Shotokanplanet.org

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

Kihon and the band, elastic band that is – 10/20/08 – Monday Karate class

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Sensei Brien had us start with some kihon to get us warmed up.

Balanced kicks…

Sensei had us start with moving forward and back with some blocks and punches.  Next came the kicks.  We did front snap kick to the front, side thrust kick to the front and back kick to the rear.  My balance was really off for some reason and I could hardly keep from falling over.

Kata bunkai…

Next, we worked on kata bunkai for Heian Shodan, Heian Nidan, Heian Sandan and Heian Yondan.  Sensei had us go through each kata, move by move, and he explained a few of the applications of the various moves in each kata.

The sounds of (elastic) bands was all around us…

Sensei had us get into a back stance, then move forward with knife hand block while we had the elastic band around our waist.  When we moved, Sensei had us prepare first, by getting into what looked like a cat stance, when he said one and then we moved forward into the back stance with knife hand block, when he said two, while our partner was pulling the band behind us.  Our parnter then stood in front of us and pulled against us while we did the same movement going backward.

After that, Sensei had us start in a front stance, with our partner behind us again.  From there, we moved forward and threw a front snap kick and then held it when Sensei said one and we then set our foot down in a controlled manner when he said two.

I really like working with the elastic bands and I am glad that the club is going to implement them in our training.

Elastic band kumite – 9/26/08 – Friday Karate class

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This class was intense.

Sensei Noia had us warm up with a jog back and fourth across the gym five times.

It’s all about the band…

Next, Sensei Noia had us get a partner and one of us took an elastic band. Our partner held the band around our hips and we shifted across the gym.  Shifting with the bands around our hips really stresses the calf muscles in a different when shifting without resistance.

Next, one partner took one handle of the elastic band and I took the other.  We stood back to back and my partner had the handle in his left hand and my handle was in my right hand.   One of us would shift in and reverse punch, then our partner would do the same.

Next, my partner put the band through the back of my belt and I then had to double shift forward and throw a jab and reverse punch while he pulled against me.  My calves were screaming at this point and were just short of cramping.

Free sparring…

Next came a few mintues of free sparring.  After not having the band around my waist or hooked to my belt, I was able to shift in and out with more distance and spring than before.  I need to find some way to incorporate this training into my home training.

Elastic kumite drills – 9/19/08 – Friday Karate class

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Sensei Noia gave us an interesting class.

Elastic band run…

Sensei Noia had us get a partner and an elastic band.  He had one partner stand in front of the other with the elastic band around the hips of the person in front.  The person in front had to run across the gym while the other person pulled on the elastic band.  This was a real hard drill but a lot of fun too.

Elastic band shifting…

For the next drill, Sensei had us shift with the elastic band around our hips instead of running.  The shifting drills were a bit harder than the running drills since the elastic bands added a lot of resistance against the shifting leg.

Sensei had us put the band down and shift without it.  I was able to cover at least an extra six inches of ground with each shift.

Shift and run…

For the next drill, Sensei had us shift across the and when he said go, we had to run to the end of the gym.  The idea was for us to be able to change movements as fast as possible.

We finished off our drills, shifting forward while holding our headgear in our front hand at nose level.  This was to keep us from letting our hands fall when we were tired.

I am certainly no kumite expert but I do feel that my skills are starting to improve, slowly but surely.