Proud for me and Proud as a Dad

If you would have predicted for me 2, 5, 10, 20 or 30 years ago, I would have been going for grading, I would have said you were daft.  I would have said Karate wasn't my thing and I hadn't got the application or dedication needed....

So today, the previously unlikely finally happened😊😊😊  I managed to go all the way through the requirments without missing anything (I struggled in the dojo yesterday, but Sensei Graham gave me some valuable advice), which made me happy enough.   Then we did pad work at the end, which felt good,  then I got my belt!!!!! 😊😊😊  I am actually pleased with myself 😊😊😊 

What made me proud though, was I graded with my son, not often a father and son get to do something like this together, so an extra special day 😊😊😊 Thank you to Senseis Alison, Ben and  Graham, and all at the Matsuri dojo 😊😊😊 

#cardio-vascular #karate #over 50 #grading #family

Going for Grading 😊😊😊

So today was the final session in our dojo before grading tomorrow, and basically we were to find out at the end of the sessions who was going to go for grading.  My son helps with the youngsters class, so he started at 09:30 , with his session starting at 10 and ending at 11:00.  He found out that he will be grading for his Blue/Black belt 😊😊😊

My session started at 11:00 and again we were doing the various elements of the gradings taking place: Punches, Blocks, Kicks, Kihon Kata and formal Kata.  The yellow belt grading only concentrates on the first three, but we still go through the other elements.  With formal Kata today though, we (the white belts in the group) stuck to Naihanchi Shodan, whilst the others practiced the more advanced Kata.

I am still struggling with a bit of a leftover cold / chest infection, so the advice I got was to pace myself and not put so much into the opening elements, to make sure I can complete all the elements successfully.  After Kata, it was 20 minutes of pad work, then it was confirmed who would be grading.  I'm going for my Yellow belt, so hopefully tomorrow will be a double grading day for father and son 😊😊😊  Thank you to senseis Alison and Graham for the guidance today 😊😊😊

#katate #grading #cardio-vascular #heart condition #over 50

Changing my routine

To date, my daily exercises have consisted of stretches and Kata, but for this week it has to change.  In place of some Kata repetition comes practice of the basics, the 3 basic punches and blocks, plus the 4 basic kicks.

I need to practice these for grading, so what better way than work them into my routine?  As well as expanding the forms of exercise, it should help make sure that I can be more confident if a get the nod from my Senseis to do these all on Sunday.  There was a grading at our honbu last Sunday, but there are enough for a separate grading at our own dojo then 😊😊😊

So from now until Saturday it is practice time and then we find out whether our Senseis think we are ready to progress. All I can do is do my best, and if it good enough, more of the same on Sunday.  If not, no digrace as there is always a next time if I want it.

At the end of the day either way I win, as improving my health is something that is worthwhile all on its own 😊😊😊

#cardio-vascular #karate #routine #over-50 #heart-condition

A Step in the Right Direction

This week has been a bit of a struggle to focus: My birthday on the 17th, my son's on the 18th, then playing catch up at work for a day off, while struggling to get over a hang-around cold.

I didn't practice much in the way of grading exercises, but did keep going with Katas and stretches to help with my general cardio-vascular fitness.  At my age, stamina is a big concern, so there was a fair deal of walking done as well.  I think I'm averaging over two miles a day at the moment, not perfect as would like to average three, but getting there.  I am trying to do it carrying weight as well, to add to the value of the mileage done.

Today in the  dojo was much as one would expect comimg up to grading, everyone going through the specifics of their level.  We all started off with punches, blocks and kicks before going through Katas generally, then individual work where needed for grading.  Finally some pad work on kicks and punch & kick combinations to round things off.  

Another good workout, and only started to struggle towards the end of what I need for grading, so hopefully should be good on the day 😸😸😸

#cardio-vascular #stamina #over 50 #grading

The Value of a Block, and getting in first

I came across a video of Kyokushin Karate competition KOs on Facebook that is quite spectactular 😈😈:

Kyokushin KOs

Virtually all kicks or knee strikes, but what was noticable was the lack of guard most of the times a strike was made.  Some were plain hands down, some were a matter of speed and some were working the opponent to make the opening, sometimes blocking the possibility of guarding.

One KO in paricular caught my eye, which was where a good solid block to a kick (from basic drills) was the lead in to the delivery of a knock down kick.  Proof for me that defending can be a positive thing.  😊😊😊

The other one that stood out for me was where two competitors had the same idea at the same time, but one was just a little quicker....

I am sure there are many other things that are more important that I might pick up from such videos over time, but I was pleased to be able to spot some things for my self.  Especially examples of what we are being taught 😊😊😊

A Year older..

Well birthday time over, both for me (17th) and  my son (18th), and now getting back into things.  A year older, but wiser?  Well possibly a little, but the more you learn the more you realise there is to learn.  It's not possible to learn everything, and show me someone who says they know everything, I will show you a fool.

I haven't stopped doing Kata and stretches as a part of generally trying to get fitter, but the cold I caught is being a little devil and just doesn't want to shift.  So I'm still a little wheezy and short of breath.  Nontheless, got to start going through my kicks blocks and punches and revisiting the basics, especially if I want to grade later this month.

All that said, when I reflect on the last year, I think personally I've come a long way.  I definitely feel better in my self and more able to cope with what life throws at me, but there have been and will be challenging moments on many levels and I will just have to do my best.  But again, I think my best is better now than it was a year ago.  

A big chunk of that is down to getting fitter, learning new things and making new friends through Karate, I still have a long way to go (hopefully continuing my journey), but thank you all in the dojo and other friends made through Karate, and a big thank you to my son, for helping me get as far as I have. 😊😊😊

Shaping up for Grading

Competition time out of the way, so now the next thing on the horizon is grading at the end of the month 😊  Work and real life only allow me to make it to the dojo on Saturdays, so it's been a long haul.  Since health has always been my first goal, then once a week has worked perfectly well for me, but to have the chance to grade will be good too.

With that in mind, today's session was back to basics: Warm up and stretches then punches, blocks and kicks, then katas, lots of them.  Given the wide range of belts we have, I got the chance to try out Katas I wouldn't normally try.  Before each set of students who were specifically learning katas for grading did their thing, we all got to try.

So I tried out all the Naihanchis, the Pinans, and even one of the Passai Katas.  Wow, have I a long way to go, but although the journey may take a long long time and a lot of effort, with the Senseis we have, will also be fun😊😊😊  We followed up the formal katas with the Kihon katas, then that was 1 and a half hours over.

Had to take more breaks than usual today, because a cold takes a bigger toll on me than some others, but exercise is a good way to sweat it out, so win win 😊😊😊  And from now until grading some extra practice at home.

Some old Dude captured in his garden

A large part of what inspires me about Karate is that old dudes practicing is taken as a good thing.  In some parts of the world this has apparently been true for a long time, but maybe only in more recent times in the West.

In the 60s in Okinawa, a Shotokan practicioner from mainland Japan who wanted to find out more about the roots of his karate* was directed to maybe the only surviving student of Anko Itohsu at that time.  The quality of the video might be a bit grainy, but the quality of the practicioner is A1 💗

Time, for Nerdiness, love of history and all my favourite things rolled in one, please welcome the one and only Chosin Chibana showing his katas 😊😊😊😊😊

Naihanchi Shodan

Naihanchi Nidan

Naihanchi Sandan

Passai Sho

Passai Dai

Kusanku Sho

Kusanku Dai

* correction by Noah Legel 21/05/19

A Nerd Blog: McDojos

I believe my dojo is an excellent dojo:  The level of detail of the training, the knowlege of our Sensei and the camaraderie shown are all absolutely brilliant. But as I looked around to find out more about Karate in particular and by extension martial arts in general I came across the term "McDojo".

It obviously involves fast grading of as many students as possible, and in the worse cases I gather, buying of belts.  Found this YouTube Video of how to spot a McDojo:

The Art of McDojo

And that dragged my thoughts back to a friends post of an excellent example of some of the points made.  

GrandMasters Mac

I will stick to learning Karate from proper Senseis
 thank you very much, and maybe at some future stage pick up other techniques from other forms and disciplines, if circumstances allow.  McDojos begone!! 

I might not be progressing quickly, but progressions made will be properly earned and properly appreciated 😊😊😊😊

Workouts for Cardio

I want to try to use Karate more constructively to improve my Cardio-vascular health. The exercise is definitely good for me, but I want to see if there are specific things I can do to work out more effectively.  

I have been lucky enough to be able to join a Karate group on Facebook that offers a mentoring scheme, and within that I was lucky enough to find a mentor who is willing to work with me to help me develop specific exercise routines for use at home.  

After going over the basics, it seems that the best way to start is to do more of what I'm doing already, but more regularly.  Then we get to review things on a week by week basis to gradually build up the routine.

This is one 57 year old that doesn't intend to give up easily 😈😈😈

Light relief

Browsing through a few of the Karate Groups on FaceBook, I found this. A description of the principles of combat..

Wait and strike, 
Strike first, 
and "What the heck" 😈😈😈

My First Competition 😊

Well I finally got to the competition, and nerves there were, but to be expected.   Fortunately, the Kata competition was in the first part of the competition, so I didn't have to fret for a big chunk of the day.  But to my disappointment, I was called to to get ready as my son competed, so I missed that 😞 But he was with other competitors from our Dojo, so he was amongst friends 😊.

For me, initially I thought I was competing against one other person, but then they grouped the groups and then I saw the oppositon.  All higher belts, and some of the Katas they were practicing... hmmm some were different styles and looked awesome 😊 I think the name of the winner was Cesar, he was another person with similar issues to myself and a similar age and he was really good😊 😊 I believe his style is Goju-Ryu and he won, so now I can see even more what is possible 😊😊 He has added to my belief, where there is a will, there is a way!!

Got to include my performance as a benchmark, but the biggest observation is that nerves got the better of me a little and I rushed; my punches on Kiai were hmmm, a little off track.  However, I am probably ahead of where I should be in some respects, so will settle for that "Not awful, but room for improvement!"

The leg work and posture needs improving as well.  I have a long way to go, and at this stage I am happy to to have been able to be there 😊 If I ever try to do competition again, nerves hopefully wont make me rush as much.

Congratulations to my Dojo, as there were a number of really good results, imcluding my Sensei, Ben, who was first in Jissen Kumite (knockdown fighting) and Kobudo (bo) 😊😊😊😊😊.  In fact congratulations to all that were placed, and all that took part!! It was an awesome day, thank you all 😊😊

Awards Night and Competition :)

Last night was a big night, with our association's founder, Sensei Nohara visiting and being our annual award night 😊😊😊 Really proud of my son, he got our dojo's Student of the Year award.😊😊😊

Maybe too good a night, but done some practicing today, ready for tomorrow's competition.  Good luck to all taking part, which for me is the most important thing.

I have a long way to go on my journey hopefully, but the first competition will hopefully be a good learning experience 😊😊😊

Practice, Practice....

Well the competition forms have gone in today...
So all I can do in between now and Sunday is practice and practice again.

Repeating the Kata to be used, and keep it simple,  Well that means Naihanchi Shodan for me.  Three or four repeats of the Kata at a time, plus practicing the steps and arm positions.  I need to remember the touching toes, bent knees and two hand span spacing for the steps.

For the arms, need to try to improve on the high/high-low block/supporting arm and backfist transitions, as well as remembering height and  posture on strikes, etc.  Then there is the basic sequence of head, feet, arms.

I probably won't be perfect, but at least I can try my best and practice as much as I can.  Provided I can get through the Kata without any major mishaps, seeing it through to completion I will be happy.  Overcoming first competition nerves will be the victory for me. 😊😊😊

Then there will be the nervous parent watching my son compete as well, so double nerve jangles!!! good luck first of all to him, but also to all the others from our Dojo taking part, and all the other competitors too 😊😊😊

You Shall go...

Another good and different workout in the dojo.  The ususal warm up and basic drills, but for me it's the last or for some of the others, the next to last session before next week's competition.  

The President of our Federation, Sensei Nohara, is visiting next week, so the Saturday session is replaced by a seminar taking place at our Honbu dojo.   So after the warm up, it was practicing competition entries, doing kata under competition like conditions, doing full contact sparring, and some bo staff work.

And for the first time I tried sparring under points rules, and wow is it different to what we're usually taught.  Skin contact only, head punches allowed, no kicks to the legs score, got to pull back after a scoring hit.....  Too different and I forgot the basics of blocking: I took a well placed kick to the face and was lucky it was only contact sparring lol.  To be fair it was my opponent's favourite, and far more experienced than me have been on the receiving end 😊😊

In the end, as my son wants to go in for the the Kata element of the competition, I decided that I will be joining him. So I'm going along to have a go in the Kata element too.  I may still have a lot to learn, but I think its imporant to take part.  So roll on next Sunday 😊😊😊  And good luck to all my other fellow dojo members who will be taking part! 😊

Reality Bites

So I decided to watch some videos on Kumite, and maybe I was somewhat over-ambitious 😊😊😊 My Sensei Ben has said if I would like to compete at a later event, they may be able to work so points sparring sessions in with me, so that I would be better equipped to make things competetive.  

I think I will be taking him up on that, then maybe next year I can give the competition a go.  Nothing wrong with the ambition, but got to do the graft first.  At least it gives me something to aim for.

As for this Competition, it seems that most of the competitors are lining up for Jissen Kumite (knockdown fighting).  For me, I'm defintely not equipped for that right now.   The below cartoon kinda captures what I think would be the end result for me, without the medal though lol 😊