New Tricks

I got some video today, but I left the camera at the gym and I don't really feel like walking back. So I'll upload the footage tomorrow.

Every so often I'm still getting corrected on my kick, my balance, and my post kick and post knee foot placement. However, I think I'm making progress because they're starting to hit me now, and anyone that has ever sparred me knows how much I like getting hit :). My clinching sessions have started getting more intense. I'm trying to figure out how they are using their shoulders to close off the swim to the inside. I've been working other aspects of my clinch for the past year so much that I think some of my fundamentals have gotten rusty. I got to clinch with one of the trainers today too, and that was definitely an experience. My arms were completely exhausted and I think I hit the mat at least 30 times. On the bright side, there were two non-fundamental tricks that I picked up.

1. If someone throws a right straight knee at you (mirror everything for the left), you take your left knee and throw a curve knee to the outside of his right thigh. This effectively sweeps the knee away.

2. If you have full clinch, but you haven't broken their posture, you can basically jump and use your momentum when you land to pull their weight towards you while blocking off one leg to trip them.

On the non-clinch side, it was interesting to see some of their strategies. Apparently the basic answer to a body cross is a lead leg kick to the body. Also they don't like spinning around because you are too vulnerable to getting your legs kicked out from under you. So if you whiff a kick past your opponent, and the come charging back at you, you use the same kicking leg to throw a push side kick into the knee/lower-thigh area of their plant leg(most likely the lead leg).

All in all, it was another interesting day. The sessions are definitely getting harder and my endurance is starting to wear down. Not to mention the mosquitos are killing me. Its good to know my blood is just as tasty to the north american mosquito as it is to the asian mosquito.