Codine and TKD

Yes Codine. I would like it to be known, for the record now, that the most civilized part of New Zealand is the fact that you can buy Codine over the counter. Ibuprofen and Codine in a mixture that cuts pain like nothing else known to us mere mortals.

I need this because of Tae Kwon Do. That is the Koren martial art which I find myself enrolled. I am not sure how this happened to me. It all started way back when in the US when I finally woke up and decided to loose some weight. My son was going to a TKD class and the instructor as well as half the adults around there encouraged me to attend their remedial exercise class called Kick Boxing. Well I went and kept at it only to loose quite a bit of weight. Actually enough to get me through New Zealand immigration. However I did not know that in time.

I say it that way for I eventually enrolled in TKD. It was a way of changing my twice a week exercise for five days a week. I needed to burn more calories to loose even more weight. So I signed up back in the US. Now I find myself in a New Zealand TKD club at Victoria University. That means I am attending a club with a bunch of 20 year olds, except for the occasional freshman who is 19 years old.

Sunday I sparred with a black belt. Not that this is unusual I have sparred with many black belts over the past two months. The average black belt around here is 5'5" and weighs 150lb when wet. What was unusual is that this guy, David, is as big as I am except he doesn't have my gut and he is 20 years younger than me. David figured I knew what I was doing so he came "full on" as they say over here. I lost every single time I sparred with him, about 15 times over an hour. At the time I felt pretty good for I was able to block many of his kicks, and actually take some major kicks and keep in there fighting away no matter how feeble.

Where I blocked with my arms and shoulders I am black and blue. The kicks in the chest do not have the marks however there is internal pain which is a reminder of the exercise. This leads me to my opening comment about Codine. The codine makes the pain almost bearable. I can remember five kicks to the chest on Saturday, three of which David visibly staggered from the impact with my body. Like I said I kept in the fight. All I can say is that I am so glad he wasn't wearing shoes.

I asked David why he was not blocking my kicks, he kept his arms at his side when we fought. As David put it "in our weight class bones break. A good kick will easily break a forearm." He went on to say that he has seen a few tournaments where people walk off the mat with bones protruding from their skin. Ouch.

So back to the drawing board. I have been known as the guy who blocks well. I realize I have to be much faster on my feet and learn to avoid the kicks.

In all my sparing on Saturday I scored -1 points. That would be one real point with David and a minus two. In case you are wondering TKD sparring rules deduct points for kicking to the head and groin. I really tried to kick high enough to get him in the stomach ... really I tried.