Wednesday evenings at
fighting Inoue-sensei runs us through glove and target combos. I am happy to say that not only do I lack coordination, I am totally incapable of throwing a decent punch. Lots of power, zero accuracy, and 30 seconds into a 3-minute round I am gasping for breath. I am now seriously awed by boxers who can go round after round, throwing and receiving brain-brusing and rib-cracking punches.
My left hand is strongest, and because of this I tend to throw punches with arm strength, instead of pushing through with the hips (hips, eh? Amazing how all arts; karate, iai, etc. are based on the same principles.) Problem is I also have terrible form, so after an hour of combos my elbow and wrist and in pain. Also, because I can't square up my fist correctly and pull my hooks and uppercuts in instead of pushing them out, I end up landing on the pinky knuckle instead of the index and middle finger knuckles. So I've got sore elbow and wrists, and red-bruised pinky knuckles. Oh yeah, and since the punches come from the hips, with my abdomen and stomach muscles are killing me, too.