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This is a log of my journey to Shotokan Karate Shodan and beyond.

Archives for 2010

Sochin – 9/17/10 – Friday Karate class

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Sensei Brien mentioned near the end of last session that we would be learning some new katas during the next session and today was the start.

Sochin….

The first new kata that we are working on is Sochin. We spent 95% of the class working that kata and it was really enjoyable.

I have heard a couple different meanings of the word Sochin such as “strength and calmness” or “tranquil force.”

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I guess a video is worth more. Below are a couple of examples of Sochin on Youtube.com.

Kanazawa Sensei doing Sochin on YouTube.

Kagawa Sensei teaching Sochin on Youtube.

There are some differences in that way that Sensei Brien shows the kata from the YouTube videos but they at least give you an idea of how the kata is performed.

Cool down with some partner drills….

Just before the end of class Sensei had us work on some one-step type drills with our partner. One partner did six attacks, in any order and the other had to block. The six attacks where front punch, reverse punch, front leg front snap kick, rear leg front snap kick, front leg roundhouse kick and rear leg roundhouse kick.

It was a great class and I am looking forward to more just like it.

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Picture it in your mind – 9/16/10 – Thursday Karate class

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I keep saying how much Sensei Cieplik shares with us each week and today was another excellent example.

Many kicks….

We started with stationary knee strike and front snap kick. Then moving forward with front snap kick, Moving forward with knee strike and front snap kick. Moving forward with front leg toe tag and rear leg front snap kick. Front leg kick higher and rear leg front snap kick. Front snap kick with front punch. Moving forward roundhouse kick. Front leg roundhouse followed up with rear leg roundhouse. We finished up kicks with roundhouse and reverse punch.

Basics….

Moving forward and back with downward block, then inward block. Next, moving forward with front punch but (picture your best, smoothest moving forward with front punch three times in your head and then do the move) – you have just done the move four times even if you only physically did it once. I asked Sensei, after class, if he sees himself doing the movements or through his own eyes when picturing it in his mind and said to Imagine that you are watching yourself do the movements as a spectator.

Next came moving forward and back with triple punch, moving forward and back with rising, downward and inward blocks with reverse punch. Then, moving forward with reverse punch.

We also did some back stance drills with knife hand block and then the same with front snap kick and spear hand. Sensei said to throw the kick from the floor and not to pull the kicking leg before throwing it.

Partner up….

We got a partner and did a front leg roundhouse kick from a toe to toe stance. Sensei wanted us to do it back and forth. The idea was to kick from close distance using the front foot to stop the attacker from moving in.

Next, we did a drill where one partner threw a head high punch, the other partner, moved just off center to the side, blocked to redirect the punch and then pulled them into a counter punch. The idea was to use their attack and momentum against them.

Slow down and have better form…

Sensei said something before we started doing our kata, He said “slow down the kata and have better form.” He wasn’t saying to slow down the movements but to finish a movement before doing the next. That’s that way I understood it.

When doing the last four moves of Heian Shodan, point first then do the move. After the second kiai, the first knife hand after kiai, turn around into a cat stance and point to the direction of the attacker and move into the stance and do the move. Sensei watches the draw hand on this move very closely.

We did Heian 2 through Heian 5, Tekki Shodan and Bassai Dai. The more experienced black belts did Gojushiho Sho and Empi. I really need to learn those katas so I can do them in class.

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Could it be any harder – 9/14/10 – Tuesday Karate class

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I have talked about really hard classes in the past and every now and then, I have one that is more intense than the previous class. Today was one of those classes. For those of you that train with Sensei Brien, you know all about blenders, the non stop drill that starts with a two movement combination that goes up by increments of two until we reach a 10 movement combination. Those are tough classes but that torture only lasts for 10 minutes or so at the most.

Fast forward to today. Sensei Noia upped the training to a whole new intensity level. We did so many basics, I am not sure if my mind will let me remember all of them. In the 60 minute class, I am guessing that we had maybe seven minutes of rest. We moved for at least 50 minutes and even though, the intensity varied a bit, it was extremely hard and there was little to no time when we weren’t moving.

Had I of stood somewhere else, the class might have not been as tough but I had the pleasure of training next to Sensei Plocharczyk and tried to keep up with him. Notice I said tried to keep up with his machine like speed and precise movements. I try to never rest my hands on my legs between drills but I had to today.

Below is the list of movements and I am sure that I forgot some of them:

Kihon, kihon and more kihon…

From horse stance, punch then double punch. From horse stance, double punch and pivot to the left with reverse punch, then double punch again and pivot the right with reverse punch. Again, horse stance, double punch, right leg front snap kick, back to horse stance with right straight punch then the other arm and leg.

Moving forward with front punch and reverse punch. Then step forward with front punch, rear leg front snap kick, step forward again and front punch. Step forward with front leg front snap kick, step down with front punch. Step forward, rear leg front snap kick, then side thrust kick, step down reverse punch.

Next, backstance with knife hand. Then back stance with knife hand block, into cat stance with low knife hand block and then forward backstance with knife hand. Next came stationary backstance, move into cat stance then step back into to back stance. The idea was to use the hips to change from backstance to cat stance. Next came, stationary cat stance, with punches then the same but instead of punches, low blocks.

Next, move forward with two arm assisted outward block in back stance, then back stance with outward block and reverse punch and then back stance with low and high block from Heian Godan.

More horse stances but this time with downward block and then with palm strike. Next came front stance with palm strike, then front stance with knife hand to the neck (palm up), then reverse knife hand to the neck.

Next came stationary reverse knife hand to the neck, step forward with front snap kick, step down with dropping backfist in cross eg stance, step back into front stance with outward block.

I want to say that we finished class with one kata but I cannot recall. I might have done it in my mind….

This article was originally posted on www.shotokanplanet.org. Any reproduction on any other site is prohibited and a violation of copyright laws.