Newsletter 1154
“Go on, kick it!” I was standing in the darkened garage of my instructor to be, surrounded by his high ranking black belts. The bag they were telling me to kick hung ominous and silent form the ceiling.
It was only a bag, should be simple, I’ll impress the heck out of these guys. I’ll show them what my school is made of? I mean, it’s only a bag, right?
I drew in breath and set my stance. I eyed the canvas thing, and studied my opponent. It looked to be about seventy pounds, not too tough, and I didn’t notice that the ceiling had been re- enforced to support the bag.
With mighty shout I thrust my sidekick out. My sidekick was my strongest kick, and it should bounce that bag off the ceiling like it was a ballon. My foot impacted, and nothing happened.
Well, something happened. The bag moved an inch and I bounced off, and a tremendous shock shivered my nervous system all the way up my leg and into my spine. And all the high ranking black belts rubbed their faces in a way that would conceal their grins.
My composure lost, I stared around in shock, and then stepped up to the bag. I ran a hand over it and asked, ‘What in the world is in here?’ I looked at the fellow who would soon be my instructor, and he merely smiled.
When I started martial arts they didn’t have kicking bags. My first bag was a two dollar duffel bag filled with sawdust. I spent hours packing that thing, and I kicked it until my legs were short. I thought I knew what a bag was about.
What Bob, the fellow who became my instructor had done with his bags, however, was sheer genius. His first bags were like mine, filled with sawdust and pounded and packed until it was solid and meaty to the foot. Then he started adding a cup of sand every week, and the thing became ungodly tough, a real foot breaker. But it became too heavy for the rafters. But that was just a starter bag for him. His next bag, the one I near broke my foot on, showed his true genius.
He cut newspapers in a circle and put them in the bag. Newspapers, and all the news that’s fit to…kick. It probably weight 150 pounds, and if you could kick that one full power you had a kick that would shatter bones!
About the Author: Al Case began martial arts in 1967. He became a writer/columnist for martial arts magazines, and has produced 100s of hours of martial arts videos. He’s got a course that includes three separate martial arts, it shows how the martial arts evolved, with forms, techniques and drills…check it out at:
Evolution of an Art
Have a great work out!
Al Case
MonsterMartialArts.com
