”Everybody has a plan, until they get hit in the face.”
Never have truer words ever been spoken. Being able to take a hit and give a hit is crucial for your self-defense survival. In my first summer training with my private instructor, we were doing some sparring and I walked head-on into his fist. It hit me in the nose and took me clean off of my feet. I can remember the shock, awe and embarrassment. I got up yelling and complaining at him. He looked at me and said in an amused yet befuddled way, “Have you never been hit before?” I tried to quickly cover my tracks, because although I was a blackbelt, it was true, I had never been squarely hit in the face before with intent and with a bare fist. He saw right through my deception. LOL. The rest of that summer, every time we practiced, he hit me square in face.
Two things happened during that time. First, I learned to take a hit. Second, I learned to keep my eyes open so that I could block his fist.
TIP: When you practice you need contact. You need to feel what a hit feels like and be able to keep going. This doesn’t mean get out there and just whack away at each other. LOL. We all have families and jobs waiting for us the next day. Be smart. Start with padded body vests and gloves. Then as you get better, remove the gloves. Once you have that conditioned, go no pads and gloves but just slap each other. Feel the hits. Set the intent.
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