Workout Recap - Week of August 13, 2023
No sparring this week, partly since I had other plans for Friday and partly since I felt like I was a bit beat up. I do want to get back into sparring more frequently than every other week, but I'm not on any strict time limit, so it's fine with me to take my time learning and improving gradually.
Monday
Muay Thai class
This class had a mix of basic strikes and defense. I was in a trio with a newbie and an experienced person who had done some coaching in the past, and it was encouraging that the latter backed up what I was saying when I gave advice to the newbie a couple of times. Granted, it didn't hurt that the kru also came around regularly to check on the newbie and seemed content with how the two of us were handling them. As far as my own performance, I definitely had some details that I could clean up, but I felt like I was generally on point. All in all, an upbeat class.
Tuesday
Muay Thai class
This was the third straight Tuesday used for head-to-head defense drills. This time, we focused on doing two- to four-strike sequences and returning quickly after defending them. I had a nice mix of partners who wanted to go light and to go hard, and as usual, I was the one pushing the pace more often than not. Another good class.
Wednesday
Muay Thai class
This class focused on knee strikes. I'd normally enjoy that, but for some reason, my balance was just a bit off all day, so I kept stumbling and fumbling when we'd have to do multiple consecutive knees. On the plus side, though, I partnered up with someone who I hadn't done padwork while in quite a while, and they said that my kicks were noticeably improved. Maybe they were just being nice, but I can allow some possibility that it was a genuine compliment, since they mentioned that some time after having asked if I might be able to come in during the daytime classes to work with them (which I can't, unfortunately, due to my working hours, but at least getting the kick feedback after that request makes it less likely that the kick feedback was just flattery).
Thursday
Muay Thai class
This class was focused on kicks, especially stringing together long sequences with multiple consecutive round kicks, though we did also mix in some front kick work and finished up with a couple rounds of stamina burners. I was partnered with the newbie from Monday, and as seems to be a trend of late when doing front kicks with someone for the first time, they were surprised by how much power I could get behind them. On the other hand, my left round kicks were feeling off for some reason. I couldn't quite figure out what it was about them during the class, so I suppose I'll just have to do some extra focus on my form to get it dialed in better.
