Monthly Archives: October 2008

Today’s class was easy which is just great since I couldn’t kick my way out of a paper bag anyways. I am still too sore from yesterday’s half marathon. I’m as tired as can be, I am one tired puppy…yah, it rhymes! I did not try very hard today. Need…rest…might…not…survive… So all we did was Ko Tai Ran and some kata that I have not practiced enough. I just have not done enough to remember them all. Do kata number 9, I’m told. I have to count linear from kata 1 in my head so’s I know what it is. I need to practice them more so I can access them random. Random Access Memory is what I need. I will be grading in December. Lots of time. I know my major mistakes and I just need more practice. The worst is my cat stance. My shutos are the worst … Continue reading →

Thank god that’s over. In a way. I am soooo sore! So I’m glad I get a rest after three solid days of karate. I get to rest all day Sunday, then Monday morning it is a half-marathon. I just hope my sore bits heal up enough. Today’s class was easy on our poor overworked muscles as there was no warm-ups (other than what we did on our own before the class) and no push-ups, or anything else. Right from the start it was all action. We learned Shiro Matsu No Kon. Shiro Matsu is the name of the person who created the kata back in the umpteenth century. No Kon mean it is a Bo kata. It means “The Bo kata of Shiro Matsu” or something like that. The Bo is a wooden staff similar to a broomstick but thicker and stronger at about an inch and a half … Continue reading →

Tonight’s lesson with Tsumura Shihan was hard work but fun. It was still a little too crowded for my taste. We practiced kicking and sparring again followed by some Bo techniques. The pace was pretty intense. I forgot my belt at home and so I did not wear one. As a joke, Barrau Sensei offered me a white “belt of shame” and I said I would gladly wear it. The only problem was that it was too short and the ends ended up only about 6 inches long by the time I tied them. It fell off during the workout and I was told to just leave it and keep moving. The other instructors were told to remove their belts and tie them together. The instructors then stretched out the long ribbon of belts and we used that during kicking and sparring practice as a target to go over or … Continue reading →

I had a hard time understanding some of the Shihan’s instructions partly because I’m a little deaf, but mostly because of the unfamiliar Japanese – English mix of commands he was using and also the dojo was jam-packed with students and very noisy. My blood donation ended an hour before class. Because of that I took it easy on the push-ups and tried not to work my arm too much. Other than that it went well. Today’s class consisted mostly of punching and kicking drills and sparring practice. We learned some new techniques that I am sure were more about street fighting than karate, but I don’t know enough yet to be sure about this. As I expected, the Shihan adjusted his expectations (or seemed to) towards Marilyn and I because we are just orange belts. You can’t help but like him for that, ha ha. Tsumura Shihan seemed very … Continue reading →