Today is one of those days where I long for the warmth of the sun and the first flowers of Spring. It is cold and windy. The forecast says wind, rain, cooler temps for the next three days. Okay, so we don’t get snow, sleet, or ice here, but my thin blood can’t take much more of this “cooler” weather. Not to mention that it’s difficult to be motivated to workout/train when it’s cold. I almost didn’t get out of bed for karate class this morning. I’m glad I did, but the class was small as others decided a warm bed was more inviting than grappling.
Grappling went well today. I worked on some of the holds/escapes I need for blue belt and worked with someone larger than me who is pretty strong. This makes it more realistic when I have to escape. I did however take a bad roll out. We always practice falls before grappling and we were doing side falls and front roll outs. I have thing fear about hurting my neck/back on roll outs, and what did I do? I hurt my neck and upper back. I knew it wasn’t good from the moment my right hand touched the mat – I went straight down instead of rolling on my shoulder. I’m going to be sore for a few days, but I’m lucky that’s all that happened. Of course I felt like a fool and was embarrased by my lack of skill at “falling.”
My bo and dvd arrived last week. It is quite a bit heavier than I thought, but it will make for a good workout. The DVD is pretty good and provides a good basic foundation and a simple kata. I haven’t had a chance to workout with it yet, I’ve only watched the DVD while on the treadmill. I’m hoping to have some time this weekend during our “cooler” weather 
One of our blackbelt instructors is also interested in bo and has offered to practice with me. We talked about going to a park and practicing, but I’m not going to appear in public until I’ve at least learned a few of the basics from my DVD.
I’ve now got three tips, with number four coming next week. I’m practicing the blue belt skills several times a week. I want to be prepared for this test. It is longer and more difficult than my last belt test.
Posted by K 