Swing and a Miss

I strapped on my headgear then put on my boxing gloves. The sun was setting and the air was crisp with a cool ocean breeze rolling in from the coast. Then came the adrenaline. It's just a subtle surge at first. You start to tremble a little and your breaths become shorter and quicker. A little fire starts in the center of your chest. I concentrate on controlling that fire and proper breathing as I start the round timer. A twisted little smirk makes its way across my face. Life is good.

A few weeks ago my training partner twisted his ankle while we were sparring in a submission wrestling match. He wasn't sure if it would be OK for today but he let that warrior spirit take control and gave it a shot. He came out strong, more aggressive than usual, so instead of predictably backing up and staying on the outside with my superior reach I stepped forward with a quick, but weak right-straight that glanced off one of his gloves then followed through with a rare overhand-left that hit right on the money. I am right handed so the overhand-left felt awkward to throw but I knew he wouldn't be expecting it and it hit solid.

He had just bought a new headgear and that was the first good hit he took in it so he paused to let me know it felt good and we continued on. Only about a minute more of brief exchanges and he had to stop due to the pain in his ankle; it obviously wasn't fully healed yet. He said it felt fine just walking around but when he would punch it would act up. We decided to call it a day as it was almost dark anyways.

Today was both disappointing and re-assuring for me. I was obviously disappointed that we only got one round of boxing in and it would be at least another week before we could get in another one. I was re-assured though that after not sparring for a few weeks I did OK and I am excited for the next time, whenever that may be. The sunset as our backdrop was beautiful which has made me come to realize that I definitely prefer to fight outside rather than inside. The fresh air, the open sky, a cool breeze. I hope never to take training too seriously and spend all my days inside a cramped, musky gym. I have a spirit for nature and adventure so to keep my passion for fighting fresh and exciting I think it might be wise keep that spirit satisfied.

Also does anyone know what my headgear says. I got it from a place that sells all kinds of imported Muay Thai gear from Thailand. It was highly recommended from a friend and has become one of my favorite pieces of equipment but I forgot to ask what it means or what it says.