Day 1 - Sparring

 Learned a few very valuable lessons today.  

One.  195 pounders hit hard.  At least a lot harder than guys my weight class.  You might not be able to see it on camera, but I definitely felt the difference.  It had been over a year since I had a challenging sparring session and it felt good to handle the punches.

Two.  Sometimes, you might be just as tired as your opponent, but pressing the action might still be your best bet.  If you press he will often tire.  He’ll think to himself, “When is this guy going to stop!  Am I doing something wrong here?  Maybe he’s just stronger or faster or…tougher!  What am I going to do!”  All that thinking is exhausting and takes you out of the fight.

Three.  I was finally able to put together a counter off of a duck and a weave.  I could not have done this a year ago.  It happened toward the end of the second round (the third round went unrecorded).  I used to only be able to have an advantage if I could get off first.  This made it particularly difficult to fight tall opponents.  Making the opponent miss and taking advantage once they are off balance is crucial against any boxer who lacks balance.  The double-end bag, mitt-work, and shadow boxing is paying off, but I'll need to do much more to take it to the next level.

Four.  Body punches do not have to be huge punches.  A compact, quick, short uppercut or hook to the body can do a lot more damage than a big, deliberate whiff to the body.  This I learned out of necessity as my legs were gone from 100 meter sprints at the track and a fast four-mile run and yesterday and cross fit (thrusters and the rowing) today.  Luckily, the roommate bought a grill yesterday and we grilled zucchini, mushrooms, and salmon (on cedar slabs).