- The beach day is a rain-or-shine affair, and
- The inclement weather would eventually clear up anyway.
So after the reassurances of the instructors that all would be well, eventually 10:00 arrived, and with it the 70+ students assembled at Dolphin Beach, eager to participate in the proceedings. The session started with a warm-up comprising some stretching and a short jog on the beach. Following this, the students were split up into two groups for some specialized training. The beginners were introduced to Muay Thai, while the more advanced students were shown some of the more advanced aspects of shootfighting and grappling, as well as a few takedowns.
But beach days are about more than just learning new techniques. After the formal lessons, the students were split into groups to be rotated around a number of stations each headed by an instructor. At each station, the instructors had a number of fun activities lined up for the unsuspecting students.
Sensei Keith had his group sumo wrestle one another, resulting in many a participant being covered in sand. Lutcin’s exercise involved the use of buckets of water and an umbrella, and not surprisingly a number of drenched participants would emerge from his station. Sempai Jason and Chantel had their students tossing raw eggs back and forth in a stern test of hand and eye co-ordination. Ruhan gleefully introduced his lot to a more competitive version of wheelbarrow racing. Lastly, David went about testing friendships with exercises at his station designed around teamwork.
Finally, all the students gathered for what has now become a beach day tradition: sprints and push-ups in the breaking waves, with the help and/or hindrance of the instructors. The breakers were particularly impressive this year, powerful enough to wash ashore those doing pushups in their path. Needless to say, much fun was had.
A final cooldown jog brought an end to the day’s proceedings. With the final bow, those who participated could reflect on their collective decision not to be put off by some bad weather (which by then had cleared up beautifully). Thanks are due to Sensei Karel for overseeing the event and assuring that everything ran smoothly.
From the number of students who voiced their delight it can be gathered that next year’s event will be at least as well attended and no less of a special occasion.
