Written by I teach LesMills BodyCombat every Monday and Wednesday morning. This 55-minute high intensity cardio class is one reason I started training in karate in 2017. I became certified in BodyCombat in 2015. It pulls moves from various martial arts (karate, tae kwon do, kickboxing, kung fu, capoeira, and Muay Thai). Here in Nashville I have found an amazing group of students that really embrace me. They love when I talk about the bunkai — why we are doing certain moves. I do my best to execute every strike with precision and try to ensure that if any of my three sensei’s ever observed me, they would be proud to see the work I do as a group fitness instructor. Today we added on 52 sprawls to celebrate my 52nd birthday just before the core & cooldown tracks. For my shodan test, one element was 50 sprawls in 2 minutes. I couldn’t believe how many of my students joined me in this, even if they had to modify (I encourage modification to minimize risk of injury and sport longevity). I cut the 2-minute down to about 20 seconds so you can see the last 4 sprawls.
I’m so grateful I got to do things I love with people I care about on my birthday. And I’m so glad I get to teach & encourage my students to get 1% better every day, as we would say at Delaware Bushido Academy.
