DarthPenguin

Wednesday 9th November Karate Session Warm ups Bit heavier than usual, lots of push ups included. I hate pushups but think i did about 70 in total across a few sets. Was a struggle towards the end. We were paired up with someone and told to do 100 across the two of us. Unfortunately the guy i was with really struggles at them (he was really trying as hard as he could) so i had to pick up the slack! Kihon Little different today also. Slightly different combinations and practising them a lot faster in sets of ten reps with no rest between different combinations Drills We then worked on a few drills with partners : up and down the hall with a lae geri to the persons stomach (lightly), then a yoko geri to the stomach and finally a mawashi geri to a hand beside face. Then combined it and did all three in sequence. Did a few drills of blocking a punch and stepping into an upwards elbow; using a yoko geri or a mawashi geri as appropriate. Kata Several run throughs of the grading kata required. It's improving as the comments i am receiving now are less about the techniques themselves and more about the rhythm / pacing of the kata (which i do need to work on a lot!) Really good session. Enjoyed it a lot. Classes have been getting a bit more physically intensive recently which i like

Always annoying when a workout gets cut short but one of the benefits of being consistent (as you are) if you can absorb the missing session. It's just a few more days recovery time

It's a good thought. Issue is i have one rack to use and it will be set up for me to press from so can't use it to squat. Was going to try to add in some fb or kb leg work though: goblet squats; lunges or similar as i thought it made sense too. Am planning to err on the side of caution for the first run through of this routine though as i usually wouldn't superset much and i don't want to risk an injury! Good suggestion though

No disputing that they are the best team in the world, as are the NBA champs, NFL champs etc. The best players also play in MLB (usually) but there can be shocks. Easy example is my soccer/football team. I follow Glasgow Rangers and last season they were the losing finalists in the second biggest european club tournament but they are nowhere near being amongst the best teams in Europe (as they showed with their poor showing this time). I've always quite liked the North American model where it in essence combines the two types of combinations we have over here: typically we have a long league season with one or two knockout competitions (cup competions). The regular season then playoffs covers that by saying that the knock out is most important but restricting it to qualified teams. The system itself says that in effect anyone can win (the whole any given sunday thing), otherwise the regular season winner would get the title awarded. Would the MLB winner beat the other winners? Yes in reality 99/100 but they still have to do it to be the world champion rather than just the worlds best team. To use a combat sports analogy: Charles Oliveira (pre recent defeat) was the best LW but not the champion officially; Jon Jones during his LHW absences was the consensus best LHW but wasn't the champ.

Tuesday 8th November Lifting Session Seated overhead press 20kg x 5 25kg x 5 27.5kg x 5 32.5kg x 5 35kg x 5 27.5kg x 5 27.5kg x 5 27.5kg x 5 27.5 kg x 5 27.5kg x 5 These were pretty light so i tried to really concentrate on exploding and 'throwing the bar into the air' on each rep. could feel it taking off so i was pleased with that KB Swings - supersetted in with overhead press 16kg x 10 16kg x 10 16kg x 10 16kg x 10 16kg x 10 KB cleans - supersetted in with overhead press 16kg x 12 16kg x 12 16kg x 12 16kg x 12 16kg x 12 Biceps cable curls 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 KB side bends 16kg x 20 16kg x 20 16kg x 20 Total poundage lifted : 4707.5kg time taken: 36min density : 130.8 kg/min

Apologies, i can't resist this one, as a non American i have to point out that they have zero world titles, they have North American titles. Not disputing that they are the worlds best team but until/unless they beat the other international champs they can't be world champs. Is similar to the soccer/football Champions League winners. They are the worlds best team as the European leagues are the best, but they don't become world champ until they win the club World Cup, as no matter the skill disparity there is still always a chance for the underdog to win! (witness the dodgers losing pre WS!)

Out of curiosity is the range time work related or recreation related?

There was an interesting article on ESPN.com about them being a dynasty which is why i mentioned it. Personally i think the last dynasty was the Yankees one around the turn of the millennium, though an argument could be made for the Giants 3 WS a few years ago. Personally i don't think the Giants were dominant enough to be a dynasty. Astros are on the cusp of one though. WS next year and i would be swayed towards it tbh. Though hopefully next year is the Mariners year!!!

UFC 281 this weekend and is quite a card! Several good fights and a lot of them seem to be pick'ems. Who do people have winning? Personally i have Adesanya losing his title - he lost to Pereira twice in kickboxing and Adesanya has never looked the same since he went up to LHW and lost. I wonder if that had an impact. Reminds me of Roy Jones Jnr after he won a HW belt and then got beaten by Tarver when he went back down. Poirier vs Chandler should be a great fight. I'm slightly favouring Poirier but i think that Chandler has the best chance of anyone to beat the new champ. Has great wrestling and one punch ko power - if he gets past Dustin that could be a good fight. Esparza vs Zhang should be a close fight too - totally undecided on this one Frankie Edgar in his retirement fight will be interesting. In typical style he has taken a decent opponent and not just a glorified exhibition to go out on. An excellent fighter who is a definite Hall of Famer i think, All in all it's a great card - you know a card is deep when Dominick Reyes is on the Prelims!

Excellent. I have the same focus on squats too - i have absurdly long legs (i have a 36" inseam) so i've always had to put a lot of effort into form / depth on a squat. I find that pushing knees out seems to work, i also have feet slightly turned out,approx 10 degrees or so, and try to hit hamstrings touching calves on every rep. That is the key for me to make sure i hit depth! Well done on the snatch grip deadlifts too - is a really good lift and you will likely find that your standard deadlift poundages have taken a massive jump too as a result

Yeah i quite liked Picard too, though i don't think it has much more of a shelf live. I thought the ending of season 1 gave them a clear opportunity to add a refresh that would have let them get to a much higher number of seasons. Ahsoka wise, it is heading into the unknown regions so they have a lot of freedom. The her and Luke bit is actually one of the bits that has never made sense : she didn't get involved at all with teaching Luke - his teaching was all from Obi-Wan / Yoda / self-taught, which a lot of fans think is a bit silly since she is one of the most powerful jedi and is around. She pops up in the Mandalorian for an episode to show they are friendly. She didn't even get involved in teaching Ezra much but that might change in the new show. they have cast a lot of the Rebels characters for it

That sounds really good on the teaching licence. Sounds like you are doing a fair amount of teaching already and that it is going well so it seems like a logical progression. I know it is going to require a lot of work to get the licence granted but it sounds like you are on the right track!

Saturday 5th November Lifting session Following new programme still where every set of main lift is superset with one set of an assistance lift so main 1 + assit 1 -> main 2 + assist 2 -> main 3 + assist 1 etc Deadlift 70kg x 5 75kg x 5 80kg x 5 92.5kg x 5 105kg x 5 80kg x 5 80kg x 5 80kg x 5 80kg x 5 80kg x 5 These felt good, the weights weren;t too heavy so can really focus on technique plus got a decent amount of volume in. As this is the first run through decided to use some arm exercises for the assistance (is in the list for the programme) as wasn't sure how tough the DL would be E-Z Bar curl 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 These were light so concentrated on good form and just getting some additional volume in Triceps straight bar pushdown 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 Standing KB overhead press 1H (reps are total of L + R) 16kg x 12 16kg x 12 16kg x 12 16kg x 12 CoC Grippers S x 11 S x 11 S x 11 Total workout time : 41m total poundage lifted: 6880.5kg density : 167.82 kg/min

Most definitely, i've always liked them. They often remind me of simple things i could be doing : eg i have a long reach and a relatviely quick kizami-tzuki / jab. I should use it more!

Congrats to the Astros on winning the WS and becoming North American champions! Good to see Dusty Baker get a WS as a mgr (he definitely was overdue) and to see Verlander win a WS game too! The debate now is do the Astro's count as a dynasty? titles are several years apart but they have gotten to the ALCS every year if not the WS

Hi Aurik, i'm slightly puzzled by the above. I like the structured nature but what is puzzling me is this : if you need to pass every section to pass, with every item being an 8/10 minimum to pass, then surely if the maximum you can achieve on a section you are asked to re-perform is a 7.9, this leads to an automatic fail as one section is now below 8/10? Is it a general rule instead where the sections should be 8/10 but the examiner is allowed to use their discretion where appropriate (tbh 7.9 isn't exactly much different from 8.0 anyway). Am just curious, i do like the idea that you get a clear score though. Seems a really good system, as if you get access to the score and the criteria it gives you clear guidance on where to prioritise improvements.

Verlander got his long overdue WS win last night then. Have to favour the Astros to win it now - can't see them not going at least 1-1 in 2 games with the Phillies. I'm quite conflicted on the Astros: on one hand they are clearly one of the best teams over the last 10 years but then they did have that cheating scandal. Cheating in baseball is a funny one: some cheating is accepted but some isn't it seems like. The steroid players get vilified for cheating (which they did) but there are several hall of famers who openly cheated (and admit it): whether it was spitballs; , marking the ball; using tar etc on ball; taking amphetamines to perform better (can't see how this is different to steroids personally) and many more (i think someone admitted to corking their bat but not 100% on that one). It almost seems like cheating is fine unless it is betting related (totally understandable) or steroid related. Part of me would like to see them go back through the hall of fame and asterisk all the players that were found to have cheated in the other ways - for consistency. I'm not a fan of cheating but i don't see how you can selectively exclude some but not others. Anyway that was a bit of a tangent! Will be interesting to see the rest of the series. Also, if the Phillies lose i wonder if they will continue to spend massively to try to get over the hump: Judge is available and Ohtani might be too!

Yeah he is doing a really good job acting wise. Star Wars side story wise the one i am most looking forward to is Ahsoka, really interested to see where they take it. Acolyte is intriguing too but i would like to see more about it also. I watch star trek too: we are finally watching the most recent season of Discovery and near the end. Must admit though it is my least favourite star trek show. Watched 'Strange New Worlds' first and that was superb - they did an excellent job with that show i thought. Neither of them match up to DS9 in my book though - that was possibly my favourite of the trek shows. I liked the overarching plotlines that ran through it

Just posting an update here as i have always found a 'few months down the line' update to be very helpful for me when purchasing items. Still happy with the gi. Colour wise it is still bright white and no issues with stitching etc. Does crumple a bit after hanging to dry so can be a bit awkward to iron but that's no big deal. Still comfortable. Only minor gripe i have is that it is really baggy i think. That may be due to them talking me into taking a 6.5 rather than the 6 so nothing i would mark down for but i would bear it in mind if ordering something. Generally i wear a XL or XXL in everything i buy and i find this loose, but still fine to train in and that might be someone's preference. Myself, i probably prefer something a little more fitted (might be a legacy form my bjj training where the gi's are quite form fitting) I would still recommend it but i would say just to check / be careful on sizing if ordering

Anyone else been watching this? In case my username didn't give it away i am a big star wars fan! I've been quite enjoying it, not as much as some people who have been raving about it but i think it's solid. I particularly like the fact that the imperials are finally not being morons! Main gripe is i would have preferred it to be about a different rebel rather than Andor. Since we know what happens to him in Rogue One it inherently limits the story. I would have preferred a new character to be introduced into the same story as then it could progress anywhere and grow organically. What do the rest of you think?

I always look at it as you don't need to score 100% to pass. Tbh if you performed every technique perfectly then you should likely be a LOT higher than whatever grade you are testing for. Everyone has something to work on. I was told that attitude is a big thing for our grading examiner. He puts a lot of store in it and it can swing things when they are borderline. I see his point tbh, someone with the right attitude that is borderline will likely take his feedback on board and work on it really hard before testing again. Worst case you fail and you get independent feedback from an expert on something you need to work on to improve. At the end of the day self improvement is what is important anyway, to be the best martial artist YOU can be. What does your passing / failing a grade mean in the grand scheme of things anyway, it is about your own journey and development. I tell all my classmates the same before we grade and most of them think i am mental! I will try my best and if the examiner thinks that is good enough then i get a grade, if not then they tell me what i need to do to get it next time. I don't want a pity pass, i want to BE a belt not just have one. If not i wouldn't have decided to regrade!

Interesting game last night: combined no hitter, only 2nd ever world series no-hitter and the starting pitcher is now the only player ever to be involved in 2 combined no hitters with both of them this year! This has the feeling of a 7 game series. Will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Alvarez seems to have cooled down a little from the beating he put on my Mariners but if he heats up again that could be the decider!

Excellent strength sessions, you're killing it! Rows look like they are progressing nicely too

Wednesday 2nd November Karate session Warmups this was slightly different to usual, more aerobic (more running round the hall) and less static stretching. Kicks actually felt looser during the session so this was fine with me! Kihon Practiced grade kihon techniques. Comments were fine which is good! Kata Did multiple runs of Heian Yondan. Was curious how it would go since i have not been able to make it to class for several weeks due to illness. I was practising it in the house working on the areas that the instructor had pointed out before. Was pleased with how it went, the areas he had mentioned before seemed a bit better. Got a few comments but they were straightforward ones to implement : slow down the initial two moves even further, leave the 'receiving hand' out longer for each of the empi's (i was pulling it in as if pulling a head into an elbow strike as i thought that was the form so a simole fix) and to time the last two moroto-uke's to land when my foot touches down in the stepping forward into back stance. I'd been working a lot on making it clear it was a back stance i was stepping into so this is a logical next step to clean up. All in all i was happy with it. Might still be on track for the December grading it seems - if not i'll sit March Kumite Quite a bit of kumite practice. As usual i paired up with the 2nd and 1st dan males that were there and we rotated amongst the three of us. Firstly we performed some restricted work with the only techniques allowed a kizami-tzuki or a gyaku-tzuki to attack. Was an interesting drill. Did it taking unannounced turns and if you went to close before striking the reciving partner was allowed to just kizami tzuki you in the face (lightly) to show you had your distance wrong. Then we did multiple rounds of free sparring. Went well, i find that my lead leg chudan yoko geri keage seems to get a lot of success, i don't see a lot of my training partners throwing it but with my leg length i can reliably get it up and under the guard for a body strike. Got some feedback from the instructor that i had started to display a bad habit when sparring with shorter people and i was leaning forward slightly into them. I told the 2nd dan that i would like him to clip me in the head every time he catches me doing it as i really don't want to make that a habit - will get me ko'd. He found it an odd request but agreed lol. The 1st dan is just a little smaller than me (he's about 6'2") and said i don't do it with him at all, so it must just be with the smaller folk. I told him the same too: any time he catches me doing it in sparring give me a light dunt in the head - that will sort it! They have my full permission: would much prefer that to a full force punch from someone down the line! Few more rounds of kata at the end of the class. Good session, enjoyed it and got a few good things to work on going forwards

Thanks! Should hopefully not be as constrained for too much longer - the main issue is getting the kids to bed, i put one to bed and my other half the other. When they are both old enough to go to sleep easily themselves then it frees up more time - will also let me get back to judo!