I never do this, but...
So... there's this camera we now have. And, as a result, we have pictures. Of me, Mark and Stina, the kat, and anything else that would hold still long enough. And a lot of people who refused to hold still, mostly because someone was punching them. Some of those follow. I begin, as always, with this:
So here is where I get to introduce some people who are fellow students, training partners, and even (dare I say it) friends. Without them, what I do would hardly be possible. I appreciate them more than I can say, despite what it may look like in the pictures to follow. The first is Scott, who as you can see from this shot, is bigger than I am by more than a little. I'm not really used to that and I appreciate the challenge of dealing with someone who could probably just out-muscle me if he wanted. I am forced to be sneaky and to actually learn some kung fu in order to move the guy. Makes it that much more satisfying when I can take him down, even if he doesn't want me to. I'm the one in the black tank top, btw. ;)
I like this because of the motion blur, and because my technique actually looks right. An armpit lock isn't something I would normally do, but if I can get good at the stuff that I'm not so comfortable with, then I should be even better with the locks and holds that feel more natural. In any case, the blue blur is Scott, who had decided that dropping to the ground quickly was preferable to having his elbow bent in an unnatural direction.
...and this is payback. I think this was from a headlock (which would have been much later in the test), but Scott looks pleased, as he should be. This and the previous picture were both from the more controlled phase of the test where we're demonstrating knowledge of specific techniques. The freeform stuff comes later, or sometimes in between.
One last pic of Scott. Notice that I have to punch upward to hit him in the jaw. My teacher (the one in the black and gold) is looking very zen in this pic, as he usually does. This is one of the few clean shots I got on Scott. He's actually very good at sparring. I think that comes from the fact that he used to be a cop, and so he's learned to fight before doing this, though the techniques are a little different. But still, a punch is a punch...
Yes, I got beat up by a girl. Quite a lot actually. Tiara was testing for her Student Black, which is one rank below 1st degree. The difference is, in essence, that the first says that she has learned the art, where then next level is showing that she can teach it. There is a 1 year minimum between the two, so I'm sure that I'll be seeing more of her for a while. She didn't pull this lock at all, which is pretty normal for her. Another one of those people that I love working with, for her spirit as much as for her technique.
You'd think that after the 5th or 6th time she did this, I would block better, but I got very familiar with this kick from her. Tiara actually got her black sash at another school a while back, then voluntarily stepped down when she came to us in order to earn the rank again. He other school did a lot of tournament fighting, something that shows in her sparring technique. She's fast and picks up on patterns well, so she had the whole punch-fake-kick thing going on me way too quickly.
Having gotten tired of those kicks, this was my eventual response. It's how I instinctively deal with a lot of things at that range actually. I have a lot of confidence in my short range technique, so I use it to my advantage when possible. Yes, I'm punching the girl, but she hit me first. And last. And more often.
I made this little girl cry once. I don't think I could ever do so again. The little one scoring a good hit on Tiara here is Lindsey, and this picture doesn't do her, or this hit, justice. She did an awesome job, and had SO much energy, even after sparring for a good five or six rounds. I wanted to post this just to show that black belts aren't infallible and that the little ones can still surprise you.
See that guy grinning as Tiara has just grabbed his neck and is about to hurl him to the ground? That's Mitch, and he always looks like that. ALWAYS. You kinda want to hit him just to make him stop, but it doesn't help. I've tried. Seriously though, he's a patient teacher, a man of great skill, and another one of those who is close to my size and weight, making him an excellent sparring partner for me.
There were a few shots from the multiple that I did (2 on 1. I was hoping for 3), but this one is special. Mitch is actually just putting his mouthguard back in as this shot is being taken, after I had knocked it out with an elbow that connected more solidly than I had expected. HE'S STILL SMILING. Having just hit Logan, I spun and punched Mitch before he could even get up, not knowing what was taking him so long to rise. I was pretty tense at this point, but having thought about it for a while now, I'm sure that I could handle 3 or 4 people just as easily as this if I could just relax more.
Multiples go on and on and on, and if you don't get taken down at some point, then they just aren't trying hard enough. So I went down. A few times. Notice again my teacher looking very zen as he's watching me try to get up. He's probably telling me to relax at this point. I'll learn...
This is everybody who tested, plus the black belts who were evaluating us. Not much more to say than that, except that the short one to my right has connected more punches to my head than I can count. Looking at the picture, you'd think that she would need a stepladder to do so, but she manages just fine. After Sifu Mark, Brooke is perhaps my favorite teacher, constantly patient and full of honest feedback and valuable advice for someone who comes at this from such a different perspective.
Ok. I feel narcissistic now. Go figure. If you've made it this far, I hope you enjoyed these. I'm sure there will be more next test...
So here is where I get to introduce some people who are fellow students, training partners, and even (dare I say it) friends. Without them, what I do would hardly be possible. I appreciate them more than I can say, despite what it may look like in the pictures to follow. The first is Scott, who as you can see from this shot, is bigger than I am by more than a little. I'm not really used to that and I appreciate the challenge of dealing with someone who could probably just out-muscle me if he wanted. I am forced to be sneaky and to actually learn some kung fu in order to move the guy. Makes it that much more satisfying when I can take him down, even if he doesn't want me to. I'm the one in the black tank top, btw. ;)
I like this because of the motion blur, and because my technique actually looks right. An armpit lock isn't something I would normally do, but if I can get good at the stuff that I'm not so comfortable with, then I should be even better with the locks and holds that feel more natural. In any case, the blue blur is Scott, who had decided that dropping to the ground quickly was preferable to having his elbow bent in an unnatural direction.
...and this is payback. I think this was from a headlock (which would have been much later in the test), but Scott looks pleased, as he should be. This and the previous picture were both from the more controlled phase of the test where we're demonstrating knowledge of specific techniques. The freeform stuff comes later, or sometimes in between.
One last pic of Scott. Notice that I have to punch upward to hit him in the jaw. My teacher (the one in the black and gold) is looking very zen in this pic, as he usually does. This is one of the few clean shots I got on Scott. He's actually very good at sparring. I think that comes from the fact that he used to be a cop, and so he's learned to fight before doing this, though the techniques are a little different. But still, a punch is a punch...
Yes, I got beat up by a girl. Quite a lot actually. Tiara was testing for her Student Black, which is one rank below 1st degree. The difference is, in essence, that the first says that she has learned the art, where then next level is showing that she can teach it. There is a 1 year minimum between the two, so I'm sure that I'll be seeing more of her for a while. She didn't pull this lock at all, which is pretty normal for her. Another one of those people that I love working with, for her spirit as much as for her technique.
You'd think that after the 5th or 6th time she did this, I would block better, but I got very familiar with this kick from her. Tiara actually got her black sash at another school a while back, then voluntarily stepped down when she came to us in order to earn the rank again. He other school did a lot of tournament fighting, something that shows in her sparring technique. She's fast and picks up on patterns well, so she had the whole punch-fake-kick thing going on me way too quickly.
Having gotten tired of those kicks, this was my eventual response. It's how I instinctively deal with a lot of things at that range actually. I have a lot of confidence in my short range technique, so I use it to my advantage when possible. Yes, I'm punching the girl, but she hit me first. And last. And more often.
I made this little girl cry once. I don't think I could ever do so again. The little one scoring a good hit on Tiara here is Lindsey, and this picture doesn't do her, or this hit, justice. She did an awesome job, and had SO much energy, even after sparring for a good five or six rounds. I wanted to post this just to show that black belts aren't infallible and that the little ones can still surprise you.
See that guy grinning as Tiara has just grabbed his neck and is about to hurl him to the ground? That's Mitch, and he always looks like that. ALWAYS. You kinda want to hit him just to make him stop, but it doesn't help. I've tried. Seriously though, he's a patient teacher, a man of great skill, and another one of those who is close to my size and weight, making him an excellent sparring partner for me.
There were a few shots from the multiple that I did (2 on 1. I was hoping for 3), but this one is special. Mitch is actually just putting his mouthguard back in as this shot is being taken, after I had knocked it out with an elbow that connected more solidly than I had expected. HE'S STILL SMILING. Having just hit Logan, I spun and punched Mitch before he could even get up, not knowing what was taking him so long to rise. I was pretty tense at this point, but having thought about it for a while now, I'm sure that I could handle 3 or 4 people just as easily as this if I could just relax more.
Multiples go on and on and on, and if you don't get taken down at some point, then they just aren't trying hard enough. So I went down. A few times. Notice again my teacher looking very zen as he's watching me try to get up. He's probably telling me to relax at this point. I'll learn...
This is everybody who tested, plus the black belts who were evaluating us. Not much more to say than that, except that the short one to my right has connected more punches to my head than I can count. Looking at the picture, you'd think that she would need a stepladder to do so, but she manages just fine. After Sifu Mark, Brooke is perhaps my favorite teacher, constantly patient and full of honest feedback and valuable advice for someone who comes at this from such a different perspective.
Ok. I feel narcissistic now. Go figure. If you've made it this far, I hope you enjoyed these. I'm sure there will be more next test...