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

Archives for 2011

Listen for your knife hand block – 2/17/11 – Thursday Karate class

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This was a fun class.  Sensei Cieplik had us do a drill where our partner listened for our knife hand.

Basics….

Many basics today.  We started from a front stance, did a knee strike, then a front snap kick, and set the kicking leg down behind us in a front stance.

Next, we did moving forward and back with downward block,  inward block , rising block and outward block, all with reverse punch.  Then moving forward and back with reverse inward block, jab and reverse punch.   There was a lot of silence in the room when Sensei mentioned reverse inward block.  After that, we did moving forward and back with reverse punch.

You will hear if your partner is doing the drill correctly….

For this drill, we stood next to our partner, brought one hand near our ear and did horizontal knife hand strike past our partners ear.  If we did the drill correctly, our partner would hear a swoosh sound as our knife hand passed their ear.

More basics and kata….

Next came, horse stance and step across.  Then the same with side thrust and side snap kicks.  The idea is to move with the body, from the hips not the shoulders.  You also want to keep the foot that is moving across in contact with the floor at all times.

For Kata we did, Heian 1 thought Heian 5, Jion and Bassai Dai.

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The eye in your elbow – 2/10/11 – Thursday Karate class

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We did many of the standard drills in class today but Sensei Cieplik said a few things that really stood out.

Make those kicks better….

Sensei had us start in left foot forward front stance and we put our left hand in front of our body near center.  From there, we did a rear leg knee strike, touching our hand  with our knee while keeping our stance.

Eye in your elbow….

The idea of having your eye in your eye in your elbow when doing a knife hand is to keep your arm in a position where your elbow is facing your target.  I am thinking it is much like when you kick and you point your kicking leg knee at your target.

One point that I never hear too much of….

Sensei often mention that it takes 30 years to learn Karate.  The first 10 years are spent learning to relax.  The second 10 years are spent learning to adjust your body to the movements or techniques.  The last 10 years are spent learning how to move naturally.

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Turn with the hips not the shoulders – 1/27/11 – Thursday Karate class

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Sensei Cieplik is working on having us move from the hips not the shoulders.  This is a harder task then it sounds but I think I am starting to finally improve at doing it.

Use the hips….

Sensei had us do this drill a few weeks in a row now and it is becoming one of my favorites.  We start in a front stance, do a rear leg front snap kick, turn 90 degrees, using the hips, and then we step back into front stance by putting the kicking leg behind us.

The next drill one that we worked on in the past but I never realized I should have been doing this every time I turn.  We started in a front stance, we then pull the back foot up to just behind the front foot, then turn on heel of front foot and move into a cat stance, from there, we push forward into front stance.  We did the same drill but we added a downward block at the end.  The idea is to not use the upper body and shoulders to turn, instead bring the legs closer together to turn using the hips and also block the groin at the same time.  It certainly does keep the upper body from leaning when turning.

Next, we did a drill moving forward from front stance to cat stance, slide the front leg back into a front stance and do a downward block.  Sensei had us do the downward with a slapping motion to have us use less tension when doing the downward block.

We followed up with front snap kick and front punch then front snap kick with sanbon zuki.

The next was another one that I really like.  We start in a high front stance with our left leg forward and our left hand palm facing down.  From there we knee strike our palm with back leg twice then front snap kick when knee touches hand on third move.  I need to add this drill to my outside training drills.  It really opens up the hips.

We finished up with kata.  Heian 1 through Heian 5, Tekki Shodan, Jion and Bassai Dai.

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