Posts Tagged ‘Karate’

Last week I focused on punching. I still haven’t reconstructed my makiwara, and I really feel the effects of not using one. So, I decided to try and find a substitute in the meantime. I discovered that we have some mats at the dojo that, when positioned correctly, make a pretty decent makiwara. I still don’t get the feedback that a true makiwara gives me, but that actual punching pressure is very reminiscent.

Since I discovered this makeshift makiwara, I’ve been using it regularly. It’s been so long since I used a makiwara, I decided to start slowly; no more than 100 punches each side per night. Even at that small number I ended up deskinning some of my knuckles. The positive side is that I’ve introduced some of my students and fellow black belts to makiwara training. So far the feedback has been good, and they seem to really enjoy it.

I taught all 3 classes again Thursday night. Beginners kids class was heavy on basics with a focus on lots of spirit and energy. We covered all the basics; most of them in good deep front stances. We also covered working on inward block, a block we don’t spend much time on, with partners to help them understand proper technique and positioning.

Kids advanced class started off with good hard basic workout focusing on deep stances and spirit; just like the beginner’s class. After basics, we started working on much more difficult combinations like jab/spinning back kick, back fist/spinning back kick/back fist, and back fist/spinning back kick/round kick/back fist/reverse punch.

Adult class was simple and to the point.  “puppy dog” slow sparring focusing on relaxation and flowing. We did that for about 40 minutes straight.  Class flew by.

Taught both kids classes tonight as well as the adult class. Beginners kids class consisted of jab – reverse punch – front kick for 40 minutes straight. The kids did great and were actually picking it up really well. The advanced kids class was kata with extreme attention to detail. It took 40 minutes to get through 3 kata; each one time. The kids did great. That slow of kata focusing on deep stances and correct techniques is very hard to do. In the adult class, we just focused on kata. We did 15 mins of Gankaku followed by 15 mins of Chinto.

Tonight, I managed to make it to class for about the last 40 minutes. The class was paired up pretty well, so I decided to go to the side and practice kata for the night. My choice was Gankaku (translates to something about a Crane; opinions vary, so I won't go into that). I haven't done Gankaku in several years, so it was rather challenging for me. After about 2 iterations, sensei Kuehner came over and wanted to learn the kata, because of its similarities to the Shorinryu kata Chinto. I was only too happy to oblige,so we worked on Gankaku for about 40 minutes total.

I managed to make it to Monday's karate class for the last 30 minutes. We did some partner kicking drills followed by the five Pinan kata. Not a particularly difficult workout, but got a good sweat going. After class, I headed to the gym for a light weight workout. Good night overall.

Thursday is our short night. Class is only about 30 mins. We focused on kata. We went through Ananku, Wankan, and spent the rest of the time working on Chinto; that's Gankaku for you Shotokan folks. That kata is a bit rough on the legs, and its rather intricate; maybe that's why I like it.

Some of you have asked repeatedly, so this is for y’all and anyone else who might care. I am officially ranked shodan in Matsubayashi-ryu karate.

Do not teach your white/yellow belt student how to do leg blocks unless you really like purple toes and limping.

Last year, I managed to train karate a total of 79 times. My goal was to train twice a week for the year; excluding 2 weeks for vacations and such. That would have given me a total of 100 workouts. I didn’t quite make it. I averaged 1.5 workouts per week.

At first I was a little disappointed with myself, but then I got to thinking about the year. I missed a lot of classes because of my father’s 3 month ordeal with cancer, which caused me to miss at least one class a week. Then, my uncle suffered from the same cancer, and I missed several classes due to that. In addition, I missed several classes due to work related reasons. Overall, I should have really missed many more classes than I did. Fortunately, I was able to make up many of the missed classes by visiting my old dojo, and squeaking in instructor training sessions in St. Louis.

I’m not happy that I didn’t make my goal, but I am satisfied with it. I hope that 2007 will be a much better year for training. So far it’s turning out to be.

I just can’t help it. This guy lost all credibility with me after his first sentence…

“I practised karate for nearly twenty years, achieving a fifth degree black belt by the time I was 18.”

Monday’s (12/18/06) class was pretty decent. Nathaniel taught the class. We did a pretty good kata workout followed by self-defense oriented one-time attack type drills. He’s getting better at teaching. He’s still got a few issues, but he’s really improved over the last couple of teaching classes.

Thursday’s (12/21/06) class wasn’t. It was pretty much just a pizza party. Sensei had some pizza’s delivered and brought in a tape of the Discover Channel’s “Fight Science” special. It was a pretty good evening.

Last Saturday (12/23/06) I managed to squeeze in a Saturday morning workout with my old club. I just did kata the whole time. I stayed light, but tried to not stand around and talk (as I am known to do when with my old dojo mates). Surpisingly enough, vanirtjones showed up and wanted to go through the Matsubayashiryu kata with me, so I covered 17 of the 19 kata that I’ve managed to learn over the last year. It was good for me because it forced me to explain the movements to him; which made me realize what movement I don’t really understand yet. Funny how teaching does that to you.