Sparring!!!

Last week was rough. I was down in the dumps and had a really hard time pulling myself out. I did what I said I would never do. I let my outside "junk" (work and other issues) get in the way of my success in my Tae Kwon Do classes. I left with tears in my eyes last Wednesday. I then sat in the parking lot and cried until there was nothing left. It's hard to go through what I've been through and be 100% okay. The great news is that those days used to be every day and now are only every now and then. Time does seem to heal this pain for me.

Tonight I was determined to reclaim my "kick ass" attitude in class. The dojang is, after all, my sanctuary. I have found a purpose there that truly is transforming me inside and out.

During class today, I aced my Poomse - form - Songahm 2. I am tweaking the minute details and am preparing to test for my yellow belt. I watched a black belt perform her forms before class and she was absolutely incredible. Words to describe her execution: crisp, powerful, precise, high kicks, her dobak popped with kicks, control, perfect eye contact, rhythmic, fun to watch. That's how I want to execute my forms.

Tonight my instructor threw me into the sparring ring. He told me to fully gear up, and I was terrified. Hell - I've never even tried my sparring pads on before! I thought sparring would be months away. Nevertheless, I got in that ring and did my best. I thought that I didn't know enough, however, I underestimated what I've been practicing these last 4 weeks. I sparred against a green belt and won!!!!! I discovered that I REALLY like sparring. I got kicked and hit a few times pretty hard, but I can definitely take it. I can also dish it. My favorite part about sparring is the intense mental focus on strategy that one has to exhibit. I was constantly calculating where my opponent would make the next move. I blocked and counter kicked and then followed immediately with a punch combo. I sweat my ass off. It was so incredibly cool.

Then, to finish class, (after forms and before sparring we worked with our weapons) a young black belt ran us through conditioning. It sucked. He had us jumping like frogs with our butts practically touching the floor and then jumping as high as we could - back & forth, back & forth - I can't even recall how many times we did this until adding series of walking lunges paired with those crazy frog jumps. My legs were buckling under me.

Tonight is Monday. Wednesday will suck. I'm sure that I'll feel like I've been in a car wreck!

Kihap!

Dedie