aurik

Congratulations!

I have trained with a Uechi-Ryu club in San Jose that teaches for a very minimal fee. It's run out of a local youth center, and the instructors have full-time day jobs, so they don't need the money. It was a fun casual group of people who I learned quite a bit from.

Welcome to the forums! I'm sure with your years of experience, you'll have plenty to contribute here. I look forward to hearing your insights.

On the surface, the bunkai for the taikyoku series would be pretty simple. However, as I continue to learn Sanchin, I keep getting introduced to new interpretations of the kata. So I think to myself, "If there are so many applications inherent in Sanchin, then the same can really apply to any kata". It's just a matter of opening your mind to new possibilities. On the flip side of that, I've been told in the past that the Taikyoku series are not so much "real" kata as they are kata "primers", getting students used to the idea of kata - stepping, pivoting, blocking, punching.

Since Monday was my son's birthday, we ended up spending the 4 day weekend in Colorado Springs to celebrate

Welcome, Nick! We're glad to have you here!

I had a really good time teaching and training yesterday. I generally teach the youth advanced class, which is geared for students 5th kyu and up. At that rank they're starting to work the dan-level kumite drills. I get to work with kids, but they already know how things are supposed to work, so I get to do "fine tuning" along the way. Yesterday was such a day. After our warmups, our CI had me work them through our hojo undo techniques on partners. He told me that if I wanted them to focus on anything specific to do so, so I picked a few examples along the way. The first technique I had them try differently is our hajike uke-hiraken tsuki sequence. In the hojo undo proper, it is performed with a snapping upward/forward block, followed by a hiraken-tsuki, followed by a chudan-hiraken-uke circular block, followed by a hiraken-tsuki strike. All of the techniques are performed with the same hand, and all of the tecnniques are done with the hiraken-tsuki (leopard-paw) fist. I took this opportunity to introduce the students to the sen-no-sen mindset. Instead of blocking and countering, each of the "blocking" techniques can be both a block and a strike. For example, if the opponent comes in with a punch to the head, the front rising block can be a hiraken strike to the opponent's opposite eye that also deflects the incoming attack. Likewise, the chudan-uke can also be performed in such a way that the knuckles strike the opponent's eyes while deflecting the incoming attack. Some of the students "got it", others didn't, but they at least have that idea in their head to practice in the future. As we were moving on, I noticed some of the defenders were struggling with which uke to use on a technique. They would step back, start a block, switch to something else, then try something else. So I picked our most complex technique (block-chop-backfist-one knuckle strike) and asked the class, "What is the most important technique in this sequence". The first answer I got was "the chop". The second student said "the block". So I had a student come up and hit me. I showed them what some of the other kids were doing, and lhe of course tagged me, which is what I wanted. I told them that if they got NOTHING else right on the technique, to make sure they got the block right. Because if the block isn't there, none of the other techniques are going to matter. The third technique I had them focus on was the elbow strikes. We have several options to choose from, but one thing I notice that they often do is they will perform their block, step, and then strike with the elblow. I demonstrated this on a partner, and exaggerated the step, pause, strike. I then showed them how if you step/strike in the same motion that you'd have your entire body weight behind that elbow, which gives you a lot more power, and gave them examples from their kata where we do elbow strikes. Hopefully what I said sinks in to a few of them. Not all of them are old enough/mature enough in their karate to really get what I was saying, but I think some of them definitely got it. Fast forward to our advanced adult/black belt class, and we are doing the same thing with our partners. I partnered up once with our CI's younger brother, and he is pretty hardcore. We were doing that same block/chop/backfist/one-knuckle combination. He was coming in like a freight train, and there were a couple times where I was ONLY able to get the block off before getting flustered. But he didn't tag me at all, and he complimented me on how much my uke techniques have improved over the last few months. I then told him what I told the kids earlier. The class was an evening of working alternate dan kumite drills from other Uechi-Ryu organizations, like Okikukai, Kenyukai, and Kenseikai. We tend to do the Okikuai drills the most, but the Kenyukai and Kenseikai drills are pretty fun, and very different. One of the reasons that our CI has us do these drills is because if (and technically when) the head of our organization passes on, he will likely have to join another organization. If and when that happens, we'll have to re-test for our current ranks using their requirements. So... if we already know their drills then it will just be a matter of polishing those techniques and testing, as opposed to learning a completely new set. Given that Thompson sensei is in his 80's, that might not be too far out. But I'm hoping it's not. The good news is that he'll be coming back for a seminar later this year. I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully it will go better than the last one, where I ended up with muscle cramps right after from not drinking enough water.

I was the mean older brother (by 363 days). It would usually go, she'd tease me and hit me, I'd hit her back. My parents would yell at me, "Don't hit your sister!" "But she hit me first!" "I don't care, you're bigger than her, you could hurt her, don't hit your sister!" My son is an only child so he will never experience that, for good or for ill.

The original karate kid movie (and karate kid part 2) were my inspiration.

Back for my regularly scheduled update. So when our CI and his wife came back from Michigan, they brought a visitor with them, Mustafa, who is a nidan in Uechi-Ryu, and has been studying Kobudo with our CI via Zoom throughout the pandemic. I've had the opportunity to train with him a few times, and he is the type of training partner you either really like or really hate to train with. In my case, I really enjoy training with him. He is the most quiet, unassuming, respectful person you will ever meet. However, he is also fast, strong, and hits like a freight train. I find it refreshing to train with new partners, especially new, skilled, partners. You don't know exactly what to expect from them, so your defenses have to be spot on. For example, in our dan-level drills the typical defense against a roundhouse kick is an "x-block". Your opposite arm blocks low, your same-side arm blocks high, and you end up covering your entire body from the waist to the head. However, most of the partners I train with just can't (or don't) kick above the waist level, so I tend to just block with the low arm. Well, I was training with Mustafa, and he is fast, strong, and does roundhouse kicks to the head level -- which is exactly what I tend to do to other students. So he was keeping me honest there. Also, when we are doing hojo undo with a partner, I tend to power through my partner's blocks at least once or twice in a session -- to teach them that for someone much bigger/stronger than they are that they are usually better off getting out of the way. Well, last night I got sloppy with some of my blocks, and Mustafa tagged me in the chest once or twice. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but It reminded me that the forms on my blocks should be better. Likewise, last night our CI had the two of us do kotekitae together. Normally when I do kotekitae I have to ask my partner to go harder. However, this time I had to tell him to take it a little easier than he was going. As I said, he hits like a freight train. I ended up having to quit on leg kicks after about a dozen rounds. Usually I'm telling people that they aren't hitting me hard enough. Again, a very refreshing experience. He's been really fun to train with. He's here through the end of the week, after which he heads back to Michigan to celebrate my CI's youngest brother's birthday -- he (the youngest brother) just earned his rokudan last month. I've got a few minor bruises on the forearms from the kotekitae last night, but nothing that won't heal in a couple of days. That's actually the first time I've had bruises from kotekitae since we restarted contact post-pandemic.

Oh, I completely agree. We've got kids at the school whose gis look more like a very faded greyish brown than the white they originally started at. Of course, mine's starting to show its age too (I wear a 8.5 oz Sakura big and tall uniform) - it's starting to yellow/gray on the inside of the neck, and grey around the waist where my belt cinches it. However, it's also lasted me a good 5 years of training 3-4x per week. I've got a new one that I just need to have tailored.

Chiming in a bit late to this topic, but our CI does do the "free uniform when you sign up for a X month program". IMO, it lowers the cost of entry for students. Granted, the uniform he provides is your basic 6oz lightweight uniform, but it is serviceable and lowers the cost of entry. It'll generally last a good 2 years or so, assuming you take decent care of it. Generally since most of our students are youths, they'll end up growing out of one or two uniforms before they actually need replacing. Honestly most first-time students aren't going to want to spend the significant amount of money involved with getting a top-grade uniform, especially when they aren't sure if this is something they are going to want to stick with. Most of our dan-grade adult students (and several advanced brown belts) have invested in more expensive uniforms. At our school the Meijin gi seems really popular, but we've also got students wearing Shureido and Tokaido uniforms as well. It boils down to the student's personal preference.

Sakura Martial Arts sells big and tall gis up to size 12-- that's where I got my last 2 gis from. You'll probably need to have it tailored after the fact, though, because a size 12 pants are REALLY long.

Yeah, I made it a point to stay home yesterday because it was the Denver Nuggets' championship parade. No way in heck was I going to try to drive through that insanity.

Yeah, Paul Maurice said that no less than 4 guys were playing with broken bones. Aaron Ekblad, for example, had a broken foot, a torn oblique, and separated his shoulder, TWICE. And yet he still was playing at a very high level. Honestly, to a certain degree the team that can stay the healthiest through the playoffs will often win.

Training continues to go well. My back isn't 100%, but it's definitely getting there. I've bumped up my training to 3-4 sessions per week, including teaching sessions. I've also started to go back to Aikido, but I'm starting to rethink that due to other issues (knee issues involved with taking falls and getting back up from them). I may switch to Kobudo. It's a lot more strenuous, but I can deal with muscle exhaustion much better than I can deal with joint pains. Last night I went back to the advanced adult class for the first time -- it's been difficult recently mainly because of Zach's schedule. He generally has (Boy) Scouts on Tuesday nights, but now that we can just drop him off, I can make it to the advanced class. And I admit that I've missed it quite a bit. Last night I taught for the 5p-6p class. Since we've got students who aren't quite 100% focused due to the summertime, our CI had us do our hojo undo bunkai-style. He stressed to the kids (mainly 10-13 year olds, brown belts and up) that they needed to give good strong punches to their opponents so their opponent could benefit. Likewise, I found myself correcting a number of students during kotekitae, because they were just "going through the motions", and not actually practicing a good stance, solid punches, blocks or strikes. One of the things I'm coming to realize is that the basics are *everything*. If you have good, solid fundamentals, everything looks better. If you take your hojo undo seriously and focus on the little things, it transfers directly into your kata. Most of the sequences in our kata come straight from our hojo undo. For example, one of the things I've been focusing on in my hojo undo is enhancing the "snappiness" of my hajiki uke. It also so happens that the first movement in our Seiryu kata (required for second degree) is a double hajike-uke, and now I'm starting to hear my gi "pop" with that movement. It's a very satisfying sound. So last weekend, our CI went back to Michigan to train with his sensei, Master Thompson (head of our organization), and he came back with some new techniques. One of them is a few new applications of the double wa-uke blocks we do in several of our kata, most notably at the end of Sanchin. The setup involves the opponent throwing a left-right punch combination, and you end up grabbing both hands in sequence. From there, you can either push them backwards, take them down (backwards), or a few other things. It was a lot of fun. However, today my body is telling me that it's SO not used to doing 2.5 hours of training in a day. It's a good soreness, but it is a reminder that I have a long ways to go before my next grading. Fortunately I'm starting my preparations far enough out to get there.

I feel you on this one Aurik! Have had multiple instances of someone suddenly having a fright when they spar and realise weight classes exist for a reason! Yeah, last night I had to tell that to several people, as we were doing hojo undo bunkai in both classes I attended. I can generally put enough mass behind my strikes to just plow right through anyone's blocks unless they are spot on. So I'd tap then a few times. Then after the round, I'd tell them to get out of the way. Of course, there's one kid who is probably 16-17, about 6'4", no more than 170 lbs, and just plain FAST. He was keeping ME honest because there was more than one occasion that I'd be looking straight at his first 2 knuckles before I could block or get out of the way.

The Knights definitely deserved the win. They pretty much had the Panthers' number throughout the Finals, and it didn't help that Tkachuk was injured for game 5, but for previous games he didn't help his team by taking lots of penalties. (10 minute misconduct in game 3, anyone)? I'm definitely happy to see Pietrangelo and Barbashev (former Blues from their 2019 Stanley Cup run) lift the Cup again. And now... it looks like the odds-on favorites to win the Cup next year are the Colorado Avalanche. Which I find interesting since Nichuskin's status is unknown right now, and we aren't expecting Landeskog to play next year due to knee issues (cartilage replacement). I just know that it's very unlikely that my Blues will be in the serious hunt for the Cup next year, since they dumped so many players at the trade deadline. But they do have 3 first-round draft picks coming up this year, so maybe they can trade up to get into the top 5.

I first started training in the martial arts at 17. I trained off and on until I was about 25, and then I ended up moving and got involved with other things in my life. I got back involved when my son was about 4 years old and he started up in TKD. I quickly found that even though my brain thinks I should be able to do something, the body is no longer capable of it, both from being out of shape, and due to joint issues. So nowadays there are things that I just don't do. With the arthritis in my knees I limit how often I let myself get taken down to the mat. When a kneeling bow is called for, I generally substitute with a standing bow. Also in our style, sparring is optional for test candidates 50 and over. If you choose not to spar, you'll get the minimum passing score, but honestly I'm okay with that. The chances of getting injured in sparring are too high, and I don't heal as quickly as I once did.

One that I often use when practicing two-person drills, especially when I'm practicing with a much smaller opponent: "Best way to block a punch. No be there" Short version -- if someone much bigger and stronger than you is trying to hit you, getting out of the way is probably your best option.

I'm on Act IV now, level 41. And yeah, I do miss the D2:LOD item system with the runes, runewords, and horadric cube recipes. I find the storyline and graphics of D4 to be far superior to D2 (and D2:Resurrected), but the gameplay... there are elements of D2 I liked better.

I've been playing Diablo since the original. I remember building a brand new PC just for Diablo 2 when it was released. (Yes, I'm dating myself, seriously!). I have been playing D4 for a few days now with a Barbarian build. I'm in no hurry, just exploring and having fun.

I've got a Barbarian going -- I tend to go for the typical hack and slash melee classes. I'm playing on Veteran, and some of the Act I bosses are REALLY hard. One of them took like 8 tries for me to down.

Will you be going to any of the games? No! Lowest ticket is $441; too rich for my blood. It's free on TV. Like most events here in Las Vegas, ticket prices are through the roof. Triple A Baseball with the Las Vegas Aviators are the most reasonable ticket prices, at around $20. Great game 1. The Knights came from behind to win!! Knights found gold with discipline, offense, and with Hill making 33 saves, with one of those saves an incredible stick save. Knights are now 8-3 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs. The Knights have 9 come-from-behind wins. Game 2 tomorrow in Vegas. Knights have to remain as humble as apple pie because there's still a lot of games to be played. GO KNIGNHTS!! Actually $441 for a ticket to the Cup Finals isn't all that unreasonable. I'd expect if the Avs were in the finals, that's about what tickets would cost. I'm still cheering for the Panthers, but they have a LONG way to go. And Matthew Tkachuk needs to keep his temper in check, or he's going to be more of a hindrance than an asset.

Congrats, Zaine!