Too Much Fun

   Thursday night's class was fun, that's the best way I can describe it. For Young Dragons level one and two, Toudai Ferris asked me to run a little mitt work drill and base it on what she had seen me do the previous night. Back story to this is I remember doing this drill six or seven years ago when I was probably a green belt. I remember how much fun it was and how extremely challenging it was. I brought it forward to the level one teen/adult class and oh my the smiles and sweat where everywhere. Now to do this in the Young Dragon's classes.

   The drill is simple, lose a limb then spar. Round one, you can only use your right hand, nothing else. Round two switch that to left, then round three left round house only, now switch partners and so on. It is harder than it sounds once the pressure of sparring rears it beautiful face. Suddenly you can't tell your left from right, leg from hand, up from down.

   So I was asked to adapt this to the Young Dragon's class, and in my humble opinion, it was a smashing success. I think it was as fun and challenging for the instructors as it was for the students. The main difference between the Teen/Adult and the Young Dragons was Teen/Adult it was student facing student and the Young Dragons was one instructor to three/four students, it was HARD to remember my left from right because I had to call it out each time, and it was awesome!! But the best part was the stress of sparring was suddenly turned into fun. My group of students exceeded my every hope and they looked like they could handle anything I could throw at them. The faster I went, the better they did, we didn't correct as we went, we just went. I know I was sweating and grinning ear to ear afterwards.

   My take away from this was to change my individual sparring. I now do rounds of just left, or right or a leg. It really highlight the challenges of lets say a front hand upper cut or how fast I can throw a  combative round house, fun stuff. 

Thank Toudai Ferris, you just made me peal another layer of my onion.

 

Push Ups  3193

Sit Ups  3123

Sparring  110min

1609KM  140.47 km

Acts of Kindness  85 recorded

Hand Form  35

Weapon Form   30

Mastery recited 2