headkicks

So odd the way I want to write about my martial arts classes lately.  It's not very interesting, even to me.  Something about my brain chemistry after class just seems to line up.  It's going well.  I wish it were easier to remember that before class.  I keep trying to go to more per week, but failing.  After about two classes a day, two days a week, my willpower seems to be depleted for the week.  It shouldn't take so much.

Sparring was strange tonight though.  A new type of class, where the instructor really emphasized wanting us to go light impact.  Then announcing rules that changed every round.  One person, no kicking.  The other, no punching.  Or what what he called Kyokushin style, no punches to the head, and no clinching - vs. no lead leg kicks.

When I was assigned "Kyokushin style," we were reminded that this does include head kicks.  I was feeling confident enough to try a few, something I haven't done in ten years.  Not only did they land, but fast and ridiculously gentle.  This is better than I used to be.

In the prior class, I'd been partnered with a man of substantial girth.  The instructor joked that those were some extra heavy kicks to be holding for, even with the heavy kicking shield.  Even seemed to watch me to make sure I'd be ok at one point.  Wasn't actually bad though.  Not that I'd want to get hit even once without the padding, but holding was fine.  

He was the latest person to be surprised at how hard I can hit, when it was my turn.  I've been getting better at this.  There's are so many little details to maximizing the amount of energy you can put into a strike.

I can finally do kip-ups again, too.  I'm almost 45.  Maybe getting older isn't such a catastrophe after all.