Tanjun-na Kogeki Renzoku Waza III

There is almost nothing like the feeling of having that stalking brooding presence around you when you are warming up. Being at the bottom end of the black belt lineup, this means I am always nearest YS when he warms up. It's enough to make you forget instantly the pain in your knees and it certainly raises the hair on the back of your neck. 

Generally speaking the YS warmup is pretty simple and you are usually guaranteed two highlights- half a dozen swhooshing mawashi-geri, or him just bashing the bare makiwara with a POK! POKK!! POCK!!! What's funny about these is that the "POCK" sound reverberates around the whole ShotoKan. I can't only imagine what those knuckles do to bone- I've been wrapped like a mummy in bandages for weeks. You could call it a cracking good time. Still, I face enough ribbing about my Karate already. 

YS teaching style is dependent on the person. If he thinks the person is secretly arrogant, he will praise them before deflating them brutally later. I am afraid that if you are just stupid, then you will have to learn to be smarter. If you have absolutely no talent but put in a 100%, he will move heaven and earth to teach you. If your Karate is great, then he will expect you to figure things out yourself and only correct you on the basics. But it's case by case. In YS class, dedication is everything and try not to be a moron really, really helps. 

That aside, Tuesday's class was Tanjun-na Kogeki Renzoku Waza III with some touches before and during the last two classes

a) Extreme hanmi on static gyaku-zuki practice. YS went around and corrected posture sometimes moving people a few millimeters that made all the difference. 

1. The drawback into hanmi is huge, but the countersnap forward has to be really ballistic

2. Proper movement and posture will prevent unnecessary tension in forward shoulder in hanmi which acts as a break

3. YS corrected my over-extended shoulder

b) Power in maegeri- length over weight

c) Zanshin 残心 which in this context I would call "being always prepared." It's really easy when you think you know what is coming- but yesterday YS would suddenly vary the count or just add another ten. 

So the question is, were you lucky not to get caught out and able to change instantly, or were you instantly able to continue or change because you were ready at any point. I am proud to say that in my case it was the latter. If it wasn't, then I wasn't mentally "there." And if I wasn't mentally there, why bother?

4. Lots of extra Kusshin drills. NICE ;-)

5. We did extra long partner drills with 3,2, and 1 count Jiyu-Ippon Kumite with follow through attacks ending in oi-zuki; I was extremely lucky that Ibuki Tawara, pictured here 

is back training after long-term injury. He always modestly puts himself below me in the line, basically because he is half my age (he's 21) but his Karate is outstanding. I won't have it. Anyone who earned their adult black belt before me is my sempai, even if they are teenagers. I feel very embarrassed that he should be so modest. But it means that I am lucky enough to have to have an excellent, excellent partner and someone who is twice as fast as me without even trying. It's a very "trying" experience for me.

Apart from having an excellent role model so close- can you imagine it, YS on one side and Ibuki on the other- Ibuki really gets into things and so do I, this means we are always running away with 気合い（kiai). Pretty soon I am going to get into the groove where I just fall over. Mind you, I do that anyway ;-). 

Yuko's comment - 「煩い！！！！」"Urusaiiiiii!!" (= noisy buggers!) 

Like a broken record, all this is wasted without gyakuhanmi / kihon in the oi-zuki

Kata: Jion

Focus on length and power of punches and extreme hanmi to gyakuhanmi in block through to attack. 

Next week- Sabakiwaza

Yuko and I have to attend a function on Thursday so I will try to get Goro to write a memo of the class. 

Yoroshiku,

Paul.

Tanjun-na Kogeki Renzoku Waza II

Update: Saturday's session was a repeat session of Thursday with one hugely important difference: the first third was Isaka sensei's practice. We were also very happy because we have some guests over from France and I will post some photos soon(ish) ;

-)

Because we had guests YS also went through basic movements showing IS movement into Kihon and Kumite. A lot of people just don't "get" Isaka Sensei's training, so there is nothing like seeing it being demonstrated by YS to see what's going on and why. YS regards Isaka Sensei training an essential component of his Karate and we all do benefit from it.

(Below: Ohtsuka Sensei and Shirakawa Nomikai Shihan in IS training) 

I can see three major reasons why people don't "get" IS training:

a) It's counterintuitive; how can you be fast if you train so slow?

b) It's actually very, very, very difficult to do properly and it's very, very, very easy to cheat

c) Many Shotokan karate people rely on "snap" and handspeed and have lost (or in so many cases are completely clueless) about getting their weight and body behind a technique- which is why training the heavy bag is so useful, right!)

I will try do address these points soon; but it's Sunday afternoon I have to cook dinner for Yuko now so it's going be absolutely delicious ;-)

Yoroshiku,

Paul.

Tanjun-na Kogeki Renzoku Waza

Ah, what a great, great feeling to back in the black (belt) class after ten days or so on the rocks! YS was in good form tonight and tonight was Kumite and Gojushiho-sho. Way to go!

Oh my God, if you are talking about Karate this man Yahara is the MAN! Yahara is sheerly unbeatable. It is sheer pleasure to be taught by Yahara. 

単純な攻撃連続技: Tanjun-na Kogeki Renzoku Waza (Simple attack patterns) 

Tonight was basic kumite practice and it was just like getting back in the saddle:

a) Static hanmi-> shomen gyaku-zuki practice as normal

b) Static maegeri

Ido Kihon I: Oi-zuki to Oi-zuki Pattern 

c) Gedan-barai-> jiyu kamae-> massive extension genkai made (to the limit) oi-zuki-> kusshin -> relax

d) Same, but add in gyaku-zuki (from the hip!)

e) Same again but add in gaku-zuki and then renzoku attack with any waza you like- 2-3-4 but end in BANG perfect kihon final ippon attack with oi-zuki

Ido Kihon II: Oi-geri to Oi-zuki Pattern

Repeat c), d), e) but starting with gedan-barai -> jiyu kamae -> massive extension oi-geri

Kick Clinic - Getting a Secret Kick out of it! 

I am sorry folks but this happened- we literally got a secret kick out of this lesson. If you want to find out what it was, you have to train at the Honbu!

Ido Kihon III: Secret Kick to Oi-zuki Pattern

Repeat Ido Kihon II but using the secret kick ;-)

Partner Training I, II, II 

Repeat Ido Kihon I, II, III but attacking your partner

Tanjun-na Kogeki Renzoku Waza Kumite

The senior ranks lined up and we took turns at attack them and being attacked in yakusoku kumite as in Partner Training I, II, III focusing on initial Ippon, and final Ippon.

So what was the logic of all this: Kihon in Kumite

1. The first oi-zuki should be devastating, must be perfect 

2. Smash your opponent in a blizzard of attacks, or just one or two but....

3. Finish him (her) with a perfect oi-zuki.

This was classic KWF; oh what a sheer pleasure to practice beautiful Karate and generate the speed of the sports Karate but the power of Kihon. 

Gojushiho-sho:

We focused on stretching and huge extension and compression under gorei and then Okada, Ibuki and OS got personal instruction from YS on fine points. 

Next week- Sabakiwaza 

Yoroshiku,

Paul. 

Sick and Tired

Sick and Tired

Been sick and tired here- not of Karate, I should hasten to add: instead of Karate; business meetings until 22:30 last night and been working an eight day a week schedule. On Saturday afternoon I sat here in front of my PC thinking about all the issues wracking up. Adding to my misery, my bad shoulder's sullen aching, the pain of which comes and goes in waves that no hospital here has been able to explain, had turned into angry throbbing with sharp twinges. (To fight that I got METI to give me a better chair and stacked my monitor up near the ceiling, making me push my shoulders back to stop the hunch forward.)

Compounding that, last week my left lower leg decided to seize up- the bottom calf muscles all the way up decided to lock up in an on-off semi-permanent cramp. Oh the irony last week when I did manage to put in a practice, we were focusing on Heian Sandan. Being 80kg I sure can stomp!

Compounding that, it was past 16:00 and we'd already missed Isaka Sensei's class.

Misery! ;-(

There is nothing more frustrating than feeling like a total loser because you feel sick and you missed practice, and yet you want to practice, but you think if you do make the effort, it's wasted because you are sick and you can't get the most out of the session. Then, you remember Moving Zen- you walk on that dojo floor and you must accept the rigors and responsibilities of the grade you accepted.

At about 16:30 I found myself trapped in a classic double bind conversation with myself: if I go now I might injure myself, or just feel ashamed I can't do my best. If I don't go, if I give up, I can compensate by working or studying to use the time I didn't train, but...

So you can guess where the argument is leading. One of my oldest friends James, who is a 3rd dan in Kendo (his wife Aki is former UK Kendo Champion) once told me what his Sensei at the Noma Dojo had told him...

....feeling sick? Go to the dojo.

....feeling tired and down? Go to the dojo.

....hangover? Go to the dojo.

....don't feel like going to the dojo? Go to the dojo.

....no time to go to the dojo? Go to the dojo!!!

So we went to the dojo.

Got in late, rushed into my dogi and immediately walked into trouble; straight in, no warm up. The first half hour was hell; left leg cramping, left shoulder so painful can't lift arm above shoulder easily.

No rest for the wicked.

Why do I bother with this I am thinking?

Ibusuki Sensei says "Too weak Paul-san, stronger!" and then focuses on me nearly every technique.

I feel like garbage- I am embarrassed because I pride myself on my work rate and commitment (making up for lack of skill) and my lack of stamina- I am sweating and panting away like I have just run a marathon, not a paltry 30 maegeri. Just keep on going....

...and going...

Half an hour later, I am banging along like an HGV in the overtaking lane with the pedal to the metal- my gosh I may not be a Honda NSX but the sun is out, the sky is blue, I am in the groove and, well, it's almost too good to be true.

I can't ever say that Karate is a solution to stress or psychosomatic illness, or even a dose of old fashioned self pity: I found a solution by just getting on with it- and the discipline of putting your best foot forward (or your left, in the case of going into zenkutsu-dachi) in the dojo is priceless. Before I started Karate, I would have gone down the pub. Now at least I go down the pub feeling great after at least trying my best at Karate.

The old bromides are the best ones? Yosh!!!

Yoroshiku,

Paul.

Kusshin & Shinsuku on The ShotoKan Way

Well, Yuko and I finished up last night our translation of the first part of "Kihon" from Gekkan Karatedo, ("Karate Monthly"), which is Japan's major traditional Karate magazine.

This one is for The Shotokan Way run by Shaun and I think it might be the first time we've managed to start translating local media for an international audience. There is so much going on here, but unfortunately so much information on Japan and instructors seems to be filtered and sometimes badly distorted.

Gekkan Karatedo seem to love YS- they are always at us for more articles- they have done three specials with the KWF over the last 14 months or so.

But the only issue with the media I have is that it's static. Yuko and I are often asked when we are starting the multimedia presentations we promised, and they will be coming this year. This means that even a relatively short explanation requires dozens of stills; in the upcoming Part I, we have something like 50 stills just to explain a few simple movements.


We will be trying to transfer as much of the material that is being published in the Japanese media about YS and the KWF into the Western media particularly favoring quality publications such as The Shotokan Way and Shotokan Karate Magazine this year. So stand by!

Anyway, keep your eyes peeled for KWF in Shotokan Karate Magazine and The Shotokan Way this year. We are going to be busy, and have lots of fun.

Yours from the emergent KWF noosphere ;-)


Paul.

Submarine Slider

Well, by the amount of skin ripped off my toes and feet last night I can certainly say I gave it the good old college try- what I call the submarine slider, which more exactly I suppose is ji-yu-ippon kumite from a static ji-yu kamae from which you are expected to slide into your opponent from a range of about, well, an intermediate range ballistic missile, or about 4 meters, whichever you can do.

However, unlike an IRBM, you are not supposed to follow an up-and-over ballistic parabola, you are actually supposed to slide in and under and up into your opponent, submarine style. When you opponent is somelike Pieter, who is about the size of a stretched Norman cathedral, this is fine. When you are facing someone the size of Makita, this is ....interesssssting.

This is what Ibusuki Sensei said to me when I did my first competition, which I think was the 2004 KWF Nationals, as a 3rd Kyu. I was facing some 4th dan (thank you, KS ;-)) who immediately clobbered me with an oi-zuki and knocked me down. This meant I faced the rest of the shiai on automatic- I couldn't see out of my right eye very well and things were extremely hazy, but I did my best to attack. Afterwards Ibusuki Sensei came up to me and congratulated me on my spirit (spirit, mind you, not my Karate!) and I will never forget what he told me: "Paul san, you must learn to slide into your opponent, slide in like a submarine!"

Me? Still where there is a will, there is a way.

Submarine Slider

The main points of Tuesday were as follows:

Kihon:

a) Remember to focus on pushing off back leg, explosive thrust from hips rather than handspeed in gyaku-zuki

b) Always move from hips in maegeri

c) Distance and thrust more important than height

d) Age-uke hanmi should be to the limit just as with gendan barai, even when doing age-uke-> gyakuzuki

f) Draw hand up well beyond face, imagine wrapping round the back of your head before thrusting out for shuto, that way the hips will follow...

Jion:

a) Make sure that that the maegeri is long and then powerful and decisive oi-zuki after landing

b) Hikite and extremely long and powerful punches for the followup punches

c) Must make sure of strong age-uke and then off the hip for gyakuzuki- go from genkai-made hanmi to gyaku-hanmi gyaku-zuki

d) Double blocks are off the hips

Kumite:

a) Always go down and into opponent

b) Despite 4-meter distance, you must have perfect kime and stance in oi-zuki: can you really do this with your hips 50 cm off the deck!

c) Slide in and up!

d) Don't worry about your skin shredding off- it grows back ;-)

Sadig told me that in his dojo in Sudan, as well as knuckle press-ups, they actually bounce on the kuckles up and down the dojo. The floor is made of concrete. I forgot tiny bits of caked blood on one of my toes.

Yoroshiku ;-)

Paul.