Oww....

I taught on Monday, which was pretty fun. It was a 1 1/2 hour class, so we did kicks, forms, self-defense, a flying sidekick contest, and played "intructor says" for the kids. It was a big class (25 people) but Deven helped me out so that was nice.
I taught on Tuesday as well, but there were only 8 people, so it was more relaxed. I taught the first 45 minutes of self-defense, then Rodney took over for the rest of class. I'm beginning to wonder whether I command enough respect from my classes. When I teach, the other teenagers (even ones who are black belts!) tend to goof off and it's hard to keep them in line when they're my age or older. Once Rodney took over, he made it clear that no one was going to goof off with him around. I wish I had that air of authority... But, then again, Rodney was in the military, so that probably helped out. Anyway, we got the mats out and did some hip throws/sweeps, which was fun. I partnered with Chris which was a challenge, seeing as he's a good foot taller than me. But I love a good challenge! I also got kneed right in the temple when he was throwing me - it hurt! It's pretty tender today, but no real damage.
Today, we ran the mile in Fit for Life. We weren't going for time, but we had heart rate moniters strapped on so we could stay within our target heart rate zones. And I found out that my aerobic fitness isn't good at all. TKD is pretty much anaerobic, which means that your body isn't using oxygen while you're exercising - its kind of like sprinting. You can only go for so far, but you're out of breath at the end. Aerobic is more endurance, like a marathon runner. So when you go above your target heart rate zone, you're exercising anaerobically, which doesn't improve your heart and only burns sugar, instead of carbs. I found that a brisk walk/slow jog got me in the upper part of my heart rate zone, so one of my new goals is to improve my aerobic fitness by exercising in my target heart rate zone for 20-30 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. That's about all that's happened to me lately!

Uniforms

When I do my nunchaku kata in my normal uniform, the sleeves always get in the way, so I tend to practice in a tank top or t-shirt. I found a few "non-traditional" uniforms online that I really like. I'm leaning towards this top: http://www.centuryfitness.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&productId=79803&langId=-1&product_parentId=13953&crumb=13501&categoryId=13953&parent_category_rn=13502
with these pants: http://www.centuryfitness.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&productId=79818&langId=-1&crumb=13501&categoryId=13953&parent_category_rn=13502
I like the pants because they have a special fabric on the sides that you can use to wipe sweat off you're hands (so my nunchaku don't go flying out of my hands) and even a special pocket that holds most nunchaku.
I'm going to show them to Mr. Coleman tonight and I hope he's open to the whole non-traditional thing. Still haven't thought of a name for my kata.... I need to find one word that encompasses the entire form...

Kata

Saturday I had a private lesson with Mr. Coleman and we really started working on my nunchaku kata. It improved so much within just 40 minutes of tweaking and making adjustments. I'm beginning to feel a little more confidence about competing in the Battle of Atlanta - I don't know if I'll place, but at least I won't look like a fool! Mr. Coleman said that I need to think of a name for it. We're calling it "Independence" right now, just so I can practice my introduction to the judges, but I'm trying to think of a name that reflects the story that the kata tells. Because that's what a kata really is - it's a story. The only way I can describe it is, "explosive". There are a lot of loud kiyaps and rapid strikes. If anyone has any ideas for a name, please post it! TKD mom, I'll try to e-mail you a video I took of me doing the kata, so you can see it and get a better idea of what name would fit it.
In other news, I went to the job fair at a new film production studio about 15 minutes from my house on Saturday and interviewed for an internship and a position as an actor. I got to talk with the director/not sure what his title is, and he was really nice - he's an actor himself. And I met the Studio Manager - they all wanted to hear my Gollum voice after reading my resume and seeing that I played him in The Hobbit. I think/hope I made a good impression. On my way out, I heard one of the interns saying to them, "Yeah, she's good!" I'm supposed to hear back from them soon, so wish me luck!

Tuesday Fun

Tonight was a great TKD night. Mr. Coleman ran Ms. Swing and I through the new introductory classes that we're going to start doing with prospective students, then I got to "teach" them. One of the greatest joys in life is seeing Mr. Coleman act like a 5 year old, getting to call him out on his stances, and having him call me "Ma'am". :D Haha, 5 minutes was all I got and I milked it for all it was worth!
Self-defense was amazing tonight - there were only 8 of us and I got to partner with Rodney which is always a treat. We did a couple of takedowns and wrist locks and Rodney and I were going full-force - it was great! We started "resisting" each other - flailing around and making the other person work to get the hold on. I don't get to go hard like that very often, so I was having a ball.
Sparring was alright - we did drills and free sparring, but it was hard for me to get into it. I'm so used to reacting to Heather's fast, agile movements, but my partner tonight was a lot bigger (taller and out-weighed me), so I had to adapt. I'm a little down on myself because I didn't do as well as I hoped I would, but oh well. We have good days and we have bad days. Oh, and I got kicked in the groin which (in case you men are unaware) is pretty painful for women as well.
On another note, I can now do 3 pullups whereas, a few months ago, I could barely do one. I'm hoping I can work up to 5 at some point.
Oy, SAT prep classes start tomorrow, so its going to be a busy month leading up to March 10 (dun dun dun!)