Karate, Second Class

Fri, 25 Aug 2017 03:08:31 GMT

OMG, I hurt. Like, I'm going to swallow an entire bottle of Alleve with a vodka chaser kind of hurt. But it was fun!

I had my second karate class tonight. As before, it began with a lot of stretching to warm up. And then it really got into leg stretching, the kind I haven't been able to do in 45 years or so. My upper body is very flexible, but the kind of lifts & extensions required of my lower half far exceeds my current abilities. But damn it, I'm going to try!

We also did some non-contact sparring, a lot of punches, a front kick, a side kick and an arching back kick. Extensively. This part wasn't painful except to my ego: my balance isn't great and I need more careful deliberate practice to get the precise form internalized.

There were some nice compliments about how I was keeping up, and some surprise it was only my second class. I'm sure they're being kind, but in some ways I am doing better than others. My weightlifting has trained me to ensure I have a very solid footing and maintain a low center of gravity. My upper body strength can generate a damn wicked punch. Lifting and cardio have given me good endurance.

All that said, my ass was solidly kicked (metaphorically) tonight. I was sweating profusely, overheating and nearly gasping for oxygen by the end. Of course, that's what a good workout is suppose to do, so victory is mine!

My self-assigned homework is to keep stretching so I can lift my knees higher, aim my side & rear kicks higher and bend my upper body lower. I will also need to rehearse each of the kicks we covered to improve my form.

OCD superpowers, activate!

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Karate, Second Class