MEFISTO: So today, after a day lost to a head cold — an absence I must make up for by jumping into the Bay, say the coaches — I put on my headgear, padded boxer’s codpiece, and 16 oz sparring gloves for the first time. As the class paired off, somehow Dr. Faust and I wound up together. First we practiced blocking and catching jabs — a completely unnatural (for me) move where you use your rearward guard hand (right hand) to block a jab (left hand) from your opponent. Your instinct, or at least mine, is to dodge completely or block with the left hand, which is closer to the opponent. The problem is that both these “instinctual” moves leave you open for a clobbering. Dr. Faust got me a few times in the head in this way.