Oldnslo
10/22/2006, 09:24 PM
I took the first part of my black belt test Saturday.
The first thing was the 3-mile run. I ran a WAY pb of 23:24. Running sucks ***. Immediately following the run, we did 300 pushups. No, not all in one set. It was 10-20-30-40-50-50-40-30-20-10. Let me tell you what: I'd been doing 3 sets of 50 pushups every other morning for about the last couple of months. And by that second 40, I was toast. Chest. On. Fire.
We then got 2 hours off.
Once back on, we did some line drills. You remember that thread months ago where someone wanted to know how many 5-year olds you could beat up? And I talked about how much punching air takes out of you? That's what line drills are. Punching and kicking air.
Line drills over, now for the form. "Bushido" is a 72-move dance. Except you're supposed to move as if you're in a fight. More punching and kicking air!
And then on to sparring.
There were only 18 of us testing, so there was PLENTY of time for all the more senior black belts (every black belt who has ever graduated from Apollo's is invited to be present to test) to kick our asses. I don't even know how many rounds I went. I do know that someone took all of the oxygen out of the gym long before I was done with it.
After sparring, GROUND sparring. <sarcasm>my favorite!</sarcasm>. Nothing better than being bone tired and having some sweaty dude sprawling on you. For my second round, I drew Thomas "Thunderkick" Longacre. Now, I'm in pretty good shape for a 42 year old desk jockey. But Thunderkick is in pretty good shape for a champion kickboxer. It was sort of like wrestling with a big steel spring. Dude let me put him in a choke, just so he could escape and make me tap out. Thanks, Tom. Let me know when you need an attorney. By my last round of jiu-jitsu, I was pretty much a blob gasping for breath.
BUT WAIT! There's more!
One last round. One. Last. Round.
They put us in the ring with headgear and 16 oz. gloves. Now, you may think that just one measly pound for a glove is nothing. We usually work with 8 oz. gloves for bagwork and 12 oz. gloves for sparring. By the time we were in the ring with these mitts on, they felt like cinderblocks on my arms. I got in a couple of shots. Bloodied my opponent's nose, 'cause the dude was every bit as spent as I was and he had no defense left. I didn't mean to hit him like that, but I had no control. Neither did he, which is how he elbowed the side of my skull.
and then, that was that. Apollo put us back in our lines, thanked us for our work, and invited us to the graduation... where we again get to spar, ground spar, do a form, and break some boards. Which is why I won't be at the NASCAR race on the 4th.
From the back of my eyelids to the place my toenails attach to my feet, everything... Everything...
hurts.
The first thing was the 3-mile run. I ran a WAY pb of 23:24. Running sucks ***. Immediately following the run, we did 300 pushups. No, not all in one set. It was 10-20-30-40-50-50-40-30-20-10. Let me tell you what: I'd been doing 3 sets of 50 pushups every other morning for about the last couple of months. And by that second 40, I was toast. Chest. On. Fire.
We then got 2 hours off.
Once back on, we did some line drills. You remember that thread months ago where someone wanted to know how many 5-year olds you could beat up? And I talked about how much punching air takes out of you? That's what line drills are. Punching and kicking air.
Line drills over, now for the form. "Bushido" is a 72-move dance. Except you're supposed to move as if you're in a fight. More punching and kicking air!
And then on to sparring.
There were only 18 of us testing, so there was PLENTY of time for all the more senior black belts (every black belt who has ever graduated from Apollo's is invited to be present to test) to kick our asses. I don't even know how many rounds I went. I do know that someone took all of the oxygen out of the gym long before I was done with it.
After sparring, GROUND sparring. <sarcasm>my favorite!</sarcasm>. Nothing better than being bone tired and having some sweaty dude sprawling on you. For my second round, I drew Thomas "Thunderkick" Longacre. Now, I'm in pretty good shape for a 42 year old desk jockey. But Thunderkick is in pretty good shape for a champion kickboxer. It was sort of like wrestling with a big steel spring. Dude let me put him in a choke, just so he could escape and make me tap out. Thanks, Tom. Let me know when you need an attorney. By my last round of jiu-jitsu, I was pretty much a blob gasping for breath.
BUT WAIT! There's more!
One last round. One. Last. Round.
They put us in the ring with headgear and 16 oz. gloves. Now, you may think that just one measly pound for a glove is nothing. We usually work with 8 oz. gloves for bagwork and 12 oz. gloves for sparring. By the time we were in the ring with these mitts on, they felt like cinderblocks on my arms. I got in a couple of shots. Bloodied my opponent's nose, 'cause the dude was every bit as spent as I was and he had no defense left. I didn't mean to hit him like that, but I had no control. Neither did he, which is how he elbowed the side of my skull.
and then, that was that. Apollo put us back in our lines, thanked us for our work, and invited us to the graduation... where we again get to spar, ground spar, do a form, and break some boards. Which is why I won't be at the NASCAR race on the 4th.
From the back of my eyelids to the place my toenails attach to my feet, everything... Everything...
hurts.