Sparring, Sparring, Sparring

As you could probably tell from the title, today was all about the Sparring. We did do Patterns too, but we sparred alot and it was a blast. The boys & I got to spar with higher ranks tonight and that is a valuable asset to use moving toward the Tourney. Working with these higher Ranked & better skilled Martial Artists should really help us prepare for competing with those folks that are in our own Rank.

Turns out the Tourney rules are going to be ITF style & that means 1 additional point for strikes done while in the air.
Example: a jump turn side landed to the head is 3 points instead of 2.

So, needless to say we are working on some timing to get a few of these strikes incorporated as a fluid part of our striking skills. Fun stuff. I even scored a couple of these during our sparring tonight.........woohoo, trust me it's no easy task to jump my big self up & do an aerial strike. I even absorbed some very good head & body shots that were dished out by the Black Belts. Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I like the physical challenge that comes from being hit with strong contact! It releases that competative adrenaline and drive to do better.

The patterns are coming right along as well. We will continue to work hard to make the Tournament a great experience.