hey teacher

Head instructor is out this week, so he had a student teach his class tonight. In turn, she asked me to roll with the brand new guy, to teach him some basics. I was nervous, and fumbled a bit looking for approval, and joking about not being a teacher.. but I actually did pretty well. I taught some simple important moves that beginners should know. I went through positions and transitions competently enough to provide examples.

Then I rolled with this other new guy. He's been going a few months, but still pretty new. He outweighed me by quite a bit and went pretty hard, struggling, grunting, gasping for breath. I got him with an armbar, then opted to be less aggressive, as we continued for the rest of the round. I was pretty relaxed. I couldn't beat him easily or anything like that, but I wasn't struggling just to survive, either.

This was at the end of the second hour class, following a tough kickboxing workout. Most students do one or the other. Only a few do both. For me, the hardest part is getting out the door. Once I'm there, might as well push myself until I can barely limp home. I've been holding up for the time being.

Working out all pandemic really paid off. It's taken some time to shake off the rust, and then deal with the medical stuff, but I feel like I'm doing much better than I was two years ago. I'm not struggling to keep up with these young kids. My training partners are sometimes struggling to keep up with me.

That said, I might not be able to walk tomorrow.