Frustrations and Joys

TKD was fun, frustrating, relaxing, and rewarding... All in the same night! Self-defense was a small class and I was paired with Lisa (an adult) and Katie Jo (a student doing her senior project on self-defense). Both were fun to work with. Then Mr. Coleman got the mats out and asked who wanted to grapple with me. I was excited; I love grappling. I sparred Deven first, and we were pretty evenly matched. He's a tall guy, but he's only 15, so his muscular strength isn't fully developed yet. Still, a good fight. Siddu was next. He's small and wiry, but very fast. I nearly hit my head on a cinder block and scared Mr. Coleman to death! Mr. Coleman eventually called the fight, but I never tapped out - I'm not one to back down, and neither is Siddu - that's where we clash.
Next was sparring - just Siddu, Thomas (a 10-11 year old) and me. We alternated drills and free sparring, the two of them taking turns with me (which meant I didn't get to rest). Siddu is an excellent fighter - his speed is his strength, and he had an advantage with longer legs. We usually get on really well, but when we spar, I almost lose it. I feel like he's just playing with me, like a cat plays with a mouse. So sparring was frustrating.
After class, I stayed for a private lesson with Mr. Coleman. By that time, I was still frustrated and I think he knew it. We worked on my sidekick (which I admit, needs a lot of work), but I was getting so worked up! On one of my kicks, I yelled so loud that my voice cracked (sounded more like a cry of pain!) and Mr. Coleman just looked at me. I couldn't read the look in his eyes, but I could tell that he understood how stressed I was. We moved on to some blocking drills, which were rhythmical and relaxing. The drills moved into self-defense, which I love. I'm not used to hitting Mr. Coleman, but it was still very fun.
Oh, what a day!