Muay Thai Class 5

To my shock and amazement, Patrick not only showed up for class he showed up on time.

This is not something my side of the family (outside of Pop) is known for.

I was glad to see him, though. Sports are always more fun when you have family and friends around. Carrie and I cannot attend class together since one of us always has to watch Shane. Plus, I was happy to get Patrick out of his room and doing something physical and not electronic.

Patrick got to punch me in the face, so I think he enjoyed himself too!


Class started in the usual manner: stretching followed by some cardio to warm everyone up. The only difference was Coach was walking around in street clothes, so that he could film the Thai boxing event that was going to take place after class.

Afterwards, the class was split into two groups of three: the novices (with Patrick) and the not-totally-novices (which included yours truly). There was shadow boxing holding 5 lb weights (which sucked...I started trying to do more kicks since my arms started to die), followed by pad work (the odd person out had to plank or wall-sit until it was their turn), and then bag work (100 kicks...it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be when I realized it was 100 kicks total and not 100 kicks with each leg). It was a good workout, and I was feeling close to bushed by the end.

So how did I eat my brother's fist?

After all of the above, Coach paired up all of the more experienced people with a lesser experienced one. Patrick and I ended up as partners. The newbie's job was to be offensive and punch quick speed, 10% power at the more experienced partner. The more experienced partner (me) was supposed to practice defending and popping down punches.

If you've ever watched boxing, mixed martial arts, or any sort of striking you've probably heard the commentators mention 'rhythm' before. It's easy to know that boxers need it, but until you experience it it's hard to explain just how much rhythm matters.

The experienced student I worked with earlier was larger than me and punched quickly and compactly in combos. Patrick's punches came at me as if there was a slight delay as he thought about it. There would be a stutter and then he'd push the punch forward in a long motion. His punches weren't very fast. It was the opposite speed to power ratio I'd adjusted to earlier and it totally threw me off.

When Patrick threw the fated punch, I reacted too fast and made a great block if he was punching with his right. Too bad, he was throwing a left! My arm was down and it was the perfect opening. Thankfully, Patty wasn't going full power. I was near the end of his reach which allowed me to I lean back out of most of it. I still took a small whop on the nose for my troubles.

There was a small pause in the action as my brother apologized, but all's fair if I make a dumb mistake and no one's hurt. We got back to it. The gloves weren't helping me predict what Patty was going to throw. My gloves being up blocked part of my sight, and Patrick's gloves were positioned so I couldn't really see his shoulders to predict when he was going to punch (plus, he had a little 'stutter' action sometimes which I guess I was oversensitive to and acted like feints whether he intended to do so or not). Anyway, it just goes to show I still have a lot to learn (not that I didn't already know that). Coach gathered us up in a circle for some last minute cardio before calling it a day.

It was a fun class. I love doing a 'real' physical activity and the productive feeling that comes after it. Even the muscle soreness is something I like in sparing ("Pain is weakness leaving the body! JA?!").

Patrick said he enjoyed the workout as well. He plans on coming back from what I gathered. It was obvious he had an honest workout himself! During the final lineup, I noticed Patrick went missing. I figured he was in the bathroom or getting a drink of water. What he was really doing was playing 'Pukelina' in a garbage can outside.

Patrick came back and asked, "Hey coach, do you know where I can find a big trash can to empty the small one into?"

I look forward to Patrick coming again, because it'll push both of us to get in better shape. I wouldn't mind hitting him back one of these days when we're both better at Thai boxing, too! There's no hard feelings. It's all part and parcel of practice as long as everyone is in control and not swinging for the fences.

I'm sure Patrick wouldn't mind a repeat performance and tagging me again one day! Patty's young and has some spare time, so he may be able to get pretty good if he applies himself.