Krav on Wednesday went well. If I’m not mistaken, we’ve covered all of P2 now.
We spend Ladies’ Night working on Relay for Life stuff, fencing practice was cancelled Friday, and I was too sick to go to fencing on Sunday. At least I got to prop myself up in a lawn chair and be sick outside on such a beautiful day. It looks like i’m too sick to fight tonight too.
I am grumpy.
I do have some good news, though. I don’t need to have surgery on the finger. I have a bone bruise, and I start occupational therapy at the end of this week.
Wednesday night in Krav we worked on some kick defenses. Those were pretty cool. I have no idea how my training partner ended up with a bruise on her upper arm, but it was an evening well-spent nonetheless.
On Thursday I missed ladies’ night so that Nik and I could hunt for fabric for his elevation. We came back empty-handed, but we did spend a nice evening together.
We went to UWF practice on Friday night. It was just us and Quinn, so we just played King of the Hill for awhile and called it a night. We also did some knife fighting, just for fun. Nik and I compared notes on knife fighting, me from Krav Maga and him from historical texts. It was pretty dynamic.
I spent Saturday at the beach dressed like a mermaid and rolling around in the surf because I can.
Sunday was SCA fencing practice. We’re in the midst of planning an event, and I got stressed out and frustrated at one point, but Nik and I fenced it out, and I think I’ll make it. It was our first practice coming back from Gulf Wars, and we have a new person showing interest, so that’s cool.
Last night we did a different set of kick defenses in Krav. I’m going to need help keeping the names straight so that I don’t do the wrong thing during testing.
This morning I woke up bright and early and went in for an MRI on that injured finger. I’m a little over 6 months past the injury, and my range of motion isn’t getting better. I’ll follow up with the ortho on Friday. I’m hoping for good news – proceed with PT. Friendly readers, keep your fingers crossed because I sure can’t do it.
Krav on Wednesday was a review class. I noticed that there are a few techniques that I understand in my head, but my body isn’t doing them properly. It would have been a good idea to review those concepts in detail on Thursday, but I didn’t go. My best friend wanted to hang out, and I hadn’t seen her in awhile (the first thing she asked me was “What did you do to your hand?”), so I figured I could skip one.
I had my follow-up appointment with the ortho on Friday afternoon. I need to have an MRI done to check for scar tissue. If everything is okay in there, it’s time for “aggressive physical therapy.” I’m ready to not be hurt anymore.
I was sore from my exam, so even though I went to an SCA event on Saturday, I didn’t fight. It was nice to see my friends though, and I got some business done, so I think it was time well spent.
Sunday was my first beach trip of the new year! That isn’t really fitness related unless you count my walks, but I’m super stoked to be back on the sand.
Last night in Krav we worked on backwards rolls and putting together combinations. I had a really good night, even though I did jam my finger a couple of times. I’m still trying to work out exactly how much tape I need when I’m training. I wear buddy tape during the day, and I have some on my gloves. However, I didn’t wear my gloves to do rolls, so maybe I would have been better off keeping the tape on from the day. Then agian, when we worked on combos, I did end up needing the gloves. Maybe I could do the Miochael Jackson thing and just wear one glove… Any thoughts?
Man, i’m bad at this, haha.
Okay, so I left off last Wednesday, right? Thursday was Ladies’ Night. I got together with some other lady Kravists and went over some techniques that weren’t quite solid for me yet.
Last weekend was the Pensacola Renaissance Faire (and Pirate Festival). I was there for both days doing fencing demonstrations with the SCA and the UWF club. It looks like people are interested in trying it out. One of my favorite things about Ren Faire is seeing little girls (especially ones dressed like princesses) interested in swords. Nothing is better than a sword fighting princess!
Last night was Krav practice.I’m working on using combinations instead of just relying on the same one or two strikes. unfortunately, somewhere between “throw what you know” and “don’t overthink it,” I end up doing weird things that may not be martially sound. I’ll sleep on it.
My finger is getting better, but I still don’t have range of motion. I’m hoping to try holding a sword with that hand this Friday night at practice. Wish me luck.
Now it’s time to prepare for Gulf Wars. I have a week until I pack up and ship out!
Last night I went back to Krav after a full week off. I can’t make a fist with my right hand, so I substituted palm heel strikes and elbows today. I kept the finger buddy taped during practice and then worked on moving it a little bit afterward. We learned a new combination, and even though it was hitchy at first, it smoothed out by the end of the day.
Two fun things happened to me last night. The first was during warm-ups. My sparring partner accidentally stuck a finger in my eye socket. It was surreal and a little scary (for both of us!), and I hope no one ever touches me there again. I’m fine, but when I was icing my face with a bag of frozen lentils after practice, I couldn’t help but think about the trope of the boxer with a slab of meat on his face. Frozen lentils is definitely the opposite of that. I’m a little tender and swollen, but the eye did not blacken up like I expected (I won’t lie – I’m a little disappointed).
The other fun thing was at the end of practice. We were sparring a little and switching partners, and I found myself squared off with someone much bigger than I am. I thought I’d equalize the situation with a kick, but he went for a punch at the same time. I leaned back (maybe tried to step back?) and completely bought it. I was flat on my back, and I’m sure that from a distance, it looked like he just knocked me right the hell out. I couldn’t help it – I started laughing (which alarmed my friends even more). That was pretty much the end of practice. It was a really good fall though!
This week has been wild. I hardly even know where to start.
I guess I’ll start with skipping practice on Monday. I hate skipping practice, but my finger really hurt from being in the splint, so I took the splint off, took my pain meds, and rested.
On Tuesday I thought I’d get back into things slowly with yoga, but yoga was cancelled when the campus closed because of inclement weather. A storm system with a lot of tornadoes was headed our way. One of those tornadoes touched down in my neighborhood. I lost power for about 36 hours, but my neighbors weren’t so lucky. I am grateful for my life, my loved ones, my pets, and my home.
On Wednesday morning I saw the orthopedist. He confirmed that the finger is not broken, told me I didn’t have to wear the splint anymore (yay!), and cleared me to fence with caution (double yay!). I’m buddy taping most of the time and slowly and carefully working and massaging the finger to get my range of motion back. I still have trouble picking things up, and I swear everything around me wants to bump into it, but I’m seeing some definite progress.
I went to UWF fencing on Wednesday night and practiced left handed (and took a hot shower). When we went to bed that night, we had no idea how our weekend would go. Fortunately life got back to normal on Thursday, so Nik was able to pack us up on Friday, and we headed up to Atlanta that night.
We woke up bright and early on Saturday for Meridian Challenge of Arms (MCA). This was the first ever MCA, and the turnout was fantastic (over 60 fencers!). Before the fencing started, my longtime friend and mentor took me on as a formal student under the new rapier peerage. Then the real fun began! I signed up for every tournament, and I fought all day with my left hand (with my finger back in the splint and refused as much as possible to protect it). I had some really awesome fights. Then I had some fights that I lost and just couldn’t figure out how. Then I had some more good fights. Then I had a few more not-so-good ones. It was an erratic day, and at times it was frustrating, especially since I had trouble looking back and figuring out what went wrong (more on that in a couple of paragraphs).
That evening at court, however, one of my dreams came true. I don’t care if it sounds cheesy – it happened. I was induced into the Meridian Order of the Blade.
If you aren’t familiar with the SCA and its awards, the MOB is “an armigerous [meaning it bears heraldic arms] polling order given in recognition of excellence in skill, instruction, leadership, and service to the sport of rapier, the rapier community, and the Kingdom.” In other words, a bunch of people I really respect voted and decided that I am on their level. I’ve aspired to this honor since I heard about it because I wanted to be part of that group of elite fencers. They recognized me and welcomed me as one of their own last night, and I’m just floored.
Today I have felt every movement I’ve made with my left arm. I try to condition both sides, but I used those muscles in a way they haven’t ever been used. I think I was having a decent amount of fatigue, but I was so hyped I didn’t recognize what it was. I’m home now, though, so I see a bath with Epsom salts in my future.
Tomorrow I should be back to my normal routine. Thanks for staying patient, and I’ll try not to be such a slouch about updating (no promises until after War).
Yoga didn’t happen Tuesday night. I’m kinda bummed about that, but we’ll be back on schedule next week.
Krav on Wednesday night was good. I feel a little more ready for the test after each practice. At this point we’ve re-covered everything, so from here on out, it’s just drilling all those skills into our heads. My chest is a little tender, but I’m otherwise pretty much healed.
I didn’t get to fence on Friday partially because I thought I might be coming down with something and partially because the UWF club did a demo that day, so they really didn’t need two more hours of practice.
I’m looking forward to fencing for the first time in what feels like ages tomorrow.
I went to SCA fencing practice on Sunday. I probably could have geared up, but I played it safe instead and did 100 lunges, some footwork, and the around the clock drill. The realization that my chest protectors would line up perfectly with my bruises helped me reach the decision to sit it out one more day.
I had the chance to go to UWF fencing on Monday, but Nik and I were both too pooped to go, so we declared Monday a rest day. I’ll be back at Krav tomorrow. I’m looking forward to yoga tonight.
My P1 test is right around the corner. I’m excited, but the nervousness hasn’t really kicked in yet.
Since I was still very bruised from Krav practice on Wednesday, I opted to restrict myself to non-contact practice until next week. I went to club fencing practice and did 100 lunges. I also did the around the clock drill and worked on some footwork. Mostly I stretched and observed.
I think that even if you can’t fully participate, just being at practice is good for you. I didn’t really want to go since I knew I couldn’t fence, but I still like being around my students (my team).
We had intended to go to an SCA event today, but Nik is sick, so we’re staying in. We’ll be back at it tomorrow (he fencing and I observing).
I didn’t go see any doctors about the leg. I slept a lot because of the meds. I felt marginally better on Monday and went to work. Walking around and moving seemed to help, so I put on a brace, stretched thoroughly, and fenced that night.
…and I’m fine. I have no idea what the problem was. Tonight was yoga night, and I talked to my yogi about stretches and how the muscles in the core interact with the muscles in the leg.
I was super proud of my fencers again. I’m still having a personal mental block with cuts. I just don’t see them (in addition to my problems with cuts to the head).
Tonight after yoga, Nik and I spent some time in the studio. I practiced some punches and palm heels against my new strike pad because I’m skipping Krav this week, and we got out the swords and messed with tempo a little bit. I’m working on seeing cuts and parrying up instead of just side to side. I feel like I’m 2D fencing in a 3D world.
I don’t have work tomorrow. I may spend some extra time training, or I may indulge in doing absolutely freaking nothing.
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