Cool stuff I learned this week

[aurik]

Another week of dan test prep complete, and one week closer to my shodan test! Last week had some ups and downs, but generally ups. I had taken half of the previous week off (the family went down to Colorado Springs for Spring Break). Last week I made it a point to practice kyu (yakusoku) kumite, since. I hadn't worked on it in awhile. At some point in the next few weeks, I'll be testing for my "advanced brown" belt, which basically means I get re-tested over a number of the fundamentals (the kyu level katas, kanshiwa bunkai, and kyu kumite). I'll be expected to perform at a dan level of proficiency, so when the test comes I want to be ready for it.

Thursday evening I got to work with a partner I've been training with since I started at the dojo -- he and I both started at the same time, so we are pretty familiar with each other. We ended up working on seisan bunkai (required for shodan). He is currently a nikyu, so he isn't going to be in the same test cycle as I am, but I got to share with him a lot of the little things that I've been picking up along the way.

Saturday we had our test prep class -- there were only 3 of us there, so it went somewhat smoothly. I did pretty well on the hojo undo and sanchin sections. However, when we got to the dan kumite section, I had a brain freeze on one section -- probably because I hadn't actually performed that in over 2 weeks (amazing how fast your timing goes!). We then sparred for a couple of rounds -- I'm getting better at my combinations, but I nearly broke a toe trying to sweep my CI's leg (his shins are like bricks, and I hit with the ball instead of the instep). He then had me run through seisan kata twice, and I felt that they were my best versions of the kata I've done yet. He gave me one small correction after the first one, and I was able to incorporate it into the second go-round.

All in all, I'm feeling my technique and power is increasing by leaps and bounds, and I'm doing reasonably well on the endurance aspect. Another 6 weeks or so before testing. I'm starting to get excited!

[bushido_man96]

It sounds like prep is going well! Keep it up!

[aurik]

This has been a pretty good week so far. Tuesday's class was the advanced/black belt class, and we started out with the usual junbi undo / hojo undo / sanchin. Then when we got to our individual sanchin with the instructors, I worked with our CI's younger brother, who gave me some good suggestions that definitely improved my stability.

Then towards the end of class, we did our group kata starting with Seisan-- as usual twice synchronized with a count, and once at our own pace. After that, us brown belts peeled off for some additional kata work with our CI. He talked about how historically kata would be done by following along with the instructor, and the count was added (fairly) recently in order to help break the kata down for better understanding. However, the key is to then reassemble the kata to turn it back into a whole.

He then went to discuss how to generate and maintain power throughout the kata. He demonstrated with the first few movements of Seisan how when we step after one strike, that hip pivot primes the power for the next strike. And how by keeping the momentum moving from one sequence to the next you can maintain the power/energy moving from one sequence to the next. He then demonstrated the same concept with kanshiwa (the first rank kata we learned). He also mentioned that we do this in Uechi-Ryu significantly different from other Okinawan styles, partially because our style is still much closer to the kung fu roots.

Wednesday was another prep class, and I'm starting to feel pretty good about things. My dan kumite was much better this time, our CI only had a few comments for me -- one of which isn't anything *wrong* per se, but probably better in terms of less chance of injury. In this particular drill, the attacker comes in with a straight punch, the defender steps back, blocks to open, and responds with a shuto-uchi (knife hand strike). The defender then blocks that shuto-uchi and responds with a roundhouse kick, which the defender blocks with an X-block (combination gedan barai uke + chudan barai uke). I have gotten in the habit of facing the chudan barai segment outwards, so I catch the block on the ulna (if the kick is high enough). This isn't a problem in most cases, because most times my opponent will be kicking at the floating ribs. However, our CI generally aims that kick at the head level, so I caught that kick right above the wrist, where there is no meat to protect it. That equals a nice bone bruise, since that is a segment of the arm we don't condition nearly as much. He recommended I turn the palm to face me so I catch that kick on the meaty part of the forearm. Another bad habit to rbeak.

For the sparring section of class, he brought up a couple of the adults from the (concurrent) adult class. One is a nikyu, and r I've trained with him since I started there, and the other is a shichikyu, but originally a weapons student, and he also holds a black belt in TKD. It was refreshing to spar against different opponents who have VERY different styles from our CI. I did MUCH better against these two than I did with our CI . I did really well against the TKD student, because when I saw him start a kick, I'd close the distance and I'd be too close for him to get any power -- until he started doing head-level hook kicks. Also jamming his kicks let me catch them more often than not -- I didn't take him down though since we were on hardwood floors, instead of the mats (downstairs).

The nikyu was a lot of fun to spar with as well. Since I've gotten so used to our CI's speed, it was much easier to anticipate that opponent's moves and counter them. I definitely held my own with him, and feel that I probably gave a bit better than I got.

And the best part was, after the class, I felt that I still had a fair amount of energy, so the endurance is coming along pretty well too.

Our CI has set May 22 as the test date. I've put it on my calendar!

[sensei8]

Wow, aurik!! Sounds like IT WAS a great weekend overall. You're rocking the floor with such determination and dedication that MUST be at its highest peak; the floor takes no prisoners whatsoever, and from what I'm reading, your Testing Cycle will bow to your efforts across the board.

Whatever you're doing, keep it up. Good luck with your Testing Cycle on May 22nd. Train hard and train well; sounds like you've been doing that ever since day one!!

[bushido_man96]

I agree with Bob's sentiments. It's good to hear you sparring with some different people, and seeing where your improvements are. Keep up the good work!

[aurik]

Yesterday we had our quarterly black belt training class -- as an ikkyu, I was invited, and the class was a lot of fun and I learned a LOT.

The class started out with junbi undo (warmups) and Sanchin kata. Our CI then talked about working the trapezius muscles in Sanchin, and how we should bring the shoulders up and forward to tense the traps, and also how some schools expect you to tighten the neck muscles as well. (In fact, some schools do strikes to the neck during sanchin testing!!).

We then moved on to some new 2-person drills that are based upon the

kata (required for 3rd dan). Some of these were really hard to wrap my head around -- and from simple changes. Generally when we perform a kick in a drill, it's always performing a circle block with the front hand (usually to "cross"), and kicking with the front foot. In these drills he had us blocking with the rear hand (to "open"), and then had us kicking with the front foot (for the first drill) and the back foot (for the second drill). Again, it's a subtle difference but took a few tries to get my head wrapped around it.

He then demonstrated how if you can keep your weight centered when you kick, you can kick equally quickly off either the front or back foot, which can be very advantageous in sparring. (Most of the time an opponent will expect a kick to come off the front foot when kicking in a defensive manner).

The next set of drills had quite a bit of aikido flavor to them, since they all ended up with a takedown of some sort. One involved defending against a right front kick -- the defender would use the left hand to redirect the kick to the side while hooking the achilles tendon. They would then simultaneously step in and shuto-uchi to the neck (across the body). They would then be in position to sweep the supporting leg with an o-uchi-gari. With my judo and aikijujutsu background (granted, from 20+ years ago), I was able to pick this one up pretty quick.

The next one involved a 3-punch sequence. Right to the head, left to the body, right to the head. The defender would step back and do a high wrist block, followed by stepping back for a low wrist block, and then stepping at a 45 degree in and to the side of the opponent, performing a double side-wrist block, immediately followed by grabbing the opponents wrist with your right hand, then pulling him into a wrist strike to the neck. The followup would be sliding the arm across his neck/body, and then either taking him down over the leg, or pigging him in an arm-bar with the arm across your abdomen.

After that, we started started working the bunkai. Unlike the kata up to shodan, this bunkai involved sequences of multiple attackers. He would demonstrate a sequence on his wife, and then we would break up into 3-4 person groups and work that sequence.

The class then ended with us learning/practicing the kata. For those of us who aren't working that kata yet (ie, first degrees or below), we just stepped through it 3 times, and then broke off to work on our rank kata.

All in all, it was a great experience and I got to learn a lot of new material. I'll need to try to use some of this in class the next time we do 2-person drills.

So our CI tends to use these quarterly training sessions to disseminate new information to the school -- for example, when he goes to Okinawa or to Michigan to train with his instructors, he'll bring back new techniques, or new interpretation on existing techniques, and he'll use these sessions to do a top-down dissemination.

[bushido_man96]

Got to love those higher level classes!

[sensei8]

Sounds like you hung in there like you are supposed to...with no complaining. Many invited to upper level classes hang in there, yet, there's always some students that don't hang in there as expected. Having said that, those that are invited to train with the upper level for the first few times are overwhelmed. Here's a tidbit of info...I've seen Godan's struggle to get through Senior level classes their first few classes.

Train hard, and train well.

[aurik]

Got to love those higher level classes!

I remember a couple years ago, when I was having a discussion with my CI -- I had been out to San Jose with the company I worked with at the time. One of the gentlemen I spoke with mentioned how he had his son in TKD until he got his black belt, and then he disenrolled him -- thinking the black belt was the end of the line. I noted the number of black belts that he had that were still training, and he said that one translation of the term "shodan" is "beginner degree", and it's not until you reach shodan that you get to see the really good stuff.

After this class, I'm in complete agreement.

Sounds like you hung in there like you are supposed to...with no complaining. Many invited to upper level classes hang in there, yet, there's always some students that don't hang in there as expected. Having said that, those that are invited to train with the upper level for the first few times are overwhelmed. Here's a tidbit of info...I've seen Godan's struggle to get through Senior level classes their first few classes.

Train hard, and train well.

Thanks for the encouragement, guys! There were some parts that came fairly easily, and others that seemed just... wrong. But I am really looking forward to the next one of these!

One of the reasons I have so much respect for him is that that even after 30+ years of training, he still makes it a point to train with people more experienced than he is, and still keeps trying to learn and improve.

[bushido_man96]

Those are great traits to find in an instructor.