Warm up: What stood out for me tonight were the 3 lots of 20 sprawls. Kept a good hard pace sprawling next to Ptas. Left hand is delicate after and dad and lad accident last weekend so was sprawling onto the knuckles instead of the palms.
Main class:
• Knee capture: Simply had to wrap the fingers around the knee of the opponent. I used it as an opportunity to work the shoot but also standing with short arms as if in a grappling match.
• Hitting the rear side and countering with 1-2: This drill lasted for several rounds. Attacker had to attack the rear side of the opponent and the defenders job was to counter attack with a 1 – 2. It was a good chance to work diagonal footwork but also looking and seeing when would be an opportune time to counter strike. As I tend to fight right hand forward I tried to match and mirror my partner’s stance so it is not as far to attack. In addition I looked to work the rear leg round kick as my kicking is nowhere near as good as my ego believes it to be. So much so I have decided at home to 10,000 round kicks as part of my own training. For reasons ranging from bizarrely tight hips and legs in kicking yet supple in grappling? I can use my legs much more effectively in grappling than striking so I need to start having more balance in my game. Plus it feels like a good way to train the core outside of my functional core training. It gives me a tangible target and goal. After 2 sessions I am up to 500.
• Footwork for evasion no head movement: One partner attacks with anything and the defender needs to simply evade by using footwork and keeping a disciplined guard. Head movement was also prohibited. This drill felt very alive. I need to find a way to move my feet smarter as they tend to blister quite quickly working on the hard floor.
• 3 for 3, 2 for 2, 1 for 1: As it says on the tin. Each throws said amount of strikes and the idea is to limit the time between defending and attacking. Try to throw first attack as they finish their final attack. The last drill (1 for 1) was essentially fighting in the proverbial phone booth, Later on this session we needed to work tight. In future when doing this drill I will endeavour to be tight, fluid and relaxed in defence and attack.
• Straight lead arm: One of the logical idiosyncrasies of the Promai stance is the long lead arm. Primarily to define your own range and to be the boss of your own range. This drill was a chance to put the lead in the opponent’s face after a brief combo then throwing a shot behind the long lead
Strength and conditioning:
• Bag striking and shadow boxing rounds. For this and the following drill Lee emphasised being tight. Not in the muscular sense but in the motion and movement sense. Stay relaxed and heavy in the shots but explosive and dynamic. Was a real test of the gas tank but also the psychological armour. It is hard to keep going when you feel empty. In subsequent drills Lee talked about lasting longer than the opponent as the round last 5 minutes so it makes sense to be as strong as possible throughout each round until the final bell.
• Bag striking whilst being grappled Tenacity drill In the fog of war I managed to damage the middle finger of the left hand thus compounding its lack of use even more. 24 hours later it is fat and bent. Think I have compressed the cartilage in the middle joint. Clearly not as bad as Tom’s cracked nose care of Alan last lesson.
The last 2 drills were also a test of the spirit. I tried to set a good pace and keep going. Did start to flag near the end of the round but this for me is when the most progress happens. You grow more when in hardship. Therefore we should seek this zone to become more self aware.
• Sit up and double side fist.
• Lateral bag jumps, sprawl and attack the bag.
24 hours on I am surprised by how sore I am not. I expected to be battered as usual. Perhaps it is waiting for me in the morning. Good tough, testing and fun session. Shame the time passes so quick.
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