Shotokanplanet.org

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

Did you see the truck that hit me? – 10/28/08 – Tuesday Karate class

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Sensei Noia is trying to help us prepare for our upcoming tests and I believe that workouts like these will certainly help but I hope I can live to tell about it.  This class was one of the harder ones that I remember and it was one of the first times in a long while where I felt my mind giving out.  I had a hard time keeping my focus but I did make it through the entire hour.

Kata and run….

Sensei Noia had us do Heian Shodan and then run a lap around the gym.  Then we did Heian Nidan and two laps around the gym, Heian Sandan and three laps around the gym, Heian Yondan and four laps around the gym, Heian Godan and five laps around the gym, Tekki Shodan and six laps aroung the gym.

After all of that, we had to do our own kata, three or four times with full power and speed.  I was having a horrible time getting my hips moving tonight.

One-step sparring on our own…

Next, Sensei had us do one-step sparring without a partner.  We had to do six attacks, front punch to the head, front punch to the stomach, front snap kick to the stomach, side thrust kick to the stomach, roundhouse kick to the stomach and spinning back kick to the stomach.  We then had to do the block and counter for each of those movements.

More kata and more work…

At this point I thought that class was almost over but we still had over 30 minutes to go.  After a quick water break, Sensei had us do another kata.

Next came some kicking drills.  We stood in a ready stance and then did front snap kick, roundhouse kick and back kick with one leg and then the other.  Doing the kicks from the upright, ready stance feels much different than when start them from a front stance.

We then all lined up and did squat kicks.  A squat kick is a low walk with a kick when we stand up, except this time, Sensei Noia had us do a front snap kick with three kicks.  We did a front snap kick, roundhouse kick and back kick across the gym.

Time for some kihon…

Next came some kihon.  We started, moving forward with combinations.  The moves were as follows; Rising block with reverse punch, inward block with reverse punch, downward block with reverse punch, outward block with reverse punch, outward block with jab and reverse punch, front stance with inward block, horse stance with elbow strike and back fist.

I still cannot believe how much work and so many moves were fit into one hour but somehow Sensei Noia did it tonight.  Either way, I think I am going to have to add running to my workouts outside the dojo.

Some people need to learn control – 10/27/08 – Monday Karate class

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Before I get into the information about my class, I need to rant.

For about the last 30 minutes of class, Sensei Brien had us work on anchorman drills.  This drill has one person standing in front of the group, then each person comes in and throws a single attack and the anchorman has to block and counter.  Now, in our club, we are taught to use control with our kicks and punches.  When I say control, punches are close to the face and kicks, GENTLY touch the headgear.  Notice the capital letters in GENTLY.  Each person had a chance to be anchorman while the rest of the class attacked.  My wife was in the anchorman position and one of the black belts, who should know better, hit her with a full power roundhouse kick the head.  He kicked her so hard that she doesn’t even remember what happened and she had to sit down for the rest of class.

Now I understand that this is Karate class and not basket weaving so there is always a chance that someone will get hurt but when a black belt, who is at least a foot taller and much heavier than my wife and even many of the guys in class, hits a woman that hard he should get some mental help.  If he has to show that he is so big and bad by hitting women and everyone in the class full power, he needs to find another club or stop being a jerk right now.  I plan on telling Sensei Brien that I refuse to spar that guy and I will not let me wife or son spar with him either.  He can say sorry all he wants but I will not let this big jerk near my wife or son.

This was the first time that I really considered quitting Karate since I started taking class over four years ago.  I am still really mad about this and I am not sure if I am going to continue taking that class even though it is an excellent class when I don’t have to deal with jerks that have something to prove.

Rant off.

Exam cram…

Sensei Brien had us go through all of the basics for our test.  We did all of our combinations, almost non stop for at least 20 minutes.  It was tough but I really didn’t loose much power even though I was tired.

After we did all the combinations, Sensei had us work on our kata.  He had us go out in groups of three or so and do our kata in front of the rest of the class.  Sensei knows that I have issues with my hips so understands my stance issues but he did tell me to try and stop leaning over and that my kata was good.

We spent the next half hour working on anchorman drills.  Like I explain above the drill itself is pretty simple. You stand in front of the group, each person throws one attack and block and counter.  When I was in front of the line, I only remember getting hit once but I was only able to counter a few times out of a group of 15 people.  I need to be able to move back in after my block much faster if I am ever going to counter attack.  After my wife got hurt, I didn’t have the focus to keep doing good attacks so I did as best as I could and always keeping control of my moves unlike someone else.

Until the problem, the class was really good.

I like to kick – 10/25/08 – Saturday Karate class

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Sensei Plocharczyk had us do an excellent warm up that I always like.  We started doing Kata from Heian Shodan all the way to our own belt kata, Bassai Dai for me.  And once we got to our own kata, we just kept doing it until everyone else finished.

Kicking is fun when you can do it…

The stretches that Sensei Noia gave me to work on have really helped my kicks improve in a short time.  Sensei Plocharczyk had us get a partner, we then stood side by side in opposite directions and held hands.  When then alternated a side thrust kick under our partners arm.  Then we did the same with side snap kick.

Next we worked on side thrust kick with roundhouse kick.  Then we worked on roundhouse kick but with a downward motion for our self defense drills.

Between each drill, Sensei had us do our kata.  I really like when get a lot of kata in during our classes.  I need all I can get before my upcoming exam.