Class started with the normal warm up and then we moved in to our kihon.

We did front snap kick with front punch. Sensei Cieplik made a point that everyone needs to kick and punch to the same spot or at least in the same line when doing that movement. Moving off center is not the right way to do it. We were able to use the tiles on the floor as a guide. I didn’t seem to have too much trouble or I should say it felt right to me.

Next we worked on front leg front kick followed up with step forward rear leg front snap kick. We always start this move with a simple toe tap with the front leg but Sensei we impressed with how everyone was doing the front leg toe tap and incresed the difficulty and had us do a front snap with the same form as the toe tap. When doing this move, it is important to keep from leaning back when kicking with the front leg. The idea is push forward from the back leg while doing the front leg kick. If this is done the right way, there is no leaning back and the kick is much more powerful.

Next came moving forward and backward with back stance, knife hand block and nukite. This move doesn’t feel as hard as it used to be but the kick is still painful and more so on the left side for some reason.

We also did front snap kick, roundhouse kick to the front and then come down into front stance and do a reverse punch. This move is a bit awkward to me because of my hips but I am sure with some time and practice it will become second nature. Or I hope it will.

Sensei then sent all of us 4th Kyu’s to the side with Sensei Noia to work on Tekki Shodan. Sensei Noia always picks a part of the kata and has us work on it until we get it right. Today we worked on the movement where you look one way, block with your leg then block with your arm, look the other way and repeat. We must have done that move more than fifty times and most of it while standing in the horse stance. Key parts for me to work on is turning from the waist when doing those moves, keeping my stance low and my butt tucked under.

Needless to say, getting out of the car again was really hard and just sitting here typing this is painful but I know that sooner or later, I will have a better horse stance and a better Tekki Shodan.

After class, I asked Sensei about my horse stances and he gave me some advice on a movement to do to help me improve them. He suggested that I get into a horse stance where I still have mobility and then turn my heels in and squat down as far as I can. You turn on the balls of the feet while bringing the heels inward toward center. Not an easy move by any means but I am going to try it.

He also suggested a front stance movement similar to above but it is done by bringing the front knee down as far as possible, bringing the back knee to the floor behind and then pulling the back leg forward and making it front leg. That is extremely hard for me to do and if I can ever do it well, I will post a video here to show all of you since I am not sure if my definition above is understandable.

Great class but painful.

Before class:

15 – Tekki Shodan

One each of Heian Shodan, Heian Nidan, Heian Sandan, Heian Yondan and Heian Godan.

Class was a little different but filled with excellent insight.
Sensei didn’t have us do the normal warm ups and left out some of the kicking drills that we usually do. One interesting note, when doing the back kick, Sensei said to bend the front leg before kicking. This gives more stability and it felt like it was much more powerful than kicking when standing fully upright.

After some basics, Sensei Cieplik sent the 4th Kyu’s off to the side with Sensei Noia to work on our kata. OUCH! That’s one way to describe how hard we worked on our kata. We spent a lot of our time in a horse stance and my legs were shaking at times. I have been putting in extra effort when my in my horse stance and make sure to tighten up my quadriceps and push my knees out as far as I can. The biggest problem seems to be that I am having a problem keeping my butt under me. I end up leaning forward. I am considering doing a horse stance at home against a wall to help me get the right feeling of how I should be.

We spent at least 45 minutes on our kata and as I got more tired, I had a very hard time keeping my chest out. We also went out, one by one, to do our kata in front of Sensei Noia and I ended up tensing up through the entire first half of the kata. I was forcing my way through the moves for some reason. I really need to find a way to relax when doing my kata and hopefully after a few hundred more, I will be able to do so.

We then went back in front of Sensei Cieplik so that he could see how well Sensei Noia taught us tonight and he was not disappointed. He said that Sensei Noia did good and that we all looked good.

Sensei Cieplik made a comment about kizeme after we finished our kata. His point was that when we turn our heads during the various parts of Tekki Shodan, we should be able to attack our opponents with our eyes or “the look”. He often uses my son as his example and comments on how my wife, would give him “the look” when he does something wrong. The idea is that you can stun your opponent without getting physical and break their concentration, even if only for a short moment. The look should be powerful enough to stop someone in their tracks.

Another comment that he made was related to the side snap kick. Sensei said that the side snap kick should not kick our far, it should stay close to the body. It is not meant to be a very high or powerful kick.

And another great comment was about “relax, adjust and make it natural.” The idea is that a Karata-ka will spend 10 years learning to relax, 10 years learning how to adjust the moves or techniques to our bodies and the last 10 years learning how to do it all naturally. This comment was so insightful and thought provoking. Here I am, a 4th Kyu thinking that once I am a black belt, I will be on my way to understanding things and Sensei says that it’s 30 years before things become clear. I really wish that I would have started my Karate training many years ago but I am in it for the long haul and looking forward to the next 26+ years of learning.

Along the same lines as above, Sensei said to take five minutes a day to do “nothing.” He said that everyone in the class is worthwhile and deserves at least five minutes of relaxation each and every day. I know that I have a hard time just sitting down for five minutes but I am going to try.

Class ended and I knew that I worked really hard when I could barely get out of the car when I got home.

I also did 6 – Tekki Shodan during the day before class.