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This week for Muay Thai was learning the art of knees, and pairing up for some half speed striking with other members of the class. It seems a daunting task, but then again when you're training at a martial arts gym you should probably expect to at some point hit somebody. The pairings are usually made in fairness, the younger kids pair off, and the women square off, after all we are all trained as men that hitting a woman is wrong ? I'm not sure if that counts when there's some women in a sparring session. Looking around a class of dedicated students, you realize one thing, everybody is actually absorbing these teachings, and with Jeff Curran and the other instructor Chuck dedicating so much time it makes it very easy. I'm not the most flexible guy on the planet, but watching them demonstrate makes me in the very least feel that I should attempt the strike.
Jiu-Jitsu had a bunch more tumbling going on to start off class, which my body is absolutely not designed to do; I see the demonstration and feel like I'm going to break something rolling onto a mat like that. The holds were well taught, and included managing your position from the top mount, and how to maneuver your opponent into a better position. Escaping a hold is not easy even on someone half your size, so I can't imagine how Big Nog felt trying to get Frank Mir off of his arm. The jiu-jitsu instructors are all under the umbrella of the great Pedro Sauer, and they are very thorough about teaching, observing and correcting it truly makes you more confident about what you're doing. There was also some demonstration and practice of how to properly execute a throw or two, and it was awfully fun to watch ? perhaps not so much to be on the receiving end of.
The classes are timed perfectly so on any given day someone could take both, but with my intense lack of stamina I would die before the end of a second class. Muay Thai is probably more taxing in general than the jiu-jitsu just because of the exercise that is snuck in, and the jump ropes ? good lord I hate jump ropes. I have become a huge fan of the treadmills in the gym for before or after classes as well, I generally do three miles, occasionally more, and I try to always burn a minimum of 500 calories. The second day I hit the treadmill I was halfway through my session and I was taking it nice and slow, walking at about three miles per hour when I heard the treadmill to my left start up. There was Bart Palaszewski running at full sprint for a good 15 minutes without breaking a sweat. Someday I hope to achieve the same ability ? I probably won't but it would be pretty nifty.
Often times when I get on the treadmill the pro and amateur fighters are getting started on their training and sparring sessions, so there is always some live entertainment to go along with my iPod playlist. If you're wondering what I listen to when I'm on the treadmill the answer is simple; a 658 song playlist that I have already gotten tired of. The gym is sort of a place of comfort now for me, I don't feel out of place jumping into a class or hopping onto the treadmill because there's a true sense of community amongst the students. Nobody is the lesser being, and each person will lend a hand to the others when they are in need. It's a welcome vibe, and it really gets you excited to go out and learn with these other open minds.
I've gotten a lot of messages on twitter from people who have been somewhat inspired by my attempt to go out and get in shape, and some are still a little hesitant to make that move, so let me give you all an extra push. I have had psoriatic arthritis for 18 years now; I was diagnosed at the age of 10 when I was an all-star baseball, basketball and football player in the town where I grew up. I spent the next three years being pumped full of prednisone through an IV drip weekly, and it made me violently sick each and every time. Eventually I changed doctors because all the medical steroid was eating away at my stomach lining and just making my quality of life at that age garbage ? and I was put on a number of anti inflammatory's which I am still on. I have had my knees drained, elbows drained, cortisone shots and undergone surgery on both knees and my right rotator cuff, yet here I am doing what I can to get in shape to make a better tomorrow.
It sounds like a sob story, but in the end I got real mature real fast from having to deal with things that you don't expect to mow you down when you're a kid. By the age of 15 I was back on the field, but in the end all the damage to my ligaments, tendons and even my bones was too much for my body to handle and I suffered a torn ACL on the football field, so I hung up my cleats back then. I am still affected by the arthritis, but since I have been coming to this gym to work out and learn, when I wake up in the morning my knees don't feel like they're fused together, I can jump out of bed. Carrying around 300+ pounds on a frame composed of non-fully functional joints is a major pain in the ass, and it's extremely unhealthy. That brings me back around to my motivation, and what helps me work through the pain and soreness in the gym, and this will hopefully motivate some of you to try the same.
Motivation is absolutely necessary in this environment, and I have the best motivation a man can ask for, and it's more than just learning. My amazing wife Jasmine and beautiful daughter Alisha were my original fuel to get up and do something to improve my overall health, but what really pushed me to the door was the pending birth of my second daughter Gabrielle who is due in April. When my daughter was born I was in the shape I am now, and I had a hard time keeping up with her and playing with her because my body was so hard to keep going for the whole day. Now I can play with her, wrestle, and chase her around ? and I will be able to with my second daughter too. That's my motivation; to be the best father and husband I can be, and if that can motivate any of you out there reading this to do the same, then my training blog has already started serving its purpose.
Make sure to follow me on twitter; @BradMMATorch
Also follow Team Curran; @TeamCurranMMA
Thanks for reading everybody, and feel free to let me know your thoughts!
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