6 Months on…Constructive blood
by Richard Jones
I wrote my first article to explain why I took up MMA and how I became involved with the CycloneWingChun club. This article is to tell you how my training has come along and what has been going on at the club…
Picture this: I’m sat at home, thinking about ideas for this article and bouncing ideas off the missus (actually I’m competing for her attention against Coronation Street but that’s another issue entirely) and I ask her which word would best describe my first six months of training.
“Bruised” she replied with a snort. Yes it is true that on a weekly basis I have had quite a collection of marks to show for my efforts and there have been one or two raised eyebrows in the workplace as a result.
“Pain” she continued. Again, this is very true; the fractured big toe, the bruised ribs leading to several sleepless nights as well as neck pain, back pain and the constant feeling of having been roughed up.
“Or how about “Missing”?” which is a clear reference to me training 3-4 times per week rather than being at home on the sofa in front of said Coronation Street.
“Come on be serious, you know what I mean, I’m trying to sum up my development, effort, commitment, the club’s focus, spirit, camaraderie…”
“Well just pick one of those then and be quiet” was the reply as on TV some guy called Ken is at a “will-he-wont-he leave” moment in his marriage.
“I keep coming back to the word “Real” because that’s what training is” (unlike Corrie you muppet – but I didn’t actually say that bit out loud). “You’ve just mentioned the injuries I’ve had, and the time I have put in, all of that is real. You get out what you put in, and all of it is tangible.”
“How about “Results”” the wife suggested (end credits now rolling on Corrie).
“Now I like that” I replied in an encouraging you-can-do-better-so-keep-going sort of voice.
“I still like “Pain” or possibly “Mental” she continued with heavy sarcasm.
“Why Mental? That’s harsh” I protested.
“Well. You punch and kick each other then roll around on the floor trying to choke one another then afterwards you all go for beers and congratulate each other on how good the session was and how everyone is getting better. It all seems fairly mental to me!”
“And not content with doing it to each other, you organise fight nights against strangers and are even going abroad to do it to foreigners. Do you know yet what Ouch! is in Portuguese?”
Again, this is correct and I had difficulty conjuring up an adequate response. You see there have been fight nights, for those who wish to fight, really really good fight nights! In the last 6 months I’ve been to both fight nights (1 “Home” and 1 “Away”) where the club did great (top marks Alex and Steve) as well as a highly enjoyable and successful grappling tournament in Barnsley which several of the guys, including myself, did well in. Six months ago I would never have believed I would be decent enough to give that sort of thing a go. I missed the winter training camp in January but I’m taking part in training overseas; in the next 6-12 months various club members will be training in Thailand, Italy and Brazil (hence the Portuguese reference).
“But that’s what makes us who we are” I finally replied in desperation. “If we weren’t so close as a club then sparring would turn into a blood bath, nobody would bother with each other outside the club and organised events and trips wouldn’t be possible”.
“Aah but there has been blood. What about those two lads who went OTT with each other a few weeks ago?” (You know who you are you two! See website for footage!)
“Ok, but that was blood in a constructive way (and I’m now thinking what am I talking about?). It was in the spirit of the moment and there was no bad blood afterwards, pardon the pun. It was just one of those things that happened”.
“Ok, “constructive blood”, now I understand!”.
“That’s right, “constructive blood”” I continued, pretending it was a widely accepted MMA term and was perfectly usable, in as serious a face as I could muster.
“Rather than talking specifically about fighting, perhaps in my article I could write about the benefits of training; my weight loss, improved strength and stamina, mental strength, the great mates I now have…”
“You could get all that by joining a fitness club” my wife sniffed.
“I totally disagree. I’ve been a member of a leisure club and it’s just not the same. I found it a soulless, sad place full of egos. Nobody knows or bothers with one another, lots of cliques, oversubscribed classes, expensive, screaming kids…” Does this sound familiar to anyone else?
“Besides not everyone who comes to our club wants to fight. There are even a few girls who now train” (my second not very smart comment).
“Oh really, first I’m hearing, no wonder you are so keen!”
“Don’t be daft, you know what I mean. We are even starting a women’s self-defence class such is the interest in what we do. Hopefully some of the ladies doing the self-defence will fancy taking their training to another level”.
“Well I can certainly see you are fitter and yes you are a lot thinner”
That was the end of the conversation. What I will say is that by reading this article and checking out the website you have taken your first step to finding out for yourself what CycloneWingChun club is all about. Also have a read of my first article and get a feel for where I started from, it may feel surprisingly familiar.
Don’t be a couch potato dreaming about doing this sort of thing, come and try it for yourself or even just call in to watch a training session.
