Times they are a changing,,,,

Missing practice definitely messes up the routine I have developed for myself to cope with the claustrophobic feeling of being cooped up for over three months now..  Work has become much busier though, due to the firm I am contracted to starting to ramp things up for going back to more office based working towards the end of July.  

Dancing in the spotlight 1706 

I've missed the last two Monday Lessons (15th and 29th of June) as a result, but the weekends have been more full, so I suppose that kind of makes up for it.  As well as the additional kobudo lessons we've been having in bo and nunchaku, on Sunday 21st we had our first zoom lesson with the head of our Ryukyukan Shorin-Ryu association, Hanshi Koei Nohara.  On Friday evening of 26th, I got to watch Senei Noah Legel's Naihanchi Seminar (that may have been a bridge too far as it was from 23:00 to 01:00 UK time and had no practice, so actually dozed through a part of it 😞😞😞) and on Sunday 29th my dojo hosted an online seminar about awareness, given by Jamie Clubb.

Kata and pad work 1806

Katate for me has become my touchstone for my mental as with as physical health, as I have documented in earlier blogs.  I feel that is important for both that I am able to train and take all the opportunities I can to do so.  Mentally, it gives me the "space" I need to be able to subconsciously process all the dynamics of home and work, when they both have to be done from the same location.

Bo Practice 2006

There are many issues that I have to prioretise, including some that clamour for immediate attention have had to take a back seat, due to the intensity of work.  This gives me little time to pay the proper attention to these things, but karate for me helps me the clarity of mind that it is best sometimes to delay this things until I have proper time to deal with them.  Sometime it is worse to try to do things in a rush, as the resulting complication could actually make things far worse,

Kata and press ups 2106

I thing tensions in any home would be strained if people who normally spend time apart are all cooped up for three to four months with no mechanisms for release, and where mental health is involved this can be doubly so.  This can be magnified if multiple people with such issues live together.  Here again, the relaxation and realisation of the way things can escalate areof great importance to me.  I am no paragon of virtue, but the lessons learnt through karate again I believe stand me in good stead.

Bo and kata 2306

From a purely dojo based point of view the last few weeks have involved going back to our roots.  Last week, two of the lessons focused on the throwing techniques of Funokoshi Geishin, and the lesson I missed this week featured the kumite techniques of Motobu Choki.  I have been promised the next lesson will follow on with his work, definitely looking forward to it ☺☺☺☺

Smorgasbord 2406

I short Karate is one of the few reliable constants I have at a time when things, and the challenges they bring, are constantly changing.  I really need to continue to train ☺☺☺.  And now I'm doing the 25  press up, 25 day challenge aimed at raising the awareness of mental health issues.

Kata after the lesson 2506

Lessons and Seminars

1806

Kata
Padwork, Fence, palm strike, crash, head control, knee strikes, head up and elbow strike, arm drag, head pull, punch, escape
Naihanchi shadow sparring

2006

Take downs x 6 from Funokoshi

1) To topple a folding screen.

RH fighting stance open handed.  Rising LH block to RH punch then arm grab. RH open palm under chin.  R leg step through behind opponent, push up and through with RH, using trapped arm as  pivot, push over stepped through leg.

2) Spinning top

RH fighting stance open handed. Step outside RH punch, hook over with RH and grasp / pull.  LH push onto back of exposed shoulder, step back with R leg and turn into Shiko dachi. Pulling through with RH, pushing down with left.

3) To encircle the neck

RH fighting stance open handed. Step outside RH punch, hook over with RH.  R leg step through behind opponent, R arm comes ups to encircle neck, rotate upper body to left to pull over stepped through leg.

4) Half wheel throw

RH fighting stance open handed. Step outside RH punch, hook over with RH.  R leg step through in front of opponent.  R arm comes ups to encircle neck, L arm goes down to go grab leg.  Step back with right leg to throw (turn, lift and pull)

5) V turning swallow

RH fighting stance, open handed.  Cross block to rising punch, left hand hooks and controls, R foot step in (in front of opponent) and punch under their chin, then grab under extended (r) arm into the armpit.  Pull wrist to hip, and step back with left leg, rotating counter clockwise and sinking to onto the left knee, using the rotation of the arm to throw the opponent.

6) To throw off a cliff (hip throw)

RH fighting stance, opponent throws hook punch. Block high left and grasp RH, step in with R leg and punch to gut with R hand.  Grab round back with right hand and pull with LH./Push in with R hip, step back left leg and pull them onto and over R hip to floor, keeping hold of R hand.  Punch and release.

Bo

Shushi no kon

Kata in the rain 2707

2106 (Sensei Nohara)

Fundamentals -ukes and tsukis, mai geri, shuto, hisa geri
Kata Naihanchi, Pinan and Passai (stayed with Naihanchi)

2506

Jamie Clubb's 10 round MMA workout, at over 30 degrees.  My heart rate was over 150 after the first two rounds, and so say I had to miss some bits out was an understatement, but kept trying.  Then kata to finish, including 1 legged Naihanchi

2606

Noah Legel's Naihanchi Seminar

2706

Kata
Funokoshi throws

To circle with the arm
Opponent attacks two handed, step back (L leg) and counter with two handed rising block.  Sink down (sliding R foot forward) and deliver two hammer fists to the sides.  Sink down further and take down by tackling behind the knees then pulling back

To hammer upside down

Opponent attack right handed high punch, step back (L leg) and counter with right hand rising block.  Slide (R leg) forward into Shiko dachi, sliding right shoulder under opponent's arm pit and taking hold of opponent's left thigh.  Lift and overturn, drive head into the ground.

Nunchaku

A run through various techniques and transitioning.

2806

Jamie Clubb's awareness seminar

Killing Time

Things are obviously staring to move on with regard to the current situation.   With my work, we are preparing for offices across Europe to re-open, but for me I'm in a state of Limbo.  It'd fairly certain my son won't be going back to School until September at the earliest.  For me, I don't really know what will be happening for the next few months or even until the end of the year.

Warm down kata 0806

What is required for work the next few months is already mapped out and 95% percent of the facets of my work can be done from home, until the main London office becomes re-occupied.  That isn'yt expected to be until maybe mid-August at the earliest.  However, as I am on the list of people who are expected to shield, they have only given an indication of what is expected until the end of the month.  That gives me a kind of limbo that means just now I am killing time until the point that I do know something more definite.  I many ways I am lucky, but I don't think anyone finds the limbo easy to deal with.

Kihons and kata

Karate is my touchstone for both physical and mental health, and overcoming the self-doubts caused the comments of others was an important thing.  Now I can carry on focusing on something I really enjoy doing, Due to the lack of room both inside and outside, for two people to train without close contact, I now take it in turns with my son, when we can, to make use of the outside, that seems to be working better too for both of us. 

After the rain

Towards the end of last week, I got a mail about something I had to check that I had been worrying about, and to be honest I was a bit nervous about looking to see how bad something was (not health or jobwise fortunately).  Missing out on Karate on the Saturday morning didn't help, but at least I made up for it with a training session based upon some ideas from my Sensei in the afternoon, and then on Sunday we had the Karate for Mental Health webinar to foucus on.  Some really excellent teachers there, and some good material to work on.

After the lesson (1106)

So today I took a look at what it was that was worrying me, as I have come to appreciate, sticking your head in the sand when decisions have to be made just doesn't work,  Things were as bad as I thought they might be, maybe a bit worse.  However, it was something I had anticipated and now I just have to get on with dealing with it, and it should be manageable.  There is actually a big release when you face up to something you have to deal with. So felt a lot less stressed going into today;s lesson which was a really good workout with a lot of sweat......

1306 Practice

So now to get on with things, work, karate, and those aspects of life that can be worked on, and for the rest it remains one day at a time.

Karate for Mental Health 14 06 20

Kata to coll down after today's lesson (1506)

Lessons and sessions

0806

Fundamentals
punches, ukes, kicks, including tobi mai geri,
kihon gata to Nanadan (7th), both sides
Naihanchi Shodan

1106

Kata
Pad work - punch. elbow, knee, hammerfist, palm strike, head butt


1306

Missed lesson - did short session based on instruction from my Sensei

3x1 minute shadow work rounds

1st round simple combos

2nd round clinch range strikes

3rd round ground techniques

1406

Seminar on Karate for Mental Health

Pad work - Brian Bates
Kata - Chris Hanson
Deep breathing - Don Came
Discussion - Les Bubka

1506

Zenkutsu dachi steps and steps with punches
Shiko dachi steps 
Naihanchi Dachi steps
Kata
The three Naihanchis, performance on Shodan and Nidan
Pad work - punch, palm, hammer fist, then puch, palm, palm, hammerfist combinatiom
Pad work, elbow strikes

Covid Blues and Dancing in the rain

This blog is one of the hardest I've had to write, as I think the best way to describe what I suffered from was a dose of the Covid blues.  It's been over eleven weeks now since I left the house, and the and after the 10th week it was like running into a brick wall.  Being on the at risk register makes you more aware of the risks, and seeing the country gearing up to go back to work, but coupled with the lack of responsibly some people seem to show put extra worries on top an already fraught household. 

After the 25th May lesson...

It's fair to say that my family has more than it's fair share of issues, some relating to mental health, which sit on top of my own health concerns.  My own mental health hasn't been the best, making more distracted and tetchy than usual.  The worrying prospect of having to go back to work on insanely crowded public transport, without any reasonable treatment having been found was looming on the horizon was and still is a big factor, but the final straw as it felt at the time was the weekend of the 30th of May.

Kata at dusk (27th May)

Watching footage of people piling on to beaches yet again, insane traffic queues following the government's ill advised (in my opinion) opening up of unlimited travel set the alarm bells ringing.  Then we found we had new neighbours...... They announced themselves with a barbecue with guests from outside the household.  There certainly wasn't space in their back garden to socially distance and it sounded like they were having an after barbeque drinks part inside as well.  It didn't feel safe to go out and train that day and honestly felt like Covid city had come home to roost on the doorstep 😔😔😔

Kata after 28th May Lesson

On top of that some cricitcism I got got stuck iny brain, so I didn't venture out for about for about three days.  In the middle of that was Jamie Chubb's seminar and a Nunchacku lesson, all indoors.  It's fair to say I felt nowhere near my normal levels of enthusiasm for doing karate. I had a mental health counselling session booked in for the Tuesday morning though, and these have been another thing that have kept my going.  I felt the need to do something positive prior to the session, so on the Tuesday morning, ventured out to do some kata in the garden.

2nd June, The dawn kata

That and the counselling helped, so I started to feel better about myself, though a lot of the worries still remain.  I ventured out the following morning in the early hours to get myself back in the habit of going outside, this time with a little improvised work and to keep pushing myself.

3rd June, Bo, kicks and kata

The Thursday lesson I did indoors due to a rather wet and inclement evening, bu there was no way I was staying in doors for the Saturday.  There was a bit of drizzle but to be honest it felt good to train outdoors again, both for the regular lesson and the bo lesson that followed.  Afterwards I did a bit of bo kihon and regular kata, still with a little bit of rain coming down, hence the title of that video "dancing in the rain" ☺☺☺☺

6th June, Dancing in the rain

Made sure I got outside again on the Sunday as well to do a bit of practice base on one of the week's lessons, plus a recap on the Nunchaku lesson from the week before.  Just got to keep on going and trying my best to live in the moment, and put to one side for now what the coming weeks might bring.  I will have to face those challenges when I come to them, but since I don't know what they will be, there is no point in worry in what they might be.  I must also try to keep my own reactions to situations on an even keel, and not take too much to heart.  These are my resolutions for the time being, as to how well I do going forward, only time will tell.

7th June, Ukes, nunchaku and kata

Lessons

2505

Jab, cross, step forward, RH jab, step forward LH, knee strike, RH elbow, head control. step forward, pivot of right foot to left takedown, 270 degree rotation, gyaku tsuki, stomp
Cat stance, inside scoop (of kick), step through into Shiko dachi, Right elbow strike takedown, gyaku tsuki, stomp
Outside sweeping block, Step in front leg, jab cross should be in there ( missed out in lesson) take down (hooking neck with forearm over shouider), gyaku tsuki, stomp
Inside sweeping block catstance, side kick, low sweep with left foot, elbow under, take back, stomping pick, gyaku Tsuki, stomp

2805

Fundamentals including tobi mai geri (jumping front kick) and outside block
kata
padwork on hooks, hammerfist and cutting elbow

3005

Guest lesson with Jamie Chubb - soft skills, use of the sprawl, checking for escape routes

Nunchaku lesson

Kihon kata, strike down, forearm touch, transition behind, figure of eight, transition behind, strike down

0406

Jodan uke in yoi, transition to Shiko dachi, jodan uke again
Chudan uke in yoi, transition to Shiko dachi, chudan uke again.
Shoto uke in yoi, transition to Shiko dachi, shoto uke again
Jodan uke, gedan uke, one side punch other, repeat both sides
Jodan uke, gedan uke, shoto uke one side punch other, repeat both sides
Jodan uke, gedan uke, shoto uke, chudan uke one side punch other, repeat both sides
Short piece of work on other uke combinations
Kata
Pad work on back fist
Kata

0606

Quadrant drill, individual elements, short section drills, through to mawashi geri
Jab, cross, front hand hook.
Hammer fist, looping left, back hand hook.
Front hand slap, cutting elbow, left upper cut, right uppercut
Left hand ridge hand, right hand shuto, gable grip, LH step back and drag, left knee, switch to RH drag and knee
Head butt, hands up, LH shoulder barge.
Right leg mawashi geri, back to stance, switch,left leg mawashi geri, back to stance, switch, hold out right leg mawashi geri, back to stance, spin through mawashi geri, round back to stance

Bo

First six kihon kata