Karate

I went to play soccer with the British Ambassador and his son Louis on Sunday. We went to an old Soviet sports complex and played in an indoor gym with a wooden floor. Our friends from the local karate dojo joined us and organized the match. Man was I sore! The game was five on five, and we were running; all of those guys are in top shape. We were hard pressed to keep the game alive, trying to keep up with a world-champion karate guy and at least three other blackbelts.

Before the match I observed a karate training and decided to come back to begin training myself. On Thursday I went to training, and was entertained to discover my body still works after so much neglect. I punched pads, did pushups, neck stretches, sit-ups, high kicks, punch-kick combos... today I can barely flush the toilet without pulling half the muscles in my shoulder, arm, and upper back. Feels great! Hopefully I can work regular karate practice into my schedule.