Intermediate/Advanced Information
- In my classes we go through basics, partner work, block & counters, pad work and often a circuit. I’ve realised a lot of you see these sections as separate but they are all intended to combine together.
- When working on Pads try to look for speed and accuracy. Think of your footwork and positioning and guard before and after you’ve thrown the techniques.
- Our pad and shield work is to help develop the techniques you can then throw when shadow sparring or sparring.
- When doing distance and/or block and counter work try and remain sharp and focused. This work is not separate to sparring; it can be an integral part of it.
- Blocks and Counters are an opportunity to lightly spar with a set technique or techniques. Try and move – work on your correct distancing. Think of your defence as well as your attack.
- If moving onto a more general spar after blocks and counters try and include what you’ve just worked on. You may find it works!!! The idea is that you would try to continue to work on those techniques in a sparring situation. You need to practise the same move again and again to be able to throw it without thinking about it. In the same way you need to defend against a set move again and again before you’ll realise you’re doing it without thinking about it.
- When you spar or shadow continue to work and develop set techniques and your favourite combinations of attack and defence.
- If you want to work on your power you need to come and train in classes where bag work is incorporated. There is a 10am Wednesday Women’s Bagwork Circuit Class at Kicks, and Mixed Bagwork Classes on Thursday at 10am and Sun at 11am with a more interactive circuit classes on Friday at 19.00.
- Please let me know before training if you have an injury of any kind.
- If you are ill, please do not train. Training will not sweat it out and speed up your recovery time. Training when ill only seeks to infect your fellow students (who don’t thank you for it), and it is more likely to prolong your illness as it will further lower your immune system. Wrap up warm, stay inside, drink lots of fluids, rest, and come back when you’re better!
- Please bring a drink to training. It is important not to become dehydrated. Water, or juice diluted with equal amounts of water is good for training.
- Please make sure when training in the day or evening that you do eat something beforehand. To train efficiently you need to have energy. Our bodies convert food into energy. I don’t mean a big meal, but if you’re training in a daytime class please don’t turn up having not had breakfast. If you’re training in the evening, and you had your lunch about 5 to 6 hours ago you do need to eat a quality pre workout snack; a low sugar energy bar; a handful or seeds and raisins; a banana; toast with peanut butter and banana. If you leave too long between eating and training you blood glucose levels will be low and you will compromise your training.
- After training it is also important to eat – protein and carbohydrate to both re-build and refuel your depleted energy system.
- The quote I like is “practise doesn’t make perfect – perfect practise makes it perfect!” – take your time, enjoy yourself, always feel free to ask, and train hard.