from the Oxford Dictionaries Online:
empower /ɪmˈpaʊə, ɛm-/
v. give (someone) the authority or power to do something
Last night I took my first Krav Maga class.
Taking inventory of my body’s reaction to the class:
- left foot arch is sore and tight, making walking a little painful
- the tops of my right and left feet are bruised from front kicks
- pectoral muscles are sore as all get out from 2 minutes of non-stop sprawls
- random bruising on hands and legs
- soreness in wrists and elbows from holding the pads
Taking inventory of my mind’s reaction to the class:
- A year ago, I could not have kept up with the workout. Last night, I did.
- I am not accustomed to showing the kind of aggression necessary to perform these techniques.
- It is uncomfortable to be choked.
- It is uncomfortable to choke someone else.
- The first time I was choked, it took what felt like a long time to make my body do the right things to break the attack.
- After the third or fourth time, it got easier to make my body do the right things.
- I am still nervous about working across gender lines in this class.
- I am going to get better at this.
My instructor has been talking for a few weeks about the sense of empowerment he feels now, and how his training has been life changing. I can see why that is true for him, and I hope to feel a similar shift.
Good for you! I hope the soreness fades quickly though.
That Krav Maga stuff is ferosh. You are a brave soul for taking it on!