Shane likes to say the word "Kitty." He's much better with the letter "T" than "K."
So much so, his "K" sounds more like a "T" sometimes.
I'm waiting for the day he shocks someone in public. It'll be a funny facial expression.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Nostalgia: How I Met My Wife (Long)
Carrie and I met electronically before we ever met in person.
Nana was half-convinced I was gay. She was concerned that I didn't go on many dates or seem to chase after many women. I must have given her other reasons to worry too, since she tried to check my computer for 'naked animals' once.
I digress. Maybe I exaggerate some as well, but it's good storytelling (sorry, Nana!).
My mother is not shy to speak her mind. Several times, Nana would offer to sign me up for eHarmony or introduce me to someone she met at church. Me, being a prideful young male, did not want any maternal help in romance. I actually dated a couple of girls I never told Mom about, but she was right that I wasn't dating very often or chasing after many women. I like to think that I was discriminating, but I also had a habit of getting friend-zoned or falling for an unattainable girl and losing the interest to chase anyone else. I've always been a one-woman kind of man.
Unfortunately, I was having a lot of trouble finding a woman who met all of my criteria. Bars did not hold what I sought, and I wasn't bumping into any geeky, athletic, Christian beauties at my church either. When I knew I was moving out of my parents' house, I signed up for eHarmony on the sly. I was too prideful to tell anyone and it was my little secret. I figured that it would be a fun experience and A) I would probably have some goofy stories from goofy dates (because who needs help and signs up for online dating anyway?) or B) maybe it would actually work and I'd meet the 'right one.'
I was incredibly skeptical. Prideful too, looking back, but that's always been something I've had to watch.
I talked to several women on eHarmony, and it seemed almost like a dating game. It was a better service than I thought. I always had trouble lowering my guard to express the desire that I needed someone, but by signing up I was meeting people who were also interested in a serious relationship by default. I talked to some interesting people online and even set up a meeting with one girl that was promising online.
Carrie's match was delivered on June 27th, 2008.
Nana was half-convinced I was gay. She was concerned that I didn't go on many dates or seem to chase after many women. I must have given her other reasons to worry too, since she tried to check my computer for 'naked animals' once.
I digress. Maybe I exaggerate some as well, but it's good storytelling (sorry, Nana!).
My mother is not shy to speak her mind. Several times, Nana would offer to sign me up for eHarmony or introduce me to someone she met at church. Me, being a prideful young male, did not want any maternal help in romance. I actually dated a couple of girls I never told Mom about, but she was right that I wasn't dating very often or chasing after many women. I like to think that I was discriminating, but I also had a habit of getting friend-zoned or falling for an unattainable girl and losing the interest to chase anyone else. I've always been a one-woman kind of man.
Unfortunately, I was having a lot of trouble finding a woman who met all of my criteria. Bars did not hold what I sought, and I wasn't bumping into any geeky, athletic, Christian beauties at my church either. When I knew I was moving out of my parents' house, I signed up for eHarmony on the sly. I was too prideful to tell anyone and it was my little secret. I figured that it would be a fun experience and A) I would probably have some goofy stories from goofy dates (because who needs help and signs up for online dating anyway?) or B) maybe it would actually work and I'd meet the 'right one.'
I was incredibly skeptical. Prideful too, looking back, but that's always been something I've had to watch.
I talked to several women on eHarmony, and it seemed almost like a dating game. It was a better service than I thought. I always had trouble lowering my guard to express the desire that I needed someone, but by signing up I was meeting people who were also interested in a serious relationship by default. I talked to some interesting people online and even set up a meeting with one girl that was promising online.
Carrie's match was delivered on June 27th, 2008.
Weight Loss!?
I can tell school's in session, because I've already lost a couple pounds. I walk many miles during the day trying to be exciting for the students and walking from classroom to classroom. Plus, my lunch ended up in a locked room a couple of times at the beginning of the week.
No food = no calories.
My school lunches aren't exactly calorie rich either. I eat Lean Pockets all year round. They're a dirt cheap, easy-to-store, quick-to-make, hot lunch. I just cram a bunch into a staff freezer and I'm set for a while. My mornings are normally busy enough I don't want to take the time to make something cold.
Wait. Why Lean Pockets, you ask? They taste better!
Hot Pockets are too greasy or something for me. This is probably the only time you will ever hear me pronounce that a diet version of something tastes much better than the 'real deal. The downside is that I cannot even LOOK at them over the summer.
Thursday was also Back-To-School-Night and staying at work until after 9 PM is a good way to burn calories. I was bad and ate at Burger King for linner (Lunch + Dinner) and got a reminder that my intestines are not as young as they used to be.
This will all change once I stock up on candy and treats in my room. I have a bad habit of munching.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
School's in Session
Nana asked if Carrie took a "Back to School" picture of me the other day.
Nope!
School is in session, though. The needs this year are different than in previous years, so I'm going to have to modify a lot of my materials. To some degree, I do that every year, but this year will be markedly different. I'm not going to post about any of my kids or exact needs up here, because the internet is forever. Plus, "the e in email is for evidence." That's something I heard last year, but they're saying it even more this year. I assume that applies to blog posts, too. Confidentiality is the name of the game in my world.
Still, it looks like it could be a very good year. My class sizes are more balanced, I have support in one of them, and just maybe I can make a difference.
Teachers salivate at that phrase: "make a difference." Watch just about any teacher motivational video and you'll hear it. Its what we all want to do on some level. Even the most jaded, lazy, or misguided teacher wants to think that some student somewhere will attribute some success to their teaching or personality.
Hopefully, I'll be a teacher who does make a difference in at least one of my students' lives this year.
Nope!
School is in session, though. The needs this year are different than in previous years, so I'm going to have to modify a lot of my materials. To some degree, I do that every year, but this year will be markedly different. I'm not going to post about any of my kids or exact needs up here, because the internet is forever. Plus, "the e in email is for evidence." That's something I heard last year, but they're saying it even more this year. I assume that applies to blog posts, too. Confidentiality is the name of the game in my world.
Still, it looks like it could be a very good year. My class sizes are more balanced, I have support in one of them, and just maybe I can make a difference.
Teachers salivate at that phrase: "make a difference." Watch just about any teacher motivational video and you'll hear it. Its what we all want to do on some level. Even the most jaded, lazy, or misguided teacher wants to think that some student somewhere will attribute some success to their teaching or personality.
Hopefully, I'll be a teacher who does make a difference in at least one of my students' lives this year.
Shane and the Medicine Miracle
Shane is finally taking medicine in a manner which doesn't involve a two-man team and barfing. He still thrashes, but once you get him pinned down he will actually swallow the medicine instead of trying to spit it out or gagging on it when he cries.
This is a miracle.
I had to watch Shane all on my lonesome for five days while Carrie was out of town. In the past, I'd solo hold him down and give him medicine, but it was a messy affair. I much prefer to mask the meds in a small bottle and avoid the fight. The last round of antibiotics had a very strong smell (and I guess a strong taste) and Shane refused any med bottle proffered. We had to get the meds in him, so the syringe battles commenced. Thank God, by day 3 of 10 Shane decided to cooperate partly. I just have to pin him down (he's a strong and thrashy little booger), stick the syringe in and say "Sip."
Maybe he likes the taste. Maybe he realizes resistance is futile.
Either way, Shane's taking meds easier now.
I hope he doesn't forget how to cooperate the next time a prescription is issued.
This is a miracle.
I had to watch Shane all on my lonesome for five days while Carrie was out of town. In the past, I'd solo hold him down and give him medicine, but it was a messy affair. I much prefer to mask the meds in a small bottle and avoid the fight. The last round of antibiotics had a very strong smell (and I guess a strong taste) and Shane refused any med bottle proffered. We had to get the meds in him, so the syringe battles commenced. Thank God, by day 3 of 10 Shane decided to cooperate partly. I just have to pin him down (he's a strong and thrashy little booger), stick the syringe in and say "Sip."
Maybe he likes the taste. Maybe he realizes resistance is futile.
Either way, Shane's taking meds easier now.
I hope he doesn't forget how to cooperate the next time a prescription is issued.
Monday, September 3, 2012
I'm Looking Forward to Work. Really.
Last Monday was my first official day to report in. I came by the school the week before for a training and the parking lot was already half full.
How do you a know a school is full of over-achieving staff? The parking lot is half full before anyone is paid to be there.
I really like my school. I feel like I work with a group of dedicated, high-quality teachers. Our custodial crew keeps earning awards for how clean they keep the school, and our admin team is probably one of the best in the county. No, things are not perfect, but by comparison there's not many schools of a similar caliber in my opinion. There was the one AP who I felt had an unwarranted low opinion of my ability last year, but I felt like that changed with my performance. Plus, she saved a kid's life with CPR at one point during the year. That warrants some respect.
I knew that I was excited about going back to work when 5:00 PM came around on Monday and it still felt like early afternoon. I love my home, but I need variety in my life. Getting up and going to work with 120 other adults and 1400 kids provides that spice of life nicely.
My friends and I used to joke that we'd be happy being house husbands married to a sugar momma. We were "a-okay with doing housework, eating bonbons, and lifting weights to make ourselves pretty!"
As I said briefly once before, being a stay-at-home parent is not the racket I once thought it was. If Shane was in school and I could work on whatever 'projects' I wanted to, it'd be one thing. For now, he requires constant supervision and play time which prevents me from doing other projects. I like to do one thing for a little while, switch to another task, and switch back as my attention wanders. Teaching is good for me in that way, because I'm constantly seeing different people or I teach one subject and switch to another afterwards.
I'm very curious what I'll think of this blog post if I reread it later in the year. Teaching always feels like a sprint to me. Before the whistle blows, you're amped up, maybe a little nervous, and ready to go. You pour your energy in as you start to accelerate and hit your stride. Your energy starts to flag towards the end of the race and you can feel the burn in your muscles until you stumble across the finish line exhausted.
Thank God for summer.
Shane's napping and I took a short break before working on some PowerPoint slides and planning. I figured I'd write this up real quick, because I don't know how frequent my posting will be once the school daze begins. From what I can tell, the population I'm going to work with this year is going to be a different breed of needs than normal. I'll probably have to modify most of my material. I won't know for sure until I really get to know the kids, though.
That's tomorrow!
How do you a know a school is full of over-achieving staff? The parking lot is half full before anyone is paid to be there.
I really like my school. I feel like I work with a group of dedicated, high-quality teachers. Our custodial crew keeps earning awards for how clean they keep the school, and our admin team is probably one of the best in the county. No, things are not perfect, but by comparison there's not many schools of a similar caliber in my opinion. There was the one AP who I felt had an unwarranted low opinion of my ability last year, but I felt like that changed with my performance. Plus, she saved a kid's life with CPR at one point during the year. That warrants some respect.
I knew that I was excited about going back to work when 5:00 PM came around on Monday and it still felt like early afternoon. I love my home, but I need variety in my life. Getting up and going to work with 120 other adults and 1400 kids provides that spice of life nicely.
My friends and I used to joke that we'd be happy being house husbands married to a sugar momma. We were "a-okay with doing housework, eating bonbons, and lifting weights to make ourselves pretty!"
As I said briefly once before, being a stay-at-home parent is not the racket I once thought it was. If Shane was in school and I could work on whatever 'projects' I wanted to, it'd be one thing. For now, he requires constant supervision and play time which prevents me from doing other projects. I like to do one thing for a little while, switch to another task, and switch back as my attention wanders. Teaching is good for me in that way, because I'm constantly seeing different people or I teach one subject and switch to another afterwards.
I'm very curious what I'll think of this blog post if I reread it later in the year. Teaching always feels like a sprint to me. Before the whistle blows, you're amped up, maybe a little nervous, and ready to go. You pour your energy in as you start to accelerate and hit your stride. Your energy starts to flag towards the end of the race and you can feel the burn in your muscles until you stumble across the finish line exhausted.
Thank God for summer.
Shane's napping and I took a short break before working on some PowerPoint slides and planning. I figured I'd write this up real quick, because I don't know how frequent my posting will be once the school daze begins. From what I can tell, the population I'm going to work with this year is going to be a different breed of needs than normal. I'll probably have to modify most of my material. I won't know for sure until I really get to know the kids, though.
That's tomorrow!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Missing My Wife
Carrie's been gone at her cousin's wedding since Thursday. Dan was nice enough to let her borrow the corvette, and I know she's having fun with it. I got a text Thursday morning saying "I WANT ONE!!!!!"
I've been blessed with a lot of family time and visits while Carrie's been away, but I'm ready for her to get home. Life's little moments are more fun when your partner is around to share them.
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Love ya, Carrie.
I've been blessed with a lot of family time and visits while Carrie's been away, but I'm ready for her to get home. Life's little moments are more fun when your partner is around to share them.
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Love ya, Carrie.
The Wedding
NOTE: I started writing this the day after the wedding (August 20th) and it's already September. It's for me dangerous to start a post and then "save it for later." My brain registers work as being done and I lose my sense of urgency. Before you know it, it's September 2nd and I still haven't done a wedding post. This is also in part because it was an AMAZING wedding and that means I have to do an AMAZING blog post to do it justice.
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The wedding was held at a historic mansion in Leesburg. It was a beautiful sight, and apparently right next to the biggest horse grounds in VA. I like being able to see open country, rollings roads, and trees when I drive. Instead of giving my wife directions, I should have said "Next to Morven Park" and she'd have known the way. I missed the setup to visit with MomMom, so everything was looking prepped and ready when I arrived. The chairs and cushions were outside overlooking the rolling hills. Sound equipment was being set up under the open sky.
Too bad the rain clouds didn't get the memo. A low drizzle started and guests were already seated when the coordinator made the call to switch to plan B. Rain wasn't in Matt and Renee's plans, but God's plans are different than ours. I have to say, I think it turned out for the best (Go God!).
I thought the sound of the rain was nice and calming. Plus, Matt and Renee (being very spiritual people) had woven an aspect of worship into their ceremony. The storm wasn't powerful enough to be frightening, but it was powerful enough to serve as a reminder of how small we humans are in the scheme of things. I found it appropriately humbling. Plus, the rain cleared up in time for dancing and the other festivities! Sometimes, the best thing that can happen to a scripted event is for something to go wrong (and not be so bad), so that everyone doesn't spend the whole event hoping nothing goes wrong. I think that Matt and Renee ended up being very happy with how things went despite the rain. They were all smiles and laughter and looked every bit the happy couple.
On a side note, the shoe game was hilarious. At the reception, Matt and Renee had to sit back to back in front of the crowd and hold one of their shoes and one of their new spouses. From there, they were asked all sorts of questions from trivia ("Who's neater?) to embarrassing fun ("Who's going to go to sleep first tonight?") The two were really in synch and if their high score is any indication it's going to be a long and fruitful marriage.
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Congratulations to Matt and Renee!
My brother and his fiancé are now a married pair. Soon they will take off to North Carolina to begin their new life and new jobs together. Carrie and I wish them nothing but the best! My wife sent me a text this morning saying “listen to 91.9 as you drive!” She had called the station and did a shout out for the wedding. Sadly, my phone was off and I missed the announcement, but my wife was stoked.
Weddings are a great time to catch up with old friends and family. I had Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, and Grandmothers galore to catch up with. Grandma flew in from Nebraska. The Most of the Carolina Crew made it up as well! Also, Matt and I used to run in some of the same circles before he went away for college, so lots of my friends were in attendance.
The wedding was held at a historic mansion in Leesburg. It was a beautiful sight, and apparently right next to the biggest horse grounds in VA. I like being able to see open country, rollings roads, and trees when I drive. Instead of giving my wife directions, I should have said "Next to Morven Park" and she'd have known the way. I missed the setup to visit with MomMom, so everything was looking prepped and ready when I arrived. The chairs and cushions were outside overlooking the rolling hills. Sound equipment was being set up under the open sky.
Too bad the rain clouds didn't get the memo. A low drizzle started and guests were already seated when the coordinator made the call to switch to plan B. Rain wasn't in Matt and Renee's plans, but God's plans are different than ours. I have to say, I think it turned out for the best (Go God!).
I thought the sound of the rain was nice and calming. Plus, Matt and Renee (being very spiritual people) had woven an aspect of worship into their ceremony. The storm wasn't powerful enough to be frightening, but it was powerful enough to serve as a reminder of how small we humans are in the scheme of things. I found it appropriately humbling. Plus, the rain cleared up in time for dancing and the other festivities! Sometimes, the best thing that can happen to a scripted event is for something to go wrong (and not be so bad), so that everyone doesn't spend the whole event hoping nothing goes wrong. I think that Matt and Renee ended up being very happy with how things went despite the rain. They were all smiles and laughter and looked every bit the happy couple.
On a side note, the shoe game was hilarious. At the reception, Matt and Renee had to sit back to back in front of the crowd and hold one of their shoes and one of their new spouses. From there, they were asked all sorts of questions from trivia ("Who's neater?) to embarrassing fun ("Who's going to go to sleep first tonight?") The two were really in synch and if their high score is any indication it's going to be a long and fruitful marriage.
Some takeaways from the wedding:
Saturday, September 1, 2012
One Ring to Bind Them...
Note: Last Monday night was an emotional one. I did not want to post this story right away, because of that. However, now that some time has passed I got the go ahead from my wife.
Saturday is my day for kickboxing. Monday is Carrie's.
The routine is only in its second week, but hopefully it keeps up. My day puts Muay Thai class hopefully in the middle of Shane's nap time. Carrie's class time ends after Shane's usually tucked in and sleeping.
So there I was on Monday night sitting at the computer. Shane was sleeping, and I was waiting for Carrie to get home to tell me what she learned. An hour passed and Carrie should have been home. I was starting to get worried, but I guessed class had run over, or Carrie had stayed after to chat, or some other simple explanation would fit the bill.
When I heard a car door shut in the garage, I popped up to go see my wife. I opened the door, and my heart sunk. Tears streamed down my wife's face and she ran up to hug me. I didn't know if she was hurt or if someone had tried to hurt her or what happened. It was a scary moment. Through the tears, Carrie told me her rings were missing.
It's not polite to punch people with metal pointy objects on your hands. Carrie's engagement rings protrudes from her finger, so she has to take off her rings when she wraps her hands. Normally, she hangs them on her necklace, but she was rushing and something went wrong. After class, she went to put on her rings and noticed they were missing. Coach and Carrie scoured the room. Carrie talked to the staff, too.
I was relieved. My worst fear was that someone had hurt Carrie and my second worst fear was that Carrie had hurt herself. In my eyes, I married a woman and not a ring. The rings are a shiny and pretty symbol, but they have no value to me beyond that (people before things, always).
Carrie was far more attached. She wanted her "Stay the hell away from me! I'm happily married!" symbols back (her words! ha ha). What can I say? My wife really loves me. I'm very blessed in that department.
Once the emotions had passed, we turned in and Carrie talked to insurance Tuesday. She ended up filing a police report, and found the insurance/appraisal forms for her rings. I asked around at the gym today, but the rings still had not turned up. I hope that they will, but if they don't insurance will help out (which is nice, because otherwise I might have pushed for cheaper rings and I don't know how well that would've turned out).
Carrie bought some super cheap fakes that look similar until we figure out the ring situation. She presented them to me and I re-proposed before she wore them. They fit nicely into the ring shaped groove on Carrie's finger.
Saturday is my day for kickboxing. Monday is Carrie's.
The routine is only in its second week, but hopefully it keeps up. My day puts Muay Thai class hopefully in the middle of Shane's nap time. Carrie's class time ends after Shane's usually tucked in and sleeping.
So there I was on Monday night sitting at the computer. Shane was sleeping, and I was waiting for Carrie to get home to tell me what she learned. An hour passed and Carrie should have been home. I was starting to get worried, but I guessed class had run over, or Carrie had stayed after to chat, or some other simple explanation would fit the bill.
When I heard a car door shut in the garage, I popped up to go see my wife. I opened the door, and my heart sunk. Tears streamed down my wife's face and she ran up to hug me. I didn't know if she was hurt or if someone had tried to hurt her or what happened. It was a scary moment. Through the tears, Carrie told me her rings were missing.
It's not polite to punch people with metal pointy objects on your hands. Carrie's engagement rings protrudes from her finger, so she has to take off her rings when she wraps her hands. Normally, she hangs them on her necklace, but she was rushing and something went wrong. After class, she went to put on her rings and noticed they were missing. Coach and Carrie scoured the room. Carrie talked to the staff, too.
I was relieved. My worst fear was that someone had hurt Carrie and my second worst fear was that Carrie had hurt herself. In my eyes, I married a woman and not a ring. The rings are a shiny and pretty symbol, but they have no value to me beyond that (people before things, always).
Carrie was far more attached. She wanted her "Stay the hell away from me! I'm happily married!" symbols back (her words! ha ha). What can I say? My wife really loves me. I'm very blessed in that department.
Once the emotions had passed, we turned in and Carrie talked to insurance Tuesday. She ended up filing a police report, and found the insurance/appraisal forms for her rings. I asked around at the gym today, but the rings still had not turned up. I hope that they will, but if they don't insurance will help out (which is nice, because otherwise I might have pushed for cheaper rings and I don't know how well that would've turned out).
Carrie bought some super cheap fakes that look similar until we figure out the ring situation. She presented them to me and I re-proposed before she wore them. They fit nicely into the ring shaped groove on Carrie's finger.
Muay Thai -- The second class
Thanks to my sister volunteering to babysit, I was able to go to my second kickboxing class today. Around 11:30 AM Kathleen showed up with baby Cole, Jama, and Nana! This was going to be a team-effort babysitting.
One of Jama's first comments was "Mike, you didn't need to go to any trouble to pick up for your sister."
I didn't. That's what Jama was pointing out.
"Nope! She gets to see the house in it's natural state!" I said. We all had a laugh at that. You see, Shane loves to dump toys and books out whenever I put them up. He even gets a kick out of opening the bottom drawers of his dresser and pulling all the clothes out while I shovel the back in. It's something of a game for him. I try not to partake and pick up after he sleeps.
After the babysitting unit was settled, I grabbed Carrie's gloves and wraps and headed out. I was doubly excited for class, because I started the week thinking I couldn't go.
Turns out it was a private lesson.
Last week, there were 8 students. This week, I was it. I guess everyone else was out for the long weekend. If I hadn't shown up, I bet Coach would've been pissed he had an empty room! It turned out to be great for me.
Private lessons are expensive. I don't know what Muay Thai/MMA's going rates are, but in BJJ $50 bucks and hour was considered cheap for a purple belt years ago. I paid for a couple of lessons from a brown belt before a tournament for $70 or $80 back in the days of too much disposable income(I think).
Two hours of private Muay Thai instruction for just showing up and getting free childcare back at home: NICE!!
The day was filled with trying to learn fundamentals. All sports have a basic set of tasks that you need to do without thinking about them. Failure to do them automatically prevents you from learning more complex tasks and learning to do them wrongly leaves gaps in your skill set. In a large class, an instructor cannot watch the beginners exclusively, so they may find natural ways to compensate for harder tasks when attention is not on them. If not caught, this leads to bad habits that need to be unlearned at a later date.
Having two hours of Coach watching my every move has left me with a much better understanding of how different Muay Thai is from what I know. I learned a lot and learned that I still had way more to learn. At the least, I learned enough to make watching a UFC fight more interesting. I asked a lot of "Why?" questions, and Coach had all of the answers. I just hope that I can remember everything for next week!
We started off with stance do's, dont's, and whys (at least, we did after I got another hand wrapping lesson). From there, we transitioned into how to protect myself when throwing punches and drilled 1s, 2s, and 3s. The drills started with mitts and transitioned to bag work (which is new to me). After watching me drill on the bag, we'd move to the mirrors, Coach would have me watch myself and we'd transition back to mitts again. After doing arm work, I got a lesson in how to kick Muay Thai style and the drilling started over again.
We talked theory the whole time (which I love). I find the science of body mechanics and the small, seemingly insignificant details which make worlds of difference fascinating. Coach has been doing this for all but a couple years of his life, so he knows a lot. From his little quarter-speed demos I learned that this man could kill me. If I had a gun and the element of surprise the story might be different, but I'd never want to fight him fair. Normally, I feel very confident of my ability to defend myself, because of my grappling ability. Coach is shorter than me, but much broader and has thighs the size of my chest. Maybe some of his fights are online somewhere, so I can see him in action.
Things to practice during the week:
Everything!
Hand-wrapping - this is something I can do without actually working out.
Stance - Elbows down, chin down, shoulders rolled up and forward, hands up in the green to yellow zone making small inward circles, hips forward, feet slightly angled out, slight bend in the knees, and standing with my heels "a paper-width off the ground."
Punching - Always "look down the barrel." Keep the other hand up for protection. Use hips and feet and not so much the arm strength. Pop don't push the mitt.
Kicking - Swing like a baseball bat. No bend in the knee. Start with a small outward step. Keep the kicking leg's hand out for place and range-finding. Always follow through with kicks. I should do a full circle unless something stops me (aka the bag or my opponent). Coach also wanted me to work some on my off leg kicking because I had a harder time with balance on that leg (even though it was kicking with my right I once spun in a circle and slipped off my feet! ha! Everyone starts somewhere).
So yeah, I have a lot to think about and work on. I'll try to do some shadow boxing at some point. Video games are fun, but it's hard to match the thrill of a physical sport when you feel like you're making gains. I want to get better.
PS - What are the 1s, 2s and 3s? There are apparently 6 basic punches.
1 = Jab (forward hand - left for me since I'm a right hander)
2 = Thrust (back hand - "Power in the back!" as Coach said)
3 = Forward hand hook
4 = Back hand hook
5 = Forward hand uppercut
6 = Back hand uppercut
I'm right handed, so I'm supposed to stand left foot forward and right hand back. Coach said ambidexterity "is great" but start with the basics before getting funky (and I agree).
I'm a ways away from clinch work, but eventually elbows and knees get factored in and ranges will change. This art wasn't refined over hundreds of years with nothing to show for it.
One of Jama's first comments was "Mike, you didn't need to go to any trouble to pick up for your sister."
I didn't. That's what Jama was pointing out.
"Nope! She gets to see the house in it's natural state!" I said. We all had a laugh at that. You see, Shane loves to dump toys and books out whenever I put them up. He even gets a kick out of opening the bottom drawers of his dresser and pulling all the clothes out while I shovel the back in. It's something of a game for him. I try not to partake and pick up after he sleeps.
After the babysitting unit was settled, I grabbed Carrie's gloves and wraps and headed out. I was doubly excited for class, because I started the week thinking I couldn't go.
Turns out it was a private lesson.
Last week, there were 8 students. This week, I was it. I guess everyone else was out for the long weekend. If I hadn't shown up, I bet Coach would've been pissed he had an empty room! It turned out to be great for me.
Private lessons are expensive. I don't know what Muay Thai/MMA's going rates are, but in BJJ $50 bucks and hour was considered cheap for a purple belt years ago. I paid for a couple of lessons from a brown belt before a tournament for $70 or $80 back in the days of too much disposable income(I think).
Two hours of private Muay Thai instruction for just showing up and getting free childcare back at home: NICE!!
The day was filled with trying to learn fundamentals. All sports have a basic set of tasks that you need to do without thinking about them. Failure to do them automatically prevents you from learning more complex tasks and learning to do them wrongly leaves gaps in your skill set. In a large class, an instructor cannot watch the beginners exclusively, so they may find natural ways to compensate for harder tasks when attention is not on them. If not caught, this leads to bad habits that need to be unlearned at a later date.
Having two hours of Coach watching my every move has left me with a much better understanding of how different Muay Thai is from what I know. I learned a lot and learned that I still had way more to learn. At the least, I learned enough to make watching a UFC fight more interesting. I asked a lot of "Why?" questions, and Coach had all of the answers. I just hope that I can remember everything for next week!
We started off with stance do's, dont's, and whys (at least, we did after I got another hand wrapping lesson). From there, we transitioned into how to protect myself when throwing punches and drilled 1s, 2s, and 3s. The drills started with mitts and transitioned to bag work (which is new to me). After watching me drill on the bag, we'd move to the mirrors, Coach would have me watch myself and we'd transition back to mitts again. After doing arm work, I got a lesson in how to kick Muay Thai style and the drilling started over again.
We talked theory the whole time (which I love). I find the science of body mechanics and the small, seemingly insignificant details which make worlds of difference fascinating. Coach has been doing this for all but a couple years of his life, so he knows a lot. From his little quarter-speed demos I learned that this man could kill me. If I had a gun and the element of surprise the story might be different, but I'd never want to fight him fair. Normally, I feel very confident of my ability to defend myself, because of my grappling ability. Coach is shorter than me, but much broader and has thighs the size of my chest. Maybe some of his fights are online somewhere, so I can see him in action.
Things to practice during the week:
Everything!
Hand-wrapping - this is something I can do without actually working out.
Stance - Elbows down, chin down, shoulders rolled up and forward, hands up in the green to yellow zone making small inward circles, hips forward, feet slightly angled out, slight bend in the knees, and standing with my heels "a paper-width off the ground."
Punching - Always "look down the barrel." Keep the other hand up for protection. Use hips and feet and not so much the arm strength. Pop don't push the mitt.
Kicking - Swing like a baseball bat. No bend in the knee. Start with a small outward step. Keep the kicking leg's hand out for place and range-finding. Always follow through with kicks. I should do a full circle unless something stops me (aka the bag or my opponent). Coach also wanted me to work some on my off leg kicking because I had a harder time with balance on that leg (even though it was kicking with my right I once spun in a circle and slipped off my feet! ha! Everyone starts somewhere).
So yeah, I have a lot to think about and work on. I'll try to do some shadow boxing at some point. Video games are fun, but it's hard to match the thrill of a physical sport when you feel like you're making gains. I want to get better.
PS - What are the 1s, 2s and 3s? There are apparently 6 basic punches.
1 = Jab (forward hand - left for me since I'm a right hander)
2 = Thrust (back hand - "Power in the back!" as Coach said)
3 = Forward hand hook
4 = Back hand hook
5 = Forward hand uppercut
6 = Back hand uppercut
I'm right handed, so I'm supposed to stand left foot forward and right hand back. Coach said ambidexterity "is great" but start with the basics before getting funky (and I agree).
I'm a ways away from clinch work, but eventually elbows and knees get factored in and ranges will change. This art wasn't refined over hundreds of years with nothing to show for it.
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