First free sparring

It is a true pleasure to get out and spar for the first time with the advice and wisdom of two dan grades to spur you on. I was really nervous prior to the sparring but I watched my son do so well that it encouraged me to try my best. I found it completely different to a normal up and down practice and not altogether painless but much more rewarding that striking thin air.

My fighting style is that of a bull standing in the middle of a field recovering from a stroke. I am completely left sided and I struggle to believe that I would punch or kick anything with my limp, wet lettuce of a right hand/foot. I am extremely devoid of coordinated movement on the right hand side of my body. I will resolve to try and practice more with my right side than my left.

I really was very proud of my son tonight for his going into his first real sparring session. I was also extremely proud of my daughter for coming along and giving taekwondo a real shot. She is unconvinced but I can see a real spark of interest and I hope that she sticks with it. She has plenty of self confidence anyway but martial arts really gives you a confidence boost and I can see her getting real benefit from the self discipline that is required to study taekwondo or any other fighting style.

My fingers are still improving – sore – not black anymore – and are almost able to form a proper fist. I can see a real difference in my own flexibility too and even though I feel about 75 sometimes I have noticed a lowering of my body towards the ground. Side splits here we come (in a couple of years). The good thing is that I can kick to the target area and so I can spar quite effectively.

BI: Sandcastle (Wet)

Stretching: 64