My Taekwondo Blog

Yikes!

2008-01-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

Yikes is right- I can't believe it's been months since my last post. I think since then I've learned a lot. We've had a new instructor who's been teaching us some juijitsu on thursdays- it's been pretty fun. I'm working on getting my blue belt right now- maybe next month. Also my dojo has finally established an offical day in the week when we can have our kenjutsu classes! I'm really excited about that. I haven't had a kenjutsu lesson in a few weeks and not many in between either. I'm excited about that opening now though. Also- I made it to state in my tournaments, 2nd in sparring and 4th in forms I believe, but wasn't able to go because I injured my knee the week before :( oh well. Not so sure I'll really do tournaments this year, it's kind of tough being the only one from your academy who goes, but oh well. If I do go- I'll just go for fun and not really focus on earning points for state.

Test Today!

2007-09-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Today I had my test for 7th Gup Green. It seems like time has gone by pretty quickly since I first started TKD. The test today went pretty well. I didn't get too tired, or at least not as much as on my orange belt test. I did okay. My one-steps were mostly a disaster but everything wasn't the bad. I really need to work better on the one-steps. Mostly I'm just not comfortable when I do them- so that's one thing to work on!

Belt Signed

2007-09-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

I was kind of tired for some reason tonight. I didn't want to put too much into it since I've got my test- but still wanted to show good form. Mr. Jorge signed my belt and now I'm ready to test tomorrow. Can't wait!

Thursday Night

2007-09-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Sparring went well today. I'm really grateful that we've gotten to spar at least once a week! I didn't do too bad- and I did a lot better in the single elimination rounds at the end. I got to try out a few new kicks also. Hopefully I'll remember to use them at my test for some more practice. We'll see how that goes. I didn't get my belt signed tonight, so I'll have to go tomorrow even though I usually use Friday to rest before a test- oh well...

Just a few more days

2007-09-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

I'm prett anxious about my belt test coming up. I'm only really nervous about if my stamina will keep up with me this time. My last belt test went ok- but I'm still worried about what happened on my orange belt test. I just didn't have much energy because I wasn't able to eat until 2pm. Since I have to work past lunch again- I'll have to bring something. I just don't want something like that to keep me from doing my best. So anyways- since I was the only one in the advanced class tonight, Mr. Jorge kind of let me decide what I wanted to do. I usually enjoy getting to work on my forms, but I knew I needed to work on the bag to improve my endurance. So we did a little bit of both. He also had me run through a few adcanced kicks. I'm working on a few that I'm gonna try and start using in my sparring- so we'll see how that goes. Can't wait!

Saturday Sword Class

2007-09-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

One week until my next belt test. Peon 1 is still not exactly my favorite kata- but is required for my next belt. I got to work on it some today- feeling a little better about it, but would rather do Toi Gye or something like that. Afterwards we got to do some sword sparring. After a few rounds I went to my duel swords like I usually do. I did a little better and my speed has increased some. I need to learn some new attacks with my double swords.

Late class x2

2007-09-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

I was late for the first class today and thought I'd wait for the second one, but Ms. Tammy had me join it anyways :) I got to do some forms, blocks and stuff like that. In the second we got to improve on my peon 1. I'm not the biggest fan of this form, but I still need to work hard on it. I like the knife-hand blocks at the end, but that's about it. We also got to work on a few one steps. I've improved a little since the last time. I made up a few of my own to- just as fillers. Hopefully they'll look good in my test- and more importantly- work in real application if I ever need to use them!

A Little of Everything

2007-09-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

We got to work on a little of everything today. I think Toi Gye is getting better, but I haven't gotten the chance to really watch myself do it yet, so I'm not sure yet what I want to change or improve on. Well other than that- I'm not going to be able to make it to the Tournament in September, but I should be able to go to the October one. It'll just give me more time to work on Toi Gye and my sparring. I have so much to work on.

One Step Trouble

2007-08-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well class was okay except when we got to my one steps. I just hate doing them. It's a lot different then sparring. I just hate hitting people or whatever and them just sitting there. I don't feel comfortable doing them, I guess it's not too bad. I don't do that bad when we're working on them- but when it's in front of everyone, then I feel really awkward. It isn't like using my instincts- but it's just- I don't know. I know they're important- but I'd rather be doing sparring :)

Not enough rebound

2007-08-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

I'm leaning back too much on my kicks. I think it's amazing how little details in my fighting can minimize my effectiveness. Like- I'll all the sudden start doing something weird for some reason and wonder why I'm doing bad in fighting or something like that. I've been leaning back too much when I throw kicks keeping me from being able to rebound or throw more kicks easily. Other than that- I worry too much when I fight my instructors. I keep thinking too much about what they're going to do. I'm getting really frustrated when I fight people like Mr. Vernon and Mr. Lafon. Both use their hands more than I ever care to, and I'm just not doing well against them. Other than just much more hard work- I need a better solution. I won't let myself continue to be beaten. When I'm fighting I often keep myself from throwing something because I think they'll catch it- and then I second guess myself and slow myself down that way. I'm so frustrated.....

x2 Class Workout

2007-08-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

I recognized a slight improvement in my speed tonight on the bag. But sadly my jump turn kicks have been really lousy lately for some reason. I guess it's partly because I've been doing turn hooks in my sparring so much that I need to go back and practice my basic ones. I really need to focus on my basic spin kick speed. I did get some new workout bands- or whatever you call them- to help with increasing my speed.

Now I have about 3 weeks left until my tournament. I really want to work hard and earn some more stripes! I think Toi Gye will actually be good enough by then. Mr. Jorge is starting to like the way it's looking right now, and I'm starting to get a little more confident in how it feels- so we'll see.

Friday Class

2007-08-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been working more with my leg weights trying to improve my speed. I think I'm getting a little better. I'm not as tired the next day in class after I've done my weight training the night before. I'm pretty excited about it. I got to work on Toi Gye once again tonight (since it's above my rank, the instructors don't have to let me do it..) and I like how this form actually gives me a pretty good workout compared to the others. So it's fun to do after my training and see how I do on it. I usually get to do it after PT, and before swords, so I get a good workout. Oh well- I just can't wait for my next tournament- I mean this is what I'm focused on- I think I'm currently second in sparring in two divisions, so I need to work hard to get a better seed for state.

One Year!

2007-08-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

Today marks my first year completed in Taekwondo! Looking back it doesn't seem like much time has gone by. Hope that I've learned a lot since I started- and most importantly- that I've improved a lot! Today we got to spar some and work on self defense. I think I did a little better. I wish we could spar for hours- but oh well- I think I did okay for the time we had. I have some things that I want to work on- but I just need to keep trying to improve on what I'm doing now. We'll see how my next tournament goes! I can't wait!

Another x2 Sword Class

2007-08-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

I think I did better in today's advanced class than I did last week. After all my punches and kicks on the bag, I was only able to do 30 pushups in one setting though :/ I don't think I was as tired as last week once I got to my katas though. Toi Gye is starting to feel a little better. Maybe I'll have it down good enough for my tournament or the one after that. I've been working all year on Peon 4 and it's pretty good- so I want to make sure that Toi Gye is as good.

Tournament Today!

2007-08-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today went really well- or better than my last one I should say. It was pretty cool. A few other students from my dojo went and so did Mr. Lafon, so that was encouraging not being the only one from my school that went. It was great having Mr. Lafon to coach me a bit too- I think it helped a lot. I placed 2nd in forms and 2nd in sparring. I missed 1st place in forms by 1/10th of a point- oh well- I know how I can improve for next time.

As for my sparring- there were only me and another guy, so 2nd place was a given since I lost. I ended up fighting the same person I lost to last time- but I think that I improved majorly since then. I had several kicks that one judge saw but the other two didn't- I have a really bad time getting myself to allow 2 judges to see my attacks. No matter-I could have won. I needed to block more as well and not give up before the break was called- don't know why I stopped. I'll beat him next time! I can't wait to start training again and seeing how I can improve so I won't lose my next match!

2 more days again!

2007-08-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

Well my tournament is in 2 days. I'm not nearly as nervous as I was last one. Trying not to think about it so much :) We had sparring and practiced our katas and how we enter the ring. It went pretty well. I finally did a lot better than I have been doing. I think I'm finally starting to losen up a bit. I've been kind of tense lately. I'm trying to focus more on my groin kicks instead of just blocking a kick or moving away from it. It's a perfect counter to use. We'll see how it goes Saturday!

Tired! x2

2007-08-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

I was the only one in the advanced class tonight. It's nice having others to work out with so I have someone to keep me going you know. I was pretty tired compared to last week. My arms were exhausted and my katas didn't have much power because of it. I got to go through my new sword kata a little bit afterwards. It looks like it's gonna be really cool! Hope I can learn the rest soon.

Regular Class

2007-08-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty basic. Got to work on my kicks and blocks etc. I'm really trying to focus on improving my kicking speed. I just gotta keep working on my weights.

Advanced Class Back! x2

2007-07-31T23:08:00.000-07:00

The advanced class is back! Finally! It's only been about 3-4 weeks I think- but it sure showed in my endurance. I did pretty good in the first class, did mostly the usual stuff, kicks blocks forms etc. Thought we were going to spar but I guess not :( By the time I got to the second class I was a little tired. I did okay I guess but only made it up to 35 pushups after we did all our kicks and punches on the bag. Once we got to the forms my arms were really tired- but I love it because it lets me see how much more I can endure each time. I enjoy this class because it gives me a great oppurtunity to improve all of my turn kicks, and also so I can improve on my advanced forms. Toi Gye is feeling a little better, but it won't be for quite some time until it actually looks decent. Only 11 days until my next tournament. I'm pretty excited- and man I have such a long way to go!

Realizing where I'm failing

2007-07-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Did an all class sparring session tonight save 10 minutes of forms at the end. After class I finally realized what I'm doing wrong. I kept believing that I'm too slow, which I can always improve my speed- but my problem is that I'm thinking too much! and over thinking everything. So my body might be fast- but there's that delay from my head to my body. I've been kind of thining that I've got that problem lately- but now I'm starting to understand how I can fix it.

It's kind of like back when I did quizzing, I knew that you should study a lot and at times I'd study for 5 hours a day, but it does you little good if you can't digest it all- or if you over do it. I don't think I'm working out too much- or going to class too much, but I think that when I spar, I'm thinking too much about what I'm going to do instead of seeing an opportunity and automatically taking it. Gotta keep it simple. Go back to the basics a bit. Choose some of my favorite moves and use them- but instead of thinking of 20 moves- keep to my basics and have maybe have 3 moves in hand. Practice makes perfect and this is no exception- I need to make my training instinct so I don't have to think so much while fighting.

One Steps- oh....

2007-07-25T21:03:00.001-07:00

Got to work on my dreaded one steps tonight. I think I'd rather spar or do katas than do one steps, but it's needed. I got to improve on a few of them. I'll really need to look better on my one steps for my test. After those we got to do some sparring. I really didn't do too well. I'm over thinking way too much! I just need to focus and keep practicing my favorite techniques, and execute those at the right time. I'm still way too slow on my turn kicks, and I'm not attacking enough. Tomorrow night we're supposed to have a full class of sparring so I should get some more practice then.

More Work

2007-07-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

I think my stamina is finally improving. I'm trying to focus on being faster even when we do our basic kicks in clas. I'm not getting tired quite as easily as I was before. I just need to try and be at my best and still not get tired. I think my test should go better that way too. I should probably be testing next month sometime- can't wait!

Small Class

2007-07-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

It was just me and another student tonight so we just did basic stuff pretty much. I'm feeling a little better about my speed in my kicks which is a much needed improvement! I really need to get my speed up for my sparring. Other than that- my foot is starting to feel a little better- but there are some kicks that I still can't do on the bag. I've been wearing my foot gear to get used to them, and so I don't hurt my foot somehow anymore. I have to wear this special slip in my shoe for 2 weeks. The Doctor said that it should be better by then. My tournament is in about 3 weeks, so hopefully I'll feel 100% for that.

Friday Sword Class

2007-07-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

With work and all- it's kind of hard to make it to classes on monday and fridays, so I never know if I'll be able to make until I leave since we get out late on those days. So today I barely made it out in time and decided to go. I was glad since we got to do some Kenjutsu tonight. We did some kendo drills first then did 1 on 1 fights and then did team fighting which is pretty fun. Mr Jorge had everyone use the katana ronight. I'm best at the single katana, but I really like using the two wakazachis. I like using both my arms for blocking and attacking at once- that way my movement is continuous and my rebound is faster- only problem that I'm having right now, is that I get hit in the hands too much when I make that first block and don't get my attack off- soon enough to get the point when that happens.

More Tips for Peon 4

2007-07-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Mr. Lafon and Ms. Tammy had me run through my current tournament kata and gave me some pointers. I need to improve on the power points, and slow down some on some others- also need to chamber more on my snap kicks. There are 3 tournaments left right now, so hopefully if I keep doing this form, I'll have it improved a little more by each one. As for my sparring- right now I'm really trying to work on my offense speed in general, my speed in closing the gap, and my turn kick speed. I'm also trying to focus on adding more kicks to my combos if a certain technique doesn't work or reach my opponent. I can't wait until my next tournament!

Sesamoiditis

2007-07-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Kind of late to write about this but I forgot about it when writing my last entries. Two weeks ago in sparring I jammed my toes pretty bad somehow while fighting (I usually don't notice.) Well I already had two sprained toes so I when I hurt my foot again I thought that I had just hurt it a little more again. Well it kept hurting a little longer than a sprain, so I relectuantly went to the chriopractor just to make sure since my tournament was coming up soon. I was thinking about asking to get it x-rayed just in case but I decided not to ask since I kind of felt dumb for going because I hurt my toes a bit in the first place :) Well he looked at it and had it x-rayed anyways. Well I found out that I fractured or broke my sesamoid bone in my foot! Kind of surprising- I didn't think it hurt bad enough to have broken something- he said it's not too serious and I still have been on it and obviously fought on it saturday and have been fine. I just need to heat it and I guess that should take care of it.

Basically my x-ray looks JUST like this... Kind of creepy.

Regular Class

2007-07-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

Mr. Jorge was back in class after having knee surgery. He said that we'll probably start the advanced class on Tuesday night again next week. I really enjoy that class because it gives me a chance to improve on my kicks and my forms. It has helped improve my turn kicks a lot which I really need. I got to do more of Toi Gye tonight. I have it down pretty much- but I have a lot to go! I'm pretty anxious now about preparing for my next tournament. Maybe Toi Gye will be good enough for that.

Mr. James' PT

2007-07-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today we got to do PT with leg weights. It was pretty tough but it's really something I need to improve my speed and leg strength. After a while he had us take the weights off and we did all our kicks and blocks and katas without them. Pretty tiring. I hope we can do more of this so that I can keep improving for my next tournament. The next one is the 11th of August. Hopefully I'll do better and earn some stripes for my sparring this time!

Octogon Tournament 7/14/07

2007-07-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Today's tournament went pretty good. I was a little more nervous than usual, hopefully I'll just get past that. I waited a while for my division to start- so I was kind of tired by the time I started. I placed 2nd in forms and 3rd in sparring. I didn't do as well in sparring as I would have hoped. No stripes for me today. But I think losing will make me work harder this time.

Sparring again

2007-07-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

After class I got to spar one of the brown belts again. He is so fast! I hope I can fight him more so I can improve on my speed. I did much better tonight than I did fighting him last time. I actually got in a few decent points. His attacks are usually with his lead leg which always makes me kind of focused too much on that one and not attacks from other spots- so he got me really good with a turn kick. Oh man it hurt so bad- hardest I've ever been kicked in class. But hopefully it'll make me better! Well anyways- not planning on going to class tomorrow- so we'll see how I do saturday.

4 More Days

2007-07-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

Didn't get to do sparring today- but did some grappling. I don't particularly enjoy grappling, but it's something you have to learn. I do okay with someone my size, my either way- I enjoy sparring much better :) Right now I've just been working on the bag at home every day. We'll see how saturday goes.

5 More Days

2007-07-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

Due to work- I normally can't seem to make it to Monday's class as of late- but I was able to make it to Mr. James' class tonight thankfully. I really need to work on my forms and sparring before my tournament saturday. I'm pretty excited- and have been trying some new ways to improve my turn kicks etc., and speed them up. Mr. James gave me some pointers after class about keeping my turn kicks in tight where I have a habit of swinging them wide. Just need to keep practicing my counter attacks and speed. Hope I do well!

A Sparring Class

2007-07-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well- Ms. Tammy and Mr. Lafon had us do sparring again to let us practice, and let me prepare for my upcoming tournament. I don't think I did very well most of the time- but I felt pretty lousy. They asked me at the end if I thought I improved or did well or something- well I got some pointers, but I didn't think I did well, so I felt bad because the class was really so I could prepare- and but I said no, not really, since I did really bad. So after class they helped me some more with some moves and stuff and that helped more than the entire class! I feel like I'm getting it a litte more- but I still need to pick it up by my next tournament. My foot and shin are bruised up major time- but I think I'll get better! :)

Getting Ready!

2007-07-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

Man I'm so excited! I've got another tournament coming up! I've got nearly 2 weeks to prepare for it. Like always- I'm not nearly confident enough in my sparring. Mr. Jorge had surgery so Ms. Tammy took care of his class for him. I asked Ms. Tammy if we could do sparring to help prepare me for the tournament and she said yes! I'm very grateful- I got to fight everyone, and some people more than once. I think I'm starting to finally get better at my turn kicks. I don't normally use regular turn kicks when fighting but my favorite kick right now is the jump turn kick. I feel more comfortable with it as a counter attack kick, but I really need to improve my timing. A brown belt and Ms. Tammy pointed out something to me that I didn't really think too much about before- and that's that I tend to lean back a lot before and while executing my jump turn kicks. The problem with the is the obvious telegraphing and it means that I lose that many inches in reach which has been my problem. So maybe if I can keep a straight body while throwing them, then I can reach just a bit farther. There have been times that my aim is on target- but my timing and reach has been slightly off allowing my opponent the freedom to dodge my attack.

After the holiday, I'll go back to class and Ms. Tammy said that we'll work on my sparring again on Thursday! I can't wait- I can't wait to see if I can improve on my new kata and polish my old ones! So excited!

Faster

2007-06-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

Man I need to get faster! I got to spar an upper belt that I hadn't seen before today. He was much faster than me. I kept getting stuck thinking too much and then he'd strike me with his lead leg. I couldn't seem to keep up. I've been focusing on my speed lately, but I'm not even gettting close. This is one thing I REALLY need to imrpove on before my next tournament. Other than that- the instructors have been talking about a test, so perhaps we'll have one in July! That'll be sweet if I can get my next belt by my birthday!

A little improvement

2007-06-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

I think I'm getting better at PT in class. I'm trying to focus on being faster- and I think I'm improving without losing too much stamina. It isn't enough to just go as fast as I can if I get tired quickly, but I need a good balance- this should help me in my sparring some. We did swords again at the end of class! I started out with 2 swords again, but switched to one sword after a while. I do much better with the katana size sword, even though I like using 2 better. I think I did a bit better today, but I need to stop getting hit in the hand- I seem to block but get hit in my fingers and lose the point. Pretty frustrating

Swords Again! x2

2007-06-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Today we got to do swords and sparring. I feel like I have improved slightly in both. I think my sparring went better. I sprained my big toe a little from swords I think- I never notice until after we're done fighting that I hurt myself or something. Anyways- on sparring I focused more on waiting and conserving my energy by blocking and dodging and then attacking when they're on the rebound. I need to be able to be able to counter-attack better with my turn kicks and doing better at my regular kicks. I need to do more combos as well. We'll just keep working on it.

Getting Better

2007-06-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Mmm my leg doesn't hurt until I start stretching it. It's really funny because now my left side has been better than my right and it's normally opposite. I think it's getting stronger, just have to be patient, which I hate. Oh well.

Hurt

2007-06-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

I hurt my hamstring and the back of my knee last week and it has still been bothering me lately. It bothered me most of class today. I was worried that it'd hurt bad in sparring- but it kind of went away a little bit after some more stretching. I did end up hurting my ankle and foot really bad somehow though. I never notice it until after really, so I can't recall how it happened- just that I got it in my last round. Oh well. A little ice wont hurt

Swords Again x2

2007-06-12T19:58:00.001-07:00

In the first class my right leg started bothering me. It has been giving me some trouble lately. I've been over doing my stretches. I'm getting very close to being able to do my splits, but since my left knee is still giving me problems from way back- my right leg has had to pick up more slack. I'm kind of rushing it a bit- so I'll just have to take it easy.

I got to go through some more of my new kata in the second class. At the end- we got to do swords. I feel like I've improved more but I just have to find more ways to get the points and all. I've been thinking about my sparring and realize that I've got to step it up. I'm really frustrated and feel like I'm just scraping by. I try hard but I'm not really training smart. I need to figure out what it is that I need to do to make a break through.

Advanced Class X2

2007-06-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Got to do PT in the second class again. Mr. Jorge says that we'll probably keep doing that- I'm really glad. At first it's kind of tough, but it's helping my stamina a lot- I feel a big difference. After that we worked on a bunch of forms and advanced kicks (well advanced for me). One of the brown belts there also ran through my new kata with me once. I feel really good about it. I actually need to brush up on my vocabulary- I've been kind of slack in that area recently.

Josh's Class

2007-06-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

Mr. Jorge was out of town so Josh took care of his class tonight. It was SOOO good. I love when he helps out or teaches! He always does things different and that's always nice for a change. We did some sparring, kenjutsu sparring, he gave us some grappling tips and a few other things. He just does things differently and always has a neat way of explaining things. very awesome

100th post!

2007-05-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Today is my 100th post. So I know that I've had at least that many lessons not including the times that I've had more than one lesson in one day :) Think I'm at about 121 lessons. Yea! Well today's class was AWESOME. Got to spar at the end. I felt like I did really well. Didn't get too awfully tired, and displayed not nice techniques that I've been trying out. I need to be faster though. Fought one black belt- lost 3-1 :( but every other green belt only scored that much on him too. I need to work harder and be smarter and give good use to my leg attacks. Friday we don't have to wear GI's for several months because of the heat- yea!!

More of my new kata

2007-05-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

Class was a little bit of PT today- it's always good to hit the bag a bunch in class. After class I stayed and Mr. Jorge went through my new kata with me several times- I feel much more confident about it now! I can't wait to keep getting better at it! Other than due to conflicts in my work schedule my next tournament will not be in June as I had thought before. The next one will likely be the 14th of July. So I have plenty of time to improve on my katas and learn a new sword form well before then.

New Self Defense

2007-05-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today in class Mr. Lafon and Ms. Tammy told us that the self defense in the class has been going too soft so they decided to do a class dedicated entirely to one-steps and self defense every other week. It was a really useful lesson. I got to learn several new moves and one-steps. I feel pretty confident with a few. I can't wait to practice them some more. Since class was just defense, we didn't work on forms- so I didn't get to learn more of my new kata.

Tuesday Class x2

2007-05-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Class was good today. I got to learn some more Toi Gye in the second one! We did PT which was much needed in my case. I felt a little better this week than I did last time we had it. I didn't do so hot on the pushups though :) As I'm getting more advanced I'm starting to really focus on my stamina. It never really was something that I thought too much about when I started- but I just can't stand getting tired in the least at doing my kicks, blocks, punches, combos, sparring, or whatever I have to do. It makes me frustrated when I can't give my all at something. I just want to be better!

Day off

2007-05-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today I had the day off from work so I didn't have to worry about rushing to make it to class on time! Mr. Lafon and Ms. Tammy got us to hit the bags today. My step behind side kicks were pretty weak, but I could see a definate improvement in the power of the turn kicks. Heel kicks seem to be my least powerful kicks. Mr. Jorge wasn't there today so I didn't get to learn anything new on my katas. I'll get to learn more next week.

Toi Gye

2007-05-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

At the end of class Mr. Jorge went through Toe Gye with me. It's a really neat form. I don't think I'll be doing it for the tournament in June, but my next one- that way I feel comfortable when I do it and it might look and turn out better that way. I don't think it was that hard but it is pretty long. It has 37 moves. I'm pretty anxious to see how the competition will be in sparring since I'm intermediate now. Mr Jorge will also teach me his sword kata that he did to get his second degree. That will be pretty exciting! It looks pretty cool. So I'll be learning 3 forms just this month!

First Stripe x2!

2007-05-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

In the first class we worked on katas and got to learn some practice by working on the Nunchaku. Pretty aggrivating at times. I prefer the sword :) In the second class I earned my first stripe on my green belt! I'm working on Peon 1. Feels good just need to keep practicing it.

2007-05-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday I had the privilege of helping out at a black belt test! There were two students, one going for black and another getting his purple belt. It was about 4 hours long and quite exhausting (for them that is.. hehe) They both did excellent! I got to help out with self defense, board breaking, sparring and sword fighting Congrats guys!

New kick

2007-05-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

At the end of class Mr. Lafon showed me a new kick that I can use in sparring. It's kind of different and a little hard but I think I can get it down. I've been working on a few new kicks on my own too- so I'm excited to see when I'll be able to put them into practice. My next tournament is June 16th- I've got plenty of time, but I won't waste my time. I need to work out good since my divisino changed from beginner to intermediate. Hopefully I'll be able to meet the challenge.

Peon 1! x2

2007-05-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

In the second class I got to learn Peon 1. It's pretty easy but still fun. It's probably the fastest that I've learned a kata so far. I should be learning two more katas here soon. I'll be learning another sword kata and I get to choose between either the kata for red belt or purple belt as my next tournament kata. I'm pretty excited, but it'll be a lot of work. I can't wait!

Belt Test Today! 5/5/07

2007-05-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Today I tested for my 8th gup green belt!

The day went well. I felt plagued all week with the worry that my test would end up like
the last one-me doing okay up until sparring and being too exhausted. The point is, the instructors are supposed to wear you out on your test, or you won't really be earning anything; but it's still frustrating when you don't meet your expectations. I put my best effort into my blocks and 'specially my forms, I felt really good about my self defense but my one-steps were kind of lacking. I kind of stuck to being more defensive in my sparring at first. I didn't
realize that we weren't going to fight the black belts this time. I think that might have made it easier- but at the same time, I think I still would have done better than I did on my last test. Overall in sparring I feel like I did really good, I got some really good kicks in, and didn't do too awful on my defense. Overall- the day went pretty well. At the end of the test we got to do swords. We did short swords with shields. It was pretty fun.

Belt Signed

2007-05-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Mr. Lafon signed my belt today in class. Now I can test saturday. I wasn't able to make it to class all week before today since I've been pretty sick. Flu or something. I'm feeling better but my arms and legs are still really tired and I feel kind of dizzy. I gave a good effort in class I think, but I was still pretty exhausted. Hopefully I'll feel 100% by saturday afternoon.

Got to make sure my one-steps are in shape. Main thing though- is that I survive sparring! :)

Gray Eagle Tournament Today 4/28/07

2007-04-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today's tournament went pretty good. I placed 3rd in weapons, 4th in forms and 3rd in sparring. I had a 3-way tie for 3rd place but at the time I didn't know what place it was for- I thought for SURE that I had won, but it turned out I didn't place. The head judge later on encouraged me and said that he liked mine the best but that my total score just didn't come out the best- oh well- that was still pretty encouraging. There were a lot more people in my division today than I've fought or gone against before. I think there about 12 people in the forms, and maybe about 8 to 10 people in sparring. Overall it went pretty good. I won one round in sparring 5-0 and lost the second 0-5. On the second round, I got an excellent kick on my opponent when it was 4-0 and that would have made it 4-2, but the judges didn't see it and so he got a punch on me and scored the winning point. Oh well, I learned a lot and that's what counts I guess.

Extra class

2007-04-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Mr. Jorge ran through my sword kata, Peon 4 and Tan Gun with me a few times tonight just to brush up before tomorrow. I feel really good about them. My sword kata looks ok- but still feels a little awkward. I'm sure it will feel more comfortable after I've done it a little while longer. Tomorrow's the big day!

2 More Days!

2007-04-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well today is my last normal class of the week before my tournament. Mr. Jorge said he'd work with me a little on my forms tomorrow after the regular class. Today's class was a good opportunity to brush up on a few things before Saturday. At the end of class I got to run through my sword kata with Mr. Jorge and two of the other black belts.

Sword practice

2007-04-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

Got to practice my sword kata at the end of class today. I left my new sword home so I had to use my bokken one. It's a bit heavier, so it was a little different but I think I still did okay. Just have to get it down.

Tuesday Classes x2

2007-04-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

Only a few more days until my tournament this saturday. I'm feeling a little nervous, never know how it will all end up. I got to work on my katas and my sword kata in class today. I'm feeling much better about my sword kata than I was last week. I just hope I do well in sparring. I feel most nervous about that.

4/19

2007-04-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight's class was great! Got to work on a few things like my katas and self defense like usual, but we also got to do sparring! I didn't do too bad, but could have done MUCH better. I'm seeing areas in which I can improve for by next Saturday's tournament. Hope I do well.

Kenjutsu x2

2007-04-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

Mr. Jorge taught both classes tonight. In the second class he went through my tournament kata and my sword kata several times with me. I feel pretty good about Peon 4 but I really need to work on my sword kata. I also need to improve on my sparring big time!

One step jump kicks! x2

2007-04-10T20:09:00.001-07:00

TEst

Mr. James' Class

2007-04-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

Mr. Larry James' class is usually a nice workout. Wasn't as tough as last week- but I enjoy doing the occasional pushups and things like that. Only about 3 weeks until my tournament. I thought I'd be a green belt by then- but my test will actually be the following week. So that means I'll still be in the beginner division. I don't think it's such a bad thing now that I think about it. It might just give me that little extra experience that I need. I have much to improve upon!

X2 classes

2007-04-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago I was the only one in class. Kind of weird but I got to work on sparring with Mr. Jorge. I'm feeling ok about it- but I know there are plenty of areas that I can improve on. Last night was pretty routine I guess. I'm feeling better on my 360 hook and cresent kicks. Those are fun. My test has been scheduled for the 5th of May. Plenty of time to work on my stuff.

More One-steps x2

2007-03-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

Class last night was good. I took both classes. I tried to take it easy in the first one and see how much energy I could preserve without sandbagging. I was thinking we might be doing sparring since we usually do with that certain group of students. Often I'll kick and punch and do my blocks with so much into them that by the time I get to sparring I'm not as energetic. Even though we didn't spar, I felt good for the next class. Mr. Jorge had us try and do 50 pushups. I could only do 49 before he let us stop. After that MAN my arms were tired. I haven't done pushups in a while. It made my katas feel funny since my arms were so rubbery- made me appreciate any kicks we dad afterwards :) Mr. Jorge also showed me a few one steps. He showed me one I already had learned but forgotten since, so that was a much needed review! He showed me a few new ones too that I really like including a hold and a takedown.

3.26.07

2007-03-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today Mr. James had us do some interesting workouts. Like lying on our stomach and just using our forearms to crawl to the end of the mat. Did that a few times and a few others like it. Pretty interesting but it wore me out! We kept going back and forth from that to our kicks which made those all the more difficult. I was pretty tired once I got to my forms. Also- he taught me some neat new tricks for self defense, like a new way to get out of a lapel grab! That was really cool.

Last Night X2

2007-03-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I was pretty much tired. I did take two classes but wasn't feeling so hot. I was still a little sore from playing some hockey the night before. Oh well- I still don't know when I'll be testing. I'm not rushing it. I'm still a little worried about being too tired at my test. I hope that isn't the case.

3rd stripe for green!

2007-03-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

In Thursday's class I got my 3rd and final stripe for my orange belt going towards green. So now I'm not too far away from testing. I should work on my vocab, one-steps and getting my stamina up for sparring. If it's anything like my last test, it'll be pretty tiring. It was about 2 1/2 hours, not too long compared to others, but the sparring was pretty exhaustive. I hope I'll do better this time than I did on my last one.

x2 classes tuesday

2007-03-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to both classes again. In the first class we pretty much just did sparring until the last 10 minutes, then we did our kicks which was kind of hard after being tired. I was trying to figure out if I wanted to go to the second one since it's normally harder, and since I was really tired I didn't know if I could handle it- but I decided to go anyways. I did okay except messing up on my vocabulary and my 360 cresent and hook kicks a little. Got some good practice on my katas. Feel pretty good right now on all of them. I feel also like I've had some recent improvement on my sparring. But since I'll probably be in the intermediate division for my next rounament, I really need to step it up.

Mr. James' class- Monday

2007-03-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

Got to work on the finer details on my katas and blocks etc. Also worked on self defense and learned some new ones.

Thursday The 8th

2007-03-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

Nothing too exciting in class today. Pretty routine I guess. I felt pretty good on my forms. But that's pretty much it for the day.

One Steps

2007-03-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

Got to learn a few new one steps today. I'm feeling a little better on them but still feel a little awkward. Think once I do them a little more I'll feel better about them.

Extra Class

2007-03-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Today I had a meeting after work so I couldn't make it to the first class. I did however make it to the second one. It was really good. worked on some new kicks and improved on others. Mr. Jorge has been doing the class to help one of the brown belts and it's enabled me to improve on some things as well. I'm finally getting all the way around on my 360 cresent and 360 hook kicks. But on the cresent kicks I need to keep my foot upwards so it's not like a hook- but some improvement is better than nothing.

Class today

2007-03-01T20:35:00.000-08:00

I wonder when I'll get my next stripe. The instructors keep saying that a belt test has not yet been determined, which I take that to mean sometime late this month at the earliest. I hope I earn my next stripe and get closer to testing. I can't be anxious, but I am excited about getting my green belt.

If anything I really need to work on my stamina. I was terribly awful at getting tired when I sparred during my last test. I think I'll do better this time, but my test won't be any easier. I felt pretty good though in today's class. I put my heart into my blocks, kicks, and forms and still felt pretty energetic for sparring.

Other than that- I'm planning on registering for a tournament on the 28th of April. I think that should give me some time to practice sparring and all being that I'll be competing in a tougher division. It's a shame that my points from my last tournament won't count since I earned them in the beginner division. Oh well- all the more reason to not become complacent.

2007-02-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

Well today I had a martial arts tourney in Dallas! Went way better than I thought! I placed 3rd in forms and 1st in sparring. I originally tied for 2nd in forms but didn't do as well on my tie breaker (mmf!). Sparring was better. I fought this one guy smaller and one belt rank below me- but he was still pretty good. He actually led halfway through the match. Overall it was really fun and I'm glad no one got hurt (last time I hurt my leg really bad) and it was a good learning experience.

Sparring!

2007-02-22T22:47:00.000-08:00

For class all we did was sparring which was a nice change of pace! I really needed some practice for my tournament Saturday. A big problem that I've been having however is getting majorly tired for some reason. My stamina the last few months has decreased a lot it seems. Don't know if I need to eat better or exercise more, but it didn't seem like I had this problem even when I first started karate. I'll probably go see a doctor after the tournament just to check up on it or to see how I can improve my health better. It's frustrating 'cause I go a round and often during that round I can't kick or do combos very well. Other than that- Mr. Jorge said I can come to class after the normal time and he'll work on some stuff with me for my tournament. I didn't want to attend the regular class on Friday because I think I'd be too tired. So I'll probably go afterwards and just work on my forms. Nothing too hard.

Tuesday Night

2007-02-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

Wow- nothing to write about. Just worked on Peon 4 a bunch.

Tired

2007-02-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

Maybe I didn't get enough sleep or something- but whatever it was, I was pretty exhausted in class today. I did okay, but didn't feel that great. I need to make sure and get plenty of sleep this week so that I'm rested and have plenty of energy on saturday.

One more week!

2007-02-16T23:19:00.000-08:00

One more week until my tournament. After class Mr. Jorge gave me some good tips. Just hope that I can
really apply them Saturday. Like last time- I feel much more confident about my form than I do about
sparring. I guess maybe that will come with time. Hopfully so.

2-13-07 x2

2007-02-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

Took both classes again today. The first one was pretty easy because there were some new students there- and we basically did simple blocks and kicks. Second class was more involved- 'specially around forms.

I really need to start getting my stamina up more. I've been having trouble with getting tired quickly when I do kicks, forms and sparring. I've been working harder on my forms and kicks- but it still seems that I shouldn't get as tired as I have been lately. Better figure it out soon- only have less than two weeks until my tournament.

Knife Hand Blocks

2007-02-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's class was good. Mr. Lafon's class is usually a pretty good workout. One thing I noticed that I really need to improve on is my knife hand blocks. I really need to get them down better. I often forget which leg to fold off of. Other than that- I just need to practice for my sparrng and work on peon 4 a little more.

2nd Green Stripe (x2 classes)

2007-02-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

I earned my second stripe towards my green belt in class today. I also took the second class and got to improve on several things, including peon 4. Doing the forms over and over alot was pretty tiring, but much needed practice. I feel more confident about peon 4 each class that I take. Well- still working towards my tournament. I think I'll have peon 4 down good by then. Only a few more weeks.

1st green stripe

2007-02-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

Today's class was a pretty good workout. My arms are still pretty tired. Got to work on katas a whole bunch. I feel like I am doing a lot better on some of them. I earned my 1st green stripe- so that was good. Still have a ways to go before I get my green belt. But I'm feeling a lot better at the stuff for green.

5X lessons

2007-01-30T21:56:00.000-08:00

Ok well I missed about a month of taekwondo because my car has been dead, and missed writing about 5 lessons since I got a new car because I've been lazy. Today's was good. I got to work plenty on Peon 4. I'm preparing for a tournament on the 24th of next month, so that'll be my form there. I'm feeling a lot better on it. I have a little less than a month to get it down though. So I guess I have plenty to focus on for the tournament and towards getting my green belt.

Back to Class!

2007-01-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

After the holidays I finally went back to class thursday. I'd missed about a week of classes after the dojo started back up since my car has been broken. I'm working on getting a new one. I'm going to try and start going regularly again. I've been a little sluggish working out and training at home lately. AOK posted their schedule for 2007 so my next tournament will be on the 24th of february. If I have regular attendance I should be a green belt by then. I feel like I have missed a lot so I'm not completely positive. I believe that's when the next test will be. Late february Won't rush it- but I'll probably enter as intermediate anyways. It'll get some good practice that way, and I don't think I can transfer points from divisions if I started beginner and went to intermediate. Oh well- we'll just take it one step at a time. Anyways- class wasn't all that bad. I've been a little sore in my arms and the back of my legs, but not too bad. It's been several weeks but I still felt pretty flexible. Plus-side is that I already have my form down for my green belt.

An Orange Belt

2006-12-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

Class was pretty good except a few things that I wasn't doing too well on. I got to practice Peon 4 more! I feel a lot better on it dispite not having the chance yet to practice it on my own at the house. I'm feeling pretty confident with it. There is a lot of things that I have to mentally make adjustments on compared to my other 3 forms. Other than that, I'm still waiting for the AOK schedule for 2007 to be posted so I can be prepared for certain tourney dates.

Orange Belt Test

2006-12-16T19:14:00.001-08:00

2 o'clock was the time for today's belt test. There were 10 students including myself plus a black belt, getting his 2nd degree, who tested. I did okay until we got to the sparring. I just didn't have any energy at all, even before class started. I didnt' eat until 5 minutes until class- so I was already really shaky in my hands and legs. It wasn't an excuse for me not to give a great effort, but I just didn't do too well. I did well on my katas and self defense I suppose but I was exhausted for sparring and didn't too hot. I fought hard early, but normally I should have the energy to last longer. At the end I just couldn't kick or punch. I probably fought about 10 people or more, but in pretty short rounds. Next time I have a test, I'll have to make sure and eat earlier! I desire to earn everything that I get- but my performance can be summurized as just a bad day.

Orange Belt Test

2006-12-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

Ready to Test

2006-12-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

Mr. Lafon signed my belt tonight signifying that I'm ready to test Saturday. He complemented me in front of everyone at the end of class about my improvements and how I did at my last tournament. It made all my hard work worth it. Nevertheless I have many areas that I, as a beginner martial artist, can improve on! In class we practiced our kicks on the bags while someone holds one- I feel like I did good on my kicks besides my step behind kicks. My side kicks seem to lack a lot of strength. I need to work on them some more! So I'll take off tomorrow and work on my blocks, my vocabulary, and most needed- my turn-kicks! I'm confident that I'll do well at the test- I can't wait to spar as well.

More Peon 4

2006-12-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

After class Mr. Jorge ran through Peon 4 for me tonight. I'm having a couple of problems with a few parts, but I feel better about them now than I did before. When I first start learning new blocks and katas I seem to have some sort of mental block at first, but once I practice it enough I feel better and do better. My turn-kicks were better. Mr. Earl is always telling me to have a better chamber, better balance, and better aim on them- so there is proof my turn-kick isn't perfect, just in case anyone didn't know :) It's been my most challenging kick for some reason. Even my jump turn-kicks are easier. After class my friend Andrew and I worked on some sparring. I'm still hitting a bit too hard and my aim could use imrpovement! :) I believe I scored a good four fouls. I desperately need some practice in sparring.

Conditioning for Saturday

2006-12-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

Basically just worked on things like Kebon 1 and Chon Ji, and things to prepare for saturday today. I can't wait. I'll probably go to class tomorrow and thursday this week. Just gotta keep working on improving for my test.

50th Post!

2006-12-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

We didn't do sparring today, but we did a lot of one-steps and self-defense which was fun. I haven't started learning my one-steps yet, but I get to help out with the other student's at times. Other than that- I need to learn the student oath again. Everytime I learn it- I forget it. So I better just keep reviewing it. They asked me to recite it in class and I crashed and burned about half way through. I've got a little more than a week until I test for Orange!

Preparing for the 16th

2006-12-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

After class today I talked a while to Mr. Jorge about him doing a sword class. Maybe he'll do it on tuesdays as a third class- that'd be pretty cool. If he does do a sword class, it'll probably be at the beginning of next year. I can't wait. Other than that- class was pretty much routine practice. I'm pretty much ready to test- don't know much to work on really. My turn-kicks could always use improvement- but other than that, not too much. I got to work more on my new kata. I almost have it down. Just need to practice that. I also can't wait to start sparring again. I'll get to sparr on my test, but it's not really practice as much as in class. I need to start preparing for my next tournament which will be sometime in January.

Frozen Fingers,,,,,

2006-11-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

Well class was good. Just me and another student today- all due to the fact that it wasn't exactly the most nominal weather. But it was helpful since I got to learn a bunch of new kicks and all. I also got to go through Peon 4, my new form, again today. Mr. Jorge taught us both it. It's not nearly as difficult today as it was the other day. I've still got to figure out some parts on my own- but it's really cool. I can't wait to get it all down, it's really fun too :)

I didn't do too well today though. I guess my frustration from work has been carrying over too much into my martial arts and it's been showing when I learn new things and do turn kicks and my forms. Also, I hurt the back of my leg today doing kicks. I must have hypder-extended it or something. I think I pulled the ligament. I just need to relax, slow down, focus, and not get angry. Easier said than done- but worth noting for later improvement...

Jump Turn-Kicks

2006-11-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to learn any more of my new kata in tonight's class- but I still got to improve on my other three that I have. It was a pretty helpful class. I can't wait to do more sparring and things like that. I wish we'd do more- but I guess I just have to be more patient. I've been practicing my jump turn-kicks and jump roundhouse kicks on the bag the last few days. I'm feeling a lot better about them. I'll probably be able to use jump turn-kicks in sparring, or variations of it- I've seen several people use them.

Monday Class

2006-11-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

Another full class today. Started learning my new form for competitions! It's really a lot more advanced than the other 3 that I know. There are several more blocks, kicks and moves. It will be really fun once I get it down. Still preparing for the 16th when I test. I cant' wait.

Whoops- forgot to update...

2006-11-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Well after about two weeks of staying off my leg, I went back to karate tuesday. It was a really good lesson. I don't think I did as bad as I excpected to do. My Tan Gun was pretty sad but improved after a few times. Worked on some Jump turn kicks and jump round houses etc. I did fairly, not too great. I started to hit the bag again tonight. The first tournament of the year should be sometime in January- so I have some time to start improving. My Orange belt test is the 16th of December. I feel good about it. Have to work on some things- but I think I'm ready. I can't wait to start practicing sparring again.

Not Quite Limping...

2006-11-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

Well I'm not limping much anymore, but I'm still a bit too sore to go back to class for about a week :/ The doctor says I shouldn't do any martial arts for at least a week. It feels better now than it did this morning. Sometimes it's hardly bad at all, and then sometimes it hurts a lot- I'll stay off it for a little while longer and not take any chances with it. I went to class after work today to pay Mr. Jorge for the month, and talk to him about the tournament etc. He told me that the next test is going to be on the 16th of next month. I'm pretty excited. I'm also really excited to get better so that I can start training for next year's tournaments. The next one should be in January. I plan on doing Forms, Sparring and Sword! It'll be fun.

Tournament Today

2006-11-11T16:54:00.000-08:00

Today was the Grand Nationals Kido Tournament. In my division, I placed 1st in forms, and 3rd in sparring. It was really fun. My parents and my younger sister went with me to watch. The styles mostly were Hapkido, but there were a few others. The second most was probably Taekwondo.

In sparring, The guy that beat me placed 1st. It was weird- the weight divisions were 175 and under, and 176 and above, but I think since there weren't that many competitors in the Male 18-34 division, they just did Male 18-34- they didn't announce weight. So the guy I fought for 3rd, had to be heavy weight- but still was a beginner. It doesn't really matter now I guess- but man his kicks hurt! We kicked shins and I hurt a bit but was able to finish- but now I'm hobblin' around :) When I fought him we were tied and had sudden death. I started in a right stance, he changed- I changed to left, the round started and I went back for defense since he would punch, push me back and over and just get a point my tapping my head since he had the hieght advantage. Well he came over right punched, I moved back and spin kicked his open stomach! He hit me several times just on the head since he was bigger and everytime I'd go in he'd kick and then puch right and then push me over and tap the top of my head. The first guy I sparred was really good. He axed kicked me in the back of the head and back, and hit me in the face, but the main official later told me that no foul was called because it was accident. So oddly I didn't get a point for either foul! But it was okay I guess. He was a difficult opponent to kick.

In forms I performed Tan Gun. I felt really good. I probably did it too fast. Once I started I seemed to not think of anything at all- I felt like I happened to just get to the end somehow. I beat the guy that I also beat in sparring. He was pretty good. His style was Hapkido, so his form was a lot different. I thought I lost because the head judge gave his about 2 points higher than me- but I averaged more in the end. In all it was really fun and a great learning experience. I hope to enter the AOK events in January.

2 More Days!

2006-11-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

Two more days until my tournament. I'm really excited about it- and have no idea how it's going to be. It'll be my first one so I'm kind of in the dark as to how things go. Some of the instructors have helped me the last few weeks with my sparring, Tan Gun and presenting myself in the ring in sparring and while doing my form. Mr. Lafon worked with me and the other students on sparring today. I never really feel too great after sparring him, but I think I'm making some progress. We'll see Saturday!