4th April

A Friday session at lunchtime with Dave. I arrived 15 minutes early to warm up properly, compared to Wednesday where we didn't I didn't feel completely focused.

Dave turned up with Jason at 1 o'clock and after some skipping and stretches we began sparring. I asked if Dave could avoid my right hand ribs as they were still very sore and even deep breaths hurt.

We did five rounds and it was the best yet. I was completely focused and whereas before I was just jabbing, getting too close and paying the price, today I could see everything I'd learned and practiced laid out in my mind like a menu. A couple of jabs got through Dave's often low guard and I followed with a right hook that I think was as much a surprise to me that it connected as it was to him.

In the 3rd round Dave started rushing me and cornering me on the ropes. My instinct was to keep my head down and block but that just turns you into a punchbag and is a dead cert to shorten your life in the ring. Jas said the thing to do was to keep upright and keep punching, left, right. It sounds and feels the last thing you'd want to do but it really works. Then you can push your opponent away with all your energy. It's amazing how tiring this is to do, but I send Dave back into the centre following him with lefts rights and hooks until Jason stopped us getting carried away.

The fourth and fifth rounds were hard going as nearly all my energy had gone. How can the pros do 12 x 3 minute rounds? My left eye was feeling sore and Dave forgot my request before we started and landed a blow to the upper left side of my ribs right where I was hurting although he apologized. When the rounds were up I felt great and encouraged that Jason said that I was now showing signs of my own style and was keeping my distance.

It was 1.25 and time for the most grueling fitness workout yet - one minute each of lorry tyre presses, squat jumps, pressups, pullups, kettle bell thrusts and a combo of burpee, pressup and overhead lift with an (empty) aluminium beer barrel. In between each exercise was 15 jack-knives. We did this twice.

Got back to work feeling invigorated and a sense of achievement. Now my whole body aches but I find that is better than a sharp pain in one place so it's easier to forget. My left eye has developed from a blue bruise at the top of my left cheek to a black eye, but I feel less annoyed about this than when Dave smashed my nose a few weeks ago as I was generally happy with my progress this week.