[Standard]

do you not find the uneven ground there throwing off your footwork and weight balance?

[Liu Jin]

do you not find the uneven ground there throwing off your footwork and weight balance?

Oh yes, I find it often.

I also find it hilarious when on the drive out we see cyclists on the side of the road puking.

[Liu Jin]

Sunday - off.

Well today was one of the more crappy days I've ever had.

7am - 2.25 mile run.

10:30am Gym time.

Edgar didn't show, and Diego couldn't make it so I had to fly solo.

2 rounds Shadowboxing.

3 rounds skip-rope.

4 rounds upper-cut bag.

6 rounds Heavybag.

2 rounds Shadowboxing to cool down.

40 push-ups.

30 dips.

Roger Mayweather was in the gym today when I was there, and his legs are even skinnier in-person. He nodded at me a couple of times but I didn't get to talk to him.

On a high note I did find a missing mouthpiece of mine.

However, I got called into work on my day off and then turned out I wasn't needed. So I drove all the way down there, then on the way home my tire blows out. Then to further complicate matters the jack just wouldn't cooperate and at one point the car actually fell with the tire off. But I managed to FINALLY get the spare on and there didn't seem to be damage from the car falling minus a wheel (although when I replace the wheel I'll have them look). But the best part is as the car fell I was taking the spare out of the trunk and got clocked in the head, and my car is made of steel so it wasn't one of those sissy fiberglass trunk doors either. Thus, I'm sure I won't be sparring tomorrow with this Tom and Jerry lump on the side of my head. I guess the good part is that it didn't stagger me or bleed, so when push comes to shove I have a hard ass head.

Nonetheless I shall be doing my mini workout before bed, just with a headache.

**Funny Gym moment:

When I went to say goodbye to Richie he was reading old Boxing magazines. He was looking at this Fighter and said "OH I remember this guy, he killed his wife. I wonder if they have a picture of her." *Richie flips a couple of pages* "Holy shit, she's a heffer! No wonder he killed her. He probably drank a bunch of tequila and woke up married then said, how the Hell do I get out of this?"

[Brandon MacRea]

Uppercut bag as in a body snatcher, or the "horizontal heavybag" style ones?

If it's the latter, I don't like 'em. If it's the former, I don't like you for having access to one.

[usho]

I'm curious, what part of Red Rock are you guys doing your training at? A specific trail in the conservation area or one of the outside trails?

[Diego Lara]

Hahaha, one day Richie says I'm a national champ prosepect, the next I'm a nearly over-the-hill late bloomer with a biological clock that ticks so loudly the other fighters think it's the round timer. I think any fighter with little to no credentials who just waltzed into Top Rank and asked to be trained would get the same treatment, and this baptism by fire weeds out the bummy bag bullies from the real fighters with unbeatable desire to win. A month into training, and we're still around, and that alone says something to a trainer.

[Team Dragonfire]

Thanks for starting the log again KK. Having done jiu-jitsu for a long time, I think it's really interesting to analyze how everybody has a different 'game' in my gym. Some pull guard, others shoot, clinch, top game, bottom game, open guard, yadda, yadda. Then I started watching the K-1 GPs with Buakaw, Masato, and John Wayne Parr and I noticed how IMMENSELY different all of their fighting styles are from Australian Muay Thai, Thai Muay Thai, and Japanese Kickboxing. It's a progress but I like how you analyze the games of the guys at your gym. I can see myself getting into boxing next and starting to note different styles. Sorry for the essay. I'm watching Shogun Assassin.... shhh quiet.

[yakamashi-va]

way to go brother! keep up the good work.

[Liu Jin]

I'm curious, what part of Red Rock are you guys doing your training at? A specific trail in the conservation area or one of the outside trails?

Oak Creek is our favorite trail, on the outside I believe.

Hahaha, one day Richie says I'm a national champ prosepect, the next I'm a nearly over-the-hill late bloomer with a biological clock that ticks so loudly the other fighters think it's the round timer. I think any fighter with little to no credentials who just waltzed into Top Rank and asked to be trained would get the same treatment, and this baptism by fire weeds out the bummy bag bullies from the real fighters with unbeatable desire to win. A month into training, and we're still around, and that alone says something to a trainer.

Funny how every OTHER trainer seems to like us a lot.

Thanks for starting the log again KK. Having done jiu-jitsu for a long time, I think it's really interesting to analyze how everybody has a different 'game' in my gym. Some pull guard, others shoot, clinch, top game, bottom game, open guard, yadda, yadda. Then I started watching the K-1 GPs with Buakaw, Masato, and John Wayne Parr and I noticed how IMMENSELY different all of their fighting styles are from Australian Muay Thai, Thai Muay Thai, and Japanese Kickboxing. It's a progress but I like how you analyze the games of the guys at your gym. I can see myself getting into boxing next and starting to note different styles. Sorry for the essay. I'm watching Shogun Assassin.... shhh quiet.

Go for it. Boxing is ENDLESS fun.

way to go brother! keep up the good work.

Thanks blood. Means a lot coming from you specifically, I train every day with the memory of how intense we were back in the day.

[Liu Jin]

Tuesday - Off, felt like I was shaking off a KO punch all day, so I skipped the gym to recoop for today.

6:30am - Diego and I watched the Frankie Randall versus Julio Cesar Chavez fight to see one of the guys Oscar De La Hoya avoided in his Prime in Randall. Man was that guy good, especially considering he was 32 when he beat Chavez. But the favoratism Chavez got was insane, inexcusable, Frankie whooped his ass. Shouldn't have been no split-decision win.

7:30am - 2.8 mile run.

10:30am, Gym Time.

5 minutes dynamic stretching.

2 rounds Shadowboxing.

GYM WARS!!!

Today features myself versus the Messican in our first bout of the morning.

4 rounds sparring:

With me still being a bit off because of my car whoopin' my ass, I worked mostly offense, letting Diego work something most Mexican fighters just plain don't do, work defense and countering off the back foot. The man in his Av (Salvador Sanchez) was one of few I can think of who could. Diego's getting better at it, I also did let him come in and work at my shell defense for the last 30 seconds of each round. Another trainer came over to watch us spar and gave Diego pointers in Spanish, so did another Fighter, that kid gets all the help! lol I even murmured through my mouthpiece "thas no feh."

At one point he got me with a really good counter to the body, but I wasn't going to let him get away with that without landing one of my own.

All in all a good bit of work.

2 rounds Heavybag, mostly power-punches and punch-outs, working on my endurance.

2 rounds skip-rope.

Second bout of the morning.

Our boy Edgar got there a little late, so he sparred Whoopie (which is what we've dubbed the guy who "whoop"s when he punches during Shadowboxing and bag rounds). I missed their first bout, which I was told Edgar put the beat-down on Whoopie basically. So this time I guess Whoopie decided he wasn't takin' that shit because he fought back a bit.

I missed the first round because I was finishing up my Heavybag work. Second round Whoopie was baiting Edgar who just seemed determined to steamroll in. At one point Whoopie landed a Hell of an uppercut that almost put Edgar down. His knees buckled pretty bad as he was off-balance when it landed (remember I said he has a tendency to do that). But Edgar's a tough kid, and Whoopie didn't want to fight, Edgar was MAKING him fight by going to him. Whoopie was standing back with his hands down, but Edgar is tough, the kid re-gained his composure and went back to work.

In the 3rd round Edgar unloaded, and Whoopie spent most of the round with his back to the ropes, getting mauled. Everyone in the gym was yelling. It was funny to see all the Hispanics on Edgar's side of the ring, shouting in Spanish (myself included), and all the black folk yelling for Whoopie (sort of). After the 3rd round Whoopie said "that's it"...Richie asked for one more round and Edgar said "I'm ready." Whoopie came back in and ran for the whole 4th round. When Edgar got out of the ring both Richie and I were full of compliments for him. Richie said "look man that guy's a working Pro and you worked him over, you did really good. He didn't want no more after the 3rd, I had to ASK him for one more." I said "Bro that 3rd round you put it on him." Edgar said "I did?" lol Working so hard he didn't even realize it. I stayed a bit longer to help Edgar since I had a bit more equipment than he had, clean towel, gallon of cold water (he had powerade, so he used my water to run over his head), just basic stuff.

*EDIT: Forgot to mention that around this time we were still talking to Edgar about the sparring session and I said "He don't like the pressure" about his opponent. Richie said "That's the truth." Edgar was standing off to the side of a heavybag and Richie said "Hey, you hear that? He don't like when you put the pressure on him." That got a grin out of me.

Also Richie told us he vouched for us with Mitch, but he suggested we get Licensed so we can at least say we're ELIGIBLE for a fight. So Diego and I will be getting Licensed relatively soon.

8pm - Night workout.

2 rounds skip-rope.

100 push-ups, 5 sets of 20, 60 horizontal bar, 40 vertical.

3 rounds speed-bag.

3 rounds double-end bag.

10 ab rollouts.

5 minutes Shadowboxing to cool down.

I felt like a machine today, didn't really get tired.