Workout Recap - Week of December 18, 2022
Yes, I'm very late with this recap. No, I don't have a good reason for it. It's not like anybody reads these, anyway.
I did some extra bag sessions with my time off work this week, but whatever. Also, there was no sparring on Friday due to the winter storm.
Monday
Muay Thai class
This class was all about grinding out long sequences with multiple round kicks. It was a test of stamina, obviously, but it seemed like my body mechanics have gotten to the point where I can still get some whip in my kicks even when the muscles aren't feeling up to doing major explosive contractions. A nice little sign of progress, I suppose.
Tuesday
Muay Thai class
A newbie doing a trial class got put in a trio with me and a more experienced student this time, so it was a good opportunity for me to be very mindful about having solid form and balance. In theory, anyway, since in practice, the newbie was struggling with enough foundational elements that I could've still served as a demonstration of better form even if I was being sloppier, but that attitude would've limited how much I could benefit from the session. I think I commented something like this on a YouTube video recently, but I try to be meticulous about my form in class because that'll set the upper boundary for how well I can execute in sparring or in live action, so needing to be very focused on that because of someone watching me to learn (theoretically) is a sort of motivation that fits well for me.
Wednesday
Muay Thai class
This was a head-to-head defense drilling day, with a few rounds of surprise light sparring to finish. In all honesty, my mind was pretty spaced out, so I was on autopilot for most of it, but I did try to make sustained pressure a point of emphasis for the sparring rounds (because I hadn't thought of clear goals since my last sparring session). I got swept a few times when clinching with one of the experienced fighters, but I also got complimented on my strength and stamina as well as my general overall improvement by that same person during and after our round, so I'm taking that as a sign of having achieved my goal. Granted, some of that was said to another person instead of being said to me directly, but they were talking right in front of me and making no effort to stop me from hearing what was said, so I assume that's just one of those social things where it's impolite to be too forward.
Thursday
Muay Thai class
Boxing class today, and as chance would have it, I got to pair up with someone who had seemingly tried to go full-force with me in sparring the one time we were both there. My shoulders felt dead because I'd also done a boxing-focused workout earlier as a solo session, but when it came time to put on belly pads and practice body punches, I seemed to break their spirit on the first punch. Normally, I'd ease up if it seemed like my partner was being overwhelmed, but this felt like a good object lesson in a few different ways, plus sometimes it feels good to satisfy the sadistic beast within me when I can do it in an appropriate way. I did ask if the person wanted me to ease up, after all, so any discomfort beyond that point was their own fault.
