Covid, karate and pennies dropping

 Due to work, I haven't been able to train as much as I did earlier in the Covid-19 outbreak, and that compounded by some stressful factors led to a flair up of my chest complaint.  My doctor insisted I got a Covid test done, even though I have been working from home and not socialising, waiting for the results only added to the mix.

2010 Kata as Breathing Exercise

Since I already have my own issues, mentally this set of circumstances didn't help either.  Medically I was told to take my crash pack of antibiotics and steroids, and as I had struggled on the previous Saturday lesson, I had to take it easy for a while.  I had to find something to compensate and focus on, and as is typical with me it was Karate.

22100 Slow kata gentle breathing

I put my kata to good use, both as a series of breathing exercises and as relaxation.  But then came the better news, I was Covid free: Thought it was time to start training again, even if only for a part of the lesson and not full speed: Form, rather than strength and speed. So on Saturday I did train again.  some of it I got near to full power, but the best part of it was a penny dropping......

 Kihons and knees 2410

This was my post in one of the Facebook forums:

"Muchimi, pad work and kihon: My dojo has concentrated on online training, plus outdoor training where possible, since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak. I have possibly trained more as a result and attended more seminars, but reached a "lights turned on" moment today. Recently, we have started working on knee adaptations of our kihon gata in place of kicks and today our sensei added pad work.

The kihons are very clean, with punch/ kick combinations, so swapping to knees was a change anyway, more in keeping with Shorin Ryu roots. But the addition of padwork introduces the idea of muchimi, as I realised afterwards. For example, the first kihon in my dojo is "jab, reverse punch, mai geri". the knee interpretation without pad is "jab, reverse punch, back leg knee".

Add in the pad, and this becomes "Jab, reverse punch, knee" but because the jab isn't retracted to keep the pad as a target, and the the reverse punch hand isn't retracted to support the pad for the knee: It becomes "Jab grasp, reverse punch grasp, knee" Maintaining contact with the head. Suddenly practice drills developed real intent for me. Does that make sense?"

My Sensei are always telling us about keeping contact in close quarter situations, but finally the penny dropped with some of our basic drills. One of these is given below as an example:

Kihon gata Shodan - different forms

The following day was "Karate Day" and the 100 kata challenge.  I signed up for it ages ago, but given the recent circumstances, I approached it with a certain amount of trepidation.   We were mostly going to do Naihanchi, so that wasn't a problem, but how long I would last potentially was.   I needn't have worried:  The first 20 were a real struggle, but then managed to clear my chest.   I managed the full 100, and though the other 80 weren't a walk in the park, they certainly felt more comfortable than the first 20 ☺☺☺

100 kata challenge

Much to my surprise, I even managed to make a midweek lesson on the following Thursday, and there was yet more new material introduced.  We worked mainly on kata and an old favourite: The Quadrant drill.  However towards the end of the lesson we were also introduced to some new pad drills, Naihanchi drills 4 and 5, so something more to work on ☺☺☺  The Saturday lesson was taken up by a Jamie Clubb webinar, featuring grappling and ant-grappling techniques, but for once I wasn't able to take an active part due to a few technical issues.  My son did though and he seemed to enjoy it ☺☺☺

That's it for now, thank you for reading if you got this far ☺☺☺

2410

Kata

Kihon gata to 7, knees and elbows

2510

100 kata challenge 3 Naihanchis (for me)

2910

Kata

Quadrant drill

5 Naihanchi pad drills

The two new ones:

4: push down and uppercut, roll into backfist, clinch and knee into heel stomp, cm neck crank takedown.

5: Percussive clinch, knee, hammerfist into side of head/jaw, forearm strike into base of skull (forgot to do this in tonight's lesson), turn and throw into wall/person/ environment.

3110

Jamie Clubb - grappling

A bit more Aussie Magic and the value of variety.

The last few weeks have been even more demanding from a work perspective.  I haven't trained as often as I would like, but when I have there have been some interesting sessions.  Perhaps the strangest was at 01:00 hours on a Saturday morning over Zoom with Sensei Tuari Dawson and the Cairns Dojo, at the invite of Sensei PJ Broomy. 😀

2408 - Compass point work

The lesson was in kobudo, and I needed to do it outdoors due to the lack of space inside, when wielding a bo or nunchaku.  I did a bit of a warm up on my own, but then the lesson started.  It was to cover a lot more than I expect as it turned out to be an introduction to bo, tonfa, nunchaku and sai. 😀

2908  - Before the Lesson

We learn bo and nunchaku in my doji, but not tonfa and sai. Not at my level anyway, so learning something new is always a fun challenge.  Tonfa I just had to watch, as I don't have any, but was able to borrow my son's sai (onlysmaller ones) to have a go it that.  It started to rain part way through, so trying to learn in the rain whilst keeping my tablet dry was a challenge on it's own 😀

2908 - Bo, tonfa, nunchaku and sai

Fortunately I was able to move back inside for the sai part of the lesson, which is just as well, as handling sai proved to be tricky enough as it was, without adding to it by trying to handle slippery weapons in the rain!  All in all though, was a fun lesson, with an excellent Sensei. 😀😀 Plus I still managed it fit in my regular Saturday  training in both karate and bo.

2908 - Working the compass again

Even on days where I miss training due to work, I still try to fit something in later on, and one of the predominant themes at the moment are the 10 kihon gata.  I can finally remember all 10, though not in random order as yet 😀  However, that spinning hook kick in gata number 9 just isn't there yet.

3108 - An Evening workout

I think from my own dojo, the best lesson for me was one where they taught combinations of knee strikes, and elbow strikes.  My limited abilities make the use of knees very attractive, as well as being effective.  What was the clincher for me though was the realisation that the whole range of kicking techniques we use include knee strikes.  😀😀

0509

At close range, a mawashi geri is of no use, but if you do a roundhouse knee and they move away, it turns immediately into a mawashi geri.  Similary a straight knee can be turmed into a mai geri, and I guess something like a ushiro geri could be a knee to the side followed by a kick behind.  Similar extensions can also be applied to elbow strikes, a downward elbow can be extended into a hammer fist, a crashing elbow can be extended into a back fist, and so on.

0809

The brain also needs to be fed, and after the lesson in knees and elbows, I had the privilege of attending a zoom lecture by Patrick McCarthy, but more of that in another blog. The important thing is the variety and mental stimulus it brings.  In times of uncertainy, an anchor point for anybody can be something such as karate.  The routine of training being maintained is a conforting one, however if all it contains is endless repetition of the same things trhen the end result cam be couner productive.

1009

For me, the lockdown has given many challenges, but the constant of having more opportunities to train, and the regular nature of the framework, has been a constant about which I have been able to build a routine to cope with both my physical and mental health issues  However, having done this for over five months now, if there wan't any variety the value would have been greatly reduced.

1209

As well as doing the routine training, it has been necessary for me to go outside the box as well as rely on the lesson, but I think anyone who wants to progress in any direction has to do this anyway.  I have been lucky in that my Sensei, Ben and Alison Slack, always try to work something in over a period of time that we haven't done in the same way before, or expand on what we have done before.

Also, if people wanted to (and I did), they have offered the opportunity to work with different instructors as well, via Zoom.  I have had the incredible luck to be able to train with Brian Bates, PJ Broomy, Les Bubka, Don Came, Jamie Clubb, Chris Hanson and Sensei Nohara, and though PJ train with Senei Tuari Dawson.  I have taken part of a "lockdown" pub quiz with my dojo, hosted by Iain Abernethy and attended lectures by Andreas Quast and Patrick McCarthy, so what can I say?

To cope with massive uncertainty, a strong routine is a massive plus in being able to be able to cope.  But to to be of any value, the routine has to have a degree of variety built in, and preferably with the opportunity to develop things further for the students if they wish.  I am glad to say that my Sensei offer all of that, and on a personal level have been so supportive I can never thank them enough 

2408

Kata, all 10 kihon gata

2908

Sensei Tuari Dawson

Kobudo - Bo, Tonfa, Nunchaku and Sai - introduction and drills

Regular lesson

Teisho and escape practice
Step back Zenkutsu dachi with hooking receives (FH) - upper tudan uke, tudan uke, gidan uke, to receive same sided stirke and open up the back.  Working in the after.
Kata, pad work. - Face slap (to ear cup). head to chest clasp, shoulder barge, head but, elbow. Then wall trap drill. Slide to side, groin slaps, head control, turn into Zebkutsu dachi to drive head into wall, then hammerfirst or downard elbow strikes to finish.

Bo,

First 6 kihon gata, followed by short run through of what each person remembers  from Shushi no kon

3008

Jamie Clubb

Discipline - including cued padwork, with one and two attackers

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Kata
Quadrant drill
Pad work - gross motor skills, hammerfist, teisho, elbow, knee, turning takedown

Nunchaku

Kihon gata, including one legged stance

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Fundamentals

Kihon gata

Pad work

Teisho, hammer fist, elbow, knee, step through, turning throw (back leg move across, front leg pull back)

Groin strikes x 3, knee, turning throw (as above)

Kata - asked to perform

Groin strikes x 3

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Kata

knee strikes, straight knee, roundhouse knee, Inside knee

Four in combination

Elbow strikes, Cutting elbow, rising elbow, dropping elbow, spinning elbow, 

four in combination

Bo

Kihon gata., going forward and backwards

Lecture 

Patrick McCarthy Standing of the shoulders of giants

Australia calling

This last week or so has been extremely hectic from a work point of view, and unfortunately Monday lessons seem to have been mostly lost as a result.  However, there have been a few plusses.  Getting to practice some Motobu Choki drills was one, but the biggest was definitely getting to train with my friend PJ Broomy from Australia online twice in a week ☺☺☺☺

Relaxation kata - June 29

On Wednesday last we had a one on one session in the morning UK time and covered some interesting stuff (lesson details and video here also).  Not only was the practical material, but some interesting discussion too, for me at least ☺☺☺☺☺☺  The different mechanism for punching that his style uses is interesting, along with the simple and direct methods of takedown. These are a lot easier to remember for me than those of Funokoshi Gishin, however those techniques also include transitions afterwards that add to the direct techniques shown by PJ.  

Fundamentals plus kata - June 30

So in my thing of these techniques as two parts, the direct part that should work and then the transition you can do if it doesn't.  Sandwiched in between the two lessons with PJ (he was one of two guest Sensei at our Saturday lesson), was our regular Thursday lesson where we went back to basics with kihon gata, and punches and responses.  Fundamental techniques always need working on ☺☺☺

Australia calling - 1st July

The Saturday lesson was extra special, Sensei Ben featured getting up from the ground with cover, and the first of the Motobu Choki drills I had missed in a previous lesson.  This drill was so direct, it was easy to remember and see how it could be effective.  Love it. ☺ 

After the lesson - 2nd July

For PJ's part of the lesson, we went through the ukes I had practiced earlier in the week with him, plus the sequence of five ukes and the three take downs featuring palm strike,chudan uke and gidan barai respectively.  All simple techniques, but that is what should make the combination work more effective, as they are also easier to remember than more complex combinations. ☺☺☺☺

5 blocks in sequence - 3rd July

Brian Bates' section of the lesson focused on four ditrctional elbow strikes, with and without pads.  Brian's emthusiasm and encouragement is superb and communicates well, even online.  We also did 30 minutes of bo basics.  All in all, a brilliant lesson ☺.  Thank you all 🙏

Lesson - 4th July

I missed the Monday lesson again due to work, but tried to make up a little bit by practicing a four directional mawashi empi drill and having a go at the first three of Motobu Choki's Kumite drills over the next couple of days.  Hopefully, we will get back to some kind of normal soon.

Kata after the lesson - 4th July

Kata - 5th July

Press ups, Mawashi Empi, Naihanchi - 6th July

Motobu Choki drills, Naihanchi - 7th July

0107

PJ Broomy session

Punches + retracted punch (short retraction after delivery of punch). Discussed atifa, technique for transferring power into opponents body (result of retracted punch) Receiving techniques + different gidan ukes Combining sequence of the 5 ukes Comparison of gidan uke (as opposed to gidan barai) to Pinan Shiko dachi step through with elbows on hips Comparison of transitioning for example in Naihanchi on double block. PJ style hand going upwards goes on inside so that descending hand can pull. Practical application of yoi - discussed muchini, stickiness Three throws Pull with front hand to hip, step forward and strike to chin / throat with advancing hand Pull with front hat to hip, step forward with chudan uke as hammerfirst Strong front arm gidan barai (uke) as sweep to block strike and spin them to expose the back Comparison with Techniques illustrated in one of Funokoshi Gichin's books, and demonstrated by my Sensei, which require rotation after the technique

0207

Kata
Kihon kata
Jab and response
Back hand and response
Front hand hook and response
Response sequence
1) jab - sway to back hand side, back hand block, front hand simultanious strike to just behind the elbow
2) backhand punch, small step to side with front leg.  Head moves to front foot side, front hand pushes across, back hand straight punch to solar plexus
3) front hand hook, step forward, front hand blocks with jodan uke, backhand upper cut.

0407

Ben

Going down and getting up with cover
Motobu drill, open hand fighting stance, step forward R leg, hand trap (L Hand) and cover (R Arm), drop right elbow into ribs and push away

PJ

Ukes individual and combining sequence of the 5 ukes (Jodan uke, Chudan uke, Soto uke, Gidan barai, Gidan uke)
Three throws Pull with front hand to hip, step forward and strike to chin / throat with advancing hand Pull with front hat to hip, step forward with chudan uke as hammerfirst Strong front arm gidan barai (uke) as sweep to block strike and spin them to expose the back

Brian

Mawashi Empi style drill
Left leg forward, set forward right leg rising elbow (R) (12h), turn to 6h Mawashi Empi (L), 3h dropping elbow (R), 9h hammer down elbow (L). Then with pads - need to remember footwork.
Free striking to pads with elbows, several strikes them get away.
Defensive, cover, crash, technique then get away.

Bo lesson

Kihon gata