things that are done in JKD translate to Muay Thai and vice versa.

I am not certain how much help this is to any of you, however, having this written down helps me to remember what we did, and I have a reference for the future if when I am struggling, and or when I want to remember something.

As always thank you for reading. I hope you have a great day, and hope your weekend is fantastic.

Thursday Muay Thai and Kali…Hands to Knees, Left and Right Submissions

2 hours of Muay Thai and Kali training. Today was another great day. We the more advanced students worked with the newer students today. This is good for us, because it makes us work on our form and slow it down. I had a little congestion today, but I had a fantastic nights sleep last night. I actually slept without interruption from this virus/infection a first in 3 weeks.

Muay Thai – Hands to Knees

Today we worked in hands to knees in our training. We were working on flow and transitioning in our strikes.

Workout:

  1. Warm up – Jump rope 3 minutes
  2. Warm up – Shadow box hands to knees. ( jab, cross, right knee number 1 or inward knee) (Jab, cross, hook, left knee number 1 or short range knee) 3 minutes.

    Partnered up with newer students
  3. worked on distance management with plus foot work, and then Jab, Cross, right knee number 1 or inward knee.
  4. Then we worked on Jab, Cross, right knee number 1 or inward knee, to clench and knees, or right round house kick.

I have mentioned this before. I really feel working with the newer students is not only beneficial to them, but it is highly beneficial to the more advanced students. First we are helping out new students get used to the moves and the flow. Second we are helping them learn how to hold pads for us. Pad holding in itself is a skill.

Pad Holding

If your partner is not a good pad holder, it is difficult to work the moves, also highly likely you will get an injury. If for instance they hold the pad very loosey goosey with no force/energy behind it, when your partner goes to hit the pad, they can blow out their elbows from hyper extension. If they move back from a knee or a teep you can pull a hamstring, or a groin area. If the pad holder is holding the pads to far from their body, they can get hit from the pads impact to their body. They can hurt their rotator cuff if they don’t hold the pads tight and return energy by moving their body into it. So pad holding itself is a skill, and helping your partner learn how to do it helps you and them. Another note, pads are not light… they tend to have some heft to them so your arms get a good workout there as well. But I digress and rambled on about pad holding.

Back to working with newer students. Because the newer student is not as versed in the striking techniques you have to naturally slow down and just work on your form. You take most of the power out of the strikes and just try to get it in there. One thing that is hard though is working on flow. Because the newer person does not know how to transition as quickly with the pads some times I find myself waiting to get the next strike in. However, other than that small technicality tonight was a great training night and we all got sweaty and exhausted.

Kali – Left and Right Submissions

We did the same thing we did on Tuesday. However, my partner and I worked on both left and right side more today. I am much faster on the right side than I am on the left side. However, I felt good that I was able to switch to each side without to much trouble.

You see cause in Kali, what you can do on your right side you can also do with your left side, or left hand. What this normally does to the brain is melt into a puddle till you figure it out. Forcing your body and mind to be ambidextrous is a test of wills, and a very tiring for the brain. However, today was great. I was able to switch back and forth…yay!

Kali workout/training

  1. Warm up – Strikes 1, 2, 3 (ABC or Abecedario) low back hand, then high back hand
  2. Srikes 1, 2, (equis) clockwise scoop opponents cross, hit head or ribs
  3. Strikes 1, 2, (equis) counter clockwise scoop opponents cross, submit opponent with Basset Dal or face plant
  4. Strikes 1, 2, 1, Kumbiata Switch, clockwise snake, to rolling pin (where you take the stick and roll it on opponents muscle to make them drop weapon)
  5. Strikes 1, 2, 2, Kumbiata Switch, to clockwise snake, to arm lever (revers) (this is where you, lever your stick into the pectoral muscle of your opponent, this causes pain and you can submit them to the floor.)

My body is tired and I need to go to bed and shower, but not in that order. I have an early morning tomorrow. Thank you for reading. I am constantly amazed that anyone reads my blog. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I am just training and trying to become better in my chosen arts.

Tuesday Muay Thai and Kali… Smother the Gun, Abecedario Snake, and Face Plant

Today was the first full day back to Muay Thai and Kali after my horrible cold virus, and ear infection. We went on Saturday, but it was not taught by our Kru. Today was a kick ass day, and it kicked my ass. It was fantastic. I was so worried I would loose everything I learned. I have to say though I did great and I have not lost everything.

Muay Thai – Smother the Gun

Today we worked on bleeding off the power from our opponents. What that meant was we slide in as they were kicking our leg and landing a cross on their chest or face. When you do this Kru Kristen called it Smother the Gun. It takes the force and power out of your opponents strike. So you can get in return the strike, strike again, and again, and get out of the pocket. She wanted us to work on bleeding off our opponents power, then returning a strike, and then do a defensive move to get out, and not get hit.

What this looked like was:

  1. Opponent kicks, I slide in bleed off power, returning at the same time a cross, from there you throw a hook while moving out then, throw your kick torso round house, or leg kick
  2. Opponent kicks, I slide in bleed off power, returning a cross, then we worked on returning a left leg kick, or left round house torso kick

As with any new strike, or combination, my brain and body try to reconcile what I want it to do. So I hesitate, or pause when practicing. My flow is off, but that is to be expected till I start to get used to this way of getting into the pocket.

After that Kru Kristen wanted us to work on asymmetrical sparring. What that meant is one person gets to only throw punches. The other person get to only throw kicks. This makes is easier to see the strike coming and know you just have to defend kicks, but harder in the sense that she is taking a tool away from you. So you have to think around distance management, you have to think about how to get in, maybe having to eat a few strikes just to get in.

Kali – Abecedario Snake, and Face Plant

Kru Krysta was nice enough to write what we were doing down. I got a picture of it and will translate.

  1. Warm up – Strikes 1, 2, 3 (ABC or Abecedario) low back hand, then high back hand
  2. Srikes 1, 2, (equis) clockwise scoop opponents cross, hit head or ribs
  3. Strikes 1, 2, (equis) counter clockwise scoop opponents cross, submit opponent with Basset Dal or face plant
  4. Strikes 1, 2, 1, Kumbiata Switch, clockwise snake, to rolling pin (where you take the stick and roll it on opponents muscle to make them drop weapon)
  5. Strikes 1, 2, 2, Kumbiata Switch, to clockwise snake, to arm lever (revers) (this is where you, lever your stick into the pectoral muscle of your opponent, this causes pain and you can submit them to the floor.)

I took some not great videos of me doing these Kali moves. However, they are here for me to remember the moves, and to look back on them and see my progress.

https://youtu.be/xL78kJeuJbw
https://youtu.be/da3MivPzxGw

I hope if you are reading this that you are having a great day. Thank you for reading. I had this typed out and ready to publish however, for some reason I lost all my work. So this is the second time around and I need to sleep. Have a good rest of your day. I really enjoyed being back with friends and team mates. I am still a little congested but had a blast to day. Keep up the good work and keep striving to the be the best you you can be.

Saturday Bo Staff, and Striking… Getting back, High Box, Thai 4 count, and New Drill

2 hours of training today. Today was the first day back in 2 weeks for martial arts training. I am still coughing and have congestion in my nose. But I need to get back to it. I have been worried I have lost a lot of my skills while waiting. I know it is stupid to worry about that but I do worry.

Bo Staff – High Box

We started out with Bo staff training. Our usual instructors were not there today, so our friend and junior instructor J won that position by default. Kinda like in the military if your immediate commanders/superiors all die, the next in line gets put into the position of power. He did a fantastic job, and we just worked on the high box routine for staves, with mid-line grip. Our little group kinda stumbled across the flow that worked best for us. Having a mid-line grip meant we had to get offline, or move well to get away from the incoming strike.

Striking – 4 count, and New Drill

So Striking/ Muay Thai class was just going to be open mat. Where we could just work on our skills. This was due to our Kru’s not being in. One was sick and one was out of town. So our team mate A came up with things we could work on. She was awesome and had us working on Thai 4 counts, and a new drill.

Warm Up:

  1. We warmed up with jump rope
  2. We continued warm up with range management to round house kicks to torso

Thai 4 counts:

  1. right round house, hook, cross, left round house
  2. left round house, cross, hook, right round house
  3. right round house, hook, cross, right round house
  4. left round house, cross, hook, left round house

New Drill:

  1. rear round house kick
  2. rear knee
  3. rear round house kick
  4. hook
  5. cross
  6. left elbow
  7. right elbow
  8. hook
  9. cross
  10. left round house kick
  11. left knee
  12. left round house kick
  13. hook
  14. cross
  15. left elbow
  16. right elbow
  17. hook
  18. cross
  19. Lather Rinse and Repeat for 1.5 minutes then switch up and hold pads for your partner.

That new drill was awesome. I had a few breathing problems/coughing during the practice. I can’t wait till I can get rid of all of this congestion and it does not hold me back.

I also was so excited about getting back into training that I was forcing my strikes and kicks. My partner said that they know I know the strikes and kicks, I just need to relax. Because you see when you relax the strikes are harder. My body knows what to do. I am just so excited/nervous about being away for so long. I was in my own head, and I was forcing it.

When I force the strikes, I end up not having the proper flow and it makes my moves more choppy. I need to just relax and let it go. I need to get back into my grove. I need to get out of my head, and let my body do what it knows.

I am a little disappointed about my performance today. I am frustrated I have a cough still and congestion which is messing with my cardio. However, it is far better than it was even 4 days ago.

I am happy I got into the gym, and started training again. I was so happy to see my friends and team mates. I can’t wait to get back into the gym again.

Thanks for reading. I hope you are having a great weekend. If you are in the states, I hope you have a fantastic holiday weekend.

Saturday Muay Thai and Kali… update, not whining, fear of losing progress

Hello there… I did not make a Thursday post. I was concerned that it would be thought of as whining. So this is an update, hopefully not toooo whiny. Note: This was just my fear, no one said anything to me that I was being whiny.

I still have congestion and trying to give my lungs a break. Its been 10 days. I still have lingering congestion and coughing. I am still on antibiotics today is the last day. I have not had to use the inhaler in the last two days! Yay! I am still tired, but that might be a side effect of the many medications I am on. Doctor predicted that it would take 14 days to get over this cold, and ear infection.

So as I sit here not doing anything… that creeping fear is rattling around in my brain. That, you are sitting on your butt, not doing anything and you are losing muscle, you are losing your skill in Muay Thai, and Kali, you are stalling in your fitness journey and you are going to start going backwards.

So now I am doing what I always do, when my fears start to take control of my thoughts, and start making me scared. I am doing research.

Research:

https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/exercising-when-sick#1

“A neck check is a way to determine your level of activity during a respiratory illness,” adds Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of respiratory care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. “If your symptoms are above the neck, including a sore throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, and tearing eyes, then it’s OK to exercise,” he says. “If your symptoms are below the neck, such as coughing, body aches, fever, and fatigue, then it’s time to hang up the running shoes until these symptoms subside.”

http://www.muscleforlife.com (how fast you lose muscle when you stop working out) (this link did not want to copy correctly so here is the website and the title)

“This drop in water and glycogen can cause muscle volume to shrink about 10 percent over the course of a month. This loss of lean mass returns quickly when people start lifting weights and eating more carbs.

So, even though studies have shown lean mass starts to disappear after about two or three weeks, it may take slightly longer for you to lose actual muscle.“

The take away from this muscle for life article is:

“If you take a week or two away from the gym, you probably won’t lose strength or muscle mass.

If you take more than three weeks off, you’ll lose at least a little bit of strength and muscle, but you’ll regain it quickly when you start lifting again.

You can maintain your strength and muscle mass by lifting weights at least once per week.”

So what I am reading is this.

  1. Yes I am losing some water and glycogen in my muscles.
  2. You should do the neck check, and if it is above the neck then you can still do a light exercise.
  3. With my cold/virus/sickness, I have had to have an inhaler for congestion and breathing,
  4. I am on antibiotics and today is the first day where I don’t feel like my body is just hurting.
  5. Don’t workout with a fever ever.
  6. I will regain my muscle and skills again faster due to muscle memory.

Does knowing this help? Yes a little bit.

Did I already know some or most of this? Yes

Do I often have to look up the science behind the body and working out when I have these thoughts and fears? Yes, yes I have done this many times. This is my coping mechanism.

Are the fears still there in the back of my head even though I know the science behind the body? Yes, this does not make them go away altogether but it quiets them down.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and today I am not doing Muay Thai and Kali. I am still giving my body a break. Even if the mean voices are creeping up in my head.