Oppositional Defiance to Relaxation

Another session of muay thai today, starting with a shadowboxing review:

• Relax
• The shoulders roll forward, making the abdomen scaphoid.
• Once again, the jab lands when the front foot lands.
• The cross power is generated by the pivot of the rear leg on the balls of the feet, without leaning.
• We worked on the leg cover which occurs by straightening the base leg and when the cover leg rises so that the knee sits just inside the elbow, toes pointed down (contrary to the style I have previously learned).  The straightening of the base leg is to shift the weight securely over this limb, to prevent being knocked over. 
• When stepping off for the kick, the ball of the foot lands as the weight shifts toward this leg, this allows the transfer of weight without being off balance.  Rise up on the toes, extending the body when you kick.  If you need to check your balance, throw a half extended kick and hold.

We did a few focus mitt movement drills:

• Step-Jab
• Halfstep-step jab
• Halfstep jab
• Step jab, jab (do a "nonmoving step" to generate power of the second jab)
• Step jab, jab-cross
• Step jab, step jab-cross
• Step jab, retreat jab-cross, left-1-2 90° turn

Lastly we did a movement drill, retreat to the ropes, do a rear foot perpendicular turn, roll through to your normal side and shuffle back to the center, now retreat in the opposite direction to the ropes, do a lead foot perpendicular turn, and shuffle back to the center.

I need not lunge, but I need to relax.