#304 - Hot Weather Workout
I was down in Dothan, AL last weekend for a hot weather workout. I went down on Thursday to help prepare for the camp and left Sunday morning. Here are the highlights.
42nd in the line of succession
Master C had total knee replacement on his right leg. This meant that he had extremely limited mobility. I was informed on Friday that he would not going to attend the camp at all. I was instructed to take care of all the back end logistics of the camp. I got a scare in the morning when Master T called and said that he was nauseated and vomiting. Master C joked that with two directors down we (me and The Medic) would have to take charge.
Luckily, Master T recovered. I don't like to imagine the chaos that would ensue if I was actually put in charge of the camp. The Medic, on the other hand, would probably have taken it all in stride. The more time I spend with him, the more impressed I am. He really busted his ass on Friday and Saturday. Not only is he a skilled practitioner and fighter, he is quickly learning the art of karate diplomacy. He already understands how our rank/etiquette/respect system works in Y*. Now he is beginning to master how to get things done within such a rigid and antiquated system.
Shinkuu Hiza Ukke
Apparently, that is my new special move. What happened is that someone leg kicked me really hard and broke their toe when I did my knee block. It was gruesome. Toes normally point north, but this one was pointing west. Oof.
When I grow up...
I got to workout with the other 4th/5th degrees on Saturday. We were doing kata and before I knew it, an informal competition broke out between two of my former instructors: Mr. Tur and Mr. Tor.
The dialed the wayback machine to 1997 and started performing some of the finest karate I've ever seen. Each of them were trying to impress the other with their snap, focus, power, and fluidity. Watching the two of them gave me a feeling of nostalgia as if I were a kyu grade again watching black belts practice their kata. That was pretty cool. My only hope is that I can become 1/4 as good as they are.
Not teh hardcores
Just so you know, the weather was extremely hot. The temperature was about 97 with a heat index of 104. Needless to say, the executive order came down that we were not to train outside for longer than 10 minutes at a time. We didn't. In fact, I saw one group go outside with the intent of training and then 30 seconds later, they came back in dripping with sweat. Seriously. It was hotter than Satan's scrotum out there.
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