Probably the last posting...for 2006! ;-)

Now that I know that I have a more serious knee injury than I thought, I have to take it a little easy on it. Last night, I think just due to the stress probably put on it from Wednesday's sparring bout and going up and down a lot of stairs in my house, my knee was so inflammed that I could barely walk last night, and it hurt SO much as I tried to sleep. Fortunately, the Motrin eventually kicked in, and getting some rest helped.

Drew skipped out on classes today (which was probably a good thing), and I went to only two. I would have done weapons and board breaking, but with Christmas essentially being a two-day celebration in my family (my husband's family celebrates on Christmas Eve, and mine does on Christmas Day), I had (and still have at this writing) a LOT to do, so I stuck with sparring and forms class.

SM showed up, and so I had a partner, of course, for sparring class. Today, Jason K, a teen who transferred in from another local school and is VERY good, taught the class. He's the one that would do that "voodoo hex" thing during sparring. He really knows what he's talking about. While class centered on the ideas of a) learning to evade your opponent, b) learning to figure out your opponent's favorite moves so that you can figure out how to not only counteract them with a move they don't expect, but throw in some moves that aren't your favorites to throw THEM off, and c) learning to judge distance and throw your opponent off. While these are all things that you always have to learn, and in so many ways, are the basics of sparring, they are all things that I still have to master well. (See video below). I have to get a better repertoire of combinations and defense moves to be able to counteract others. I know that punching or other hand stuff is my weakness, and I also don't protect myself (notice that my arms pretty much always flail out when I kick, leaving me open), so getting back to basics, and seeing how to break that down, or look at it more carefully, as if in slow motion, is a good thing. It was a good class and a good exercise.

Forms class was good too. MZ was there teaching as well, but again, it was Jason who mostly taught the class. I really hadn't taken a class from him before, (well, except the sparring class just before forms class), but he's very good. I learned the somewhat long second segment of this latest form. At least there weren't any big jumps or kicks in it, so that helped. Pretty basic, but it's just a matter of remembering the steps in the segments that we've done so far, and also learning how to get the hand-foot timing, since we aren't taught that going slowly (and with 95% of the students in the class being kids!). It shouldn't be too bad, from what I could see in the cheat sheets I have and was reviewing later today.

After that, I had to go. I didn't have a chance to say a proper Happy Holidays to SW (who was actually in, and giving the sales pitch to a family that I had booked for a free trial class), or SM, as she was taking the weapons class as I left, but that's okay. I'll probably talk to them during the week or something like that via email.

So, I have a week off from work, and a week off from TKD. Probably good, as sometimes we all need a break. I'm not afraid of doing classes, other than if they agitate my knee or my asthma. Both will probably be put through the wringer without TKD, as part of my post-Christmas activities will be moving the furniture in my house to my new house! Yes, I'm spending the week moving! It's just across town, but still...lots of physical work nonetheless. Having a break from TKD will not be a bad thing. Hopefully I'll be able to start fresh with the new year after taking the break. I think I'll still be in the same mental mode, since technically I won't really be taking a break from the rest of my life. Someday, I'll have a vacation on my own! If the moving isn't too strenuous, it'll be a good break for my knee. I did wear the "holy" knee brace, but I didn't like it, and didn't feel it helped that much. It also needs a good washing, BLEECH! I went and bought another one at the local CVS today (while picking up the prescription anti-inflammatory for my knee), and it seems to be doing a slightly better job. I think it's because it's a little more flexible than the other one. The other had metal support on the side, that if you bent your knee too much, it would dig into my leg. This one has double plastic supports, and is flexible enough to bend more and not dig into my leg. It's supposed to be a sport brace, and it's a little more breathable, so I think it'll work out. We'll see.

So, unless something comes up big time, I want to thank my martial arts friends that I've met through this blog in the past year for your support. You are all a great bunch of people, and I find a lot of joy in getting to know you and knowing that we all support each other in our martial arts endeavors as well as our "outside" lives. You are all such great, fascinating people, and it's very cool that we all have this common bond that ties us together, even if we all practice different types of martial arts. I wish you all peace, love, joy, safety, good health, and happiness in the holiday season and in the new year.

See 'ya in 2007!!