Warning: Long and boring if you're not into fighting

Started the morning with some Street Fighting. Same classmates as last week - Dennis and Karyn (not "Kara" as I thought). But then Mikey, the other classmate I haven't seen since last March, walked in late. He's changed. He's no longer chubby, he has a shorter haircut revealing some gray hairs that he can no longer hide by combing over them, and he acts like he has ADHD. Anyway, Javie reviewed some old stuff with me to make sure I still got it and then trained.

• Muay Thai style roundhouses: 1) Step out, roundhouse. 2) Step, step, roundhouse. 3) Step, step up, roundhouse. (Honestly, this seemed too redundant for me!) Mental note: Pivot on ball of foot while roundhousing.
• There's a difference between the Karate style front snap kick (hitting with the heal of the foot) and the generic front snap kick (hitting with the instep of the foot, commonly aimed at groin).
• The push kick is always thrown with the lead leg because it will hit quicker than with the rear leg. The key is raising the knee high as possible and pushing the hip out.
• Blocking option for kicks #1: Raise leg so that everything above knee is horizontal against body. Counter with a punch.
• Blocking option for kicks #2: Swing arm, turning hips, to swat their kicks out of the way. Counter with a punch.
• Precision striking drill: One person stands as a dummy for the other to execute certain strikes at vital points. Reminders: 1) No knuckles to the forehead or chin. 2) A narrow, horizontal fist (of the 2nd knuckles down from the fingertips) works well to the throat. 3) A shot to the solar plexus hurts. 4) Uppercuts and body punches to the kidneys and ribs are cool. 5) Karyn likes knee strikes to the spine. 6) Achilles heals are good to stomp at.
• New move: Piston kick to the instep into a short side kick to the other instep (like a double kick).
• New move: While standing square, slap to the jaw/ear/temple. Hand comes from the side of the hip. Turn hips for full power.
• I was bleeding and didn't even know it after holding the pads for Javie's headbutts. (The velcro cut my forearm.)
• To block a headbutt, just crouch down. The attacker's nose is bound to run into the defender's hard cranium. (Reminder: It's not practical to headbutt a shorter person.)
• Reviewed countering a wrist grab into joint lock. Reminders: 1) Trap only the fingers, not the whole hand. 2) Maintain forward pressure. 3) Once attacker's arm is straight, you can armbar them.
• Drill: The 360 defense borrowed from the Israeli Krav Maga against a practice knife. After warm up, the partner with the knife attacks starting with the knife behind his back (not knowing where it will come from). Reminder: Flinch hips back to help avoid getting stabbed by the tip of the blade.
• Countering a commited/charging knife stab: Vertical forearm swipes knife hand away (turning hips so that upperbody is offline from knife's trajectory), hand traps their knife hand while side of body is already against attacker, keep charging foreward while free hand punches nonstop so attacker can't retract knife.
• Countering the full mount: Protect the face, knees bent, feet together, bridge/pop hips toward one direction (only one shoulder should be left on the ground) to throw attacker off, preferably land with forearm against their throat and other hand punches groin/face (whichever is closest to fist).
• Countering side mount (with one arm free): Hands together over attacker's face, push away toward one direction, knees bent, feet together, bridge/pop hips toward one direction to throw attacker off, preferably land with forearm against their throat and other hand punches groin/face. (Mikey struggled with me on top of him. Surprisingly, I got it every time! You know what that means? I got my bridge back!)
• Countering side mount (with both arms free): Knees bent, feet together, bridge/pop hips toward one direction to throw attacker off, with both arms in a raising motion, preferably land with forearm against their throat and other hand punches groin/face.
• For conditioning: Animal crawls, bear crawls, fast bear crawls, walking in squat position, and frog hops.

When Javie and I first met last winter, he mentioned that if I was worthy he'd let me buy one of his shirts with his logo on it. Today, he offered me one.

RYAN: How much?
JAVIE: 300 pesos.

Guess what? Normally, I walk around with no money in the Philippines because either mommy or Philip pays for everything. But today, mommy insisted I take some money and I reluctantly agreed. I had exactly 300 pesos in my pocket! Fate!