The Challenge: 7.60-9.60

A day and a half off and I feel a lot better. Much decreased soreness. Sensei had me practice my rolls with James. Then he absolutely killed us. I have to learn the new black belt Kata.

My mind wanders in the Kata especially when I'm tired. I fall back into the habitual performance. I really have to focus on a few choice things and slowly build up the execution. First balance then footwork then stance then breathing, fist, hip and shoulder. Only then should I start to worry about what the extended movements are, the contingent movements, and the remaining attackers.

Sure, sharp and sound. Every step should be surefooted - establishing balance, sharp-footed - done swiftly and precisely, and sound-footed - improve rather than weaken your position in relation to the opponent.

The Challenge: 5.10-7.60

My second yudansha clinic. Started with Ryusan...pretty. Kosa Dachi work as a prelude to Rohai-dai.
Nb. 1. Kosa uke - drive from opposite hip.
2. Descend into empi.
3. Stance for kyusei kamae.
4. Neko ashi: foot ready.
5. Cross deeply behind on spin.
6. Not heito, kiri.
7. Kiri, hikite, nukite - one beat.
8. Hip in pivot!!!
9. Turn of the hips in chokusen drives the knee over the toe.
10. Haishu.

Hen-shu-ho combines sabaki with uke.
1. Sabaki forward and upward. Feel for the moment when tori fights you forward.
2. Drive the forearm directly into tori's head and pivot. Consider control of the head generally.
3. Sabaki pivot. Empi, sinking. Feet inside (feet outside and you fall). Step outside with turn & hypersupination.
4. Sabaki shift left. Yoko geri with toes into joint.
5. Sabaki shift right. Block second punch and kick in one beat.
6. Sabaki pivot. Control wrist and shoulder. Drive yoko geri into hip.
7. Age-haishu. Shuto and nukite in same beat.
8. Age to soto. Punch to floating rib.
9. Sabaki forward left. Mawari. Step on foot .Armbar. Slice tendon with Shuto.
10. Block, uppercut under arm to collar, pulldown.

The Challenge: 2.60-5.10

2 hours of Saturday karate. Moran went a little easy on us. My legs were killing before class. My abs were sore as hell, luckily we didn't do any ab work.

Did some Chinto work, some Bassai and Nage no Kata. Most sucked but at least I had a sense of what I was doing wrong.

Take it easy for yudansha clinic tomorrow.

The Challenge: 2.00-2.60

36 minutes of unpleasantness. The jog lasted 19 minutes. Consider some tempo work. The abdominal stuff is discouraging. Need a lot of work there. Won't go to karate today...class and yudansha clinic on the weekend.

Mind 3 : Mindset for Kumite

Where should your mind be at?  Your focus?  What do you see and what do you perceive?  The rhythm.
At ma-ai do you enter or retreat? Sen alone, naked sen, is uncertain. It is like walking into a darkened room. You can't see what lies ahead. Taking the initiative should always be in response to something you've felt. Sen must be directed at Suki even if the suki was an illusion.
Relax your muscles. Still your mind when in motion; let it flow when still. Step cautiously and precisely. Center your hips and let them lead your movement. Attack with your defense, defend with your attack. Commit to your response...never attack or defend half-heartedly. Keep things simple. Don't overthink it. Move smoothly and swiftly staying low. Harmonize with the beat. Then enter during the off beats. Strive to make tori uncomfortable.

Build the body that does not run away. Never forget that karate is go no sen. You should invite attack and repel them. Stopping attack is more important than scoring. Once the UPA has been negated properly, scoring should be easy. Only when you have confidence that you can control strong attacks can you have the clarity to intercept intention. In training, let tori strike. Encourage their offense. Dare them to enter. Then close the door. Lose the need to win. Turn them strongly with your block. The strike is an afterthought.

The challenge: 0-2.00

So looks like I'm entering the Bogu Cup in August.  I'll pick a kata and start jogging again.  Katie and Nicole are serious as a heart attack...I'm going to have to push a little to even catch up.

Between now and next Friday, I'll start with jogging and skipping.  30 to 40 minutes to start.  Have to get my cardio up.  Cycle between cardio work, leg work, core work and plyo work. 1 week at a time.

1 week at a time is the key.  Also have to watch for injury and overtraining.  Taper towards the tourney.  Add in some Nishimura work into the plyo routine.  Need to develop those sporting karate classes from what I train.  Looks like I'll be the petri dish for my dojo.

I wonder where I'll be 1,000 hours from now.

And I have to not fear the riddle of Kenji Ushiro and Keishiro Shiroma...

Body 2: Ebb and Flow

Hurt my knuckle on New Year’s day.  Broke the skin punching the bag.  It was careless.  It discouraged me.  Then all of a sudden my back started hurting.  I went gingerly with it, cut my training.  I’ve been in this ebb ever since.

I have to remind myself that it isn’t bad.  Resting isn’t bad.  Complacency is bad.  Resting to get stronger is good.  But you should have a plan.  Your resting – the ebb – should be part of your plan.

My ebb is two weeks old now and I’m restless.  But I’m also worried about my back.  My core has never been where it needs to be.  I have to let it all go – release any notions of strength or fitness and train my core and my legs – hard!  Harder than ever before.  I have to get them to a level where I don’t have to think about it.  Need to plan it out, though.

Also there are some exercises that I’ve seen that have to be incorporated.  I need to distill all these things I’m seeing and concentrate it.  A concentrated workout, maybe an hour, and all karate based and another  routine, all gymnastics based.  But to limit it?  And to improve my diet?  And to keep the 1000 hour challenge?

Maybe I should just start simple and make it harder every week.  One day you work out ten minutes longer another you do X amount more in the same amount of time.  Alternate.  One tabata in the first week, two the second and 3 the third.