[FIGHT] Abe Ani Combat Club: Lesson 1 [Part I]
On the evening of Wednesday, December 9, I headed over to the Gold's Gym in Harajuku to check out a regular installment of the Abe Ani Combat Club. The AACC holds sessions all over town in a variety of disciplines; this one was scheduled for Shooto and "Girlfight." And at any rate, this was the closest spot to my apartment.
I stuffed a spare T-shirt, my open-finger gloves, and blue shorts in a backpack and arrived at Gold's a little bit early. I was leaning toward doing only a sit-in, but I asked the gym staff for a chance to speak with the instructor before the class. Abe Hiroyuki was presumably busy preparing for a fight, so his little brother Abe Masatoshi showed up. As a 56 kilogram class fighter, Masatoshi is clearly not a big guy. Nonetheless he is a world-class bantamweight with Johnny's Jimusho looks to boot, like Takizawa Hideaki in a rashguard. I assume this guy can get chicks.
So we shot the shit for a while and I explained that I am a complete beginner. The astoundingly friendly Abe replied that novices are welcome and well-represented at the AACC, but that Wednesday nights in Harajuku tended to attract the harder-core. Especially the women. At least that's what he was saying before 20 minutes had passed with no students in sight. One other guy appeared then, and that was it.
The instructor seemed to be at a loss since he probably wasn't intending to roll that night, and a shooto class starring one student is just silly. That's when I muttered that I had brought my gear and that I would be happy to give it a go, provided that they didn't kill me. Abe said, "OK, let's go easy," and I changed and stretched.
The workout started with some mat exercises. Actually to be precise, Otherguy did some warm-ups while I just flopped around on the floor like a walrus plied with Jagermeister. To the best of my recollection, the exercises included the following:
Ukemi rolling
Just a shorter version of what is done in judo or aikido class. Tumbling forward and backward along the spaces between your head and shoulders.
Defensive crawling from Loungey-Yuppie-Sitting-on-the-Floor stance
The first step: Butt and sole of your left foot on the mat, left forearm resting on the left knee -- think Pig Vomit in "Sideways"; right palm on the ground behind you; with left foot and right hand planted, elevate your butt while keeping right leg cocked in half stag beetle position; lurch forward and land. The second step: Replace left for right and right for left.
Looking-for-Charlie crawling
"Get the f**k off my obstacle." Stay low to the ground, Marine. The right elbow scrapes forward in conjunction with the left knee, the left elbow with the right knee.
Superman baby lifts
Your back on the floor, arms straight up in the air, legs up and perpendicular everywhere. Otherguy goes spread-eagle and acts as a dead weight. Your hands support his armpits, your knees support his thights. Push up briskly and repeatedly with all four limbs. An easily misinterpreted, potentially homoerotic Shooto favorite.
Over and under the table
Face down, back level in the air, palms and knees on the mat. Your goal is to withstand it as Otherguy climbs barrels around, under, and behind your torso. Return the favor, keeping arms wrapped around your buddy as much as possible and hefting yourself along the ground with the help of your elbows.
I stuffed a spare T-shirt, my open-finger gloves, and blue shorts in a backpack and arrived at Gold's a little bit early. I was leaning toward doing only a sit-in, but I asked the gym staff for a chance to speak with the instructor before the class. Abe Hiroyuki was presumably busy preparing for a fight, so his little brother Abe Masatoshi showed up. As a 56 kilogram class fighter, Masatoshi is clearly not a big guy. Nonetheless he is a world-class bantamweight with Johnny's Jimusho looks to boot, like Takizawa Hideaki in a rashguard. I assume this guy can get chicks.
So we shot the shit for a while and I explained that I am a complete beginner. The astoundingly friendly Abe replied that novices are welcome and well-represented at the AACC, but that Wednesday nights in Harajuku tended to attract the harder-core. Especially the women. At least that's what he was saying before 20 minutes had passed with no students in sight. One other guy appeared then, and that was it.
The instructor seemed to be at a loss since he probably wasn't intending to roll that night, and a shooto class starring one student is just silly. That's when I muttered that I had brought my gear and that I would be happy to give it a go, provided that they didn't kill me. Abe said, "OK, let's go easy," and I changed and stretched.
The workout started with some mat exercises. Actually to be precise, Otherguy did some warm-ups while I just flopped around on the floor like a walrus plied with Jagermeister. To the best of my recollection, the exercises included the following:
Ukemi rolling
Just a shorter version of what is done in judo or aikido class. Tumbling forward and backward along the spaces between your head and shoulders.
Defensive crawling from Loungey-Yuppie-Sitting-on-the-Floor stance
The first step: Butt and sole of your left foot on the mat, left forearm resting on the left knee -- think Pig Vomit in "Sideways"; right palm on the ground behind you; with left foot and right hand planted, elevate your butt while keeping right leg cocked in half stag beetle position; lurch forward and land. The second step: Replace left for right and right for left.
Looking-for-Charlie crawling
"Get the f**k off my obstacle." Stay low to the ground, Marine. The right elbow scrapes forward in conjunction with the left knee, the left elbow with the right knee.
Superman baby lifts
Your back on the floor, arms straight up in the air, legs up and perpendicular everywhere. Otherguy goes spread-eagle and acts as a dead weight. Your hands support his armpits, your knees support his thights. Push up briskly and repeatedly with all four limbs. An easily misinterpreted, potentially homoerotic Shooto favorite.
Over and under the table
Face down, back level in the air, palms and knees on the mat. Your goal is to withstand it as Otherguy climbs barrels around, under, and behind your torso. Return the favor, keeping arms wrapped around your buddy as much as possible and hefting yourself along the ground with the help of your elbows.
posted by hamu86 at 1:39 PM
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