Too Close To The Mirror

I was a bit surprised to see several people waiting outside of the gym on Monday night.  It was the first evening of the summer session and all of them -- Shay, Mike (not to be confused with Country--the other Mike), Evanglina, Joan and Matthew (not to be confused with Matt from last session or Alan's son) -- were curious about what was to come.  Alan came in later with his son and Nick.  Country, Jamil and Diana were also in attendance.

Alan began working with the newcomers right away, while the rest of us did our usual workouts.  Country and Jamil sparred, but I only caught glimpses of what they were doing.  I was shadowboxing in the mirrors while they were in the ring.  In between rounds, I was fanning myself because it was warm.  Matthew, who's from France commented, "It is a workout, isn't it?"  I agreed with him.  He's very tall and has long arms.  Alan was impressed with how he picked up on punching form. 

Diana is improving, too, but she still struggles with the soreness that comes from using muscles that aren't utilized often.  Many who first learn to box have to deal with being sore in spots where they never were before. 

Then there are those who have to deal with the constant knocks that come with having boxed for awhile.  I iced the thumb on my right hand up when I got home, but woke up to it being swollen this morning.  Alan and I sparred, and my thumb caught him in an odd way on his elbow.  He had to remind me to go for his head.  I still struggle with going for anyone's face unless they are roughly my height.  Unfortunately, outside of people like Maggie and Oscar, who attended the gym in the past, there's nobody as short as I.  A few shots managed to catch Alan in the head and face a few times, but that was it. 

A common problem for boxers -- having one's hands down -- was literally my downfall in the second round.  Alan hit me square in the face, and I fell backwards onto the canvas.  He kept apologizing over and over.  "It's okay, I'm fine.  You just caught me, that's all," I assured him, and I was.  There was a little bruise on my lower lip, and I tasted a little blood, but nothing else.  We finished out the round. 

Earlier, Alan sparred with his son Matt.  He kept backing the younger man up into the corners and getting him with shots to the middle.  After awhile, Matt would automatically cover up, anticipating the body blows.  He got his father with a few head shots, but the older man proved to be very cagey.  I sparred with Alan right after he sparred with Matt, thinking, "Coach is going to be tired," but I underestimated him as well.

Matt is planning to come into the gym more now that he's home from school.  He also trains elsewhere in MMA.  "You've lost some weight," he said.  "I need to lose some more, but thanks," I told him.  "No, you look fine," he said.  I was wearing a red workout shirt and red shorts, but I was regretting the fashion choice.  I thought I looked like a sausage that has been stuffed into too small of a casing.  Other people have said that I've lost pounds, but I'm guess I'm too close to the mirror to really see it. 

Boxing Photographs

Katie and I sparred last night. I had the feeling that some may have been waiting for another knockout to happen, but nope. I got in a good overhand right, and some hooks to the body, but that was it. Katie still has the advantage of having long arms. You can also see from the picture that she is way taller than I. I asked Alan to take pictures of us sparring. I plan to send them on to my older half-sister Mary, who I have recently reconnected with after almost 30 years. It's a long story; I'll just say that our late dad was mostly at fault for that.


Katie and Maggie work together. I heard John asking her, "Where's your friend?" "I don't know," Katie replied. Later, Katie told me that last week was the first time that Maggie had used a mouthpiece. Maggie had commented that she had a hard time breathing exclusively through her nose while wearing it. While I was sparring with Katie, I found myself breathing through my mouth. The mouthpiece slipped as a result, and I had to push it back in place. It is very hard to breath through one's nose during the course of a round, but it should be done. Mouth breathing is always a sign to the opponent that the other boxer is tired.

Alan, Sadiq and Rafael (Ralphie) were talking about how tough body punches are. I haven't experienced too many of those, but they do take the wind out of a person. There is a reason why some trainers will tell their boxers, "Break down the body first, then go for the head."

John's son Josh came in the gym. The last time I saw him, he was a little guy. Now he's about 13 years old and lean. I was showing him how to hit the speed bag. I noticed it had been changed out again. Last week, the bigger speed bag was up; last night, the smaller speed bag was in place. I like the smaller one better. Too bad the speed bag platform can no longer be raised up and down. Both Josh and I had to stand on the aerobic steps to reach it.

My right knee was acting up all night, and today, the left knee has decided to take a turn. I don't bob and weave like I used to because of the arthritis. It irritates me because while I don't always have to go low with a tall opponent, I do need to do that with people closer to my height.

I knew people at my church were going to trip out about me knocking out Maggie last week. Margaret, the choir director exclaimed, "You hit a woman? My goodness!" Alex and Nigel shook their heads in amazement. Alex said, "See, I should have been in on that action. You should make me your manager!" David, the Sunday School Supervisor said, "Please tell me when you have your next fight so I can come to the gym." The pastor cracked, "Remind me not to drop my left."