1st Class Back In 2009:

Ahhhhhhhh. It just plain felt good.

I had a little rust around the edges because of how busy it's been through the holidays. It was good to shake the rust off.

We started out with a few kata repetitions, everyone doing their highest kata. (I'm still at Takeoko Kai Shii) I need to get back into the groove with that, but it was a good warm-up, especially since I was three minutes late to class. (I know, I know! I couldn't help it, there was ice and snow on the truck & driveway when I woke up. I work 3rd shift and sleep until it's time to get ready for class.) Being late meant there was no time to stretch out before class, and after a month with no practice, I was a bit nervous. Everything went fine, though.

After about for reps of kata, we got our gear on and started sparring. I was surprised, I did really well, and was holding my own against several opponents, even a purple belt.

The fun part was after everyone in class had had a chance to fight everyone else. At that point, Sensei had us each get in the center of the dojo and declare who had been our greatest challenge in sparring so far tonight. Then he would have another student referee and call points while he coached us against our toughest opponent for the night. Three people in a row picked me as their toughest opponent tonight! I'm sure a good part of that is that I'm 6'6" and 319lbs. I have a very long reach, and I'm tough to push off balance. By the time the third bout was over, I was just about ready to keel over from exhaustion.

The person that was MY greatest challenge was our purple belt. She is barely 5' tall, and I'd be surprised if she weighed 120lbs. HOWEVER, she is very fit, extremely fast, and several belt ranks more skilled than I am. There were a couple of points where she literally hooked her arm in mine and climbed me like a tree to bop me in the head! (Makes me laugh, my Sis's daughter calls me Uncle Tree 'cause she likes to climb on me. I call her Squirrell.)

The best news was in the locker room after class. I like to weigh just before showering, for obvious reasons. Weight before the holidays: 314lbs. Weight after the holidays: 319lbs. Only a gain of 5, Not. Too. Bad. I was very grateful I hadn't lost much ground.

At any rate, it was wonderful to be back in class. There are a couple of new white belts, both doing quite well.

Happy New Year, and sayonara.

Dan