Another Funny Bounce

Welcome Spring!

For everyone participating in the Lenten Challenge, how is it going?

I changed jobs about six months ago and am now working from home. I travel about every other week, but when I'm home, I'm home and I really like that.

As I'm home a lot, I find that I need to get out of the house. 

I still do my internal martial arts stuff (learning the Gao style BaguaZhang forms online)  and meet with the Wujifa group  on Sundays for stance corrections and heading towards push hands, etc.; but I wasn't getting a good workout and at 56 my health is always on my mind.

I started kicking around the idea of returning to aikido and perhaps taking up judo along with it.

I located two dojo and looked into it. One went out of business and the other only trains one day a week, in the middle of Saturday, which is probably the worst day of the week for me (projects around the house, long weekends at the cottage, etc.).

As I was mulling over my next move, the Mrs reminded me that one of her friends goes to a kick boxing class at Stars and Strikes MMA gym nearby. She (the friend) really likes it and is always talking about what a great group they have there.

So I went to the free trial conditioning class. Sweet Jesus!

I went back and signed up as a regular student.

My first goal is to make it through the conditioning class without having to stop. Once I do that, I want to start the BJJ class they have which is before the conditioning class twice a week. On the days they don't have BJJ, I'll do the kick boxing class which comes after the conditioning class. One way or another, I should be in pretty good shape pretty quickly.

As an aside, I got some new insights into the 100 Man Kumite some of the Karate and Kendo guys do.

There is an MMA competition coming up later this month and the school is sending 6 guys. It will be the first match for one of them. He sort of "graduated" to being good enough to fight matches. For his graduation and initiation, last night he had to fight four two minute rounds with no break against a fresh opponent every round. It wasn't all out, but they weren't playing patty-cake either.

He showed great spirit. I think he'll do well.