Sparring With A Man

In the photo above, Ben (on the right) spars with Jesus.

Connor was fussing with Alan concerning his sparring session with John.  I didn't see much of it because I was concentrating on the speed bag.  But I could hear Alan barking, "Punch!  Don't tell me what you can't do!"  Hearing Alan talking like that made me feel less guilty about snapping on the kids down at my gym.  Connor said that John was too tall for him to be able to get some punches out.  "John is six foot three, and you're six feet!  That's not much of a difference," Alan said.

No other women other than Natasha (I'm not sure that's her correct name) were on the premises.  She didn't want to spar.  "I'll have to put you in with one of the guys," Alan told me.  I ended up sparring for a couple of rounds with Ben.  I hadn't sparred with a guy for a long time, that is, if you don't count the few times I have sparred with some of the grade school boys down at my own gym.

Ben was not hitting hard; he worked mostly on defense.  I was getting in hits, mostly to his middle and sides.  To my surprise, I was able to get a lot of left hooks to the body in.  My practicing those types of shots for the past week or so seemed to have paid off.

There was a 20 pound kettlebell in the room.  I assumed it belonged to Alan, so I exercised with it.  "Swing it up over your head," Alan said, but I couldn't quite raise it that high.  I need to build up my arm strength more.  Also, my left shoulder is still bothering me, and I didn't want to push it.  Sigh. . .it does take longer to heal up when one gets older.  However, I didn't notice any pain with that shoulder while sparring with Ben.

I had some potato and mixed veggie chowder for dinner.  For the past few weeks, there have been days when I've eaten no meat at all.  No, this does not mean that I'm going vegetarian.  I love my steaks, burgers, hot dogs, and bacon too much to do that.  But I have felt lighter and better on the days when I haven't been eating meat at every meal.  Maybe I should continue the trend.

Kettlebells and Hits

I was not going to spar last night at Loyola Park.  My right shoulder was giving me problems, the left side of my upper back was acting up, and both of my knees were jelly.  But two new women in the gym, as seen in the above photo, sparred for the first time.  "You're just hitting each other's gloves," Alan said.  "Hit each other in the face!"  The women giggled, but they did not put more force on their punches.  "That's just pitty-pat.  If you all keeping doing that, I'm going to send Hillari in," Alan continued.  "Okay, I'll go in for a couple of rounds," I said.

"Hillari is actually going to hit you," Alan told both of the women.  I went one round with each woman.  I did get hits in, but I did not put great force on them.  Whenever Alan gave them instructions, I would turn down what I was doing to allow them to execute what he said.  Afterwards, one of the women said, "Sparring is not as scary as I thought it was going to be."

Leon, who neither Alan or I had seen in ages, stopped into the gym.  "I'm ready to do this, man.  I've thought about it, and I want to get back into the ring," he told Alan.  "But aren't you 90 years old?" Alan joked.  Leon insisted that this time, he was actually going to put the work in.  "I'm going to show you," he told Alan.  He promised to come in the next time the gym is open.

I read that Marlen Esparza lost one of the Olympic trial matches to qualify for competing next year.  She put up a video on social media to thank everyone who supported her.  I felt bad for her because she was very disappointed and sad.  It looks like the 2012 Summer Olympics -- where she won a bronze medal -- may be the first the only time she will compete on that level.

I've been observing Erica giving boxing tips to people in the gym.  If she wants to become a coach down the line, I believe that she would be a great one.  I'm also listening when she talks so I can help the kids I coach at LaFollette.

Alan let me use his kettlebell for exercise.  I had to struggle to swing it, and I didn't dare try to lift it over my head.  Alan's kettlebell is twenty-five pounds.  "I have to build up my strength more to do that," I told him.  Eventually I will purchase a few more lighter kettlebells for my gym, because I believe it will help the kids with strength and stamina.

Another Red Eye

Alan and Tony are all smiles in the above photo.  It was taken after Tony had sparred with Connor.  Alan joked with Tony about going into the ring with me.  Tony laughed, "Oh, no!  I don't want to end up bleeding!"

Normally, Loyola Park boxing gym is not packed around this time of year.  But last night, not only was it packed, but there were new people who had just signed up for the program.  A familiar face had also returned: Jason.

Jason was wearing a breathing mask that he said helps with his stamina.  The mask can be set to mimic high altitudes found in mountain areas.

I sparred with Celeste, and managed to catch her with a left uppercut.  "That uppercut was perfect," she told me later.  She got me in my left eye, and bopped me in the nose a couple of times.  I looked in the mirror and chuckled to myself.  David, over at LaFollette, had turned that same eye red when we sparred last week.  Celeste told me she needs all the practice she can get.  She's going out of town soon to compete in a boxing match.

"I'm surprised that Kathy didn't come in," Alan said.  He plans to take people to the Humboldt Park boxing show next week, and Kathy would be one of them. I'm hoping that one or two of the kids at LaFollette will want to fight at that show.  Unfortunately, I'm anticipating a problem with De-Fetrick, who's in the adult boxing class.

The athletic cup I lent him at the Simons Park show still hasn't been returned.  The last time De-Fetrick showed up, I explained that the cup was park district property that had to be brought back.  Then De-Fetrick disappeared for several days.  I tried calling his mom's house, but I couldn't get through.  I was able to reach his grandmother, who told me she would contact his mom about the cup. Alan suggested that I not allow De-Fetrick to work out until the cup is returned.  A few years ago, Alan had to tell one of the program participants not to come back to the gym after it was discovered they had stolen a pair of bag gloves.

When and if De-Fetrick comes to the gym again, I'm going to have to lower the boom if he doesn't have the cup with him.  I anticipate there's going to be an argument when I announce there will be no workout until the cup is returned.  But like Alan told the person who stole the gloves from Loyola Park, I can't have anybody around the gym who's walking off with equipment.  The park district is on a budget, and it is not easy to replace items that have been damaged or stolen.

I brought myself another set of kettlebells over the past weekend, so I'm donating a lone 10 pound kettlebell I have to the gym.  I've always wanted to teach the boxing participants how to use kettlebells.  Some of them may like that over using the free weights.

Back To Sparring

As I walked up to the field house -- yes, I walked despite the fact that it is three degrees outside -- I noticed the lights in the gym were on.  "Alan beat me here," I thought.  When I got inside the gym, Jilberto was there with two guys, one of whom looked vaguely familiar.  It was Martin, who hadn't been in the gym since Steve was the coach.  The other fellow was Martin's, 18 year old son, Richard.  Richard was interested in signing up, but Martin wanted to come back as well.  "I'd like to get Graubien back in here.  He used to work with me when I came in here before," Martin said.  I remember Graubien as well.  It's been at least seven or eight years since I've seen him.  Martin and Richard hung around for awhile to watch the sparring.  Richard promised to come back on Monday.

Martin was concerned about whether or not his son would be allowed to take up boxing.  Richard has diabetes.  "So do I," I told his father.  I explained that I'm careful to monitor myself when I'm in the gym, and I keep glucose tablets nearby.  If I don't feel up to sparring, or doing a full on workout, I don't.  I think Richard will be fine.

Edward came in with his mother, Liliana.  In this photo, he's making a bracelet.  He gave one that he promised to me today, and it's nice.  "Are you making one for your mom?" I asked.  "No, this is for Alicia," he told me.

Another new person, Rick, showed up today.  Rick would have been in class the first day, but Rick suffered an injury that kept him out for awhile.  Rick wanted to know what level the class was at, and I assured him that it was a mix of beginners and people with experience.  In addition to Rick, Nate, a guy that Alan has worked with, came in.  Alan was talking to Nate about sparring, but Nate said, "Nah, man.  I've got to look pretty!"  "Man, please. . .what's this about pretty," Alan grinned.  "Come on, Alan.  If the man has to stand in front of people, he doesn't want to be all bruised and banged up," I chuckled.  Nate looked at me and said,  "Exactly!  Thank you!"

Ben's right eye is still red.  But as you can see in the photo above, Ben (in the gray shirt) sparred with Keith. Their session got cut short, however.  I saw Ben bent over, and Keith talking to him.  At first I thought Ben had taken a bad hit.  Turns out that Ben has asthma.  Colonel let Ben use his inhaler.

Alan's still getting use to having to stand on the apron while people are sparring.  Here, he watches Ben sparring with Leo.  "How is your leg?  Are you going to work today?" Alan asked me.  "I think I can go one round," I told him.

Brenda, seen here on "Roger" the red bag, and I sparred very, very lightly for two rounds.  It was my first time sparring in the new ring.  My left leg held up very well; indeed, I was walking better on it while making my way to to the gym.  Neither Brenda or I were wearing headgear.  I put in my mouthpiece just in case.  My objective was to let Brenda throw a lot of punches and move around a lot.  I was covering up my mid-section like a turtle at one point, and Brenda asked me what that was.  "That's in anticipation of any punches that may aim at my chest or stomach," I explained.  Afterwards, Brenda commented, "Boxing is really a workout."

Alicia beats on the bag in this photo.  She reminds me of my Aunt Mary, who's about the same height and build.  Alicia has really been working hard to get the punches down.

Since my leg is definitely improving now, maybe it will be a good time to do exercises at home again.  I was thinking about starting out with kettlebells or maybe Marlen Esparza's boxing DVD, but with modifications to the exercises of course.  I don't need to be re-injured.

Almost Embarrassed

Monday evening's crowd consisted of Alan, Sarah, Amy, Renee, Gene, Igor and myself.  The coach's desk above was the cleanest that Alan or I had seen it in awhile.  "Barry must have did it," I said.  "Just as well, because most of the stuff was his," Alan said.  He found a big picture featuring Barry and Gary when they were younger.  In the photo, Barry has a full head of hair.  These days, Barry keeps his head bald.  "Barry should have put this up somewhere.  This is a classic photo," Alan commented before he found a spot in the gym for it.

Of course, Igor did not spar twelve rounds as he promised.  He stuck around for a little bit to watch Gene and I spar, but he left earlier than usual.  Gene and I did three rounds and a half.  He moves quickly, and after awhile, I couldn't find the strength to catch up with him.  Gene ducks punches very quickly.  I get trying to get hooks in, and I was not successful most of the time.  I'm beginning to rely too much on hooks, I think, instead of putting extra time in to make sure I'm doing the straight punches correctly.  Gene kept dropping his right hand.  In between a round, Alan told him, "I wish I could spar, because I'd get you for that.  Keep that hand up to your head like Velcro."

Sarah was in next with Gene. I felt Sarah and Gene were a good match because they both have long reaches.  "Don't take any of your gear off because you're going back in," Alan told me.  A hot flash was making my head feel very hot, but I left the headgear on.  After standing in front of the fan for a moment, the heat went down a little.  Their time ended early when debris from Sarah's gloves got behind one of Gene's contact lenses. 

Sarah and I had sort of a war going on, but it didn't go as far as it could.  I was too busy worrying about my shorts falling down.  Maybe that's a sign that I'm losing weight.  I haven't been eating out nearly as much as I used to do, and I've been cooking -- more or less -- at home.  The shorts kept slipping, and I thought I was going to be showing that day's panties for real.  I asked Alan a couple of times to pull them up, as I couldn't because of the gloves on my hands.  He laughed, "Hillari, you're showing a prison move."  I guess if they had fallen, I would have just had to be embarrassed. 

After the sparring, Alan ran drills with Gene, partially to make sure that Gene keeps his hands up.  I noticed that Gene was dropping his right hand a lot, but I couldn't capitalize on it while we were sparring. 

I sat down for a couple of rounds while the two men were in the ring.  Sarah (seen in the background of this photo with her sister Amy exercising with a medicine ball) hit me in the face with a jab.  I felt the sting and kept going, as usual.  But when I sat down, the delayed reaction set in.  "I was stunned by that punch," I thought, as I felt a little dizzy.  I closed my eyes a few times as I leaned back against the lockers.  I heard Alan tell Sarah that she should come in more with straight punches and use her arm reach.  If she does that, she'll have no problem with an opponent during the upcoming boxing show.

Antoine, who usually trains with Barry, came in for a minute.  "Who's fighting in the boxing show?" he asked.  "Sarah and I plan to get fights, but I don't know about the guys.  Most of them haven't been in for awhile," I answered.  Time is getting short.  Sarah and Amy commented that there were only two weeks left before that show takes place. 

Alan told me that the other night he had Neapolitan sherbet -- a whole tub -- followed by a couple of small cups of Italian ice.  "That was dinner," he smiled.  "I wish I could eat all of that sugary stuff on a regular basis like I used to do," I sighed.  I've cut down eating out to once on the weekends.  I wanted to get some ice cream, but I didn't get around to it.  Then Alan told me he'd gone to Superdawg for a couple of their very delicious hot dogs.  "Now you've got me thinking about that!  I'll have to take a trip up there this weekend," I said.  That place is a long haul from the house on public transportation.  It's up near the northwestern suburbs. But the food is worth the trip.

Alan was working out with his kettle bell again.  I keep thinking about the ones I have, and how I need to use them.  Laziness about exercising outside of the gym is a battle I fight all the time. 

"Can't Hit Him While His Arms Are Down?"

In the above photo, Alan lifts a 25 pound kettlebell over his head as he watches Andres and Sarah spar on Monday night. 

Before Sarah got into the ring with Andres, he sparred with Gene.  Igor was watching with interest as usual.  I heard Alan ask Igor about sparring, since Igor had asked about doing so last week.  "Next week," Igor told Alan.  "It is next week," I thought to myself.  Just a repeat of what he used to tell Steve.  I was going to go back through the blog entries to check whether or not Igor ever sparred with anyone.  I thought he might have gotten into the ring with JJ once and did only one round.  The blog was started in September of 2005, three years after I first started going to Loyola Gym.  By that time, Igor was no longer a regular attendee. 

I sparred with Andres (forgot to ask Alan to take pictures again), and the best shots I got in were to his mid-section.  But I didn't pace myself, and I burned out quickly.  Andres was leaving himself open at one point so I could practice offense, but I was lagging.  "What, you can't hit him when his arms are down?" Alan said to me.  I mustered up what little strength I had to finish, but after the third round, I felt like I had gone through torture.

Sarah's energy was better than mine when she took on Andres. 

She kept getting him with some good shots to the head.  Then she backed him up on the ropes several times and kept digging to the body.  Andres was encouraging her to keep going.

Andres met a promoter who's talking about having him fight in an amateur boxing show at a club out in the south suburbs.  At first, the guy thought Andres had too much experience, even as Andres explained that he's only had a few fights.  I believe the fight will take place sometime this week.  Andres will let us know if he gets on the card.

Alan then ran some boxing drills with Gene.  When I saw the coach put a pair of gloves on, I gave him a look.  "Be careful about your eyes," I said.  "He's not gonna hit me," Alan smiled. 

Just remembered that I meant to ask Alan to take another picture of me so I can change out the small one of me on Facebook, but I forgot.  Facebook has that Timeline deal, which I'm not crazy about, but I usally change the bigger cover photo out with a picture that I've taken in the gym the day before. 

Soreness

I made a comment to Pastor Roger awhile back about boxers being tougher than football players because boxers don't take off between February and August (or however long it is that football players are in off-season).  The pastor, an ardent football fan, smugly replied, "Football players take time to recuperate."  Well, football players don't have to be ready at any time for fights like boxers are.

But I think we pay for being at that level of readiness.  I was back in the gym this past Monday after having a fight last Friday, and I sparred on Monday.  I also sparred on Wednesday -- with Sarah both days.  Maybe should I have begged off of sparring and toned down the workout a little this week.  I've been sore since last Friday.  Today, my right knee was on fire.  I had to go to the drug store this afternoon and get a heat patch.

Josh, who hadn't been in for a long time, came in.  He asked me what had been going on, and I told him about last week's boxing show.  That's all he needed to hear.  Josh made a beeline towards Jacob and started asking a bunch of questions.  He spent most of his time in the gym asking questions and talking.  I honestly don't remember Josh doing a workout at all that night.

Ralphie sparred with Alan, as seen in the photo above.

And in this photo too.

I forgot to call Alan ahead of time to remind him to bring in a timer.  The one in the gym is officially broken.  Fortunately, Colonel brought in one that he owns to use for the evening.  

I've decided that I really need to step up the exercise, so I've been working out with my kettlebells this week.  Once again, I conveniently forgot that I'm still sore from Friday.  Maybe I should have waited until, oh, let's say, next week to put the new exercise routine into place.  Looks like I'll be back in the drug store later to pick up BenGay and pain pills.

Bedbugs and Boxing

Alan is always giving advice and pointers. . .in the photo above, he talks to Amanda after her and I sparred Wednesday night.  As soon as I took the first punch from her, I figured out quickly that she had some experience in the ring previously.  She moves very well around the ring, and she did some nice bobbing and weaving, especially when she sparred with Sarah.

 
Sarah and I commented on what good conditioning Jacob appears to have.  He went several rounds with Alan, and caught him with a good right hook.  "Remember that other day when he did several rounds of sparring?  He wasn't even breathing hard afterwards!" Sarah commented.  I believe Jacob told me he also works out at another gym, so that would explain his seemingly endless energy.   Jacob also sparred with Nathaniel.  Nathaniel had this nice move, where he bent down a little and twisted in order to throw a hook to Jacob's side.

Tommy was really beating on the speed bag.  "That's right, Tommy, kill it!" I joked, and we both laughed.  Tommy pointed at the speed bag and announced, "I'm coming back for you!"

I was so tired when I first got to the gym.  Have I mentioned that the building I live in, like so many others it seems these days, has a bedbug problem?  I clean (using bleach and ammonia), I spray (with over the counter pesticides), I throw stuff out to keep down clutter (I've begun to sell off my old albums), but it doesn't seem to help.  If your neighbors have them, and they haven't been properly dealt with, the problem remains.  I don't sleep much because of them, which is really a trip on top of having to deal with the insomnia that comes with menopause.   I woke up around 5:30 AM, and my legs and arms looked ghastly from all the bites.  It was the worst that I have ever been bitten up by insects.  My skin was raw from all the scratching.  I immediately got up and threw out my couch cushions and most of my bed sheets, pillow cases and blankets.  I don't think I have any pillows left at all.  Then I spent time spraying before I went to work.  It is easier for me to spar ten rounds with the tallest and biggest people in the gym than to fight the bedbugs.  At least I see progress when I'm sparring.  The sofa bed I used to sleep on will have to be thrown out to the alley because it's made of cloth and the bedbugs appear to have made that their personal residence; I have to call movers this week to get estimates on how much that will cost.

A neighbor of mine, Eric, gave me a seven-day pass to X Sport, a popular gym where he lifts weight.  He loves the place because he says it has a multitude of equipment (including heavy bags and kettlebells), plus, it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year long.  I will try to check it out before the end of the week.  I know that I'll be subject to a sales pitch because the seven-day pass is designed to get people to sign up for memberships.  I can't afford the cost of membership, but I've always been curious about those gyms that are accessible all the time.

Owed a Half of a Round

Last night, Carlos and I began sparring in the middle of a round.  After that round ended, Alan told me, "You still owe me a half a round."  "You gonna do that to me?  As old as I am?" I said while I huffed and puffed.  "Yeah, you gotta push yourself," Alan smiled.

The next round proved that I have become better at covering up.  Deflecting punches is something I still need to work on, howver.  Carlos was going non-stop.  It was as if someone had put rocks in an oversized slingshot and fired them all at once.  I did get in hooks to his head and his body, but they were not effective in slowing down his onslaught.  I was done after that round.

Jamil sparred with Carlos, and there was blood around the collar of his white shirt.  It was hard to tell who was bleeding, as neither man had signs of crimson leaking.  Carlos had a bruise on the underside of his top lip, and Jamil had taken hits to the mouth as well.  But it still was a mystery as to whom had been cut.  It could have happened while Jamil was sparring with Demond earlier.  "My mom's gonna yell when she sees it," Jamil smiled.

I heard Alan ask Diana if she was going to spar.  "No, I don't have a mouthpiece," she answered.  She told him that she'll pick one up for next week.  The other women did not come into to the gym last night. 

This morning, I did my usual workout in the church gym.  "Tell me if the music is too loud," I told Pastor Roger before I went downstairs.  Today is the National Day of Prayer, and most churches are open for people to have some quiet time in the sanctuary.  It wouldn't do to have people in the sanctuary trying to focus on God and hearing some R&B and hip-hop floating up from below.  During the workout, I felt a little twinge in the middle of my upper back.  Several years ago, there was pain in that area after I helped a nurse lift my dad so she could change his bed sheets while he was in the hospital.  He was average height, but he was heavyset.  I didn't have enough leverage as I thought on my side to lift him.  That happened a couple a weeks before he passed away.  I ended up going to the chiropractor to have my back straightened out after that.  I hope that little twinge doesn't mean I reinjured myself.  

Carlos likes to cook.  He told me he had eaten some chicken fried steak with gravy, and that his son Justin really liked it.  He's trying to change his diet in order to get down in size.  Alan joked to me, "Did you eat the whole pizza you ordered Monday night?"  I had told him when he dropped me off at home that I was going to order one.  "I ordered lasagna instead, but I didn't eat the whole thing," I answered.  Having noticed that Paulette will save half of a restaurant meal to eat later, I made that suggestion to Carlos and Ralphie.  I've been doing that myself lately whenever I order out.  If I'm actually at a restaurant, I'll either save half to take home, or just leave it on my plate.  It is so true that most restaurants serve bigger portions than necessary. 

Paulette and I had gone to a luncheon this past Tuesday, so I didn't do my usual workout that day.  I'll have to do another one either tomorrow or Saturday.  I haven't done a kettlebell workout in awhile, so I may do that if I don't do another boxing workout at church. 

Oscar Surprises Me

The summer session began last night, and a small group of people showed up. A few of them said they had read this blog, and one had seen an old review I had written about the gym on Yelp. That was good to hear that the blog was a vehicle to bring people in.

Oscar and I sparred again, and I stunned him a few times again. I even managed to get a few upper cuts in on him. But during the second round, Oscar hit harder and faster. I was clocked about the head a few times. He's slowly getting better. Alan told him not to dip down so low; Oscar still has to work on that. There were times I thought that he was going to end up in a headlock. I had a flashback to the fights my late sister Cindy was involved in. Putting someone in a headlock was always her signature move. Whenever her and I got into it, I was always mindful of staying out of position so she couldn't grab me like that. Our late youngest brother Ken wasn't so fortunate most of the time.

Mary came in and made an announcement that everyone needs to be paid up. Unfortunately, the ones who really needed to hear that were not in the gym last night. I told Alan that I need to remember to wear my Chicago Park District volunteer badge. I don't want to get him or I or the gym in trouble.

I had gone to Thillen's Stadium on Friday, but there was no boxing match. Instead, there were a couple of Little League games going on. I wonder what happened? I'll find out at some point.

I really need to start using that Grip Master I have at home. I brought it some time ago to work on my hand and finger strength. Last night, my right hand and wrist felt a little sore, especially when I was doing right hooks on the bag. I've had trouble on and off with my right ever since I injured it -- in the gym -- a few years ago. The Grip Master fits in your palm, and you press down on the buttons to give your fingers and hands a workout. They're not very expensive. I paid less than $15.00 for the one I have. I think I brought it through Ringside.

I received a kettlebell catalog in the mail yesterday. I had stopped using the ones I have when my left shoulder was injured over a year ago. I have no idea what I did to it. Honestly, half the time when I get hurt, or have cuts and bruises, I'm baffled as to how they got there. Anyway, it might have been residual pain from the car accident I was in back in 2005. It feels fine now. I want to build more muscle and strength, as I am not getting younger. What I really need to do is to lose that spare tire around my waist. I looked in the mirror while shadow boxing last night and thought, "I'm tired of looking like I'm a couple of months pregnant."

Little Men On The Bags

Willie showed up with his two grandsons again. Steve expressed his concerns about the kids being in the gym to me. If they belong to someone in the gym, there's the assumption that the adult is going to watch their kid. A little leeway is given sometimes in that situation. Those kids aren't run out of the place like the others who come in unsupervised. However, regardless if they are being supervised or not, the kids' aren't supposed to be in the gym on Wednesdays and Fridays. Mary, the fieldhouse supervisor, doesn't want kids in the gym during those times.

One of the boys kept beating the cobra bag, which was already loose. The kid beat it down nearly to the floor. Finally, I told him, "Look son, this is broken. It's not supposed to lean way over like that." He and his brother left it alone after that. While we were doing intervals later in the evening, Willie's grandsons decided they were going to join in. I kept worrying that they might accidently get hit by one of the adults' fists, or be KO'd by the heavy bags.

Larry, who hadn't been there in a long, long time, showed up at the gym last night. He had grown his hair out.

My left arm and shoulder was bothering me. That arm hasn't been completely right since that car accident I was in two summers ago. I've been checking out kettlebells online and thinking that maybe I should start lifting those. I need a little more strength in both arms, so it could help.