Following all the hook kicks and roundhouse kicks last week, this class was focused mainly on side snap kicks and many of them.

Warm up with some moving stances

Sensei Noia had move forward, half way across the dojo, doing front stances without hand techniques.  Once we reached the second half of the dojo, we added hand techniques.  We did the same with horse stances and back stances.  Focusing on moving from the hips was the reason for leaving the hand techniques out for the first half of each type of stance.

Side snap kicks from the hip

We started out facing the wall, with both hands on the wall, swinging one leg from side to side and then the other to get our hips warmed up for what was to follow.

We then turned 90 degrees away from the wall, put one hand on the wall and brought our knee up to the side, like a side snap kick but without the kick on both sides.  We then did side snap kicks with the edge of our kicking foot on the floor, starting the kick from the floor instead of from the knee on the stationary leg.  The key is to extend the hips when kicking and retracting them on the return.  We did more side snap kicks but with our foot starting at knee level.

Next, we got a partner and focus mitt.  Both of us stood on one leg, one holding the focus mitt and the other kicking.  The person holding the focus mitt had to stand on one leg without letting the kicking person knocking them off balance with their kicks.

After that came back fists to the mitt with the partner standing on one leg.  When did more side snap kicks to the mitt but also added the back fist like the movement from Heian Nidan.

From a cross leg stance, we stood on one leg, did a side snap kick and then came down into a front stance with a front punch with the same moves from Gankaku.  It was a little awkward doing those moves with the other leg but a it was great drill either way.

Sensei had us do some breathing work while doing these moves.  When the arms cross, we breathe in, until the kicking leg goes behind the opposite knee and then as we bring our arms into the mange uke, we breathe out, as we bring our hand to our side we breathe in again and then as we side snap kick, we breathe out.  The breathing control made the one leg stances much more stable than without them for me.

We did a similar drill where we did the same movements as above but instead of stepping into the front stance with front punch, we moved into a horse stance with an angled punch across the body.  This is also a move from Gankaku.

We finished class doing Gankaku for those who know it and the rest did the kata for their rank level.

It was a great class and I was able to walk out to my car easier than the week before.

Class summary:

• Stances without and with hand techniques
• Many side snap kicks
• Finish up with Gankaku if you know it

Today was the first day of the new Karate session.  With a week off in between sessions Sensei Noia thought that it would be good to have us work on our kicks.  I mean really work on our kicks.

Get a pad and kick over it

For the first kicking drill, we each got a pad and stood it up the tall way.  The pads aren’t too tall, maybe 24 inches or a little less but after many kicks they seem as tall as the Sears tower.  We started in a horse stance with the pad to our left, shuffled up to it and side thrust kicked.  We did ten with left leg and ten more with the right leg.

For the next drill, we started in a front stance and did a single side thrust kick with the front leg and spinning back kick with the rear leg putting the opposite leg down in front for 15 double kicks with each leg.

We moved on to hook kicks over the pad.  We normally stop hook kicks when training but with no partner in the way, we let the kicks follow through.  We did a good amount of kicks here, maybe 20 with each leg.

Get a partner and a focus mitt

We kept working front leg hook kicks for a while more but this time our partner held a focus mitt.  After many kicks with both legs, we did more hook kicks but this time, we kicked using the back leg and then shuffled back with the kicking leg in front allowing us to work alternating legs.  I lost count here but I think there were about 15 with each leg.

For the next drill, we did front leg hook kicks again but followed them with a roundhouse kick before putting our foot back down.  We did the same drill with four kicks while our partner held two focus mitts.  For example, hook kick high, round kick low, hook kick low, round kick high.

More kicks followed but this time, we did one roundhouse or hook kick, then two kicks, then three kicks and so on for about 30 seconds with each leg.  For example, kick and put your foot down, kick twice and put your foot down, kick three times and put our foot down for as many in a row before time ran out.  Then came the other leg.

The last kicking drill was kick and tap.  We kicked the focus mitt, tapped the floor with our kicking foot and kicked again using hook kicks and roundhouse kicks.  The idea is to kick, tap the floor as fast as possible and then kick again for 30 seconds.  Then again, came the other leg.

Finish with a few katas

We ended class with three katas of our choice.  They could be the same kata three times or different katas.  Sensei wanted us to up the intensity for each kata.  Just when we thought it was over, Sensei had us do one more kata, Tekki Shodan and then it was over.

Class summary:

• Side thrust kicks and spinning back kicks over the pad
• Lots of partner hook kicks and roundhouse kicks
• Finish up with a few katas

In Shotokan Karate, we have techniques that we call blocks.  Rising block, downward block, inward block and a few more.  While they can deflect an attack and allow for a follow up strike, there are times when those same techniques can be used as strikes.

Stationary one step sparring

After our warm up, Sensei Noia had the Shodan’s partner up with a brown belt.  We both started in a front stance with one partner executing a reverse punch to the face and the other partner blocking with a rising block, alternating back and forth.  We did the same with a chudan reverse punch and an inward block.  Sensei had us pay extra attention to our hip action, opening the hips on the block and closing them on the punches.

Strike the focus mitt

Next, we each got our focus mitt and worked on inward strikes.  Yes, I said inward strike not inward block.  The first part of this drill was holding the focus mitt on one hand and striking with the other arm, then switch sides and work the technique with the other arm.

Part two of the drill was having your partner hold the focus mitt while the other hit it with the inward strike.  After that, we did the same but with a downward strike.  These techniques can be very powerful if you consider them as a strike and not a block.  I often tell the students in the classes I teach to think of these movements and strikes and you can easily see a difference in their power.

Kihon with strikes

After the focus mitt drills, we moved on to some kihon using the same techniques using the rising, inward and downward strikes and then another group of the same but adding a reverse punch.  The object of this drill was to make the three strikes as strong as the reverse punch that followed.  The timing was, complete the first strike and then do the reverse punch instead of the normal fast, weak block and hard punch.

All or nothing kata

The last part of the class was some kata training.  We started with Taikyoku Shodan executing the downward blocks as strikes.  After that, we picked a kata of our choice putting the same intensity of those strikes into all the techniques doing the kata three times making each one stronger than the last.  We finished up with an ugly but very powerful Tekki Shodan.  Timing didn’t matter, technique didn’t matter but as much power as possible was the goal and even though I am sure it didn’t look like the best kata, it did feel strong.

Class summary

• Stationary one step sparring
• Strike the focus mitt
• Kihon with strikes not blocks
• All or nothing kata