MMA and me; day 37

I need to work on my flexibility. In kickboxing, we worked on mid kicks. Not high kicks, mid kicks, and I just don't have the confidence that my hips and groins wont explode, and I pull up short on the kicks. Still, I'm working on getting better, so I soldier on. We first worked on 10s and 9s, and after that, we threw punches in addition to the kicks. I feel a little more fluid in throwing the 9 than the 10, but I like the leg kick versions of these kicks better, mostly due to the angle that is used in each form. In leg kicks, the idea is to swing your hips open, and bring the leg over to drive it down into your opponents thigh. In the mid kicks, you're still opening your hips, but instead of driving the leg down, your bringing it straight up, and I'm having a hard time getting my body positioning correct. By the end of class, I was feeling more comfortable, but it still needs a lot of work.

Grappling was all about wrestling, and the single leg takedown. First we worked on the form, widening your stance, dropping a little bit lower, and after bringing your lead knee to the mat, pushing your rear leg straight through until it's in the lead position. From there, we drilled getting into a deep single leg, with the head on the inside, as to avoid getting choked out. Also, sucking the leg in tight, and pinning it between your thighs. Next was the actual take down, where you use your head, and legs, to pivot, and drive your opponent to the mat. We worked on an ankle pick next, where if you couldn't pivot around your opponent, due to them being backed into the cage, you drop back down to your left knee, and grab their ankle opposite the leg you already have, and pull it in quick, dropping your opponent to the mat. All in all, it was a nice reminder of wrestling practice, and though I was never that good, it all came a little more naturally to me than I thought it would.