Tonight 5-4-09 was the anniversary of the first time I sparred. I had attended one group class the Thursday before.
Aside from the obvious, basics, and techniques and sets and forms (oh my!) what have I learned? The 2 min quick and dirty, off the top of my head list:



Don't look down
Never, EVER, hit anyone harder than you want to be hit
Pay attention
Just because he/she is old/young, short/tall, skinny/fat does NOT mean they can't (and won't) kick my ass
Two things are going to happen at sparring, I am going to get hit, it is going to hurt
The people who kick my ass on a regular basis are better friends than the guys at work
When someone hits you just right, your eye WILL get split JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES
Aside from the above, almost everything else in movies is BS

There is so, so much more, but, for now, that's a start

Good job, Big Don. How about.....

. Lets just go light
. It's a lower belt, so you can take it easy.
. If you fight with a female, they don't hit hard. http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif Big mistake.

One of my sifu's son's students is a 12 year old First Brown Belt. The first time I sparred him, I was a 32 yr old Orange Belt and he was an 9 year old Blue Belt, and that kid was way, way faster and meaner than me...

One of my sifu's son's students is a 12 year old First Brown Belt. The first time I sparred him, I was a 32 yr old Orange Belt and he was an 9 year old Blue Belt, and that kid was way, way faster and meaner than me...
... and he's going to get bigger, faster and meaner as he gets older! :rofl: