Kickboxing Lite

I went back to kickboxing Wednesday night--kickboxing lite, that is.

Because my doctor said I can't do contact martial arts until 2008, I'm not doing free sparring. I'm still recovering from ACL surgery.

But at the suggestion of my sensei, so I can start working on my movement and timing, I started taking kickboxing classes--doing the drills, and then staying with the "level one" students once the sparring begins. In level one, we work on scripted moves, so you know what's coming. I don't torque my left leg yet, and I'm very careful.

Yesterday, I worked with my buddy Ilicia. She's learned so much in the past year. She used to be a bit afraid of pairing up with me (which makes me feel chagrined) because of a couple of times when I kicked her harder than I intended. (Once it was in the nether region, which she in her shy, retiring manner refers to as "the time Bob toe-f***ed me.")

But she's gotten much tougher. She went to a tournament, which I know from experience really means facing up to your fears. Her punches have a lot more of a snap to them now. I have so much to re-learn, and it's great to

It was fun to return to kickboxing, and there's a lot I can learn from my new sensei about moving while sparring--it's the main thing I want to learn now. My knee felt fine afterwards. I plan to make the most of it. And I look forward to when I return to real free sparring.