2007 Workout #49: Fear and Loathing in the Garden of Hartman…

We were warned. Thursday night promised us that we’d be outside, and that’s exactly what happened. We went out into the side lot of the YWCA and did a grand total of 200 punches and 200 front kicks up and down the yard. It was good training, I found myself focusing on my back heel and my breathing. Both of these areas need A LOT more work, but I was able to gut it out.

I was somewhat surprised how winded and tired I was at the end… I’ve done many more techniques in one session than that and not felt that bad. I think it was a combination of the humidity and the general lack of sleep that I’ve been putting myself under right now, because I was really feeling it. By Friday morning, my hips near where my thighs connect were just SCREAMING.

Also, I found that you can find out a lot about a person by watching how they approach training outdoors. Some walk tentatively, like they’ve never been barefoot outside, others wear shoes or sandals. I prefer barefoot, for the pure and simple reason that God made our skin with the uncanny ability to grow back when it is lightly damaged. We’re doing Him a disservice if we don’t utilize that feature. That, and there’s something satisfying about having feet so caked with dirt and grass that it clogs the drain after you take a shower. It makes you feel like you actually did something.

The second class was a further exploration of sen-no-sen, only this time I was paired up with . My timing was really off… it could’ve been my rubbery legs from all the kicking, but I would lay more blame on my “rocking horse” style timing when moving. He would always catch me as I rocked forward on my front leg, making escape generally impossible. This is something I need to work on, as it is a common problem for me.

All in all, Thursday was a great workout. It was tiring, but you felt a sense of accomplishment at the end of it. I was a little sore on Friday morning, but nothing out of the ordinary.