I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

[ds314]

I’m 44 years old, 6-2 and weigh 225lbs and I feel like a Shrek in Krav most of the time. Personally I do not feel strong or that I punch or kick hard. Apparently my training partners do not feel the same way I do. Many of the training partners I’ve had avoid me. Last night when we picked partners one guy turned around and looked at me then turn back around and saw no partners remaining then turned around and looked at me again and once again turned around and still no other potential training partners remained except for me. Finally he came over and we did hammered fists, and then we took a water break. When the instructor said to partner up again my partner went and got another partner which left this young kid to partner up with me. After the next drill the kid went and grab someone else which left me with the first partner from the first drill. Some of the more experience training partners have told me that I hit like a horse and some call me the beast and other descriptive names. This is why I feel like a Shrek. When I tried to pull back and not be as hard on my partners I get reprimanded and am told to use full power. What is a Shrek to do? Serious question – during drills should I use full power everytime or should I only use full power during part of the drill to cut my partners some slack?

Dave

[bracius]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

OMG, I so want to train with you!

I am 5’6 and I love partnering up with the big guys! I like getting hit…..I don’t know why but I like it. I just don’t feel into “it” with people that can’t drive me back. If you can’t make me want to puke from knee’s then I just don’t want to play

[nickolas-cook]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

Don’t you love the look on the little guys’ faces when they get the force of that first punch?
HA!
Shrek meet another Shrek…I’m 38 years old, 6’1″ and 265 lbs of mostly solid muscle from years of weight lifting and some boxing. I used to get the avoidance thing, too. Then we got some experienced MMA guys in the class. They love to dance around me and lay in some nice kicks to the ribs and quads. HA!
May you meet your own MMA people to tear you down a couple of storeys. And I mean that in the best possible way, man. It is a learning experience when it happens.
With new (non-MMA) people I usually increase my power and speed until they say ‘when’. That gives them a chance to acclimate to the force and I scare less people that way….hehehe. Sometimes, if my instructor gets a little aggravated with someone who keeps talking during instruction, she’ll pair me with them so they learn when to shut the hell up and listen.

[mara-jade]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

Dave,

I’ve been the shrek(i.e. made a newbie puke doing palm strikes) and been on the receiving end by a shrek many times(i.e more experienced than me and friggin OWNED ME:D:).

I personally rather train with a shrek (let me clarify by saying EXPERIENCED) for the reason being out in the street, NO one will be nice- PERIOD. Now, of course I check with my partner what level they’re at if I don’t already know them. They should be telling you how hard to go but if it’s a newbie, you may have to initiate that. If you’ve been doing this a while, then you should be able to control your power to help adjust your partner. If you haven’t, then maybe control’s the issue.

My hubby has had to ‘fix’ those who don’t have the control and DON”T listen to the instructor when they say ‘go x%’. He has no problem taking them down and telling them ‘hey, CALM DOWN’. I’ve seen an instructor do that to 1 person who thought he was bada$$ but didn’t know how to control himself.

Me, that hasn’t happened to me. It’s been the reverse. I’ve gotten Level 1 people doing a choke on me and it’s a friggin massage. I do it to them, they can’t believe little me is doing THAT to themrofl2

Maybe talk to your instructors and get a better perspective:wav:

[ffdo1234]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

I am so not up to speed with my punches or kicks yet but, one of the things that is overlooked in KM class is learning how to take the punches, kicks chokes, insert hurt of choice here…….

If I am not bruised coming out of class, my training partner didn’t go hard enough. (Should really be spelled enuff, don’t ya think????) Anyway, my partner in my first class back kicked me all over the room. It hurt, it was humbling, and I loved it. Just hope I can return the favor in a bit.

JC

[jesse]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

Ooogh, it’s not overlooked here.

P.S. Notice the posting time on this one…baby’s been hungry ALL NIGHT!

[ffdo1234]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

I suppose this would not be a group that would overlook that, bring on Shrek!!!!

Good luck with the times there Jesse; I have never had a child that slept more than two hours for the first two years of life. Rock paper scissors works pretty well at three AM to see who will get up for the feeding di’hour.

(Thnaks for the suggestions on the Dojo BTW, I did get a couch.)

JC

[thecrownsown]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

I’m 6’2″ and luckily at our centre, there are a pile of guys taller than me! There is one guy he’s over 6’7″ and 320lbs. Just a giant. Headlocks, and ground work is much different with someone who is so superior in height and strength. To me it’s an opportunity to work in close to worse case scenarios, as you never know what you’ll run into in a real life situation. Not all opponents will be 5′ 10″ , 180lbs.!!!

To train with you would be an opportunity in the best spirit of Krav! Getting as close to a realistic hit as possible. It’s to bad your facing that. I think it would be an opportunity for most serious practitioners to train differently. If it’s any consolation, I get a little fed up with people who do the exact opposite and don’t hit the pad, put no effort into the training, and deny themselves the opportunities Krav Maga is so known for.

[drlvegas]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

I am also 6’2″ and 225. I have been the Shrecker and the Shreckee–we have a guy that’s about 6’5″, 340 and my usual training partner. Having been the Shreckee, I tend not to take it easy on the smaller guys, but give them openings & opportunities.

For example: when we’re doing groundwork it is really tough to get the big guy off me if I’m mounted & he just kinda lays his weight on me. When I have someone substantially smaller & maybe less experienced than me mounted, I don’t make it easy, but I give them enough that they can get out of it(barely).

I much prefer to train with someone bigger, stronger and more skilled than me. This is self defense & what are the odds that I’ll have to defend myself against someone that is 5’6″ & 130 pounds?

[nixxon]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

Let them have it. Unless they are 100% brand new and don’t know how to hold a pad. Otherwise, if they are somewhat experianced in at least how to protect themselves while holding a pad they need to just get used to getting hit and suck it up.

I hit hard as well, I don’t hold back, I just do my thing. If they have a problem or start grimacing I ask them if they are ok, if not I stop.

[michaelmall]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

DS314 you should let your partner know at what percentage that you are going at.
With your size you could possible hurt someone (unintentually of course).
And you really don’t to discourage people from working with you in class.

[kms1974]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

Personally, I don’t mind training with larger people. Seeing as i’m 5’8 and about 170 its not hard to be larger than me. I always thought that the pads absorbed most of the impact even when they are resting on your body.

[nickolas-cook]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

If you’re holding them right. But I see most new people try to hold the pad out from them, and, of course, in the process wind up getting hurt more often than if they’d just held the pad against them. The other thing newbies tend to NOT do is release their air when they get hit. That’s why it helps to have a little holler or battle cry when working drills.
And sometimes because they haven’t done their job they get the feeling that the ‘big guy’ was going too rough on them. I try to instruct as I go, but some people just have to learn the hard way, right? HA!

[parishd]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

I too like training with bigger people, but for the most part they’re not the ones who knock me around the worst. The people who do the most damage to me on punching drills are usually around my height (6′) and about 20-25 lbs heavier than me (at ~172.5). One guy in particular consistently bruises my chest through the pad!

…And he says his punches feel weak to him :(:; I wish I had his technique/power!bow1

[cjs-dad]

Re: I feel like a Shrek Sometimes

mongo like punching, you lil guys are funny.

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