We had a Kyu exam the other day. In general everyone did well, but unfortunately we had to fail a few people.
Failing is hard, both from the examinee's point of view and the examiner's point of view. Please do not think that we fail our students for no reasons or just because we can. We take the tests very seriously, and we are learning from them.
Some people voiced concerns that they didn't understand why they failed. It's OK to feel that way; you train because you don't know and/or you can't do. Don't think even for a second that you should pass just because you trained hard; if it works that way, we don't need a test and we simply give you a belt based on the attendance. We are testing your skill, and unfortunately some of you didn't meet the criteria of that specific rank. But we failed them because we know that they can get better and eventually pass.
What are we going to focus on for the next few weeks? Lots of kicking, lots of warm-ups since it's cold, lots of basic timing drills. New kata, of course. Oh, don't forget that we are resuming Enbu training, too. Don't tell me you already forgot the sequence!!
I can't believe it's almost the end of 2012... Well, maybe I can. It wasn't the best year for me but I had some great moments, and the dojo kept growing. We asked all our students to sign the automatic payment agreement; it was a big step for us, and we hope this will work for both you and us. And we thank all of you for your support for the dojo. (And please show your support by coming to the 2012 Oosoji on December 29!)
Winter training will take place soon - January 7-12. Ask Manny what it is about. You must experience it at least once in your martial arts training life, and believe me, it's not that bad!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
November 18 - December 8, 2012
The test is coming up in a week. Train hard; that's all I can say...!
And it's that time of the year again! For those who have trouble finding a good gift for someone you care, how about a gift of KARATE!? VMAC sells gift certificate for any amount ($10+) for 50% OFF!!! So you pay $60 and your friend gets 2 months of karate training; how about that?? Sorry but the certificates are good for new members only.
After the test, we are having a holiday potluck party. Bring your famous dish. I heard a rumor that Makoto will prepare some sushi...
We are doing the 2nd annual Dojo Oosoji on December 29th, right after the class. What is Oosoji? Come join us to find out! It will be a fun activity for an hour; bring a broom and terrycloth and wear a comfortable housekeeping clothes.
And it's that time of the year again! For those who have trouble finding a good gift for someone you care, how about a gift of KARATE!? VMAC sells gift certificate for any amount ($10+) for 50% OFF!!! So you pay $60 and your friend gets 2 months of karate training; how about that?? Sorry but the certificates are good for new members only.
After the test, we are having a holiday potluck party. Bring your famous dish. I heard a rumor that Makoto will prepare some sushi...
We are doing the 2nd annual Dojo Oosoji on December 29th, right after the class. What is Oosoji? Come join us to find out! It will be a fun activity for an hour; bring a broom and terrycloth and wear a comfortable housekeeping clothes.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
November 11 - 17, 2012
Exam is coming up in a month! It's time to come train everyday if you can. We will be going over your exam requirements in class, so don't miss it. Also, if you want to self-practice the Kihon (basics), get this book at the dojo for $10:
http://www.amazon.com/Shotokan-Karate-Kyu-level-Grading-Guidebook/dp/1470142120/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353208382&sr=1-1&keywords=1470142120
Also, we continue with our Enbu (choreographed fighting) training. Per request, below is the sequence that we practice. We have covered #1 and #5 so far, and #2-4 will be introduced over next 1-3 months. The total of this Enbu sequence will be about 1 minute.
VTK Enbu
1. L Punch face >>> Slide back
R Punch stomach >>> L Down block
L Outside block <<< R Punch stomach
R Hook punch face >>> L Rising block
2. (coming soon...)
3. (coming soon...)
4. (coming soon...)
5. R Step punch face >>> L Sweeping block + R hand on his L shoulder
R leg steps behind his R leg
Break fall <<< Push with R hand + control with L hand + Sweep (twist)
R Punch to face or stomach
Roll, then stand up <<< Push away (release L hand)
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! The dojo will be open as usual this week except for Thursday. If you plan on eating a lot over this holiday, come burn some calories before and after. We all just wanna relax during holiday season, but we all know that it feels good to come and sweat!
OK Leroy (and anybody else); I will be visiting Japan April 4-13 next year. Plan your trip if you want me to show you the dark side of Tokyo only the local people know...! :-)
http://www.amazon.com/Shotokan-Karate-Kyu-level-Grading-Guidebook/dp/1470142120/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353208382&sr=1-1&keywords=1470142120
Also, we continue with our Enbu (choreographed fighting) training. Per request, below is the sequence that we practice. We have covered #1 and #5 so far, and #2-4 will be introduced over next 1-3 months. The total of this Enbu sequence will be about 1 minute.
VTK Enbu
1. L Punch face >>> Slide back
R Punch stomach >>> L Down block
L Outside block <<< R Punch stomach
R Hook punch face >>> L Rising block
2. (coming soon...)
3. (coming soon...)
4. (coming soon...)
5. R Step punch face >>> L Sweeping block + R hand on his L shoulder
R leg steps behind his R leg
Break fall <<< Push with R hand + control with L hand + Sweep (twist)
R Punch to face or stomach
Roll, then stand up <<< Push away (release L hand)
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! The dojo will be open as usual this week except for Thursday. If you plan on eating a lot over this holiday, come burn some calories before and after. We all just wanna relax during holiday season, but we all know that it feels good to come and sweat!
OK Leroy (and anybody else); I will be visiting Japan April 4-13 next year. Plan your trip if you want me to show you the dark side of Tokyo only the local people know...! :-)
Saturday, November 10, 2012
September 30 - November 10, 2012
Long time no blogging! ...Sorry.
Since the last blog update, these events happened:
1.World Championships in Poland
2. AAKF Western Region new officers selected
3. Kyu-level Tournament
4. Nishiyama Memorial
1. World Championships
I placed in top 8 in both events I competed in (Kata and Fukugo). I learned a few things that I need to work on, and I know I can get better. Some people ask me for how many more years I will be competing, and I usually tell them that I will compete for another 4 years. I don't know about that for sure, but I think I will continue as long as I can get better and can motivate myself to improve as an athlete. Sure it's nice to win and to be able to call myself a "world champion" but the chance of me winning a gold is not that great. But I still have a few things that I want to improve (concerning competition matches), so let me see what I can do and take one year at a time... Next year we will be in Argentina for Pan American Championships.
By the way, competing and trying to win is only less than a half of the reason why I enjoy going to the international tournaments. The other half or more is the socializing part. I meet so many karate enthusiasts from all over the world and I'm so glad to be a part of this circle of friends!
2. Western Region New Officers
Our regional office has had the same officers for over 2 years, and now that we successfully completed the responsibility of hosting a national championships, it's time to select a new group of officers. The Big Ron served as Regional Director and I was his assistant. There also are Treasurer and Secretary positions. We recently elected Tati (a long-time NKI student) to be the new Director. And I nominated our own Manny Yumul to be the Secretary and he was elected! Good for him! Most of us don't see what the regional office does, but they host some regional events (seminars and exams) and to keep active communication between the dojos in the region. I hope Tati, Manny and others will put some new and fresh ideas to vitalize our region!
3. Kyu Tournament
Too bad we had no participants from other dojos this year, but it was fun and great learning experience, I thought. No one got seriously hurt. Thanks so much to all the judges who worked hard to support this event. I forgot to introduce them at the tournament, so here I go:
Aric Levin, 5th Dan, a long time Nishiyama student and an instructor at TKA (Avi's dojo)
Juan Balmaceda, 4th Dan, a long time Nishiyama student and the instructor at TKI in San Diego
Robert Dobes, 3rd Dan, a long time Nishiyama student and an instructor at NKI
...and our own Jon and Eiko. Thanks Kyle for serving as a timekeeper.
Results:
Lower Division (10-7th Kyu) Kata
1. Artur
2. Leroy
3. Shamane
Upper Division (6-1st Kyu) Kata
1. Jon
2. Makoto
3. Nate
Lower Division Kumite
1. Leroy
2. Artur
3. Tim
Upper Dvision Kumite
1. Jon
2. Leroy
3. Nate
We had 20 Kata matches and 27 Kumite matches! Again, the main purpose of a competition is for you to learn something from the experience. You're under stress. You want to look good in front of friends. You want to win. You want to beat up someone... When your mind is not so calm, bad habits kick in and you can't perform your best. Your body doesn't move as quick as it should. You feel sick to your stomach. Then you truly realize what your flaws and that you need to work on them. It's great that your hard work paid off and you win a medal, but I'd rather you try your best, lose and learn from that experience than you do a mediocre performance, win and think that you're invincible.
4. Nishiyama Memorial
Many of old-timers at LA Central Dojo got together at Sensei's grave site this morning, then came over to our dojo and had a good training conducted by Ron. We had about 20 or so people training, a little less than last year but still a good number for our floor space. And it's always nice to have different faces from different parts of town/country/world getting together for a common reason = Sensei Nishiyama's karate.
It was pretty busy month and half for me. Luckily (?) I have no family here in the States so I'm not busy during the holiday seasons; it's my time to relax a little. Speaking of my family, I will visit Japan in April for 10 days. Let me know if you want to come with me to carry my bag, etc. :-) I'm actually planning to teach a small seminar while I'm there.
Since the last blog update, these events happened:
1.World Championships in Poland
2. AAKF Western Region new officers selected
3. Kyu-level Tournament
4. Nishiyama Memorial
1. World Championships
I placed in top 8 in both events I competed in (Kata and Fukugo). I learned a few things that I need to work on, and I know I can get better. Some people ask me for how many more years I will be competing, and I usually tell them that I will compete for another 4 years. I don't know about that for sure, but I think I will continue as long as I can get better and can motivate myself to improve as an athlete. Sure it's nice to win and to be able to call myself a "world champion" but the chance of me winning a gold is not that great. But I still have a few things that I want to improve (concerning competition matches), so let me see what I can do and take one year at a time... Next year we will be in Argentina for Pan American Championships.
By the way, competing and trying to win is only less than a half of the reason why I enjoy going to the international tournaments. The other half or more is the socializing part. I meet so many karate enthusiasts from all over the world and I'm so glad to be a part of this circle of friends!
2. Western Region New Officers
Our regional office has had the same officers for over 2 years, and now that we successfully completed the responsibility of hosting a national championships, it's time to select a new group of officers. The Big Ron served as Regional Director and I was his assistant. There also are Treasurer and Secretary positions. We recently elected Tati (a long-time NKI student) to be the new Director. And I nominated our own Manny Yumul to be the Secretary and he was elected! Good for him! Most of us don't see what the regional office does, but they host some regional events (seminars and exams) and to keep active communication between the dojos in the region. I hope Tati, Manny and others will put some new and fresh ideas to vitalize our region!
3. Kyu Tournament
Too bad we had no participants from other dojos this year, but it was fun and great learning experience, I thought. No one got seriously hurt. Thanks so much to all the judges who worked hard to support this event. I forgot to introduce them at the tournament, so here I go:
Aric Levin, 5th Dan, a long time Nishiyama student and an instructor at TKA (Avi's dojo)
Juan Balmaceda, 4th Dan, a long time Nishiyama student and the instructor at TKI in San Diego
Robert Dobes, 3rd Dan, a long time Nishiyama student and an instructor at NKI
...and our own Jon and Eiko. Thanks Kyle for serving as a timekeeper.
Results:
Lower Division (10-7th Kyu) Kata
1. Artur
2. Leroy
3. Shamane
Upper Division (6-1st Kyu) Kata
1. Jon
2. Makoto
3. Nate
Lower Division Kumite
1. Leroy
2. Artur
3. Tim
Upper Dvision Kumite
1. Jon
2. Leroy
3. Nate
We had 20 Kata matches and 27 Kumite matches! Again, the main purpose of a competition is for you to learn something from the experience. You're under stress. You want to look good in front of friends. You want to win. You want to beat up someone... When your mind is not so calm, bad habits kick in and you can't perform your best. Your body doesn't move as quick as it should. You feel sick to your stomach. Then you truly realize what your flaws and that you need to work on them. It's great that your hard work paid off and you win a medal, but I'd rather you try your best, lose and learn from that experience than you do a mediocre performance, win and think that you're invincible.
4. Nishiyama Memorial
Many of old-timers at LA Central Dojo got together at Sensei's grave site this morning, then came over to our dojo and had a good training conducted by Ron. We had about 20 or so people training, a little less than last year but still a good number for our floor space. And it's always nice to have different faces from different parts of town/country/world getting together for a common reason = Sensei Nishiyama's karate.
It was pretty busy month and half for me. Luckily (?) I have no family here in the States so I'm not busy during the holiday seasons; it's my time to relax a little. Speaking of my family, I will visit Japan in April for 10 days. Let me know if you want to come with me to carry my bag, etc. :-) I'm actually planning to teach a small seminar while I'm there.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
September 16 - 29, 2012
I'm writing this actually an hour before my departure to Poland. Wish me luck! And thank you so much for donating for my trip. I will remember your face when I'm drinking beer in Poland... na zdrowia! :-)
We saw many trial students this month, and a couple of them joined. It's always nice to get new students, but where are some of our old timers?? We want you to come back, too!
I have a report: I got a new gi! It was actually a gift from the ITKF for competing in a tournament in San Diego. It is a special ITKF official gi, and so far only 22 of them have been produced. It's basically the same style as KI's Mugen gi, with a different label and a Japanese writing embroidered on the back of neck. This one surprisingly fits me well, but it feels a little bulky. I hope it will shrink a little more over time. Speaking of shrinkage, I measure the pants length and sleeve length before/after a wash. Sleeve did not shrink much: only 1/4", but the pants shrunk a lot: 1.5". I was surprised that the sleeves didn't shrink. And thanks to the pants getting shorter after a wash, I didn't have to alter them!
OK, I'll update again when I'm back. Oh, our tournament is coming up in little over a month; get ready!
We saw many trial students this month, and a couple of them joined. It's always nice to get new students, but where are some of our old timers?? We want you to come back, too!
I have a report: I got a new gi! It was actually a gift from the ITKF for competing in a tournament in San Diego. It is a special ITKF official gi, and so far only 22 of them have been produced. It's basically the same style as KI's Mugen gi, with a different label and a Japanese writing embroidered on the back of neck. This one surprisingly fits me well, but it feels a little bulky. I hope it will shrink a little more over time. Speaking of shrinkage, I measure the pants length and sleeve length before/after a wash. Sleeve did not shrink much: only 1/4", but the pants shrunk a lot: 1.5". I was surprised that the sleeves didn't shrink. And thanks to the pants getting shorter after a wash, I didn't have to alter them!
OK, I'll update again when I'm back. Oh, our tournament is coming up in little over a month; get ready!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
September 9 - 15, 2012
We've been working on Uke-waza (blocking technique). We'll continue with it for another week or so, mixing up some variations (sweeping blocks, hooking blocks, etc.).
Some of you are excited (perhaps a little too much) about the tournament in November. Good that you have a goal that motivates you to train hard. Winning a tournament only means that you happened to be better than your opponent that day, that time, in that specific situation. You can win simply by luck (as I have proven many times! :-p). What's important is that you train hard for it, and that you do your best in it. I hope you're enjoying the process.
For me personally, only 3 more weeks until the World Championships. Do you know what that means? Yes, only 3 more weeks and a few days until I can drink again...! :-)
Some of you are excited (perhaps a little too much) about the tournament in November. Good that you have a goal that motivates you to train hard. Winning a tournament only means that you happened to be better than your opponent that day, that time, in that specific situation. You can win simply by luck (as I have proven many times! :-p). What's important is that you train hard for it, and that you do your best in it. I hope you're enjoying the process.
For me personally, only 3 more weeks until the World Championships. Do you know what that means? Yes, only 3 more weeks and a few days until I can drink again...! :-)
Saturday, September 8, 2012
August 27 - September 8, 2012
It's been 2 weeks since the test, and most of you newly promoted students already learned the new Kata. Great! Keep working on it until all the details become natural to you and that you don't have to think about each step. At the same time, don't forget your previous Kata, as you have to be able to demonstrate all of them when you test for a black belt in the future...
We've been working on Uke-waza (blocking technique) for the past week or two. A block in Japanese is "Uke", which actually means "to receive", however, as I keep telling you, you can't passively wait and receive the incoming attack. You have to reach out and stop before the technique accumulates force, only then you can actually block that attack. Body snap together with forearm or wrist snap is crucial for a successful blocking technique, and we'll keep working on that as well.
Back by popular demand (a.k.a. Menefee and Chris' request), we're soon hosting a Kyu-level tournament! Sunday, November the 4th. Hoping to invite many from other dojos as well.
Book of the Month: Hidden Karate
My emphasis when teaching a Kata is to teach you to move properly, with precise stance with proper posture to execute correct body dynamics for a technique. There are many other schools that emphasize applications of Kata techniques, but I never learned Kata that way, and I feel it's more important and interesting (personally) to develop proper body mechanics. However my idea may be one dimensional and I would encourage you to investigate on different aspects of Karate/Kata on your own.
This book focuses on how to look at Kata as a set of practical fighting/self-defense techniques. Though I would disagree with some ideas, in general it is very well-thought and presented in details. It only covers Heian 1-5 & Tekki 1, but you may easily apply the same ideas when looking at other Kata as well. Skip the fist 1/3 of the book (unless you're really into it) and take a look at the photographed demonstrations of each Kata.
We've been working on Uke-waza (blocking technique) for the past week or two. A block in Japanese is "Uke", which actually means "to receive", however, as I keep telling you, you can't passively wait and receive the incoming attack. You have to reach out and stop before the technique accumulates force, only then you can actually block that attack. Body snap together with forearm or wrist snap is crucial for a successful blocking technique, and we'll keep working on that as well.
Back by popular demand (a.k.a. Menefee and Chris' request), we're soon hosting a Kyu-level tournament! Sunday, November the 4th. Hoping to invite many from other dojos as well.
Book of the Month: Hidden Karate
My emphasis when teaching a Kata is to teach you to move properly, with precise stance with proper posture to execute correct body dynamics for a technique. There are many other schools that emphasize applications of Kata techniques, but I never learned Kata that way, and I feel it's more important and interesting (personally) to develop proper body mechanics. However my idea may be one dimensional and I would encourage you to investigate on different aspects of Karate/Kata on your own.
This book focuses on how to look at Kata as a set of practical fighting/self-defense techniques. Though I would disagree with some ideas, in general it is very well-thought and presented in details. It only covers Heian 1-5 & Tekki 1, but you may easily apply the same ideas when looking at other Kata as well. Skip the fist 1/3 of the book (unless you're really into it) and take a look at the photographed demonstrations of each Kata.
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