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Archives for January 2008

Club Battle

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For those that don’t know, here in The Netherlands there is another company called Club Joy that have created pre-choreographed programs just like Les Mills. I can remember about 4 years ago when it first started and there were some Dutch people who wrote about it. It’s been pretty low key since and I guess the program hasn’t been discussed at all on the forum since then so I was surprised when I heard it mentioned it still exists.

Janne and Rien (voidbrain) said they were going to the filmings of a release of Club Battle (a Bodycombat clone) and so Alex, Robert (sigma) and I decided we’d go along too. Actually, Alex and I decided to go and then Janne and I begged Robert to come too. I was wondering how I’d go following a strange class in a language I didn’t understand.

I have to be honest and say that I expected Club Battle to be pretty poor quality. I dunno, I guess cuz it’s been so low key and I’d heard bad stuff about it in the beginning. However I found that I actually quite liked it! The music was fantastic although the chorrey kinda lacked the “ooomph” that gives combat it’s special quality. Although maybe that has to do with the fact the filming wasn’t run as a regular class?

The way they filmed was VERY different to a Les Mills filming. There were 3 cameras which were a lot smaller, but I expected that. There was probably about 15 people there and the group fitness room was actually in an open floor plan area in front of the treadmills. This didn’t bother me, but I could imagine in Australia it could be very intimidating to do a group fitness class in front of people exercising on treadmills.

In between each track there was a 3-5 minute pause while they set up for the next track. As compared with a Les Mills filming, they pretty much go straight through with only a tiny pause as necessary. It doesn’t feel a whole lot different than a regular class. However with the Club Battle filming it was heart rate up, heart rate down, heart rate up……..etc. So it’s hard to judge the intensity of the class with all the breaks.

The really odd thing they did was they cued the class in reverse to mimic the mirror image for the instructor video. I thought this was bizarre and although I recognised immediately what they were trying to do (even though I didn’t understand the dutch explanation), however it seemed weird that they didn’t just digitally reverse it. I asked about it, and she said it was because of the logos etc. During the Les Mills filmings they actually prepared reversed logos on the wall behind and on the clothing especially for the filming and then reverse the video digitally. Anyway, I didn’t mind too much since it felt natural for me to start on my left leg anyway.

The class itself was remarkable like combat. The format was identical even down to the muay thai track. It was quite obvious that the ideas had been taken from combat and as it turned out I found out afterwards that the choreographer is actually also a combat instructor. They did have a new move though that took getting used to………the reverse roundhouse kick. You actually set up with your leg out straight, then pull your heel back to your butt (like the end part of a roundhouse). It went against instinct to start with the leg straight though.

I surprised myself by picking stuff up better than I thought I would. I was relying mainly on memory of the initial sequences and instinct of following the music. There were a few basic cues in English that I could follow, but sometimes there were points where I had no idea until I stopped and watched what was coming up.

Overall, I enjoyed the class and if I was told that this was the next combat release I probably wouldn’t know any different. As I said earlier the music was actually amazing, but I did feel overall that it lacked something special. In some ways it reminded me of the old days of combat……the Gabby and Nathaniel days. Anyway, I’m glad to have had the opportunity to have experienced the class. It’s not something I’d ever get to do in Australia.

After the filming Rien and Janne stayed on for the Club Step filming for which there were only 4 participants……..eeek! Alex, Robert and I just watched for a little bit and I had the horrible dilema about what to do about having a shower. I desperately wanted a shower, but open showers……big brother style. It’s just not something I’m used to. After I came out of the girls changeroom, Janne, Alex, Robert and Rien were all grinning and waiting for the answer as to whether or not I had a shower or not! 😆

I’m not going to go into to the details of the lengths I went to to get a shower, but let’s just say I managed to get a very rapid rinse without being seen by anyone. 😈

Alex, Robert and I then watched a couple of Club Step tracks and then went and got lunch and before heading back home. Robert stayed and had tea with us and I got another of those amazing massages (although incredibly painful…..arrrggggh). 😉

Uploaded photos

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I’ve uploaded more photos into the gallery on the forum.

For those who have noticed I’ve been a bit slow in updating this blog sometimes. It’s been a bit busy and I usually get tired in the evenings. But I’ve spent some time uploading and getting back up to date now.

Combat…

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(…and RPM….shhhh)

We’ve had a relaxing few days together and been swimming and stuff, but tonight was the regular combat class at Alex’s gym. I’ve finally decided after 2 classes that she really annoys me as an instructor. I can see why Alex gets fed up with certain things. I’m not someone that normally likes to judge or speak negatively about another instructor, especially not as a guest at another gym in a foreign country! However the volume of annoying things she does is just too hard for me to forgive and gloss over.

It was a little easier to follow the class this time, mainly because she did the same mix and I was able to remember more of the chorrey. But also I’m beginning to pick up some words in dutch that help….like left and right. It’s not much, but I’m also finding it easier to hear some of the English names of moves amongst the Dutch. They also do mixing a little differently here. They do the same chorrey for 2 months, then the last 4 weeks they’re allowed to do a mix, which is the same mix. That would drive me batty if I had to do that with my classes! It would make for easier chorrey learning, however I think I’d get so bored that I don’t think I could keep up teaching.

But on to the annoying things about this instructor. Firstly, she stopped between every single track, however that’s apparently the way things are done here so I won’t hold that against her. However what I DO have issues with is that she continually stopped and turned the music down during the class. I’ve seen instructors do it before and I’ve even done it myself, to just put the volume down for a second and hear the class shouting. But doing it 2 -3 times EVERY track was just over the top. It’s not hard to notice that she wasn’t actually working out while she was doing this. Sometimes she just stood there and watched. Sometimes she stood there and got everyone to shout “hey hey”. I think it’d be very generous to say that she barely participated in 40% of the class. It’s probably less, but I’m going to stay generous.

So on to the “hey hey’s”. I don’t mind them. I get participants to shout aswell. Sometimes it’s an agressive shout. Sometimes it’s “hey”. Sometimes it’s just something random to shout. ALL of them are shouts carefully chosen to fit the music and is used sparingly. But this instructor had everyone shouting “hey hey” to every single track and most of the time it didn’t really feel like it fit the music nicely and didn’t make me feel like I wanted to shout (along with her not exercising herself and turning the music down continuously). In fact, the thought going through my mind is I just couldn’t be bothered shouting anymore and I just wanted to work out. But then, Alex tells me that that’s considered fairly normal here to shout lots….

The ginga. It’s a specific move in combat. A technique. I’m not sure why she chose to do a dancy move where you touch the ground instead. I couldn’t understand the dutch but Alex tells me she encourages everyone to do it so they can work harder. If you wanna work harder, try actually participating in the whole class………that works! I’m normally a strong believer in respecting the instructor and doing what the instructor teaches, but I draw the line here! Besides, I’m pregnant and it’s too hard for me to touch the ground anyway!

The last thing I can remember about the class is that she did make a few mistakes, although I didn’t have an issue with that. She recovered well from them and the participants would never have known. However Alex tells me that she appears to have sharpened up a bit on the chorrey as she knew I was coming to the class. Apparently she’s normally a lot worse. I guess I can’t judge that though.

I’m just glad that will be the last combat I’ll be doing of hers before I come back to Australia. I think it’d just piss me off too much to do her class again. She’s apparently going away so I don’t know who’s doing the combat class next week.

After combat I gave in and let Alex do RPM. Which meant I also sat on a bike. This class confirmed why I DON’T do RPM. Those bike seats just were not humane, and Alex kept laughing at my discomfort. By track 3 or 4 when he was laughing at me, I explained that the pain meant I wouldn’t be able to do certain things for a week after that class! 😈

Luckily we had taken the car to the gym which thankfully meant I didn’t have to ride a bike home aswell. I think I would have been in too much pain!

Seriously though, during the RPM class I took it pretty easy cuz 2 cardio classes in a row is getting a bit hard for me now. But also, I found I had problems leaning forward on the bike, cuz for whatever reason it seemed to squash things in my belly and bit and I found I couldn’t breathe, whether I was working out or not. So I found I often had to just sit up straight and take it at my own pace.

And no, after the class I DIDN’T have a shower at the gym. I waited till I got home. I’m not stripping in those communal showers! 

New Years Eve

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We witnessed the most amazing phenomenan for New Years Eve. Alex had been promising me that the number of fireworks that we’d see going off on New Years Eve would look amazing, however it didn’t quite turn out like that. A fog came over Apeldoorn so bad that visibility is the worst I’ve ever seen so we didn’t get to see the fireworks!

Alex dropped his dad back off home at around 11pm to avoid the fireworks, and driving a car got so dangerous that Alex had to open his car door to see the lines on the road occasionally and at the traffic lights he had to get out the car and walk up to the traffic light to see what colour it was! There were people walking along in front of cars guiding the way, and neighbours came out their houses and were standing along the road with lights helping guide the cars. It was incredible!

I wasn’t with Alex for that drive thank god, but from Alex’s apartment there wasn’t much visibility and when it hit midnight the noise was amazing. The only fireworks we could see anything off were the ones that people let off in our own car park. It seemed a pity to have the firework display ruined by the fog, but apparently by law the fireworks have to be let off between midnight and 1 am, not that that stops people from letting them off the 2 weeks prior to New Years Eve and afterwards. This morning I’d have to say has been the quietest morning for the last 2 weeks.

So when we were watching the fireworks (or rather, listening to it), we went up the stairs to one of the 6th floor balconys. There were some fireworks going off fairly nearby which quite scared me. Cuz of my phobia of fire I guess it includes loud banging sparkly things.

Ben and Ineke have given me a packet of Oliebollen stuff to take home with me so that I can make Oliebollen at home. I’m so excited about this and so looking forward to introducing all my friends to Oliebollen! Who’s up for an Oliebollen party at my house when I get back……along with a game of Machiavelli? 😛