35 days to go until ‘The Beginning.’
So for 90mins last night I sat with my eyes and mouth wide open. Just over a month to go until the big show and Paul was in no mood for messing. The intensity of the training was palpable…. no voices just heavy breaths, grunts and that sweet sound of punches and kicks hitting their targets and bodies being slammed to the mat.
The warm-up was not for the faint hearted, weak or unfit! I could not do it justice describing the sheer intensity of the pummelling or by reeling off the number of power push ups, sprawls, tuck jumps blah blah blah these guys did in a 10-15 min work out with no breaks. But let me tell you this, until 7.30 it was a chilly north London night, by 7.45 I switched the heating off in reception and even when the warm-up was over and the fighters opened the door to get air or have their own private pukes.
The goal of the evening according to Paul was to “gas ‘em out…. get them fighting tired…. get the rounds in”. According to him, at this point so close to a fight there’s no use learning new drills we need to start simulating fight conditions.
The guys started with 3 min rounds. To begin it was just stand up, punching and kicking. Olly and Adam got down to business, no probing jabs – just combination after combination – a full on 3 mins after THAT warm-up was impressive…quick break then onto new partners. Once they got into their rhythm and got their second wind Paul moved it up a notch to 4 min rounds this time stand up and then going for the take down. An hour in of what I can only describe as one of the most gruelling training sessions I’ve seen in a while, Hassan lifted his partner and went for a body slam. Had there been a hoop – I would have called it a slam dunk it was so perfect in its execution.
Not to be outdone, Michael and Chudy were trading punches and then out of nowhere another body slam which ended with a guillotine. It was seamless and so quick if I’d blinked I’d have missed it.
For the voyeur I plan to be in the next few weeks this was all over too quickly. Before I knew it the boys were on the mat stretching their tired bodies, inhaling their water and for a few…icing their weary joints.
16.0310.
Sue Finnegan
