This semester’s #30daysoffencing is going rough. I’m dealing with some depression stuff, and this week, just in time for my birthday, I’m sick.

I had to miss a Krav seminar. I’m sleeping all the time, and I got winded putting on pants. I’m trying to rest up for Serfo (and my birthday do-over) next weekend.

Regarding my mental health, I’ve seen a shrink, and she intends to prescribe Wellbutrin for the depression and an as-needed anxiety medicine that I can’t remember the name of. I had my blood work done Thursday, so I should be able to get my prescriptions soon. I’m looking forward to enjoying my hobbies again.

Looking back further, Gatalop was fun. I did good fencing and enjoyed the melees. I talked to a Master of Defense about some of the hurdles I’m overcoming and how to work on that.

Fencing has been challenging for me lately. I don’t know if it feels like a chore because I’m trying to grind through 30 days straight or if it’s a symptom of my disease or what. I don’t know what’s next for me, but I feel like after Serfo and Castle Wars, I may need to take a step back (temporarily).

Tonight was Krav night. I was a little apprehensive at first, but I had a really great practice once I got moving. I got to participate since I wasn’t teaching this time.

After class, we met to discuss business stuff. I’m looking forward to growing Krav in my area!

CIC 2 Day 10

Test day!

I went in today calm and ready. We tested B1, B2, A1, and families (plus a fitness test and some sparring drills). I passed!

I am now a full instructor for Krav Maga. It was one of the hardest things I ever did, and I made a lot of progress.

Now I’m drinking beers with my friends and defragging.

CIC 2 Day 9

Today we did our teaching tests before lunch. I wasn’t nervous while I was teaching, but I was so relieved when my lesson was over. I still have ways to improve, but I passed. All that’s left now is the physical skills test.

We practiced after lunch and did some yoga to cool down. I feel so ready and serene. I was fairly calm this morning, but when we bowed out this evening, I felt so focused and ready.

Tomorrow we meet at 9 to do our final test. Tonight, we rest.

CIC 2 Day 8

Today we covered one final technique (one used for getting through a crowd) and then prepared for a demonstration. Right before we left to do that, we took our written test. Everyone passed!

The demonstration was, no joke, at a renaissance faire. We got to enjoy the faire a bit as well as show off our technique.

When we got back to the gym, we had a short lunch break and then went over our B2 and A1 skills (plus some “families” of related techniques). Then we did some light sparring and called it a day.

I took a pretty hard blow to the head. It stunned me, but I kept going. I have a nice knot coming up, but I don’t think I have a serious injury.

My roomies and I went out for dinner. I had a soak when we came home, and my final lesson plan (for the class – obviously I’ll make more for teaching) is done!

Also, thanks to practice today and the mock B1 test we did before, I’ve done everything I will do during my skills test on Sunday. I feel at ease. I’ve practiced all I can, and I feel confident in my work.

I’m simultaneously nervous and calm. Tests can be stressful for me, but I also know I’m prepared. It’s a weird place to be.

CIC 2 Day 7

Today we worked on lifted bear hugs in the morning. We learned some tools for working with tall people who are unlikely to be picked up off the ground during regular practice.

We also did a mock test. I understand the skills we covered, but I get nervous and make bonehead mistakes. I hope that doesn’t trip me up on Monday.

I led the afternoon warm-up. I felt much more like myself today than I did yesterday. It was a good warm-up, and I’m working on being more mindful with my language.

After that, we took turns doing stress drills and final drills from the lessons we prepared. Finally, we studied the curriculum. I studied some skills that I haven’t practiced very much but are crucial to my test.

We received our assignments for our teaching test. I’m fortunate to have drawn a skill that I’m comfortable with. I started on my lesson plan tonight, and I’ll do the rest tomorrow.

All in all, I’m nervous because I want to do well. I need to trust my abilities and trust my principles, and I’ll be fine. All I can do is my best.

We’re down to the last few days!

CIC 2 Day 6

This morning we did some challenging techniques. I finally did a successful machine gun takedown! I didn’t have it done to me (by happenstance); it’s a little scary to be tipped over like that. If I can’t face my fear on test day, I’ll make sure she knows. I did fine with the big leg sweep and with having it done to me. That’s a big step for me.

We worked on defending ourselves against an attacker with a stick. Those were challenging and demanding.

After lunch, we took turns teaching. Everyone was kind of out of sorts. We all had our worst classes. That kind of stinks, but I’m glad we all hit the rut together.

My roomies and I came home and “defragged.” My homework for tomorrow is done, and I feel pretty good about my lesson. I want to feel like myself again to do the after lunch warmup.

CIC 2 Day 5

Today was less physically demanding, but it was mentally exhausting. I didn’t use the inhaler at all!

We covered several techniques in the morning. In the afternoon, we went over the principles of Krav Maga, and then each student taught part of a lesson. We did only the introduction and exposition, no drills. Every person had a turn. It was kind of tough to cut off part of a lesson like that, but we all did pretty well.

I’m still working on being comfortable with teaching a single combative. I’m really struggling with the simplest things. I overthink for sure.

After all that (but wait, there’s more), we studied the curriculum in small groups. We stayed later than usual (until at least 6 p.m.). The instructor stopped us only when our brains couldn’t absorb any more information.

Oh, by the way, lunchtime today was the halfway point of CIC 2.

CIC 2 Day 4

Today I was a little listless, a little unprepared. However, I made it through most of the day without using my inhaler (more on this in a bit, but I’ve been using it preemptively once or twice daily), and I felt pretty good about the techniques we trained.

The class that I taught went pretty well, but I was out of my comfort zone. I’ve been teaching techniques on how to deal with a situation in multiple steps (defending against a front choke or defending against someone covering your mouth with both hands). Today I focused my lesson on straight punches. There’s actually a lot to cover with a simple technique, and it was a challenge to break down something simple and cover the material in a dynamic way.

At the end of class, we did a drill called EVA. We were given two lists of numbers: 150, 120, 90, 60, 30; and 50, 40, 30, 20, 10. The first column was jumping jacks, and the second was situps. This exercise is timed. I got partway through the list and had an asthma and/or panic attack. I’ve never experienced this in my life. I was wheezing, but I was keeping up, but then it was harder and harder to breathe. I eventually bailed out to get my inhaler and jumped back in, but I didn’t get any better. My classmates were trying to cheer me on, but then I started to tear up, so I got worse. I did a half of the third set (45 jumping jacks and 15 situps – she told me to cut the sets first) before the instructor pulled me. One of my classmates had some canned oxygen, and that helped. I was super embarrassed. Everyone was super nice and supportive, but I still cried a little bit (during the exercise and when she pulled me but not after we left). Apparently, at CIC, Day 4 is when I cry.

That being said, if last year is any indication, I will come back tomorrow stronger, and even though the work will be hard, I will get through it.

CIC 2 Day 3

Today we literally kicked off the morning. We practiced front kicks and defenses from straight kicks. I hadn’t practiced some of those defenses, and I fine tuned the ones I had done.

I led the warm-up after lunch. I skimped on cardio (no surprise) because it felt monotonous (I did get some feedback on how to add to it in a dynamic way). My game was a disaster (equipment didn’t do what I wanted it to), and I wasted some time trying to fix it. That being said, my group was warm, and they did have fun. I had good presence, voice, and body position.

We learned about the timelines after that. The best way to explain is to show you.

The horizontal timeline explains how much time the threat has to get to you, and the vertical timeline describes when you notice the threat. It’s a very dynamic way to approach Krav Maga, and having it explained visually really helped me.

After that, we broke into groups to practice teaching. Yesterday we were in three groups of three. Today we were in a group of four and a group of five. I was in the group of five. I ended up being the last person to teach (which is cool with me – I can learn a lot from hearing others’ feedback). Since the other group had already finished teaching, I got to do the first student-led whole group instruction!

I was a little nervous, but my classmates said it didn’t show. I met some stumbles and flubbed some words, but on the whole I had a good lesson. I got lots of high fives and genuine compliments.

I’m working on my homework now. I’ll be teaching a simple skill, and that can actually be more challenging than teaching a multi-step defense. I’ll be asking some questions before class tomorrow.