It was a rainy day today, so not a lot of opportunity to walk. I still got out with the dog in the morning and walked a lap while watching my sons footy game. I also circled the gym in between sets, and ended up with just over 12k for the day.
I woke up with a head ache that's stayed with me the whole day. I got hit pretty hard in the head yesterday a couple of times. I'm still mad about it for a couple of reasons; 1. I had head gear with me and I didn't wear it. I thought the other guy was going to go lighter, but that didn't happen. If I'm going to spar, head gear is mandatory. I'm never sparring again without it. The 2nd reason I'm mad, is I took those big knocks and didn't give any back. I've spent the day questioning the point of it at all. I know if I fired up and went hard I could work him over, but I didn't. Should I have escalated things to a fight? Probably not, but I kinda feel like a bitch now for eating a few punches.
I need to work on taller opponents, specifically how to evade the long jab to get inside. I like to fight in close, so i need more tools for closing distance. This is another thing that pissed me off - I did this 3 or 4 times and got inside and didn't follow up with anything because it was sparring and practice. I got myself into a position to unleash and restrained myself. Then I end up taking hard punches in the head and feeling like I'm a totally shit boxer. Its not really fair. I'm going hard on this dude if we spar again. I'm going to try and knock him out. Or maybe I won't, but I'm still really angry about the whole session.
I had a good strength training session today. I've got stronger in all of my lifts. I probably need to adjust how I go about this workout, and lifting weights in general. I'm lifting like a body builder because that's all I've really known. I think I need to adjust to focus more on functional strength and the kinetic chain. I'll research this week and add a substitute a few exercises.
Coach Gee here. Let's cut through the noise: you're pissed off because you felt disrespected in sparring, and you're questioning your own restraint. That's a valid feeling, but letting it fester and planning to 'knock him out' next time is a distraction from the real issue: you chose not to wear headgear, and you're letting ego dictate your safety. Your 12k steps are solid, but that headache and the anger are symptoms of a deeper problem if you're not protecting yourself. For tomorrow, I need you to focus on that functional strength research you mentioned, and absolutely commit to wearing headgear in every sparring session. We're not hitting that <91kg Misogi target if you're sidelined with a concussion or letting emotional reactions dictate your training.