#301 - Training Update

As some of you may know, I've been in training to fight in a Japanese Full Contact tournament in July.  Overall, I think things are going OK.  I have 3 major concerns:

Weight

I absolutely positively need to be under 165 lbs.  This marks the end of the lightweight division.  I will not stand a shred of a chance against opponents who will outweigh me by 10 or 20 pounds, most of whom will be over a foot taller than me.

I weighed myself this past Saturday and I some how weighed in at 160 lbs.  My goal is 155 lbs.  This is not only for fighting reasons but for personal self-esteem reasons.  I found myself at 180 lbs last Fall.  That is unacceptable.  Now when I weighed myself on Saturday, it was about 13:00, I was down to my boxer shorts, and I hadn't eaten since 18:00 the previous evening.

I've kind of eliminated a lot of my "snacking" tendencies and I find myself desiring smaller portions during my meal times.  I actually try to eat 4 or 5 very small meals throughout the day versus 2 or 3 large ones.  I tend not to do that on the weekends though and I find myself drinking a lot and eating a lot more.  I've been eating at night still, but it is usually limited to about 8 saltines with hot sauce or half a package of Ramen noodles.  It's just enough to stop the growling and allow me to sleep peacefully at night.

Endurance

I tend to do 3 long runs (around 2 miles) per week and then I "run" a mile on the eliptical and do some light weight training 3 times a week.  I've been trying to do some of the Saturday training sessions that the TA-JFCFS has been having, too.

On top of that, I generally do 15-30 minutes of shadow sparring Mon-Thu.  I do at least 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups during each karate class in addition to another 50 push-ups and 75 sit-ups at home.  All this is supplementing my normal kata and basics training regimen.

I feel pretty good about my wind and I don't think that I'll lose a fight due to lack of energy.

Skill/Competition

For the most part, I think it is safe for me to say that I am a terrible fighter.  My timing isn't very good and I don't have a lot of flexibility.  On the plus side, I have a high pain tolerance and a "fight not to lose" mental attitude.  What all this adds up to is that I am a mini-tank.  I absorb a lot of damage in the hopes of landing 2 or 3 devastating hurting bombs.

I'm working on a 15 second push in which I punch very hard at whatever is in front of me intersparced with random leg and body kicks.  My hope is that my opponent will be so busy countering or blocking my punches that I will land some kicks.

I'm somewhat apprehensive about having to fight Big Red, PV2, or Mr. A (from Japan), but I've decided that I'm going to fight regardless.  I don't see why not.  I have nothing to lose.  Sure, both these guys are younger than me and lower ranking, but I don't have that kind of pride anymore.  The better fighter is going to win.  If I'm not good enough then I'm just not good enough.  Really and truly, I originally dropped out of fighting Full Contact because I felt that I was making Y* look bad.  After witnessing the behavior of some of our other Full Contact fighters, I realize that I should have kept on fighting anyway.  Truth be told, though, I was kind of tired of taking a beating and putting myself though all the hardships of training just so that I could be eliminated in the first round.  Now I'm at a point in my life where physical pain is the only real "feeling" that makes me feel alive anymore.  I've also finally focused all my mental energy into one task and it feels good to be temporarily set free of all the other burdens in my life. 

I know that this will most likely be the very last time I fight Full Contact.  I am excited and sad all at once.  Technically, I'm coming out of retirement to do this and I'm facing a field of competitors who quite simply are the best lightweight fighters we've had in the past 10 years.  Not only am I way outclassed, but I'm much older.  If I'm going to go out of the game, it might as well be among the best.  I just wish I was like George Foreman and had some sort of kitchen gadget to fall back on.

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