Taekwondo Sparring

I wish to do this story justice, and so, I have set aside a separate post for this account to fit into.
It tells of how a self-assuming Boy who brought himself, full of 5 years of Kyokushin Karate to a basketball court in the intersection between Kaki Bukit and Bedok/Tampines to immerse in Taekwondo Sparring. It tells of how there was something called 'mutual underestimation', though it was more on my part, and of course, mild blood and gore.
Funny how it's always when the lights go out when I get humbled. Always. In 2005 when I received my first and hopefully last Technical Knock Out (TKO), and now, 2 years on when I thought I was all high and mighty, I received a bloody nose from a Taekwondo exponent.

My thoughts: Sempai Colin was right earlier, the same day. My kicks aren't as good as they can get just yet. And that I was presumptous that people would observe the rules they set down to protect themselves. If you've been a faithful follower of my daily sins and trangressions; you might've remember that I said that I was too nice a bugger out in the ring. I still am.

On Sunday, immediately after the Kyokushin Outdoor Training concluded, I downed the sexy Double Fillet O Fish and took Bus 21 to Bedok Reservoir Rd where I was supposed to attend the Taekwondo Training.
The sir lamented at my lateness, but had me join the seniors, who were kicking targets before the sparring.
We did some kicks that weren't exactly foreign to me. Lead leg kick, and switch foots over to kick. Did the movements the way sir directed, but subtly still preserving some Kyokushin flavour.

We were then taken apart to do the Jumping Double Kick, which was new to me. I fell and landed on my right hand, and that explains my wrist today. (I thought nothing of the wrist then. It hit me like a hammer did only the next morning.) We tried the triple run through kick, which I couldn't really get. But I think I was the most showy and outstanding in the Jumping Side Kick which I'd always thought i couldn't do.
We were to run from a distance, jump up and launch at the heavy bag. Like the advice I gave a dude there, I didn't think, but simply did it. I ran, leapt up at the mark and drove my leg into the bag. As I sailed into the bag, I realised that it wasn't exactly perfect, but was really not too shabby.

After all that, we were placed in gear for sparring. They suited me up in this blue body guard, which I've always been uncomfortable in.
But never mind that, I was told to face my opponent, a long time trainee in that club. He was a brown belt, I think.
So we faced off, and when the Black Belt I was chatting with previously said "GO", I edged and slipped in towards the bouncing Brown. I think they called him Chris. I slid in and gave him a high roundhouse to the head with my right. It connected. I don't think I used much force. Part of me wanted to knock him down then; the other part was adamant about remaining civil. I heeded the civil part of me unconsciously and slowed when the swing reached just before his side.
It hit him with a loud thwack. And he was jolted that he stopped and swayed abit. I instantly regretted it and apologized to him repeatedly. Once he was okay, we continued. He tried some kicks which I defused and then returned, none of them any hard.
He tried to come at me and I kicked his mid-section with my right and he slipped and fell in a sorta embarrassing way.
It was then I was nicer and took his kicks and listened to him scream and yelp like a girl while he tried to hit me. His kicks, I couldn't feel probably because of the guard, but I remembered I attempted a feeble right axe at his head. I knew it wouldn't work because we were so close. I think it was then I lost focus and grasp of the situation. I was still sparring.
He came at me and I closed our distance and when he was hugging me, I expected things to halt then until his right leg smacked into the left side of my face. And immediately, I began to bleed. Of course it was over then.
And I went to nurse the nose while he came with me. It was kinda weird, having your nose done in like that.
I was pinching it, waiting for the bleed to go away and talking to them all in the weird nasal way.

They were surprised at me for sparring so fiercely initially and that they confessed that none of them dared to really spar like that.

After that, I thought a lot.
Was it because I lost the drive of Kyokushin half-way? Or was I too nice and gracious? Or was I largely uncomfortable?
I know that my left hand was down when his instep came. It was negligence on my part as well as gross undermining my opponent, who wasn't as bad as I projected.
Nevertheless, I will fare much better in my next bout and will begin to set out to do now. No bugger will do that to me again.