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!

I smashed the index finger on my right hand learning about getting out of headlocks on Thursday night, so bear with me. It still moved, so we kept training (falls and rolls), and then I iced it, buddy taped it, and went on my way.

It still hurt Friday, so I visited the ER for an x-ray. It isn’t broken, but I need to follow up with ortho to be sure.

Nik and I also presented multiple panels

and participated in a couple of demos at Pensacon this weekend. I fenced left handed and wore my splint (except on Friday – then I fenced left handed and hoped for the best).

My plan for the week is to fence rather than go to Krav to get ready for Meridian Challenge of Arms this week. Fingers crossed… or not.

On Monday there was a great storm, so my Krav class was small. We did some review, and I helped a classmate with some skills he missed the previous week. I liked teaching. As I told one of my instructors, it’s more like Krav tutoring when it’s one-on-one.

Today we went over things we covered last Wednesday and introduced our classmates to the material we covered on Thursday during Ladies’ Night. I’m still working on getting my physics right on my roundhouse kicks, but it’s coming along. After that, we worked on single tempo defense and counter attacks. It’s another time that fencing helps instead of hinders in Krav.

It’s time for another catch-up post!

Wednesday

Krav happened. I’m having issues working on the body mechanics for some of these elbow strikes. Other than that, all is well.

Thursday

I met up with the Krav ladies, had a short practice (lots of kicking), and then went out for TCBY. After TCBY, I helped my fencing students finish their rapier fighting shirts. They’re going to look really sharp out on the field.

Saturday

I went to the SCA event Midwinter Arts & Sciences. I taught a class on making period fencing accessible to new fencers, and I attended some classes. I learned a lot about Paschen’s disarms and also some drills and exercises to help my students with fundamentals of fencing (explosive movement, distance, etc.). It was really neat breaking it down that way.

Sunday

I went to SCA fencing practice in Atlanta before making the long trek back home (even longer since we stopped to visit in Birmingham on the way). Worth it.

Day 34

Sunday

I went to UWF fencing practice. I did 100 lunges and the around the clock drill before gearing up and running a few passes with Nik. I tried something new, and it didn’t work. That’s okay, but when I went back to familiar territory, I still fenced poorly. It was frustrating, but I took a break and went back to it and ended the practice on a good note.

Monday

We worked on advancing and retreating while punching. This is one of the few times that “fencing” at Krav has been helpful.

Tuesday

Stretch it out! I went to yoga. We did a bunch of flows, and the movement really helped me stay connected to my breath.

Let’s see…

Monday I went to Krav and started working on P2 stuff. Class isn’t nearly intense since everything is new now, and that’s probably for the best. I went despite a pretty persistent headache. I felt awesome during practice, but the headache returned after. It’s been coming and going since Sunday but abating over time.

Tuesday I had yoga. Spending an hour stretching in a dark room is one of my favorite parts of the week.

Wednesday was more Krav, and after class I went out for “a few drinks” with my friends from class. We closed the bar. We also may have recruited some new classmates.

Tonight will be a much-needed rest day.

Day 32 (and more)

On Friday I went to UWF practice. I did 100 lunges and the around the clock drill. I did some sparring, but I ended up gearing down early because I misunderstood when we were supposed to leave.

On Saturday morning, I woke up bright & early and took my P1 test for Krav. I passed! I didn’t throw up or embarrass myself, so I think I get a gold star. I feel super strong and empowered.

Today I participated in the Shire Rapier Championship at our mini-event Light the Fires. I lost two bouts, but they were good losses to good opponents. Every person I fenced was a challenge in some way or another. I learned a hard lesson – when you start to drop your dagger, just drop it. Don’t juggle when you’re supposed to be fencing.

Dragon-mom came out with some friends to see me fence. They missed the tournament, so Nik and I did a few passes for them. Her friends were excited to finally see my fencing, and she commented on how much my fight has changed in such a short period of time.

This weekend was amazing.

Tonight in Krav we kicked off the night with zombie drills: intense! After that we had a chance to ask questions and re-cover any skills we wanted. I’m ready for the test on Saturday.

The really interesting part of my night was when I came home.

Since class was challenging and I wanted to keep my body happy and healthy for my test, I came home and ran a nice hot bath with some home made bath salts my mom gave me for my birthday (the Epsom salts and nice scents kind, not the Florida Man kind). I settled in to relax my shoulders, ears under water, and closed my eyes.

I was startled when I heard a thud next to my head. My cat had jumped onto the edge of the tub and was checking out my knees (they were out because my shoulders were in, and my tub is small). I stayed very still because I didn’t want to risk startling her and making her fall in, but she left after a moment or two.. She came and went a few times, and I grew more comfortable with her presence. I can understand why a cat would be fascinated with bathing.

So for what turned out to be her final visit, she sat down, purring loudly. Then she lay down like a little sphinx. Then she went full-on catloaf. The end of her tail was even hanging in the water. We sat like that, she loafed on the edge and I reclined in the water, for several minutes. She made unwavering eye contact and purred the whole time. It was without a doubt the most humorous/awkward bath I’ve ever had; I’m glad it wasn’t the scratchiest!

Testing day is right around the corner! Last night at Krav, we did a dry run of the test. I’m confident that I will pass. I didn’t get many reminders this time through.

I need to modify my forearm guards so that I can wear them with my gloves. I’ll be doing that tonight. Wednesday is the last practice class before the test on Saturday. I’m ready. I’m covered in bruises, but I’m ready.

I’m also super proud of my sparring partner. She placed in a 10K over the weekend. I don’t run if I can avoid it, so I’m awed that she got up and ran 6 miles in the cold and NAILED IT.