I missed a Monday so had a one to one with Jason on the Tuesday. I have one word - bastard. I did some light sparring with the Addy and Eddie duo from a few months ago which was OK although I was still a little breathless from Nick's deliveries to my ribs the other week.
Then Jason said to take out my gunshield and put on my bag gloves. Why the hell he did that when he was planning to smash me up I don't know - but I'm not happy about it. He's a great boxer and genuinely intimidating the way he moves around the ring constantly calculating my openings. I was feeling a little tired anyway after the four rounds with the other lads, but he decided to practice cutting me off onto the ropes and I did my stupid instinctive thing of putting my head down and covering up instead of punching forwards to ward of the attack. What felt like a huge blow to the right side of my chest knocked all the wind out of me and saw me sliding down the ropes onto the deck with blurry vision from the sharp and increasing pain. He knew I had a sore chest but I think he was trying to teach me what would happen if I didn't listen to him. Bloody hell it hurt, but I was determined not to let him get the better of me so I had a quick water and got back into my stance to carry on - this time a weaker and more breathless.
Because I was angry I again broke my personal rule about getting in too close and he smashed my already sore nose with an uppercut that I saw coming. His thumb caught the bridge of my nose too leaving a small cut and it was yet another case of blood stopping play.
The funny thing with ribs - I think I've said it before, is that the pain from Nick's punches that was previously keeping me awake at night was cancelled out by Jason's new assault and took me to a higher level altogether of complete discomfort. The Friday after, maybe because I got a cold from my nose being blocked, I was sat at my desk in work as a complete shadow of my usual self barely even to lift a cup of lemsip.
Good news - Jason is away on Holiday. I arranged with Dave to still turn up on Monday night and we did eight rounds back to back until we were exhausted. This time I kept my distance and covered my head while jabbing by remembering to keep my right glove touching my eyebrow. Excellent, and it forced him to try hooks to my head and as he got tired his hand dropped and I landed a great cross to his jaw. Another nosebleed, but not so bad as I got tired and walked straight into his jab.
If anyone wants a pro's account of what ribs can be like, read the bit of Muhammad Ali's autobiography where he is sparring to get fit for his comeback after exhile fight against Jerry Quarry. He was floored and only after x-rays showing bruising did he carry on. He also admits that he had to KO Sonny Liston in under two rounds as he had an injured rib and a blow to the body would have finished him off.
If I quit now I'll be leaving a job half done. It's taken this long to get to a stage where I know what I am doing wrong and what I have to do right, and as Dave says - a small correction to a bad habit can make you 50% better. So now as I sit in a rare sunny afternoon I am thinking about tomorrow which will either build on what I have learned or fall down by not thinking fast enough. The men's Wimbledon final was the other week between Federer and Nadal and it showed how vital mental strength is in sport. If 50% improvements can be made by losing bad habits and even more through the right mental state then I should be ok tomorrow!
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