This last month definitely felt stranger than many of it's predecessors: Motivation has been much harder than previously due to all sorts of factors, including pressures of work, periods of feeling down, worry about facing up to some difficult challenges and trying to work out some things at home.
Tandoku #1 1409
The continued worries about Covid-19 often plays on my mind, being on the high risk register, but no longer having the protection of government advice, and very often this colours my judgement on other issues. But no matter what, I have still tried to train, even if not as much as I would or should like.
Tandoku #2 1709
The onset of darker nights and worsening weather have also played their part. The ability to practice outside during the summer was a great help. Also, kobudo inside isn't too practical with bo and nunchaku. The one time I tried it, one vivarium and a light fitting nearly took the brunt, and a fly catcher was cleanly dispatched.
Naihanchi Pad drills #1-3 1909
From a karate standpoint, pad work has become a staple of our lessons over my period of isolation. This kind of makes my dojo's first offering on the month even more appropriate. We started working on an Iain Abernethy solo pad kata called Tandoku which translates as "isolation".
Compass points 2009
This was followed by the introduction of pad drills based on Nainhanchi which will be used in future gradings. Might be just me, but elements of these bore a strong resemblance to the moves in Tandoku. This probably bears out the the idea that there are only certain basic moves that the body can make, and they can be found in virtually all kata, if you look hard enough.
Homework 2409
When the weather was better I did some work on turns, aided by a video from my Sensei, based on moving the foot nearest the direction I wanted to face, whilst pivoting on the ball of the other foot. I worked on that a few times with both nunchaku and elbow strikes (thank you Brian Bates for that idea).
After the Jamie Clubb lesson 2609
Whilst work needs made it difficult to train, I have still been practicing my Naihanchi (Shodan and Nidan). I like to do them in three different ways, slow, deliberate (slow movement but sharper strikes) and normal (with full intent). Seems to be paying off, as my Sensei seem to think it's now much improved.
Kata 0310I now have to work on the speed of my wave kicks (more snap), lower hand position (sometimes my wrist droops), front block (hand occasionally wanders off to the side) and leaning into elbow strikes (leaning is giving bad posture). I think my movement and general posture has been one one the biggest improvements.
Naihanchi Technical 0810
One of the basic tenets it to maintain a stable base, and I seem to be getting there slowly. In amongst it all were a couple of different points. We had Jamie Clubb giving the fifth session of his seminars based on child confidence and self defence, plus on the 18th I attended an online seminar given by Hanchi Nakasone.
There was also a kobudo lesson based on the legal use of improvised weapons for self defence. The core of this are the nunchaku kihon gata we do, applied to things such as belts, dog leads, hand bags and socks containing something like a battery, mobile phone, or padlock (remenber to carry a key or the latter is an offensive weapon)
Pad Work and a bit of Nunchaku
A note on Hanshi Nakasone's seminar on Pinan Sandan and Yondan, the former referred to by a member of my family as the "Chicken dance (I will leave you to work out why ☺☺☺). A lot of it was very advanced, as you would expect, but it should have been no surprise that he uses a style similar to Goju, applied to Shorin Ryu kata and the end result looks very similar ro Tuiti (similar to Motobu Udundi). The seminar covered from the mid section of Pinan Sandan through Pinan Yondan. Including shoulder rolling uke followed by back hand strikes, how to harden your stance, soft techniques but hard bones, muchimi and feeling your opponent's moves, taking your oppenent's space etc.
1409 and 1709
Kata and Tandoku
Fighting stance right
Going forward, teisho, teisho, hammer fist
(go back to starting point)
Lh block, clasp head, bump into chest, head butt, two close in hammerfists (inside clasp)
Step to side (back leg moves round 90 deg) and open up, Lh slapping to neck, rh pulling hand to hip)
Teisho, elbow, teisho, knee (clasping head)
Bring right leg up behind left leg, crossing with right foot at 90 degrees to left
Pivot on right leg (twist providing torque) through 180 degrees whilst grasping head, head throw
(Opponent gets up - still controlling with clasp) - head butt knee, short upper cut x2, right cross
Repeat from fighting stance left (right foot forward) on other side
Upper cuts and right cross were the additions from 1709 lesson
1909
Kata
3 x Naihanchi pad drills
2409
Kicks
Tandoku
2609
Jamie Clubb lesson
0210
Kata
Cat stance and shuto practice
Padwork - teisho, hammerfist, knee, drag on back of head take down, step back into Naihanchi dachi, or shiko dachi, dropping weight to assist take down
1010
Fundamentals
Kata
Pad work
Naihanchi pad drills 1 and 3
#1Teisho, hammer fist, elbow, knee, step back drag down
#3 Step back foot across to side, low block, hook, back knee, front knee, head grasp, rotating drag down.<#2 Teisho, head clasp to shoulder, shoulder bump, head butt, back knee, front knee, head clasp, turning drag down>
17/10/2020
17/10/2020
Fundamentals
Kata
Pad work - elbow, shuto, head bump (3 in one), back leg knee step through, back leg knee step through, elbow, step back drag down (Shiko dachi)
Kubudo - sock with weight as weapon
Nunchaku drills applied to a home made "weapon" legal to use in self defence
18/10/2020
Nakasone Koichi; Pinan Sandan/Yondan/Godan kata bunkai seminar
From mid section of Pinan Sandan through Pinan Yondan. Including shoulder rolling uke followed by back hand strikes, how to harden your stance, soft techniques but hard bones, muchimi and feeling your opponent's moves, taking your oppentent's space etc.