TKD UPDATE

Gave my kid orange belt today.

Had a VERY good lesson: much like Monday's.  Things seemed to be clicking.  We drilled footwork, focusing on keeping a strong stance while moving, which I think made one-steps and forms better.  Thumbs still get crazy, but significantly less so than they were before.  Punches looked strong.

After a 50-ish minute lesson, we did a 10 minute test in front of the audience of my wife.  Demonstrated punching, snap kicks, push kicks against a pad, break aways, one-steps (defending against push kicks and punches) and the form.  Only mistake I caught was using the wrong block for one of the one steps, but otherwise retention of material was solid and could be demonstrated on command. 

I'm excited, as I'll be teaching them roundkick and knifehand from the TKD curriculum, along with thai roundhouse and hook punches, to add some circular attacks to all the linear ones they've learned.  Will also be teaching them the second form (Dan Gun), which means learning high blocks and knifehand blocks.  Those are...less exciting, haha.

Going to introduce pad work too.  My kid seems to be able to keep form long enough that I think they can hit some pads without hurting themselves.

Training Log: Entry 2670

PM WORKOUT

Buffalo Bar Squat
5xBar
5x140
3x230
1x320
1x370

REST PAUSE (12 deep breaths between sets)
8x410
4x410
2x410
1x410

1 minute rest

13x1x410 (30 seconds between sets)

SUPERSETS (snatch-hyper)

Reverse hypers 360
1x13
1x15
1x17
1x19

Hang power snatches 78lbs
4x5

Notes: Hamstring is feeling significantly better, but still not 100%.  Stopped the topset at the point where it was threatening to snap again.  The follow up sets weren't pleasant, but do-able.  Got some pain in my groin on my left side because I've been leaning on the right to get me through the squats: used the singles to correct that and things felt much better.  Reverse hypers were pulling on the hamstring a bit, so cut the reps down.  Was actually decently explosive on the snatches.

Got a total of 30 reps in the squat, so progress from last week, and I didn't need to do any knee wrap voodoo this time.  Very consistent improvement, even if the bruising keeps looking worse.

Also jumped up a full flight of stairs 3 times today on my left foot.  Could typically only get through half a landing.  Great to see that moving.

Training Log: Entry 2669

PM WORKOUT

5 minute rope skipping

10 rounds on the BAS (2 minute rounds, 1 minute off)

5 minutes rope skipping

Notes: In between the first 4 rounds, I skipped rope and wore MMA gloves.  After round 5, I took the 1 minute off and had the 16oz gloves on. Skipped rope after the 10th round for a minute, then did a 5 minute cooldown.  Really tried to focus on putting power behind the right hand and in the left hooks.  Saw a video of Tyson hitting the pads at 53 years old and realized just how much hips matter in the hook, so tried to really get them in.  Was a solid workout.  Conditioning keeps getting better.

Training Log: Entry 2668

Stretched in the AM.  Hamstring is slightly tender again, but I'm following my normal healing process of set myself back but not as far as before so I can heal further.  2 steps forward, 1 step back, net gain.

PM WORKOUT

SUPERSETS (press-chin)

Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x66
3x176
3x196
7x221
9x196

NG chins w/30lbs (various grips)
1x9
5x8

SUPERSETS (press-dip-raise-pull apart: sets 1 and 4: axle, sets 2 and 5: trap bar, sets 3 and 6: log)

Axle strict press 156
1x12
1x10

Trap bar press 175
1x10
1x6

Log clean and strict press away 150
2x12

Dips
6xFailure

DB lateral raise 30s
3x12
2x11
1x12

Band pull aparts
6x13

Neck harness 45
3x20

DB rows 105
1x21

Notes: 3:45 between heavy press, 2:00 between giant sets.  The neck harness was tacked on to the odd sets of giant sets.  The topset of presses wasn't bad.  Wanted 9, but my strength seems to be settling at least.  I also realized I haven't done one of my ultra grindy reps in a while, so I threw it in on the backoff set.  Been eyeing neck harness work for a while, and think I may have found a way to work it in without making things ridiculous.  Took it easy for today, since it's been a while.

My triceps were really being dumb on the log today.  May need to get in some direct work on it, OR make my dips a bit more honest. 

Training Log: Entry 2667

PM WORKOUT

Max Effort Lower

(4) High Handle Trap Bar Mat Pulls
5x135
5x225
3x315
1x405
1x495
1x585
1x675
1x745
0x765

GIANT SETS (dead-row-chin)

2 second pause high handle trap bar pull 405
3x9

T-bar row 3 45s and a 10
3x9

NG chins (various grips)
1x5
2x4

10 minute-ish rest

3 rounds on the BAS (2 minutes on, 1 minute "rest" of rope skipping) using MMA style gloves


Notes: 3:45 between heavy pulls, 2:00 between giant sets.  The strength was there for 765, but my hamstring was a little angry after 745 and I could feel it trying to pull apart on 765.  Got no reason to sacrifice it at the moment, so I pushed it to the redline and backed it down again.  I find this helps the healing process, as so far my hamstring is feeling awesome.

Giant sets were fairly easy with the shorter ME session.

Went to Dick's Sporting Goods today since they're opened up and picked up a bunch of martial arts stuff.  Just about returned everything when they wouldn't sell me the weight set they had because "we don't sell the display".  Hey, here's a thought then: don't put a pricetag on it.  Was looking out for that kid on the powerlifting team, so pissed me off.  Rant aside, I now have the MMA style gloves, got my wife some 12oz boxing gloves, my kiddo some MMA style gloves (they already have boxing gloves) and I got some thai pads.  Can really rock and roll.

I liked the MMA style gloves because they allowed me to skip rope between rounds easier than transitioning with the boxing gloves.  It's definitely different using them, but for fitness purposes, they work well.  May include some slam ball and sprawls in the future.

TKD Training Update

Stretched this morning.  Single leg is good. 

TKD lesson of 45 minutes had a BIG takeaway today.  Wanted to document this.  Shared it in the combat section too


So I had a bit of a revelation regarding TKD blocking yesterday after doing some reading, implemented it today and it worked fantastically.  The whole "grab defense" thing has some merit, but really, calling them "blocks" just confuses things.  They're hard parries. 

The low block



Is just a stupid idea to block an incoming roundhouse kick OR to try to force on force stop a front kick (snap or teep)

BUT, if you step off to the side as you do it against a front style kick, it's just a parry , and should put you in a position to capitalize on a counter attack (assuming you circle to the back).

Same with the middle block



Not going to stop anything, but you step to the side and do it against a straight attack and it's a parry.

That picture is stupidly exaggerated, and we drilled keeping it close and just using it to move the punch off line, but it's making the first form a lot less stupid. 

We did these for our 1 steps, and it was suddenly a MUCH more useful drill.  My kid was getting me off center and had my back totally exposed.  They remembered something I said from my previous lesson, because I said "If you're at my back, I can't block, I can't attack much, and I can't see what's coming" and my kid goes "So it's like Christmas for me?"

My wife goes "WHAT are you teaching our kid up there?!" 

I was so proud.  They were figuring out logical attacks from there.  Figured out a front snap kick right between my legs from behind and a liver punch: total Bas Rutten style stuff.  We suddenly went from doing things because it was tradition to doing things because it made sense: huge.

This became cool too, because we learned how all the blocks in the form are there to teach against all the attacks in the form.  Great to see the material come together.

Forms looked amazing as a result as well.  Strong punches, held the fist well.  A few more lessons like that and I'll promote them to orange belt.  From there, I'll be teaching angular attacks, as white belt has been all straight attacks.  Plan is roundkick, roundhouse kick (Muay Thai style), hook punch and a knifehand strike.  Will teach leg checking as a defense.  I'll also have to look into the next form and find out what else needs to be taught from it.

Training Log: Entry 2666

Ok, first, I keep forgetting to add that I did a set of 20 NG chins at the end of my squat workout the other day.  Really just trying to get my back back to where it was and beyond.

Did my 25 minutes of stretching and single leg work.  Left leg continues to feel fine: just tender around the IT band.

AM WORKOUT

Axle bench press 296
2x10
1x9

Close grip axle bench 256
1x10
2x5

Swiss bar incline bench 220
1x10
2x8

Dips
2x40
1x35

Standing ab wheel between sets of bench
8x8

Notes: 3:05 between sets of benching, 2:00 between sets of dips.  I alternated the close grip benching with the swiss bar benching.  I definitely liked it more as a training approach: made the training seem much faster.  Not sure if it necessarily is more effective, but it gives me some room to play around at least, and now I can make drop sets and other intensity modifiers a bit more viable.

Also interesting how much more gas I had in me for those dips at the end.  I feel like that might mean something.  My sternum was a bit achy, which is most likely from the weighted dips I did in place of log this week.

Putting on my knee sleeves made that left knee ache.  Pain is around the IT band/very bottom of the hamstring, which is most likely where the tear occurred.  I wonder if that's also the spot where they harvested my hamstring to make a new ACL.

Very slight pain in my right forearm, which I think is a product of the grip training, rather than squats.  My upper body in general seems to be in less pain post squatting these days.  I may have to take a lesson that, when bodyweight goes up, squatting transfers to SSB only, and when it goes down I use the buffalo bar.  Wouldn't be the worst idea.