Workout Recap - Week of July 21, 2024
As expected, the competitive fighters were mostly training amongst themselves this week, so I got to be a soft coach for some newbies. I'm fine with that role in theory, but some of the current new people seem so uninterested in being there that I'm not sure why they keep showing up. This is not about being elitist about their skill level (I have worked with several newer people during my time at this gym, and I have no problems with helping people who are willing to listen and try what I suggest, even if they decide afterwards that it's not working for them; what irritates me is when I take some time to try helping them, and it seems to just go in one ear and out the other). It feels supremely selfish to waste everyone else's time just because you're fine with wasting your own time and money.
Monday
Muay Thai class
This was a day of building progressive offense, starting with something simple and then adding more and more to it. It would've been a stamina-burner, normally, but I was working in a trio, so it didn't really push me on that front. That said, one of the other people in the trio did get washed by the end, so that was some nice subtle reinforcement about my figurative engine being a valid weapon. I realize that I would ideally want to end a fight swiftly in a real self-defense situation, but it's good to have some confidence that I could also grind things out if I have to, especially since being on the smaller side will hamper my potential to knock someone unconscious with any given strike.
Tuesday
Muay Thai class
This was a head-to-head defense day, working on short and crisp power shot exchanges. As usual of late, I mostly trained with newbies so that the competitive fighters could stick to themselves, but I got in a couple of rounds with two of them. I have to admit that it was affirming to have them both seek me out, too, even if it was also kind of weird for being something that I'm not used to. It seems that, through sheer perseverance, I've become one of the more skilled people to show up regularly, or at least it seems like the competitive fighters feel like they can mix in a round with me to boost their own confidence without getting banged up too much.
Wednesday
Muay Thai class
This was a day for working on double-kicks; not the most important skill to me personally, but it's still a fine test of balance and endurance. Oddly, my front kicks felt good, but my round kicks were feeling off. If I had to guess, I think I was trying to go too fast at times and neglecting to get sufficient torso rotation into the kicks. As always, it's good to have something to work on improving.
Thursday
Muay Thai class
There were a lot of newbies again this day, so we did some fundamental striking work. Due to how the numbers worked out and the kru wanting at least one experienced person with each newbie, I ended up working in a quartet for the first time that I can recall. As a result, the physical exertion was no issue for me, but it was good to have lots of opportunities for teaching, since at least one of the newbies did want to listen and implement advice. That said, we did split up into two pairs for some high-volume round kicking to finish things up, and I had to stifle a laugh about the other experienced person (who partnered with me for that) getting nauseous while I was just my usual self. The flesh is weak.
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