No thanks to work commitments, we had a slightly smaller group this week. No matter. Training was no less fun (or tough, depending on who you ask):
1. Relaxed run (warmup)
2. Dynamic stretching (full body)
3. Frog jumps (legs)
4. Monkey trees (cardio and upper body)
5. Basic striking techniques (full body)
6. Slope shuttles (cardio)
7. Grappling/rolling (cardio and full body)
The frog jumps took their toll early on, with one member close to throwing up. Such a simple exercise, but beneficial if done properly. Moving on (reluctantly) to the next exercise, the group was introduced to monkey trees. This proved a real challenge to those who tried - nobody managed to complete a full rep. Technique had much to do with it. Remember:
1. Get a good grip with the legs.
2. Climb higher up on the tree using hip movement.
3. Move one part of the body at a time (ie. upper body, then lower body or vice versa).
4. Don't be afraid of falling, just go for it (it's not high enough to seriously hurt you).
We continued to improve on the basic fighting stance, jab, cross and 1-2. This week, the members also learned a new technique - the front kick. Just like last week, we limited it to kicking with the back leg only to keep things simple. I was quite impressed with Tong's kicks - sharp and with good power.
The official last exercise was slope shuttles, where the girls outclassed the boys by not only going for a longer duration, but completing the laps faster. Well done! To cap it off, I had a two-minute round with Tong, rolling for position. I think the BJJ classes with Team Mongooze did him good.
Judging from the condition of the group, it seemed that this week's session was the toughest yet. Did I make the class too hard? For twentysomethings with no physical defects, I don't think so. I think it was just a case of lungs, hearts and minds unaccustomed to proper training. Don't worry guys, you are slowly and steadily getting there.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Training Summary - 22/7/09
This week, four new members joined the Mix. Welcome Rachel, James, Kah Hon and Benedict! One more founding member slot left! The training session went like this:
1. Relaxed run (warmup)
2. Dynamic stretching (full body)
3. Spider crawls (upper body and core)
4. Zenkutsu dachi pushing (legs)
5. Crocodile walk (upper body and core) / pushups, squats, plank (for latecomers)
6. Basic striking techniques (full body)
7. Thai clinch (neck, upper body and cardio) / slope shuttles (cardio)
The atmosphere this week continued to be good - everyone was in high spirits and put in a genuine effort to the best of their abilities. We continued to work on our fighting stance, improving on some minor but important details. Among them:
1. Keeping the hands up and the chin down
2. Bending the front knee
3. Reducing the angle of the back foot
4. Weight on the balls of the feet
We then worked our 1-2's on the kick shields. I noticed that some members were relying more on their shoulders instead of their hips to generate power. Remember to turn your hips guys. Next was another bread-and-butter striking technique - the low roundhouse kick. To keep it simple, we limited it to kicking with the back leg only.
The Thai clinch session provided a real challenge for me, especially when partnered with the bigger, stronger guys. Each of the boys got two solid minutes and I completed a total of 10 minutes, the most I have ever done. I am typing this post with a sore neck. Good work boys. The girls chose not to participate in this relatively rough activity, so they finished off with two minutes of slope shuttles.
Just like last week, I was happy with the turnout, the effort of the participants and the camaraderie. James provided some welcome LOL's and having another fit, strong guy like Benny on our team is never a bad thing. Probably the most glaring shortcoming of the night was the fact that we did not have enough kick shields to smash. I did not expect such a big turnout so early on. Hopefully this can be fixed sooner rather than later.
1. Relaxed run (warmup)
2. Dynamic stretching (full body)
3. Spider crawls (upper body and core)
4. Zenkutsu dachi pushing (legs)
5. Crocodile walk (upper body and core) / pushups, squats, plank (for latecomers)
6. Basic striking techniques (full body)
7. Thai clinch (neck, upper body and cardio) / slope shuttles (cardio)
The atmosphere this week continued to be good - everyone was in high spirits and put in a genuine effort to the best of their abilities. We continued to work on our fighting stance, improving on some minor but important details. Among them:
1. Keeping the hands up and the chin down
2. Bending the front knee
3. Reducing the angle of the back foot
4. Weight on the balls of the feet
We then worked our 1-2's on the kick shields. I noticed that some members were relying more on their shoulders instead of their hips to generate power. Remember to turn your hips guys. Next was another bread-and-butter striking technique - the low roundhouse kick. To keep it simple, we limited it to kicking with the back leg only.
The Thai clinch session provided a real challenge for me, especially when partnered with the bigger, stronger guys. Each of the boys got two solid minutes and I completed a total of 10 minutes, the most I have ever done. I am typing this post with a sore neck. Good work boys. The girls chose not to participate in this relatively rough activity, so they finished off with two minutes of slope shuttles.
Just like last week, I was happy with the turnout, the effort of the participants and the camaraderie. James provided some welcome LOL's and having another fit, strong guy like Benny on our team is never a bad thing. Probably the most glaring shortcoming of the night was the fact that we did not have enough kick shields to smash. I did not expect such a big turnout so early on. Hopefully this can be fixed sooner rather than later.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Training Summary - 15/7/09
We had a good turnout this week, with three new members and one returning to the fold. Welcome Ka Bien, Tim and Castell and welcome back Tong! That leaves us with five more founding member slots (for FOC training), so get moving! This week's session was similar to last week:
1. Relaxed run (warmup)
2. Dynamic stretching (full body)
3. Circuit x 2 (full body)
4. Basic striking techniques (full body)
5. Toe tag (cardio) / slope shuttles (cardio)
The initial plan was to complete three circuits, but the group was struggling after one. Seeing that this was the first session for most, we decided to just complete two circuits. Being too sore to go to work the next morning isn't a practical way to train. There is always next week, next month or next year to go hard, as long as we keep training. Props to Edmond for going the whole three rounds despite being unwell.
Also worthy of mention were the ladies, who had the option of doing 20-second stations instead of the regular 40. That option proved unneccessary as Ka Bien and Castell both completed everything the guys did. Well done girls!
For the striking section, the first-timers were introduced to the basic Kyokushin fighting stance. We then threw jabs, crosses and 1-2's at the air and later into brand new kick shields. We finished up with a drill for front kicks.
The last exercise of the night was a two-minute round of toe tag. I had a close match with Tim, narrowly beating him by one point. Nice one dude. Edmond used a pretty creative move, trapping Tong's attacking arms en route to a one-sided victory. The girls were reluctant to engage in an 'unladylike' activity like toe tag, so they ran slope shuttles for two minutes (probably more difficult?) instead.
To me, this week's session marked another new chapter in the short history of Midweek Mix. Having a good workout, making new friends, some laughs at their expense and a relaxing drink with them after is what the Mix is all about. In that sense, I believe we were successful. My heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to that success. Maybe the quality of the post-workout meal could have been better. We will give Makbul mamak a miss next time.
1. Relaxed run (warmup)
2. Dynamic stretching (full body)
3. Circuit x 2 (full body)
4. Basic striking techniques (full body)
5. Toe tag (cardio) / slope shuttles (cardio)
The initial plan was to complete three circuits, but the group was struggling after one. Seeing that this was the first session for most, we decided to just complete two circuits. Being too sore to go to work the next morning isn't a practical way to train. There is always next week, next month or next year to go hard, as long as we keep training. Props to Edmond for going the whole three rounds despite being unwell.
Also worthy of mention were the ladies, who had the option of doing 20-second stations instead of the regular 40. That option proved unneccessary as Ka Bien and Castell both completed everything the guys did. Well done girls!
For the striking section, the first-timers were introduced to the basic Kyokushin fighting stance. We then threw jabs, crosses and 1-2's at the air and later into brand new kick shields. We finished up with a drill for front kicks.
The last exercise of the night was a two-minute round of toe tag. I had a close match with Tim, narrowly beating him by one point. Nice one dude. Edmond used a pretty creative move, trapping Tong's attacking arms en route to a one-sided victory. The girls were reluctant to engage in an 'unladylike' activity like toe tag, so they ran slope shuttles for two minutes (probably more difficult?) instead.
To me, this week's session marked another new chapter in the short history of Midweek Mix. Having a good workout, making new friends, some laughs at their expense and a relaxing drink with them after is what the Mix is all about. In that sense, I believe we were successful. My heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to that success. Maybe the quality of the post-workout meal could have been better. We will give Makbul mamak a miss next time.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
What do I need to bring to training?
Good news people! All my stuff from Sydney has arrived in KL, which means the aforementioned loot is here, which means we can punch, kick, knee, elbow, headbutt, smash, abuse and leave sweat on real kick shields, not crappy exercise mats held together by duct tape.
This also means that you can hit the real equipment full force, which also means that you would probably scrape off bits of epidermis from your fragile knuckles in the process. It's not that bad, but scabs that form, break, bleed again, ooze pus, dry up, break again, bleed, ooze pus, stain stuff you handle and take forever to heal because so many things in daily life involve bending your finger joints are pretty damn annoying. Besides, none of your training partners want your AIDS.
In order to avoid that happening, those of you with boxing gloves or bag mitts please bring them along to training. Those without, please speak to me before training and I can help you obtain a suitable pair. The other stuff is pretty self-explanatory, but here is a list anyway:
1. Comfortable clothing you don't mind getting dirty
2. Change of clothes
3. Towel
4. Water
5. Running shoes
6. Boxing gloves/bag mitts
This also means that you can hit the real equipment full force, which also means that you would probably scrape off bits of epidermis from your fragile knuckles in the process. It's not that bad, but scabs that form, break, bleed again, ooze pus, dry up, break again, bleed, ooze pus, stain stuff you handle and take forever to heal because so many things in daily life involve bending your finger joints are pretty damn annoying. Besides, none of your training partners want your AIDS.
In order to avoid that happening, those of you with boxing gloves or bag mitts please bring them along to training. Those without, please speak to me before training and I can help you obtain a suitable pair. The other stuff is pretty self-explanatory, but here is a list anyway:
1. Comfortable clothing you don't mind getting dirty
2. Change of clothes
3. Towel
4. Water
5. Running shoes
6. Boxing gloves/bag mitts
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Training Summary - 8/7/09
This week's training session went like this:
1. Dynamic stretching (full body)
2. Circuit x 3 (full body)
3. Basic striking techniques (full body)
4. Grappling/rolling (cardio and full body)
The circuit had eight stations, each lasting 40 seconds with about 10-20 seconds rest in between each station. Each station targeted one of the following, with the next station targeting the next thing on the list:
1. Cardio
2. Upper body
3. Legs
4. Core
This week also saw the introduction of a new piece of training equipment. The makeshift punch shield was fine for practising strikes, but not strong or thick enough to use full power. We practised Kyokushin-style 1-2 punches, body rips and low kicks on our new piece of el-cheapo gear.
The grappling part was a basic free rolling session starting on the knees, with no strikes or submissions allowed. The idea was to fight for a dominant position, with the participants starting again on their knees when one of them achieved a steady mount or back mount position.
Just like last week, we had a good time and a good workout, but it was clear that we have much to improve on. I'm looking forward to many more enjoyable sessions on the way there.
1. Dynamic stretching (full body)
2. Circuit x 3 (full body)
3. Basic striking techniques (full body)
4. Grappling/rolling (cardio and full body)
The circuit had eight stations, each lasting 40 seconds with about 10-20 seconds rest in between each station. Each station targeted one of the following, with the next station targeting the next thing on the list:
1. Cardio
2. Upper body
3. Legs
4. Core
This week also saw the introduction of a new piece of training equipment. The makeshift punch shield was fine for practising strikes, but not strong or thick enough to use full power. We practised Kyokushin-style 1-2 punches, body rips and low kicks on our new piece of el-cheapo gear.
The grappling part was a basic free rolling session starting on the knees, with no strikes or submissions allowed. The idea was to fight for a dominant position, with the participants starting again on their knees when one of them achieved a steady mount or back mount position.
Just like last week, we had a good time and a good workout, but it was clear that we have much to improve on. I'm looking forward to many more enjoyable sessions on the way there.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A good start
Here we go boys and girls! Midweek Mix is officially underway, and what a great start it was! The night was cool with a slight breeze and most importantly, no sign of mosquitoes. Being the very first session, we didn't go too hard, just trying to get our unfit bodies accustomed to the rigors of proper training again:
1. Dynamic stretching (full body)
2. Spider crawls (upper body and core)
3. Zenkutsu dachi pushing (legs)
4. Narrow pushups (punching muscles)
5. Slope shuttles (cardio)
6. Basic striking techniques (full body)
7. Toe tag (cardio)
Most of it was manageable, but the slope shuttles were challenging. We did 3 x 2 minute rounds, with a minute's rest in between. We struggled, but at least now we have a target for future sessions: 20 laps per round (we managed about 17 max). It sure feels good to be training again. Training times have been decided upon - 8pm on Wednesdays. See you there next week.
1. Dynamic stretching (full body)
2. Spider crawls (upper body and core)
3. Zenkutsu dachi pushing (legs)
4. Narrow pushups (punching muscles)
5. Slope shuttles (cardio)
6. Basic striking techniques (full body)
7. Toe tag (cardio)
Most of it was manageable, but the slope shuttles were challenging. We did 3 x 2 minute rounds, with a minute's rest in between. We struggled, but at least now we have a target for future sessions: 20 laps per round (we managed about 17 max). It sure feels good to be training again. Training times have been decided upon - 8pm on Wednesdays. See you there next week.
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