Everyone was KUNG FU Fighting

Jen and I did the second Self Defense seminar on Monday night. I was already tired from teaching Combat at noon hour, not to mention five plus hours of skating on Sunday (inline in the morning, ice in the evening).

It really brought home for me that I miss martial arts training at an intensive level a great deal. Afterwards Jen and I discussed different possibilites that we could pursue and what kinds of disciplines both of us would want to do together. If we do manage to find somewhere good (meaning a fun atmosphere with enthusiastic instructors) I suspect that something will have to go, and I believe that would have to be Climbing. Not that we've been climbing with any degree of intensity or regularity in the past few years. We haven't even been climbing outdoors in the past two years, and only went out once the year before that.

What was also very clear is how rusty I am in certain aspects and how many bad habits I've picked up just doing Kickboxing on a purely fitness level. We only covered some very simple basics during the seminar, like knees, elbows, palm strikes and I don't have anywhere near the precision I once had. I can't even imagine attempting more complex moves like locks, traps, grappling or even something like a hook kick or spinning jump kick. I'm sure that my flexibility has been compromised as well which no doubt will be an issue.

Tanya had given me passes for classes at Florida Jack's Boxing Gym just before Christmas as a reward for helping her with the posters and Body Combat Schedule. Jen wants to try it out. I'm not 100% how I feel about that. It's been almost a half dozen years since I trained there, and I have to admit after hearing about Jack's untimely death a few months ago, to being suprised that the gym is still open under new management. If we do go, I wonder how it will feel to be back in that gym. It won't be the smelly old-school style boxing gym like the original space above the Burger King that Tara and i first wandered into. I'm sure they are courting a more upscale and more female clientelle these days given the amount they are charging for a membership. Four years of Boxing workouts at Florida Jack's really gave me a degree of confidence that I didn't have before. I went from the worst shape I had ever been after a year sitting behind my first desk job, to being in the best shape I had ever been previously. It's there that I actually began building any kind of muscle mass. I met some great people and have very fond memories, even though I lost my enthusiasm towards the end. I can't see myself really going back to Florida Jack's on a regular basis. I wonder how Jack's son JJ is doing?

Florida Jack's also introduced me to kickboxing with Scott and Ginesse, and their Savate based style. According to Kathy, they still practice out of that Church in the Annex a couple of days a week. I should look into that for Jen and I to go check out.

The seminar also brought back memories of training with Dale and his integrated combat system. I can't help but think that I could have worked harder and spent less time goofing off had I known Dale was dying of cancer. Less than two years of martial arts training with him as my teacher, but I learned so much from him. I really enjoyed all the different disciplines I got to practice at ICS. Muy Thai and Kali (Philipino Stick Fighting) were my favourites. Dale was just so incredibly passionate about teaching that I guess I kind of lost my enthusiasm for martial arts training after that. The one of two other places that I tried out just didn't feel the same. Kathy and I went to the Hun Gar place in the Chinatown community centre that was offering lessons for free, but it just was a bit too old-school for me... not as practical as what Dale was teaching us. Banging your forearms together to toughen them was one thing, but Dale was all about showing us how to take a knife away from an assailant.

Then there was the Capoeira course that I took last winter. That was interesting, and showed how unco-ordinated I am and how much I lack any kind of rhythm. Jen and I could go over to the school at Dufferin and Bloor to try out a class and see how she likes it. It is cool that Body Combat is integrating Capoiera moves, which have been for for me.


Again, I have to ask myself, if I start training in Martial Arts at my previous level of intensity, will this divide my focus even more once again? I guess some people like to devote themselves completely to one thing and master that one thing. I've found myself to be the kind of person who dabbles in a bit of everything. I'm not getting younger and my body seems to be able to handle less and less these days without some kind of rest intervals between workouts.



SOME OF THE THINGS I NEED TO WORK ON...

Not holding my breath. This is common with many of the physical activities I undertake, particularly noticible in climbing. Also: avoid Closing My Eyes!!!

Relaxing. Keeping loose. With all the Karate and other showey moves in Body Combat, I really am tensing up quite a bit and not flowing enough in the manner that Dale's drills taught me.

Keep the hands up! A good tip was when you are in a situation with the potential to escalate, talk with your hands so that they are ready to block and strike if you need to, yet still open and neutral instead of closed fist, tense and threatening. Body Language is important, to be able to read it and respond to it.