MMA and me; day 77

A paltry three hours at the gym yesterday (it's a miracle that my wife puts up with me still) and I'm feeling refreshed. MMA was more of what we worked on Monday. We started off jumping rope, and then doing some light jogging interspersed with push ups, sit ups, and squat jumps, finishing off with bear crawls. We then went to working on double leg take downs, and finishing in side control. You want to make sure you get in close, and drop your lead leg to the knee in between their legs, getting your head on their stomach and pressing. Wrapping both arms around their legs, drive them forward and pass to side control. The next drill we worked was tying up the arms when you are on the bottom, and preventing your opponent from pummeling you. The key is keeping your head off the mat, so you don't get your noggin squished between the mat and a fist, and to actively try to either get an over hook, or to tie up a forearm. We did that for three minutes, and then switched positions, and worked for ground and pound from the top. Next, we worked on escaping an opponents guard. First, tie them up, and as they try to pull out and lean back, explode back and shrimp out. Remember to keep your hand in their face, to block their vision, and keep your distance, and end in your fighting stance. We ended with bringing all of these drills together. Taking them down, trying for ground and pound, getting tied up, they'd escape, and then they would take a crack at it. A very exhausting class, but it felt good.

Kickboxing was all punch and kick combos. We started out jumping rope for ten minutes, and the shadowboxed for one round. The first combo we worked, was a 1-1-10, which surprisingly enough, I am doing okay at. I still need to lean back a bit more when I throw the mid kicks, but I'm getting some decent power and height on my kicks. Who knew? Next was a 1-2-9, and the 9 is a switch kick, which I really dig when throwing the 9 as part of a combo, because it helps keep it quick and surprising. The next two combos were the same as the first two, with an added kick to each. So they went 1-1-10-10, and 1-2-9-9. For both of these, it's a matter of balance as much as it is speed and power. We finished off with plank positions, and it was on to grappling.

Two words, Shark Tank. I was so looking forward to this after last week. It's such a brutal drill, but so satisfying. It went for a little over an hour, and I got to grapple with everyone. It kicked my behind, but I left the gym feeling way better than when I got there. Feeling good and confident for Saturday. Very excited for my first tournament, and can't wait to represent this amazing gym!