I danced to country music! Training stuff – smash or be smashed, Calderwood-Wood, Enlightened
I’ve had a pretty great few weeks. I’ve been making improvements in my technique all around. It’s easy to just type that, but it means the following:
Teacher explained it. I couldn’t do it. Teacher explained again. I sort of did it. I drilled it countless times. I tried it and failed it in sparring and got smashed. I cried in the locker room. I tried it again in sparring and sort if fudged it up and got smashed but less smashed. I tried it again, was able to do it somewhat successfully, and didn’t really get smashed.
It’s the most painful yet most satisfying process I’ve ever gone through. That’s what motivates me to go to the gym every day.
Lately I’ve been focusing on striking, so failure means taking a lot of hard head and body shots. (Don’t tell my parents that, mm’k?) Thankfully I don’t have partners who try and knock me out. Yay Team Syndicate. I’m always thankful for my Cryohelmet that lives in my freezer. I bring it to the gym and put it on after practice.
JoJo has one, too. https://www.cryohelmet.com/
Speaking of JoJo, big congrats to her and my coach John Wood for their engagement. They are really happy, so I’m happy for them! 🙂 I’ve known them both for a while and I totally support them on this! <3
So sickeningly romantic!
My new friend Helena and Teya invited me to go out to Stoney’s, a Country Music club. I never go out except to fights or the movies, and now I have two new friends so I said yes. I was WAY more comfortable there than a club like Omnia with super loud music, too dark of an environment, people dancing sexily…. I can’t do any of that. I’m good at DDR only. But like…in Stoney’s, it was brighter, the music not so deafening, I actually liked the music, and they did square dancing! I actually really wanted to learn the steps. Then some guy in a white cowboy hat came up to me and said, “Are you Roxanne Modafferi? I googled you just to make sure. Will you do a dance with me?”
Aaaaarg!
The only way I meet guys is in the gym: “Hi, I’m Roxanne, wanna spar?” lol Not “wanna dance?” I’m actually quite shy when talking to guys unless we’re fighting.
This is me hiding in the bathroom for twenty minutes waiting for Helena and Teya to get there because THEY WERE LATE. hmph leavingmebymyselfinaclubforthefirsttime……
So he taught me the two step. (No, I didn’t get his number lol). I’m not trying to search for guys in clubs…just get out and have more life experiences. I went home and downloaded like 10 country songs. Haha! And I didn’t have to stay out super late because it was near my home.
So yeah. That happened.
Jiujitsu is still more fun to me than almost any other activity.
So I recently had the epiphany that life is like training. You can’t just go fight in a cage. You have to learn how to do stuff, practice, get good, and THEN go do whatever. This is the same for putting on make-up, talking to strangers, teaching a class, DRESSING, doing one’s hair, driving, etc!! Everything! In the past, I’ve tried to “step outside my comfort zone” the way other people suggested, but ended up never doing it again because I hated it. (i.e. going to a hip dance rave club). That’s because it was TOO FAR outside my comfort zone. For example, trying to change my appearance. I can’t suddenly get a make-over, change my glasses, my hair, and start wearing make-up and dresses. There’s no way. Guys, this is a super important life lesson. I never looked at life like this before. Have you?
Serena is fighting in two weeks! It’s in Invicta, the fight she’s always wanted! I’m so happy and excited for her. She hasn’t fought for over a year due to an injury and rehab for it, but now she’s strong, faster and more skilled than ever. I can’t wait!
As for me, I’m just waiting for a fight offer. I wish I could fight more, but ALL fighters want to fight more, so I’m going to try not to complain, and just train like my life depends on it. Which it does. I need to win my next fight. I’m literally in a race… who can get stronger and more skilled faster? I need to stay caught up to these athletic girls who are entering the fight-pool, so to speak. I’m an old-school martial artist who had only a little athletic ability and got overpowered for a while, until I caught up because I worked hard. Somebody on Twitter just called me “a durable veteran.” haha. Also skill-wise! The fight game is evolving and things are becoming more and less effective every day. One of my friends once said that I shouldn’t write on social media that I’m “learning new things” because it makes me seem like I’m less a master, and I’m not as good.
Man, almost EVERY DAY I learn something new, or at least, get a little better at something I’ve seen but haven’t mastered yet. It’s ridiculous. So I rolled with my BJJ teacher at Dunham’s, Rene, yesterday, and he tapped me out like 6 times in five minutes. I mean, I think that’s his typical rate with me -_-;; but we haven’t rolled probably in like half a year, and he’s been training Brazilian Jiujitsu every day twice a day. I’m sure I could win if we got into a Muay Thai fight, though. haha
So John was away busy proposing to JoJo in Disneyland for a few days, and Tom and Mike ran classes. On Thursday, he let us know he’d be late to MMA practice, so I took that opportunity to warm every body up. I showed a strike-to-clinch tie-up, step, pull, knee to the body, then the other partner does a face-push escape. I then watched everybody try it. I never get to watch anybody else train since I’m so busy training myself. It was very interested to see everybody’s ability when it comes to the clinch game, which I am super interested in lately. #ThugThai
Dude, I was so excited to try my new stuff on JoJo two weeks ago after she got back from her trip back home, who is a Muay Thai specialist, but she beat the sh#($$() out of me in a bad way. -_- lol It was rough because I totally played her game. I mean, it’s good in a way. I wouldn’t want to be the best person in the gym. I need to be challenged. So if I do something right, I KNOW I got it!
I also want my teachers to be bad-@$$es. John can punch me at will in sparring. AJ can clinch sweep me on my butt effortlessly, Rene can ankle lock me at will, and…. I have nothing for Mike. lol If you look at it like that, getting beat up becomes a positive thing. #HappyWarrior
So this past week I tried to work on blending my new moves into my own game. It’ll take time but I’m excited. I can’t wait for next Tuesday. #FaceThePain
My kid students are fighting this coming Saturday! I have to take time off from training to coach them. I wish they fought in the afternoon so I could train in the morning, but oh well. shouganai, baby. I love them and I’m excited for their life experiences and growth! Go Team Syndicate kids!
my little mischievous shinobi
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