We will be spending time on your Kata, Kihon and some basic timing drills (Sen and Go-no-sen). Dojo has been cold for the past few days again; is it time to do another good warm-up circuit drills?? Let me think...
Sunday, March 18, 2012
March 11 - 17, 2012
I wish I could continue with more sweeping and throwing techniques (I bought a good book for that; coming soon to "Book of the Month"??) but it's time to shift to the basics and to get you all ready for the exam. I can't possibly cover everyone's exam requirement equally, so if you feel like I'm not paying enough attention to your level, ask me questions before/after a class or schedule a private lesson soon. The good thing about our karate is that you learn one point and you can apply it in different situations (i.e., you learn to move from the floor in Kata and you can do the same when you spar) so there is no waste. However, there are certain techniques or moves that we don't spend much time on during regular classes yet you have to be proficient at when you test - so start early, get used to what you have to do, and be prepared mentally and physically. I do my best to teach you, but you're responsible for your own learning!
Monday, March 12, 2012
March 4 - 10, 2012
Practicing sweeping... Sorry if you have sensitive legs/feet. The good news is, that we are moving on to a new subject now. The bad news is, if you don't like practicing sweeps, you're likely to get swept when you compete... I learned it the hard way.
On Thursday the 8th we had 18 people on the mat! Then on Saturday the 10th there were only 3 students. NO ONE from our dojo was here for the advanced class, and Kamil and his gangs kicked my behind. Seriously, I hurt my hand and can barely make a fist. Oh, maybe this is a sign that I have to work harder on my kicks - and that means, our students have to, too! :-)
The exam is less than 6 weeks away. I'm guessing not everyone is testing this time, or perhaps many will fail. In case you forget, the test only gets harder as you get advanced. It's fine as long as you keep on training regularly. I'll start mixing some exam stuff in the training, so don't miss out!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
February 26 - March 3, 2012
Practicing leg sweeps this week and the next. I must admit that this is not my favorite technique and I'm rarely able to make it work in a free-sparring. But I still like to practice it because at least I can get more comfortable with it and learn how to avoid getting swept.
Thank you so much to those who took me out on my birthday! It was a great night out and I thoroughly enjoyed it and my Facebook profile pic proves it! Now I want my birthday gift from every one of you... COME TRAIN MORE OFTEN! Those of you who are thinking of testing, it's less than 2 months away. Get your practice time in, ask for a help if you have any problems. Take a private lesson or two if you must. I'm working hard to create a material that hopefully would help your test preparation, and here is a sneak preview:
Book of the Month has already been placed on the bookshelf. It's Karatedo Kyohan written by Master Funakoshi (the picture on our dojo wall, the left one). I used to have this book but misplaced it (how?? It's a big book and I don't think I gave it to anyone!) so I had to get another one for the dojo. This is a limited edition and not is no longer available. There is a book with the same title readily available at a bookstore, however, the photographs had been swapped with someone else's therefore it's not the same book. Anyway, it's surprising to see how different our karate looks from what this Master demonstrates in the book, but I'm sure the principles remain the same.
An announcement: our region's effort of fundraising for the Nationals continues - They are having yet another Garage Sale in Santa Monica on Saturday, March 24. Please donate any unwanted items that you think can sell. We had our own Garage Sale a few months ago and made a few hundred bucks (thanks to my chair collections! :-)) and we're trying to make even more this time. Gather stuff at our dojo, and I will take them to Santa Monica. Your help would be highly appreciated.
Thank you so much to those who took me out on my birthday! It was a great night out and I thoroughly enjoyed it and my Facebook profile pic proves it! Now I want my birthday gift from every one of you... COME TRAIN MORE OFTEN! Those of you who are thinking of testing, it's less than 2 months away. Get your practice time in, ask for a help if you have any problems. Take a private lesson or two if you must. I'm working hard to create a material that hopefully would help your test preparation, and here is a sneak preview:
Book of the Month has already been placed on the bookshelf. It's Karatedo Kyohan written by Master Funakoshi (the picture on our dojo wall, the left one). I used to have this book but misplaced it (how?? It's a big book and I don't think I gave it to anyone!) so I had to get another one for the dojo. This is a limited edition and not is no longer available. There is a book with the same title readily available at a bookstore, however, the photographs had been swapped with someone else's therefore it's not the same book. Anyway, it's surprising to see how different our karate looks from what this Master demonstrates in the book, but I'm sure the principles remain the same.
An announcement: our region's effort of fundraising for the Nationals continues - They are having yet another Garage Sale in Santa Monica on Saturday, March 24. Please donate any unwanted items that you think can sell. We had our own Garage Sale a few months ago and made a few hundred bucks (thanks to my chair collections! :-)) and we're trying to make even more this time. Gather stuff at our dojo, and I will take them to Santa Monica. Your help would be highly appreciated.
Lastly, renew your AAKF membership, please! I'm collecting the forms and dues for now, and will forward them to the region in 10 days. If you want to save $10, you have 10 more days left to give me the form and $20.
February 19 - 25, 2012
We finished focusing on the combination attack. Moving on to the next topic... Sweeping.
Practice sweeping carefully/gently, as we have a few with very sensitive feet and legs. We are practicing against a stable target; ANYONE can kick the leg hurt it when the opponent is not moving, duh! The point, as usual, is how to make a proper technique, with minimum effort resulting in maximum effect. It requires good timing, just like any other technique we practice. Be kind to each other and learn from each other. Brown belts, come to the advanced class so that you can really test those techniques full speed!
Practice sweeping carefully/gently, as we have a few with very sensitive feet and legs. We are practicing against a stable target; ANYONE can kick the leg hurt it when the opponent is not moving, duh! The point, as usual, is how to make a proper technique, with minimum effort resulting in maximum effect. It requires good timing, just like any other technique we practice. Be kind to each other and learn from each other. Brown belts, come to the advanced class so that you can really test those techniques full speed!
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