MMA and me; day 98

In MMA yesterday, our regular coach wasn't there, so we worked on more boxing, which I was totally okay with. First we did a round of burn outs, and then a round of rolling uppercuts to loosen the shoulders, and get us nice and relaxed. We moved on to the 1-2-3. Coach had me change my stance a bit, and though it felt awkward at first, the widened base started to feel more stable, and I wasn't falling off to the side on my punches or losing my balance. We then worked on a 1-2-slip-6, which sounds much easier than it is. I need to work on keeping my hand up as I slip, and try not too load up for the 6, or I'm going to get cracked. Last, we drilled a 1-2-3-roll-5. On the roll, it's important to keep your torso upright, and not tilted off to the side, because if you drift off axis, you have to correct it, and a good opponent will notice that and have a punch or two waiting for you when you do. We finished with flutter kicks and over unders, and it was time for kickboxing.

After jumping rope, we did a round of shadow boxing, and then partnered up. We worked on catching kicks, and then countering with punches. The partner holding focus mitts would throw a mid 10, and as the target of the kick, you slide away from the kick, bring your hand on that side around it in a circular motion trapping it between your arm and your body, but also dissipating the power of the kick by moving away from it. After catching the kick, you throw a straight with your free hand. After two rounds of that, we did two more, doubling up on the punches the second go around. The last drill we did was catching the kick, throwing the straight, and then tripping the opponent by stepping behind their still standing leg, and pushing them in the chest. There is also a transition to an ankle lock from here. When you push them to trip, you tighten your arm around their ankle as they fall down, and when they hit the mat, stand tall and arch your back. We finished with partner ab drills, and more planks, hooray!

Grappling was more shark tank, and is still one of my favorite drills. I managed to get a couple of subs I've never hit before. A twister, and a Peruvian necktie. As usual on shark tank days, I was exhausted, but pooped in a good way. I stayed to grapple for another 20 minutes or so, just because it's so damn fun.