Sensei Noia had us work on our stance training again today and we even got to belt our partner.  More about that below.

After the warm up we started out in a horse stance and then moved into a front stance with punch.  We then moved from a horse stance into a back stance with a knife hand block.  Next, we moved from a horse stance into a horse stance sideways with a double block.  We then did the same moves but one after the other in a group.

We also worked on a lot of kicks too.  We started with:

1. Stationary front snap kick.
2. Stationary side thrust kick to the front
3. Stationary standing front snap kick with back kick
4. Stationary standing front snap kick, back kick, side thrust kick
5. Stationary standing front snap kick, three times at different levels, back kick, front snap kick, side thrust kick.

Belt your partner….

We found a partner and put our belt around around their waist.  From there, they stepped forward in a front stance and we pulled on the belt to make it hard for them to move.  We did the same moving forward in a back stance and also moving sideways in a horse stance.  The idea is to do this drill making your partner work and keep good form but not making it impossible for them to move.

We finished up doing Jion three time.  The first time Sensei counted the moves out, the second time was slow but with good form on our own and the last one was full power and full speed.

It’s the last day of the session so Sensei Noia had us hit it hard today.  Both figuratively and literally.

Warm up the body with some kihon….

After the warm up, we got a partner and a pad.  We both moved into a horse stance, facing each other and punched the pads as Sensei counted.  This was just a quick warm up to get our arms and legs ready for what was coming next.

Next, from a horse stance, we brought both knees together, stepped back into a front stance and did a downward block.  After that we did the same with the other leg in front but always bringing the legs knees back to center between each stance.

For the next drill, we moved from a horse stance into a back stance doing a rising outward block and downward block from Heian Godan.  We finished up these drills with in a horse stance moving sideways doing a double downward block.

Hit those pads hard….

We paired up with our partner again and did the following strikes to the pad:

1. Elbow the pad with horizontal elbow, sideways elbow or draw hand elbow.
2. Back fist or hammer fist.
3. Front punch, reverse punch or jab.
4. Knife hand or ridge hand strike.
5. Palm heel either sideways or straight.

Next came the big pads and the huge air shields.  We did back kicks and spinning back kicks on the big pads and full power roundhouse kicks on the air shields.

It’s always fun to hit the big pads because we can go all out and not hurt the person holding them and it was also a fun way to end the session.

Sensei Cieplik is still putting a lot of focus on our kicks.  I know I can certainly improve my kicks but walking after class is another story.   I need to find a way to quiet my hips down because they are talking way too much after class.

Same kihon, different order….

After our warm up, we did moving forward with front leg front snap kick, rear leg front snap kick and triple punch.

Next we did moving forward with downward block with reverse punch, turn, inward block with reverse punch, turn and rising block with reverse punch.  We did the same moves as above but moving backward and turning.

After those we did moving forward and backward in back stance with knife hand block.  Moving forward and backward in back stance with knife hand block, front snap kick and move into front stance with spear hand strike.

Next, from a horse stance, we stepped across in a horse stance trying to keep our feet in a line.  We did the same stepping across but we added side thrust kick, then side snap kick and we finished that drill with side thrust and side snap kick for one count.

Toe to toe roundhouse kicks….

The next drill needed a pad and a partner.  From a short front stance , we faced each other with the pad in front and between us.  From there, one partner did (or in my case tried) a front leg front snap kick to the knot of our partners belt.  This was not an easy drill for me at all.  This not only requires good flexibility but also a very strong core to execute this movement properly.

For the next, we stood toe to toe with our partner.  From that close distance, we did short, front leg roundhouse kicks to each others sides.  The kick was more like a cutting kick because of the short distance but I am sure it is effective for those with the flexibility to do it.

Lots of Kata….

We finished up class with some kata.  We did Heian Shodan twice, Heian Nidan twice, Heian Godan twice, Tekki Shodan twice, Jion twice and Bassai twice up to the first kiai.