Training has been good this week as always. I’m starting to find that the format of my new Saturday morning session has started to settle in a little more. It’s taken me a few weeks to get used to the drills but I’ve started to feel  a little sharper because of it  and this week when it comes to sparring Thai ,and training in general things seem to be moving in the right direction.

I’ve felt a lot more focused this week than previously and I’ve stuck to my guns and done  my best to practice being present whenever I can. There’s some good stuff out there on the subject, and I am a firm believer that it’s just as important to train your mind as it is your body. How you do that I guess is of course down to yourself, but it’s certainly worth taking a look at.

Training this week started with a focus on targeting/ range finding and landing effective shots as well some bag work/ pad work and the rest of the week was a good mix of technical and tough training. Despite having a couple of reservations earlier on in the week about fighting next month because of my shin, It seems to have settled down considerably and Friday evening consisted of round after round of sparring so I guess things are well on track for the 24th of October.

It’s going to be good to get back in the ring again and I’m pleased to have a positive goal to focus on. I’m slowly getting back into my running again too and intend to up the ante next week onwards. It’s about 5 weeks till I can fight so I need to make sure my fitness as well as everything else  is on point.

I want to make  sure I start  putting more drills/ techniques into practice sparring   Fight training for me (and I think it’s more than likely the same for a lot of people that compete) is about honing and sharpening up what I know I can use and most importantly what works, but in the same respect it’s important not to become a one dimensional kind of guy. So without wanting to give my game away too much I’m pleased that there’s been a gradual improvement in my sparring over the past four weeks or so.

Ok I’m getting better at catching stuff and my countering’s improving. I find it’s easier to practice ‘new’ techniques when your sparring partner remembers it’s not a fight. But that’s a subject for a different blog and I’m sure we all have many a ‘that time I got a black eye sparring’ story to tell. I actually nearly got knocked out on Thursday with a high kick but that’ll learn me for dropping my guard.

I’m hoping that  I learn more about what works and what doesn’t work for me when I’m under pressure so I’ve got a couple more tricks in the bag for October. I’ve found that the guys I spar with on a Saturday are at a good level, and it’s all Muay Thai ‘as is’ if that makes sense so is always a good test of myself.

On a final note, I think it’s important to remember that Thai boxing just the same as with any other martial art or competitive sport is about being an individual. I think as I learn more and more about what works and what doesn’t work for me I’ll continue  to develop and find my style of fighting. At points it can feel quite basic, but when I have days like I did Friday and Saturday I can see that potential, and it’s good to know I’m progressing all the time. As always it’s a work in progress but it’s good to be here and just like the last time. I’ll see you on that road.