I've moved most of my blogs off of Blogger because they don't let me do what I wanna do with my design as well.
So, eventually this site will be moving across to another publishing spot and I'll put pictures n wonderful stuff up because the design will support more and it'll be easier to do things like link exchanges, etc.
Stay tuned, I plan to have most of the updates done by the time I go to first class on Saturday morning, so when I come back I can write all about First Day Back!!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Troubles writing, "disrespecting Sensei"
I want to write here.
I really do.
I'm hoping that the start-back of the kyu club's training this Saturday inspires me towards writing, however, because there's a lot of positive energy there.
Within me, however, is frustration and a lack of faith in the future of what we know as "our organization".
When I'm in the kyu club, things are pretty great - I enjoy the people I see on a bi-weekly basis, I love watching everyone learn and progress and sweat and try hard. I love how they challenge me to keep going when I'm tired, how they help me learn further by allowing me to become their Sensei for a few minutes. I love how the instructors support my need to be a leader and learn from leadership of others.
But, outside of this little bubble of greatness, the world of "our organization" is very small these days. Fewer clubs, clubs with fewer students, fewer competitive-aged folk... Fewer is starting to look like a made-up word now.
There are whispers about new associations with larger karate bodies, but we're going from being "the center of things" to being someone else's periphery and that's a huge step back in my eyes, so I find it tremendously difficult to find any kind of excitement for it.
I actually hadn't realized that whole "from center to satellite" thing quite so clearly until now.
I started out in a smaller community that wasn't at the center of the things going on in our style of martial art - at a local YM/YWCA that rented facilities to my older brother, who had taken up martial arts after leaving home and had attained the rank of black belt before I left home and moved in with him to go to University. Being in the small community setting and being a low-ranked student, the fact that there was MAYBE one tournament a year that we'd go to didn't bother me. I didn't even know about the wonders of training camps or seminars or officiating seminars at the time, and I was still strongly addicted to karate itself.
Then, I moved to a new city and into the "center" of karate things within an organization. I was at the club where the Officiating seminars were held, the club with the guy who was one of three instructors at a big yearly summer camp and held his own camps and seminars at various times of the year - all of which were well-attended and a lot of fun.
But time has passed, times have changed. Students and instructors have come and gone. The head guy is still the head guy, but the followers are not of the same number or quality, especially after a large and painful split that happened about two years ago. Camps are non-existant. Seminars were as well for a few years but now there's a couple here and there - but I'm not entirely sure attendance foots the bill.
Seems to me that the "central" bit has gone down the drain fast. Now we've got a bunch of well-trained Officials and the tournaments are still being handled well, but the rest is in shambles at a high level from my view.
At a low level - life goes on. The regular club people have no clue that there were ever week-long Summer camps in the summer that were torturous and painful but some of the most incredible karate experiences they'd ever have and the most rewarding socializing they'd have on a repeat basis... that there were Seminars that would bring in people from many hours away and then bring you to THEIR club, many hours away, 6 months later to continue the karate friendships.
All they know is that they like their instructor and fellow karateka, what they're doing is fun, and (for some of them) sometimes they get to compete with it.
It pains me to think about retreating to that level of expectation for my martial art.
And for this reason, I cannot honestly say I have any interest in "ramping up" for a Nidan testing as I had been planning upon in the past. It feels dishonest to contemplate otherwise when all I'm truly interested in is enjoying the "bubble" that is my kyu rank club and staying away from the negativity that permeates the high-level dojo.
The next entry will be much more up-beat and talking about the fun parts of karate, I promise!
I really do.
I'm hoping that the start-back of the kyu club's training this Saturday inspires me towards writing, however, because there's a lot of positive energy there.
Within me, however, is frustration and a lack of faith in the future of what we know as "our organization".
When I'm in the kyu club, things are pretty great - I enjoy the people I see on a bi-weekly basis, I love watching everyone learn and progress and sweat and try hard. I love how they challenge me to keep going when I'm tired, how they help me learn further by allowing me to become their Sensei for a few minutes. I love how the instructors support my need to be a leader and learn from leadership of others.
But, outside of this little bubble of greatness, the world of "our organization" is very small these days. Fewer clubs, clubs with fewer students, fewer competitive-aged folk... Fewer is starting to look like a made-up word now.
There are whispers about new associations with larger karate bodies, but we're going from being "the center of things" to being someone else's periphery and that's a huge step back in my eyes, so I find it tremendously difficult to find any kind of excitement for it.
I actually hadn't realized that whole "from center to satellite" thing quite so clearly until now.
I started out in a smaller community that wasn't at the center of the things going on in our style of martial art - at a local YM/YWCA that rented facilities to my older brother, who had taken up martial arts after leaving home and had attained the rank of black belt before I left home and moved in with him to go to University. Being in the small community setting and being a low-ranked student, the fact that there was MAYBE one tournament a year that we'd go to didn't bother me. I didn't even know about the wonders of training camps or seminars or officiating seminars at the time, and I was still strongly addicted to karate itself.
Then, I moved to a new city and into the "center" of karate things within an organization. I was at the club where the Officiating seminars were held, the club with the guy who was one of three instructors at a big yearly summer camp and held his own camps and seminars at various times of the year - all of which were well-attended and a lot of fun.
But time has passed, times have changed. Students and instructors have come and gone. The head guy is still the head guy, but the followers are not of the same number or quality, especially after a large and painful split that happened about two years ago. Camps are non-existant. Seminars were as well for a few years but now there's a couple here and there - but I'm not entirely sure attendance foots the bill.
Seems to me that the "central" bit has gone down the drain fast. Now we've got a bunch of well-trained Officials and the tournaments are still being handled well, but the rest is in shambles at a high level from my view.
At a low level - life goes on. The regular club people have no clue that there were ever week-long Summer camps in the summer that were torturous and painful but some of the most incredible karate experiences they'd ever have and the most rewarding socializing they'd have on a repeat basis... that there were Seminars that would bring in people from many hours away and then bring you to THEIR club, many hours away, 6 months later to continue the karate friendships.
All they know is that they like their instructor and fellow karateka, what they're doing is fun, and (for some of them) sometimes they get to compete with it.
It pains me to think about retreating to that level of expectation for my martial art.
And for this reason, I cannot honestly say I have any interest in "ramping up" for a Nidan testing as I had been planning upon in the past. It feels dishonest to contemplate otherwise when all I'm truly interested in is enjoying the "bubble" that is my kyu rank club and staying away from the negativity that permeates the high-level dojo.
The next entry will be much more up-beat and talking about the fun parts of karate, I promise!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tough To Write Here
I've thought about this blog a lot, over time.
I mean, not thought about it for hours at any one time or anything, but a few times a month I remember this blog and feel somewhat frustrated that I'm having difficulties finding topics to write about here.
General Update
I still train Shotokan karate, twice a week, at a kyu rank ("beginner to intermediate") club that has two highly reliable instructors, both with many years of training and who rank higher than 3rd dan.
Part of training at this club includes senior students teaching junior students, so I not only train, but get regular opportunities to improve my understanding of karate through helping others improve. I aspire to be Sensei one day and am very glad for this low-pressure environment in which to practice and learn before taking on the full responsibility that "Sensei" entails.
I take in weekend seminars when they come around, but haven't hit a full four-class seminar since I started back in the fall of 2003 at 1st kyu.
Since I got my Shodan in April of 2005, I'm time-eligable to grade for Nidan. There's a grading coming up in late June but I have not been working towards it. Instead, I'm mentally aiming for the January/February timeframe, when we generally have our first big seminar for the year.
Even though I'm not actively working towards the grading coming up in a month's time, I still spend time working on the various components of the Nidan grading. When it comes time to test, the last thing I want to convey is any hesitation in delivering a test that is largely handed to us in advance.
Re-Association Tumult
That being said, things are changing in our organization... we disconnected from one group and hooked up with another at a level slightly higher than our National senior guy, and the new National leader has tie-ins to Shotokan Karate that have been influenced by Sensei Asai.
Soooo.... the last few years have been tumultuous if one looks only at the black belt tests being administered and at the new kata being taught at our seminars and at the black belt/instructor club level. Looking at the club-level, there's been limited tumult from the re-association, however. So far.
Peering Into The Future
Quite frankly, this re-association and some other semi-related things and happenings have me worried about the future of our association. This is the reason why I haven't wanted to write in my blog. I've been frustrated for quite a while, and it wasn't until recently that the core bits of that frustration have begun to come to light in my own head and heart.
So, now maybe I can write on some of those core topics, instead of worrying about getting caught in the goo and gumbo of emotion that I'll hereby label the "symptoms" of the core topics.
Come back and check out my first topic, on the subject of starting karate young and a kid's progression to black belt, some time soon.
I mean, not thought about it for hours at any one time or anything, but a few times a month I remember this blog and feel somewhat frustrated that I'm having difficulties finding topics to write about here.
General Update
I still train Shotokan karate, twice a week, at a kyu rank ("beginner to intermediate") club that has two highly reliable instructors, both with many years of training and who rank higher than 3rd dan.
Part of training at this club includes senior students teaching junior students, so I not only train, but get regular opportunities to improve my understanding of karate through helping others improve. I aspire to be Sensei one day and am very glad for this low-pressure environment in which to practice and learn before taking on the full responsibility that "Sensei" entails.
I take in weekend seminars when they come around, but haven't hit a full four-class seminar since I started back in the fall of 2003 at 1st kyu.
Since I got my Shodan in April of 2005, I'm time-eligable to grade for Nidan. There's a grading coming up in late June but I have not been working towards it. Instead, I'm mentally aiming for the January/February timeframe, when we generally have our first big seminar for the year.
Even though I'm not actively working towards the grading coming up in a month's time, I still spend time working on the various components of the Nidan grading. When it comes time to test, the last thing I want to convey is any hesitation in delivering a test that is largely handed to us in advance.
Re-Association Tumult
That being said, things are changing in our organization... we disconnected from one group and hooked up with another at a level slightly higher than our National senior guy, and the new National leader has tie-ins to Shotokan Karate that have been influenced by Sensei Asai.
Soooo.... the last few years have been tumultuous if one looks only at the black belt tests being administered and at the new kata being taught at our seminars and at the black belt/instructor club level. Looking at the club-level, there's been limited tumult from the re-association, however. So far.
Peering Into The Future
Quite frankly, this re-association and some other semi-related things and happenings have me worried about the future of our association. This is the reason why I haven't wanted to write in my blog. I've been frustrated for quite a while, and it wasn't until recently that the core bits of that frustration have begun to come to light in my own head and heart.
So, now maybe I can write on some of those core topics, instead of worrying about getting caught in the goo and gumbo of emotion that I'll hereby label the "symptoms" of the core topics.
Come back and check out my first topic, on the subject of starting karate young and a kid's progression to black belt, some time soon.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The Glory of Watching Kyu Ranks Improve
While I don't write regularly, I still train at least semi-regularly. Right now I'm training two days a week, plus weekends have been very full in the past month with seminars and tournaments.
Qualifying Tournament
Last weekend we had a qualifying tournament for kyu ranks/colored belts to secure their spot in our Provincial tournament coming up at the end of April, and we had 8 or so of the students competing. I believe everyone got at least one medal, and most qualified for the next tournament in each event they went into, as well.
It's sure fun to watch students develop throughout the years, and tournament time seems to be concentrated into a mode of "super fun". Nowhere (except perhaps during testing) will a student be more focused or do a more powerful kata than when competing in tournament, and of course, nowhere else will they get the chance to pit their fighting skills against their peers in quite the same way. Sure, we practice kumite in class, but without the control of the whole 'match' situation and the adrenaline that comes along with the event, it's not the same.
One of our teenaged brown belts recently turned 15 and because there weren't enough competitors in the 14-17 age bracket, got tossed into the adult category. Wow, did he ever shine! Being a tall guy all his life, until he turned 14 he had been pitted up against people so much shorter than him that he could never really get "in" to the whole fighting process. This time he was against people BIGGER than him... people who could take a few whacks - and he dished a few out, that's for sure! I know he took a few good smacks as well, but all in all he came out of his two fights very happy with how it went. A couple of us black belts said some nice things to him about it all and he blushed and got all shy about it - it was obvious how much fun he had and how happy he was with his own performance, but also obvious that he's a very shy and quiet guy.
Preparing For Testing
As usual in a kyu-rank club, there's a handful of people who are gearing up to test for their next rank over the next month or two.
We've got a "young adult" student (over 18, under 22) with a bit of a learning disability who joined in September and has VERY recently figured out the last wee bit he needs to figure out in order to successfully grade for his yellow belt (8th kyu). I was really happy to see him doing all of his turns correctly last night when I got a chance to stand back and watch him go through Heian Shodan. This guy's two brothers have trained for over a year each and in January his father joined in as well, so we regularly have three or four people from that family training at any class we have. They all focus mentally very well and have very strong techniques and put maximum effort into learning and performing. I love those kinds of families!
We have a couple yellow and orange belts who are likely going to test for their next rank come the end of March, as well.
Last night's senior class was all about the three 5th kyu purple belts and getting them geared up for the next testing as well. We worked on Heian Godan and each of the three students got a lot of individual attention from our 5th dan instructor, and each 5th kyu also got a chance to help correct the other 5th kyus, as yet another way to demonstrate their level of understanding of what they were working on as a group. It worked well, everyone demonstrated solid understanding even if they couldn't get their bodies to obey the mental knowledge. (welcome to purple belt, that's normal)
My Own Training
My training these days is mainly about keeping at it and trying to be relaxed as much as possible while doing it. I got my 1st dan/Shodan in April of 2005 and am planning to gear up for a December 2007 or February 2008 testing for 2nd dan/Nidan. In the mean time I keep training, keep officiating, keep instructing when the senior black belts can't be around. And of course, I'll compete in the upcoming Provincials and Nationals competitions cuz they're fun, too!
How's your training coming along?
Qualifying Tournament
Last weekend we had a qualifying tournament for kyu ranks/colored belts to secure their spot in our Provincial tournament coming up at the end of April, and we had 8 or so of the students competing. I believe everyone got at least one medal, and most qualified for the next tournament in each event they went into, as well.
It's sure fun to watch students develop throughout the years, and tournament time seems to be concentrated into a mode of "super fun". Nowhere (except perhaps during testing) will a student be more focused or do a more powerful kata than when competing in tournament, and of course, nowhere else will they get the chance to pit their fighting skills against their peers in quite the same way. Sure, we practice kumite in class, but without the control of the whole 'match' situation and the adrenaline that comes along with the event, it's not the same.
One of our teenaged brown belts recently turned 15 and because there weren't enough competitors in the 14-17 age bracket, got tossed into the adult category. Wow, did he ever shine! Being a tall guy all his life, until he turned 14 he had been pitted up against people so much shorter than him that he could never really get "in" to the whole fighting process. This time he was against people BIGGER than him... people who could take a few whacks - and he dished a few out, that's for sure! I know he took a few good smacks as well, but all in all he came out of his two fights very happy with how it went. A couple of us black belts said some nice things to him about it all and he blushed and got all shy about it - it was obvious how much fun he had and how happy he was with his own performance, but also obvious that he's a very shy and quiet guy.
Preparing For Testing
As usual in a kyu-rank club, there's a handful of people who are gearing up to test for their next rank over the next month or two.
We've got a "young adult" student (over 18, under 22) with a bit of a learning disability who joined in September and has VERY recently figured out the last wee bit he needs to figure out in order to successfully grade for his yellow belt (8th kyu). I was really happy to see him doing all of his turns correctly last night when I got a chance to stand back and watch him go through Heian Shodan. This guy's two brothers have trained for over a year each and in January his father joined in as well, so we regularly have three or four people from that family training at any class we have. They all focus mentally very well and have very strong techniques and put maximum effort into learning and performing. I love those kinds of families!
We have a couple yellow and orange belts who are likely going to test for their next rank come the end of March, as well.
Last night's senior class was all about the three 5th kyu purple belts and getting them geared up for the next testing as well. We worked on Heian Godan and each of the three students got a lot of individual attention from our 5th dan instructor, and each 5th kyu also got a chance to help correct the other 5th kyus, as yet another way to demonstrate their level of understanding of what they were working on as a group. It worked well, everyone demonstrated solid understanding even if they couldn't get their bodies to obey the mental knowledge. (welcome to purple belt, that's normal)
My Own Training
My training these days is mainly about keeping at it and trying to be relaxed as much as possible while doing it. I got my 1st dan/Shodan in April of 2005 and am planning to gear up for a December 2007 or February 2008 testing for 2nd dan/Nidan. In the mean time I keep training, keep officiating, keep instructing when the senior black belts can't be around. And of course, I'll compete in the upcoming Provincials and Nationals competitions cuz they're fun, too!
How's your training coming along?
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
A New Year in Karate
The new year has begun, as has the new session at our Kyu rank karate club. As for the Instructors club, it just continues going as usual, with no new students.
Our first class at the Kyu club was on Saturday the 7th. It was a small class (about 20 people, when normally we have 30-40) but the first class is always very introductory anyway, since there's always at least one or two new people.
This time there were two new people - one adult male and another male who appeared to be around 11-12 years of age. (unrelated) The adult male thought I looked familiar but couldn't place where he might have seen me. At any rate, I'm hoping there are a few more new people at Tuesday's class, although I guess it doesn't really matter because we still have a few white belts left who started earlier than January.
We've certainly got a whack of yellow belts in our club now - testing in December promoted about 8 of them from white to yellow. It's been a long time since we've put much effort into working on Heian Nidan, it'll be nice to start getting into that after so much work on Heian Shodan.
And the best thing about karate being back in session is that our head instructor is back in "karate action" and back instructing. I definitely enjoyed the instruction from the assistant instructor and enjoyed the instruction opportunities I've been allowed over the last 4 months but it's really nice to see Sensei back, too. His style of teaching is quite different than most of the rest of us, and it's HIS style I want to emulate because I see how well it works in terms of helping people see the good that's already inside of them.
The last few months without Sensei there, the rest of us have been trying to reign three "overactive" kids in and we've implemented various changes in how the class runs in order to do that. I do believe the kids are improving, but I know that having Sensei there will quicken the process because he's got a way with kids. It's like we prepared the kids for the fact that they're not going to get away with fooling around, and now Sensei is there to back us up and also stroke the egos of the kids in just the right way that they respond positively and respectfully.
It's that ego stroking I've got to learn how to do. It's that ego stroking that is sorely missed in many of the clubs I visit. Most of the Sensei's just lecture and give instruction. Our Sensei brings individuals up and gives an individual specific attention that also teaches the rest of us something general about karate and physical errors.
Tonight is our next class, I'm looking forward to it. Nice to start to see my Sensei again on a regular basis. :)
Our first class at the Kyu club was on Saturday the 7th. It was a small class (about 20 people, when normally we have 30-40) but the first class is always very introductory anyway, since there's always at least one or two new people.
This time there were two new people - one adult male and another male who appeared to be around 11-12 years of age. (unrelated) The adult male thought I looked familiar but couldn't place where he might have seen me. At any rate, I'm hoping there are a few more new people at Tuesday's class, although I guess it doesn't really matter because we still have a few white belts left who started earlier than January.
We've certainly got a whack of yellow belts in our club now - testing in December promoted about 8 of them from white to yellow. It's been a long time since we've put much effort into working on Heian Nidan, it'll be nice to start getting into that after so much work on Heian Shodan.
And the best thing about karate being back in session is that our head instructor is back in "karate action" and back instructing. I definitely enjoyed the instruction from the assistant instructor and enjoyed the instruction opportunities I've been allowed over the last 4 months but it's really nice to see Sensei back, too. His style of teaching is quite different than most of the rest of us, and it's HIS style I want to emulate because I see how well it works in terms of helping people see the good that's already inside of them.
The last few months without Sensei there, the rest of us have been trying to reign three "overactive" kids in and we've implemented various changes in how the class runs in order to do that. I do believe the kids are improving, but I know that having Sensei there will quicken the process because he's got a way with kids. It's like we prepared the kids for the fact that they're not going to get away with fooling around, and now Sensei is there to back us up and also stroke the egos of the kids in just the right way that they respond positively and respectfully.
It's that ego stroking I've got to learn how to do. It's that ego stroking that is sorely missed in many of the clubs I visit. Most of the Sensei's just lecture and give instruction. Our Sensei brings individuals up and gives an individual specific attention that also teaches the rest of us something general about karate and physical errors.
Tonight is our next class, I'm looking forward to it. Nice to start to see my Sensei again on a regular basis. :)
Friday, November 25, 2005
Bunkai with white belts, Heian Shodan
Now that Bill and I have been working more regularly with the white belts, I find myself trying to think of different things to do than what has generally been taking up the white belt's time - that is, something more than just going through Heian Shodan as a group, splitting off those people who are having troubles with the turns and assigning them to purple or brown belt assistants to work with, and then going through Heian Shodan again with the rest of the group.
And again.
And again.
And, well, we have a few more minutes so let's do it again.
And hrm, well, how about... BASICS! Yah, we'll do yellow belt basics.
And again.
And again.
I was getting bored of this, nevermind some of the poor kids who take 9-18 months to get their yellow belt because of their attention spans or motor skills already!
So, this most recent class when I was in charge of the kids, I split them into 3 groups of three, had two assistants help me by taking two of the groups while I took the third, and we went through bunkai (application) for Heian Shodan.
Of course, there are many different ways one could teach bunkai for any kata at all, so I'm not saying my way was THE way, and I really wasn't even concerned whether the assistants were teaching anything that looked consistent to what I was doing. The point was just to do something different with the only things we really can work with the white belts with, and have it be educational and interesting.
I didn't get a chance to talk to many of the white belts about whether they enjoyed it or got anything out of it, but I know two of the three kids in my group loved it for sure. The third kid... I'm not sure if it's just that he's right at puberty and working with me is difficult for him for various reasons or not... but he doesn't seem "in" to it like the other two were. Ah well, a white belt doesn't need to be intense, and he'll stay if he wants to.
It all worked out just great, and I think if we do it a couple more times maybe we can find some white belts who click together who could do a little demonstration in front of the class or maybe even at a Christmas karate demonstration or a tournament itself. Maybe.
We'll see!
And again.
And again.
And, well, we have a few more minutes so let's do it again.
And hrm, well, how about... BASICS! Yah, we'll do yellow belt basics.
And again.
And again.
I was getting bored of this, nevermind some of the poor kids who take 9-18 months to get their yellow belt because of their attention spans or motor skills already!
So, this most recent class when I was in charge of the kids, I split them into 3 groups of three, had two assistants help me by taking two of the groups while I took the third, and we went through bunkai (application) for Heian Shodan.
Of course, there are many different ways one could teach bunkai for any kata at all, so I'm not saying my way was THE way, and I really wasn't even concerned whether the assistants were teaching anything that looked consistent to what I was doing. The point was just to do something different with the only things we really can work with the white belts with, and have it be educational and interesting.
I didn't get a chance to talk to many of the white belts about whether they enjoyed it or got anything out of it, but I know two of the three kids in my group loved it for sure. The third kid... I'm not sure if it's just that he's right at puberty and working with me is difficult for him for various reasons or not... but he doesn't seem "in" to it like the other two were. Ah well, a white belt doesn't need to be intense, and he'll stay if he wants to.
It all worked out just great, and I think if we do it a couple more times maybe we can find some white belts who click together who could do a little demonstration in front of the class or maybe even at a Christmas karate demonstration or a tournament itself. Maybe.
We'll see!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Tournament: Bonding with fellow karateka
Tournaments are great, even better when they're out of town like our recent one was. It's those sports trips where I always really got to know people... and I never knew really who it would be on most trips, because who knows what situations life will present you with that'll trigger bonding events anyway??
So, recently there was a tournament in a town 2 hours drive away from home. I rode out and back with two other black belts I've known for the past 10 years and spent a lot of time with those two. We had a great time, we all get along wonderfully and there was a heck of a lot of laughing and horsing around, that's for sure. It was cathartic for the two I was with because they've been working really hard for long hours lately and the tournament was their first "break".
Of course, a tournament is far from being a break... there are officiating seminars to attend before the tournament date and the tournament itself tends to be long... and while it's interesting and fun, it's exhausting as well.
We got into the city early enough to visit the hotel and check in, then sit down for a shot or two of scotch in the hotel room before heading out to get something to eat prior to the official's seminar, so we did just that.
Unfortunately, it seems that I got food poisoning from the seafood stir fry I ate! Before we had even started the seminar I was knowing that I really wasn't feeling well, so one of my karate mates took me back to the hotel to lay down before returning to the seminar himself. I spent the next 6 hours quite ill, but when I woke up in the morning I felt just fine.
I think I'm glad I didn't have to compete after that night, however... it would have been fun to give it a go but I would have tired easily as well, I believe.
So, as a result of not going to the officiating seminar, I wasn't able to demonstrate my centre judging ability to our head Sensei so I wasn't able to centre officiate during the tournament, either. That's okay, I worked the corners and despite having other officials in the group with me being nidans and sandans, I was definitely one of the most educated and sharp officials in the corners. I expect that I'll be centre officiating in January at the latest.
As for the actual competition, it went really well - there was no blood (we're a non-contact karate form, by the way, but when you're doing freestyle kumite, things happen fast and accidents happen) and nobody lost a fight for too many excessive contact penalties, either. Usually there's someone with bad control who socks opponents too often and gets disqualified, but it was all good this time.
The students in our dojo did really well at the tournament, too. Not only did they get medals but they were very good sports and respectful karateka to their opponents, the tournament going on, and the officials running the tournament. And of course, in being those things they were also demonstrating respect and reverence for their dojo and their instructors who taught them how to behave at a tournament.
It all worked out great!
It looks like we might have another tournament in December. I won't be able to compete most likely as I'm having minor surgery this Wednesday, but I hope to be able to officiate somewhat. Maybe I'll work at the tables instead of as an actual official if moving around a lot is still going to bother me by that time (the incision will be just below where my karate belt likes to sit when it's tied). We'll see.
So, recently there was a tournament in a town 2 hours drive away from home. I rode out and back with two other black belts I've known for the past 10 years and spent a lot of time with those two. We had a great time, we all get along wonderfully and there was a heck of a lot of laughing and horsing around, that's for sure. It was cathartic for the two I was with because they've been working really hard for long hours lately and the tournament was their first "break".
Of course, a tournament is far from being a break... there are officiating seminars to attend before the tournament date and the tournament itself tends to be long... and while it's interesting and fun, it's exhausting as well.
We got into the city early enough to visit the hotel and check in, then sit down for a shot or two of scotch in the hotel room before heading out to get something to eat prior to the official's seminar, so we did just that.
Unfortunately, it seems that I got food poisoning from the seafood stir fry I ate! Before we had even started the seminar I was knowing that I really wasn't feeling well, so one of my karate mates took me back to the hotel to lay down before returning to the seminar himself. I spent the next 6 hours quite ill, but when I woke up in the morning I felt just fine.
I think I'm glad I didn't have to compete after that night, however... it would have been fun to give it a go but I would have tired easily as well, I believe.
So, as a result of not going to the officiating seminar, I wasn't able to demonstrate my centre judging ability to our head Sensei so I wasn't able to centre officiate during the tournament, either. That's okay, I worked the corners and despite having other officials in the group with me being nidans and sandans, I was definitely one of the most educated and sharp officials in the corners. I expect that I'll be centre officiating in January at the latest.
As for the actual competition, it went really well - there was no blood (we're a non-contact karate form, by the way, but when you're doing freestyle kumite, things happen fast and accidents happen) and nobody lost a fight for too many excessive contact penalties, either. Usually there's someone with bad control who socks opponents too often and gets disqualified, but it was all good this time.
The students in our dojo did really well at the tournament, too. Not only did they get medals but they were very good sports and respectful karateka to their opponents, the tournament going on, and the officials running the tournament. And of course, in being those things they were also demonstrating respect and reverence for their dojo and their instructors who taught them how to behave at a tournament.
It all worked out great!
It looks like we might have another tournament in December. I won't be able to compete most likely as I'm having minor surgery this Wednesday, but I hope to be able to officiate somewhat. Maybe I'll work at the tables instead of as an actual official if moving around a lot is still going to bother me by that time (the incision will be just below where my karate belt likes to sit when it's tied). We'll see.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Upcoming Tournament
"Tournament time" is generally springtime, but there also tends to be a fall tournament or two most years.
This year is no exception, and the tournament is this weekend and it's in a nearby city a few hours away from home.
I actually prefer tournaments that are out of town vs the ones that are in town - when I can retreat to my own home afterwards, I'm much less prone to be social with anyone, whereas when I'm stuck in a hotel somewhere (even if I have my car with me), I have nowhere to hide and no computer to while my time away on anyway, so I socialize, and that ends up making the whole experience a lot more fun.
I didn't really start to compete on a regular basis until I had attained the rank of 3rd kyu, brown belt, because my original club (where I trained to 5th kyu, purple belt) didn't have a group that travelled to tournaments, and therefore I only went into one tournament, at 7th kyu (orange belt), because it came to our city. It was only when I moved into a larger centre and started training at a much more advanced dojo that I started entering into 3-5 tournaments a year.
Not only did I get involved in competing (both in kata and kumite), but I also got involved in officiating, because at 3rd kyu brown belt, I was high enough rank to participate in the seminars and actively act as a corner judge during tournaments for colored belts, right away. And, as with any volunteer position, there was always plenty of need and practice for me every tournament.
Now that I've attained shodan/black belt, I can increase the level of my officiating capacity to include corner judging for black belts and centre officiating for colored belts, and since I've done about 10-12 tournaments strictly as a colored-belt corner judge, I'm looking forward to these new challenges.
This tournament, competitively, is the first time I've entered as a black belt as well, which is another reason why this tournament is going to be an interesting one for me. I'm competing with a kata I've never done in competition before (Jutte), against people I may never have competed against before, and I'm making the jump from brown belt kumite (fighting) to black belt kumite as well. This jump is a huge one psychologically from my visual experience of comparing brown belt fighting to black belt fighting.
From what I've heard, political BS that is going on between a few different clubs in our association may cause attendance to be poor at this tournament which would suck, but we'll see what happens. Politics are always around us and have been particularly charged for the past 8 months, I'm so glad that although I know full well what is going on, it really doesn't affect me directly like it does others close to me in karate circles.
So, wish me luck, I'll be sure to report back on how it all went :)
This year is no exception, and the tournament is this weekend and it's in a nearby city a few hours away from home.
I actually prefer tournaments that are out of town vs the ones that are in town - when I can retreat to my own home afterwards, I'm much less prone to be social with anyone, whereas when I'm stuck in a hotel somewhere (even if I have my car with me), I have nowhere to hide and no computer to while my time away on anyway, so I socialize, and that ends up making the whole experience a lot more fun.
I didn't really start to compete on a regular basis until I had attained the rank of 3rd kyu, brown belt, because my original club (where I trained to 5th kyu, purple belt) didn't have a group that travelled to tournaments, and therefore I only went into one tournament, at 7th kyu (orange belt), because it came to our city. It was only when I moved into a larger centre and started training at a much more advanced dojo that I started entering into 3-5 tournaments a year.
Not only did I get involved in competing (both in kata and kumite), but I also got involved in officiating, because at 3rd kyu brown belt, I was high enough rank to participate in the seminars and actively act as a corner judge during tournaments for colored belts, right away. And, as with any volunteer position, there was always plenty of need and practice for me every tournament.
Now that I've attained shodan/black belt, I can increase the level of my officiating capacity to include corner judging for black belts and centre officiating for colored belts, and since I've done about 10-12 tournaments strictly as a colored-belt corner judge, I'm looking forward to these new challenges.
This tournament, competitively, is the first time I've entered as a black belt as well, which is another reason why this tournament is going to be an interesting one for me. I'm competing with a kata I've never done in competition before (Jutte), against people I may never have competed against before, and I'm making the jump from brown belt kumite (fighting) to black belt kumite as well. This jump is a huge one psychologically from my visual experience of comparing brown belt fighting to black belt fighting.
From what I've heard, political BS that is going on between a few different clubs in our association may cause attendance to be poor at this tournament which would suck, but we'll see what happens. Politics are always around us and have been particularly charged for the past 8 months, I'm so glad that although I know full well what is going on, it really doesn't affect me directly like it does others close to me in karate circles.
So, wish me luck, I'll be sure to report back on how it all went :)
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Progression of teaching, progression of students
So, it's been a couple of weeks since Bill and I, now with the support of Assistant Sensei Don, have been more strict on some of the dojo rules that used to need to be relaxed a little many years ago, but now have relaxed too far.
Bill and I alternate for the handling of the white belts, so I handle it one class and he handles it the next class, which allows us both a break from the task and an opportunity to train at an intermediate (orange-purple) level with the other colored belts as well. We still train when we're working with the white belts for about half of the time, but we're also doing a fair amount of standing around counting while the white belts go through Heian Shodan and their testing basics for yellow belt.
Last class was my turn to be Sempai (that is, primary assistant to the instructor or Sensei) and it seems that every class is getting better and better - the kids are getting better at knowing what to expect and because I have trained next to all of them for a few months or even a year or more, and I wear a black belt (and I'm an adult), they seem to enjoy working with me as their instructor and seem to demonstrate respect, which is one of the key focuses of karate.
There were still a couple of new students who started in September who were having problems with the turns in Heian Shodan so the two 'assistant to Sempai' students I was assigned were given those two students to work with separately from the group. The rest of the group stayed with me and we went through Heian Shodan at various speeds thinking about a few different things (lengthening stances, looking up, not down) during the kata. After a while I approached my assistants to see how things were going there, and then we all formed one big group again and went through Heian Shodan a final time before it was time to merge the entire class again.
Bill and I are introducing things that the white belts haven't had to deal with for the last few years - things like staying in second position (what's the name of the standing-up, ready to do Heian katas stance?) and staying STILL whenever they are being instructed on something. A key I focused on was how they should be able to stay in second position for 15 minutes if that's what it takes, if I go over to the other side of the gym to ask Sensei a question and it takes forever for me to come back, by the time I DO come back, they should all still be standing in exactly the same spot in second position, focused with their eyes forward but aware of their surroundings.
Yah, probably a hard topic to teach some kids, but everyone is 8 and over in this particular class, and really, out of the 10-15 white belt kids we have, only two of them have attention/being silly problems so that's manageable.
There used to be a third kid that was difficult to handle, but he's settled down a whole bunch this fall and rarely needs to be called by name to pay attention or stop fooling around during class. Now we just have to teach him that he influences other kids with his defiant behavior BEFORE class, and he'll be rockin' in the attitude department as well as the participation and technique ones.
I really enjoyed going through Heian Shodan at full speed with the kids, because they were VERY responsive and I was really impressed with their kata as a whole group. I think they're appreciating this specialized approach to training as well because there's less time for them to get distracted by other things.
After class, Bill, Assistant Sensei Don and I went over to our dojo's Head Instructor's place to visit. This was the first time Bill and I were seeing our instructor after his oral cancer surgery, so neither of us really knew what to expect. Sensei had obviously had surgery that requires a lot of healing time, but he was in good spirits and glad to see us, and offered us drinks right away (Bill was DD so he had Coke :) ), and we visited for about an hour before Bill said he had to get back home, so our group carpool departed. I'm going to call tonight to find out how Sensei's most recent test results came back, as he was supposed to get that information yesterday.
Send all the good vibes you can towards my Sensei. He's an awesome guy with awesome integrity and life experience; reliable, caring and intelligent.
Bill and I alternate for the handling of the white belts, so I handle it one class and he handles it the next class, which allows us both a break from the task and an opportunity to train at an intermediate (orange-purple) level with the other colored belts as well. We still train when we're working with the white belts for about half of the time, but we're also doing a fair amount of standing around counting while the white belts go through Heian Shodan and their testing basics for yellow belt.
Last class was my turn to be Sempai (that is, primary assistant to the instructor or Sensei) and it seems that every class is getting better and better - the kids are getting better at knowing what to expect and because I have trained next to all of them for a few months or even a year or more, and I wear a black belt (and I'm an adult), they seem to enjoy working with me as their instructor and seem to demonstrate respect, which is one of the key focuses of karate.
There were still a couple of new students who started in September who were having problems with the turns in Heian Shodan so the two 'assistant to Sempai' students I was assigned were given those two students to work with separately from the group. The rest of the group stayed with me and we went through Heian Shodan at various speeds thinking about a few different things (lengthening stances, looking up, not down) during the kata. After a while I approached my assistants to see how things were going there, and then we all formed one big group again and went through Heian Shodan a final time before it was time to merge the entire class again.
Bill and I are introducing things that the white belts haven't had to deal with for the last few years - things like staying in second position (what's the name of the standing-up, ready to do Heian katas stance?) and staying STILL whenever they are being instructed on something. A key I focused on was how they should be able to stay in second position for 15 minutes if that's what it takes, if I go over to the other side of the gym to ask Sensei a question and it takes forever for me to come back, by the time I DO come back, they should all still be standing in exactly the same spot in second position, focused with their eyes forward but aware of their surroundings.
Yah, probably a hard topic to teach some kids, but everyone is 8 and over in this particular class, and really, out of the 10-15 white belt kids we have, only two of them have attention/being silly problems so that's manageable.
There used to be a third kid that was difficult to handle, but he's settled down a whole bunch this fall and rarely needs to be called by name to pay attention or stop fooling around during class. Now we just have to teach him that he influences other kids with his defiant behavior BEFORE class, and he'll be rockin' in the attitude department as well as the participation and technique ones.
I really enjoyed going through Heian Shodan at full speed with the kids, because they were VERY responsive and I was really impressed with their kata as a whole group. I think they're appreciating this specialized approach to training as well because there's less time for them to get distracted by other things.
After class, Bill, Assistant Sensei Don and I went over to our dojo's Head Instructor's place to visit. This was the first time Bill and I were seeing our instructor after his oral cancer surgery, so neither of us really knew what to expect. Sensei had obviously had surgery that requires a lot of healing time, but he was in good spirits and glad to see us, and offered us drinks right away (Bill was DD so he had Coke :) ), and we visited for about an hour before Bill said he had to get back home, so our group carpool departed. I'm going to call tonight to find out how Sensei's most recent test results came back, as he was supposed to get that information yesterday.
Send all the good vibes you can towards my Sensei. He's an awesome guy with awesome integrity and life experience; reliable, caring and intelligent.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Sensei is back, changes implemented
Ahhh, nice to have (assistant) Sensei back. We had our first class with him back on Saturday, and then another class last night.
Bill and I talked to Sensei before class started on Saturday and let him know what changes we had begun to implement with the white belts while he was away, and Sensei seemed very receptive to it - of course, since we're basically saying we're willing to step up to the plate and help deal with the junior members of our club so the intermediate members can get more of the attention they need.
So, from now forward, the white belts all get shuffled off to the side for warmup and for the main meat of the training class, and either Bill or myself does the warmup with them, but standing right in front of their group, making sure each one is participating.
The change in the "less disciplined" kids when we do this is remarkable - of course, when they're not being stood over, they're more likely to not pay attention and to distract others, but when we're right there staring them in the eye, there's a lot more participation.
I'm also finding that while I'm working with them, I'm getting more of a chance to see what the kids are capable of, I'm getting more chance to encourage them when they're doing something well, and I'm assuming that the intermediate kyu ranks are getting a much better lesson on their side of the gym as well because the white belts aren't restricting what the class is able to do.
Last night I worked with Jerome, a 7 year old who is in his second season of training with us, and who is a white belt with two yellow stripes. His next testing is for full yellow, but I've personally been very skeptical about the message that would be sent to other white belts if he were passed to yellow, because he inadvertently teaches new students it's okay to misbehave and not listen by his own behavior. However, working with him over a few classes I'm starting to see where he is doing well instead of just where he's causing troubles, and I'm much more supportive of him getting a yellow belt now, as long as we also sit him down and tell him about the influence he has on other kids and what a yellow belt is expected to behave like. He's a smart kid and will do well in karate once he gets a bit more advanced, but for now his focus is a bit troublesome.
There's another kid who is about 8 or 9 and who has ADD - Cody. He's also white belt with two yellow stripes and his next test is also for full yellow. And from what I'm hearing from Sensei, he's very likely to get his yellow belt in December, which is kind of fine, but he's another kid who needs to be constantly prodded to pay attention (yah I know, that's what ADD is) and to control his body and stay still so he's not distracting others. Advancing him to his next kyu rank and thus taking him out of the pod of white belts will be interesting as well.
I hope both Jerome and Cody wear the yellow belt and start to feel a bit more pride about it and start to attempt to behave more like the senior belts and less like uncontrolled white belts.
Time will only tell!
Bill and I talked to Sensei before class started on Saturday and let him know what changes we had begun to implement with the white belts while he was away, and Sensei seemed very receptive to it - of course, since we're basically saying we're willing to step up to the plate and help deal with the junior members of our club so the intermediate members can get more of the attention they need.
So, from now forward, the white belts all get shuffled off to the side for warmup and for the main meat of the training class, and either Bill or myself does the warmup with them, but standing right in front of their group, making sure each one is participating.
The change in the "less disciplined" kids when we do this is remarkable - of course, when they're not being stood over, they're more likely to not pay attention and to distract others, but when we're right there staring them in the eye, there's a lot more participation.
I'm also finding that while I'm working with them, I'm getting more of a chance to see what the kids are capable of, I'm getting more chance to encourage them when they're doing something well, and I'm assuming that the intermediate kyu ranks are getting a much better lesson on their side of the gym as well because the white belts aren't restricting what the class is able to do.
Last night I worked with Jerome, a 7 year old who is in his second season of training with us, and who is a white belt with two yellow stripes. His next testing is for full yellow, but I've personally been very skeptical about the message that would be sent to other white belts if he were passed to yellow, because he inadvertently teaches new students it's okay to misbehave and not listen by his own behavior. However, working with him over a few classes I'm starting to see where he is doing well instead of just where he's causing troubles, and I'm much more supportive of him getting a yellow belt now, as long as we also sit him down and tell him about the influence he has on other kids and what a yellow belt is expected to behave like. He's a smart kid and will do well in karate once he gets a bit more advanced, but for now his focus is a bit troublesome.
There's another kid who is about 8 or 9 and who has ADD - Cody. He's also white belt with two yellow stripes and his next test is also for full yellow. And from what I'm hearing from Sensei, he's very likely to get his yellow belt in December, which is kind of fine, but he's another kid who needs to be constantly prodded to pay attention (yah I know, that's what ADD is) and to control his body and stay still so he's not distracting others. Advancing him to his next kyu rank and thus taking him out of the pod of white belts will be interesting as well.
I hope both Jerome and Cody wear the yellow belt and start to feel a bit more pride about it and start to attempt to behave more like the senior belts and less like uncontrolled white belts.
Time will only tell!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Surviving the "Other Teachers"
I think our club did rather well with the three different instructors (me, Rob and Peter) they had over the last three classes, but it'll be good that one of our regular Sensei's is back on Saturday, for many reasons.
Peter is officially the "senior student" in the club but he doesn't train regularly due to a back injury, so I am regularly "senior student", with Bill as the next in line for seniority. Bill and I have had some great conversations about how to improve things at the club in the future, especially regarding the children and teaching them the rules and ways of a dojo, and during the past three classes we've been implementing some changes, with the co-operation of the two other instructors.
So, when Don gets back we're going to take him for coffee or something, I believe - and have a nice deep chat about some goals for keeping the dojo in order regarding new students, while also making it so the intermediate students are getting more of what they need and the first class isn't all about the white belts anymore.
It's interesting how a few years at a dojo combined with a black belt make me feel more authorative and confident in being so. And so far I haven't been pulled aside and told I'm going too far, so that's good ;)
Oh, and last night after class at the Instructors' dojo, a bunch of us went out to the local Legion to have a few drinks, as one of our bunch is having exploratory surgery on Monday for a recent diagnosis of cancer and isn't sure what to expect as a result from the surgery. There were a few people around that table who didn't know about the cancer, but most of us did. It was really good to be able to sit right beside the guy (my favorite Sensei btw) and buy him a few shots of his favorite scotch liqueur and have some fun conversations with him, as he doesn't train regularly and since he's not teaching regularly this fall I haven't seen him very often since June.
I hope the news will be good on Monday.
Peter is officially the "senior student" in the club but he doesn't train regularly due to a back injury, so I am regularly "senior student", with Bill as the next in line for seniority. Bill and I have had some great conversations about how to improve things at the club in the future, especially regarding the children and teaching them the rules and ways of a dojo, and during the past three classes we've been implementing some changes, with the co-operation of the two other instructors.
So, when Don gets back we're going to take him for coffee or something, I believe - and have a nice deep chat about some goals for keeping the dojo in order regarding new students, while also making it so the intermediate students are getting more of what they need and the first class isn't all about the white belts anymore.
It's interesting how a few years at a dojo combined with a black belt make me feel more authorative and confident in being so. And so far I haven't been pulled aside and told I'm going too far, so that's good ;)
Oh, and last night after class at the Instructors' dojo, a bunch of us went out to the local Legion to have a few drinks, as one of our bunch is having exploratory surgery on Monday for a recent diagnosis of cancer and isn't sure what to expect as a result from the surgery. There were a few people around that table who didn't know about the cancer, but most of us did. It was really good to be able to sit right beside the guy (my favorite Sensei btw) and buy him a few shots of his favorite scotch liqueur and have some fun conversations with him, as he doesn't train regularly and since he's not teaching regularly this fall I haven't seen him very often since June.
I hope the news will be good on Monday.
Friday, October 14, 2005
First time teaching
Our main instructor is extremely busy with a new business, so the assistant instructor has been handling the classes since the start in September. However, now the assistant instructor is on holidays for a week and a half, so new some of the rest of us at the club are taking on instructing responsibilities in the mean time.
I was asked to teach on Oct 11, but there are two others who will be teaching the next two classes that the assistant instructor is still away for. I think I was only offered one day because the main instructors didn't want me to have a bad experience with the first and then still be responsible for the next two classes as well.
As it turns out, the class went really really well. I didn't do it all on my own, however, and that's what made it work out the best. A fellow karateka, Bill, helped watch the white belt kids who need to be supervised and hounded to pay attention and not disturb others, which helped a lot because it allowed me to pay better attention to the intermediate students and allowed me to separate the techniques that they all practiced.
It's always nice to be able to tell the white belts to do white belt things, while getting the more advanced students to execute more advanced combinations. This is one thing I feel has been missing in our club, largely because the white belts haven't been separated from the rest of the class enough. Bill and I agreed that the classes would be much better if the white belts WERE separated, however, as they really do bring down the complexity of the class for the rest of the students.
After standard warmup and initial basics, we split the gym up with a big curtain and Bill worked with the white belts on his own on one side while a junior brown belt by the name of Adam and myself worked with the colored belts on the other side. Adam handled the yellow-to-green belts to go through Heian Nidan and basics for yellow to green belt testings, and I took on the purple belts to go through Heian Godan, since a couple of the low purples are thinking of testing for high purple come December.
There were 24 people in the first class, and everyone seems to have gotten a good workout, and even the kids were more disciplined when they lined up to be dismissed from class, after Bill had been standing over them, making sure they participated properly instead of just lolling around. One of the parents came up and thanked Bill for the disciplined instruction, which was another pat on the back for us both, aside from what we'd already seen as improvement in the class due to the white belt segregation.
Bill and I chatted for a bit before and after class about how to improve our club, because right now we really do have a few undisciplined white belts that bring down the quality of the class for the higher ranks, and our higher ranks are moving very slowly up the ranks as a partial result. Unless they stay for the second class, they're not going to get much of a chance to work on their testing material, and even if they DO stay for the second class, the odds are we will be working on material that is way above their current point and doesn't help them directly for their own testings.
Bill and I are going to talk to the assistant instructor when he returns and suggest that we take turns taking on the kids and separating them from the colored belts. I think this is a way that we could motivate some of the kids to pay more attention, because once they get to a certain level of proficiency we could "graduate" them to the main class as a reward.
At any rate, it was a great experience, and it'll now be interesting to see the two others who are going to be instructing while our assistant instructor is gone - the guy who is teaching tomorrow morning is someone who has basically never trained at our club and is largely unknown by the students, and the guy who is teaching next Tuesday is hardly any better in terms of attending our club regularly or being known, etc.
Everyone liked my class from the feedback I got, and I certainly liked doing it. I wonder when my next opportunity will be??
I was asked to teach on Oct 11, but there are two others who will be teaching the next two classes that the assistant instructor is still away for. I think I was only offered one day because the main instructors didn't want me to have a bad experience with the first and then still be responsible for the next two classes as well.
As it turns out, the class went really really well. I didn't do it all on my own, however, and that's what made it work out the best. A fellow karateka, Bill, helped watch the white belt kids who need to be supervised and hounded to pay attention and not disturb others, which helped a lot because it allowed me to pay better attention to the intermediate students and allowed me to separate the techniques that they all practiced.
It's always nice to be able to tell the white belts to do white belt things, while getting the more advanced students to execute more advanced combinations. This is one thing I feel has been missing in our club, largely because the white belts haven't been separated from the rest of the class enough. Bill and I agreed that the classes would be much better if the white belts WERE separated, however, as they really do bring down the complexity of the class for the rest of the students.
After standard warmup and initial basics, we split the gym up with a big curtain and Bill worked with the white belts on his own on one side while a junior brown belt by the name of Adam and myself worked with the colored belts on the other side. Adam handled the yellow-to-green belts to go through Heian Nidan and basics for yellow to green belt testings, and I took on the purple belts to go through Heian Godan, since a couple of the low purples are thinking of testing for high purple come December.
There were 24 people in the first class, and everyone seems to have gotten a good workout, and even the kids were more disciplined when they lined up to be dismissed from class, after Bill had been standing over them, making sure they participated properly instead of just lolling around. One of the parents came up and thanked Bill for the disciplined instruction, which was another pat on the back for us both, aside from what we'd already seen as improvement in the class due to the white belt segregation.
Bill and I chatted for a bit before and after class about how to improve our club, because right now we really do have a few undisciplined white belts that bring down the quality of the class for the higher ranks, and our higher ranks are moving very slowly up the ranks as a partial result. Unless they stay for the second class, they're not going to get much of a chance to work on their testing material, and even if they DO stay for the second class, the odds are we will be working on material that is way above their current point and doesn't help them directly for their own testings.
Bill and I are going to talk to the assistant instructor when he returns and suggest that we take turns taking on the kids and separating them from the colored belts. I think this is a way that we could motivate some of the kids to pay more attention, because once they get to a certain level of proficiency we could "graduate" them to the main class as a reward.
At any rate, it was a great experience, and it'll now be interesting to see the two others who are going to be instructing while our assistant instructor is gone - the guy who is teaching tomorrow morning is someone who has basically never trained at our club and is largely unknown by the students, and the guy who is teaching next Tuesday is hardly any better in terms of attending our club regularly or being known, etc.
Everyone liked my class from the feedback I got, and I certainly liked doing it. I wonder when my next opportunity will be??
Friday, October 07, 2005
When will my legs stop hurting so much??!!!
I keep telling myself my legs are hurting so quickly during class because I haven't been training properly for the past 3 months or so, and I know that's the truth, but I can't wait until I've been back at it long enough that someone else in the brown and black belt class is wimpier than me.
Last night three of us carpooled to karate at the Instructor's Dojo and participated in the Thursday evening class, which is generally a lot about advanced basics and partner work.
Partner work is a big part of this club, our instructor is very good at building a class where first we warm up, then we practice attack and defense combinations that we then use in partner exercises with a variety of partners. The combinations are definitely co-ordinationally challenging, and Sensei puts us through it at a pace that makes it extra challenging as well. Occasionally I can remember the combinations well enough to go hard and fast, but most of the time still I'm a little confused and going more of a medium-type pace.
My partners were good ones last night, I'm happy to say. None of the "bruisers" as I call them (those guys who are stronger than they realize and who have one speed, no matter if we're supposed to be going full speed or "light") were out and training, and therefore there were a lot less "accidental contact" moments.
In fact, there were only two people (aside from the instructor) who don't train regularly at our kyu rank club, out last night. Four out of six students were from our other club :)
We're taking over!!
After those advanced basics combinations/partner exercises, Sensei had us practice cat stance for a while, and stepping forward in cat stance as well. For my already exhausted legs, this was more torture, but thankfully stepping forward lets one leg work, then rest while the other is working, and on and on.
Cat stance practice was a lead up to the kata that we practiced for the last 20 minutes of the class - Gojushiho-sho. Sensei had wanted us to work on Gojushiho-Dai but there weren't enough people in the class who knew it to help guide those who didn't know it, so he went back to Sho.
I went home after class and drank a full liter of water while I wound down for bed, and surprisingly I didn't get up ONCE in the middle of the night. Tired, and dehydrated after class, I guess!
Last night three of us carpooled to karate at the Instructor's Dojo and participated in the Thursday evening class, which is generally a lot about advanced basics and partner work.
Partner work is a big part of this club, our instructor is very good at building a class where first we warm up, then we practice attack and defense combinations that we then use in partner exercises with a variety of partners. The combinations are definitely co-ordinationally challenging, and Sensei puts us through it at a pace that makes it extra challenging as well. Occasionally I can remember the combinations well enough to go hard and fast, but most of the time still I'm a little confused and going more of a medium-type pace.
My partners were good ones last night, I'm happy to say. None of the "bruisers" as I call them (those guys who are stronger than they realize and who have one speed, no matter if we're supposed to be going full speed or "light") were out and training, and therefore there were a lot less "accidental contact" moments.
In fact, there were only two people (aside from the instructor) who don't train regularly at our kyu rank club, out last night. Four out of six students were from our other club :)
We're taking over!!
After those advanced basics combinations/partner exercises, Sensei had us practice cat stance for a while, and stepping forward in cat stance as well. For my already exhausted legs, this was more torture, but thankfully stepping forward lets one leg work, then rest while the other is working, and on and on.
Cat stance practice was a lead up to the kata that we practiced for the last 20 minutes of the class - Gojushiho-sho. Sensei had wanted us to work on Gojushiho-Dai but there weren't enough people in the class who knew it to help guide those who didn't know it, so he went back to Sho.
I went home after class and drank a full liter of water while I wound down for bed, and surprisingly I didn't get up ONCE in the middle of the night. Tired, and dehydrated after class, I guess!
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Back on track? Time only tells.
September was a month of colds and holidays, but now I'm back from holidays and feeling healthier and am back at training as a result.
Of course, it's also FALL now, in Central Canada, and since our region had a snow advisory for today (it's snowing right now) I figured I'd do some raking yesterday, and the 45 minutes of cleaning up the front yard (not including the boulevard) was a very good workout for my upper body.
Then, I went to karate last night at the kyu rank club and did a whole whack of basics and a few kata, which were a great workout for my lower body.
This morning, I'm feeling the pain!
At any rate, back to karate ...
Our kyu rank club generally has a wide variety of belt levels training at any one time, and at the beginning of the season like now, we can have up to 50% white belts in a 30 person class.
This season, our new white belts are all under 13 years of age it seems. Thankfully there are very few under-7 trainers (ie: those who fidget like crazy and can't stand still or pay attention for very long), so dealing with the new people hasn't been all that bad in terms of having to bark at them about staying in position.
Our main Sensei is unavailable for a while as he deals with personal matters, so the assistant instructor is relying more heavily on the senior belts (brown and black belts) to keep the club running smoothly this fall, whether it be teaching occasional classes or merely helping to demonstrate what a good karateka trains like and helping keep the kids focussed.
So, a fellow senior belt, Bill, and I are going to be handling the class next Tuesday while our assistant instructor is out of town. I guess that means I'll handle the warmup, and then we'll see how it goes from there. Maybe Bill won't mind taking on the kids (he's more experienced with dealing with kids) and I can take the teen-adult belts and work with them on one of their kata that we normally don't get to go through during the first class.
I haven't had very much experience instructing or leading groups of people, so this will be interesting :) I am looking forward to the opportunity, but will probably be a little nervous as well!
Jill
Of course, it's also FALL now, in Central Canada, and since our region had a snow advisory for today (it's snowing right now) I figured I'd do some raking yesterday, and the 45 minutes of cleaning up the front yard (not including the boulevard) was a very good workout for my upper body.
Then, I went to karate last night at the kyu rank club and did a whole whack of basics and a few kata, which were a great workout for my lower body.
This morning, I'm feeling the pain!
At any rate, back to karate ...
Our kyu rank club generally has a wide variety of belt levels training at any one time, and at the beginning of the season like now, we can have up to 50% white belts in a 30 person class.
This season, our new white belts are all under 13 years of age it seems. Thankfully there are very few under-7 trainers (ie: those who fidget like crazy and can't stand still or pay attention for very long), so dealing with the new people hasn't been all that bad in terms of having to bark at them about staying in position.
Our main Sensei is unavailable for a while as he deals with personal matters, so the assistant instructor is relying more heavily on the senior belts (brown and black belts) to keep the club running smoothly this fall, whether it be teaching occasional classes or merely helping to demonstrate what a good karateka trains like and helping keep the kids focussed.
So, a fellow senior belt, Bill, and I are going to be handling the class next Tuesday while our assistant instructor is out of town. I guess that means I'll handle the warmup, and then we'll see how it goes from there. Maybe Bill won't mind taking on the kids (he's more experienced with dealing with kids) and I can take the teen-adult belts and work with them on one of their kata that we normally don't get to go through during the first class.
I haven't had very much experience instructing or leading groups of people, so this will be interesting :) I am looking forward to the opportunity, but will probably be a little nervous as well!
Jill
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Loving the brown and black belt kata classes
When I was a brown belt (less than a year ago), I enjoyed Wednesday kata night at karate, but didn't enjoy it as much as I do now that I'm a black belt. Why? Simply because at brown belt level, the katas that we practiced in class were largely not usable in competition due to restrictions for kyu ranks (non-black belts), and thus my focus was highly on what I'm allowed to do for competition and what my black belt test will take me through.
Now that I'm a black belt and restrictions in competition largely don't exist for me (or at least are different restrictions), practicing those black belt kata like Jutte, Bassai Sho and Hangetsu actually MEANS something. I CARE whether I come back to my starting mark at the finish, I CARE whether I'm doing the right stances when it comes to stances that look similar to front stance but are different tension-wise. And I'm very much looking forward to the upcoming competitive season. For kata, anyway. Kumite is going to be quite another story, although I look forward to my learning improvements there too.
Last night the lowest ranked student was brown belt so we practiced Jutte and Hangetsu. Last Wednesday we had a purple belt in our ranks so we went through the 5 Heian katas and Tekki Shodan - which is fine, because at every level we are to improve the kata that we no longer have to worry about for testing sake... but I'm pretty sick of some of those kata from doing them 5,000 times each.
Jutte and Hangetsu are both kata that don't have jumps in them, which is a good thing to me because I have bad arches in my feet and jumping isn't the best thing for me on cold hard floors like most competitions have. I got a chance to see how close I come back to my mark in Jutte but we didn't go all the way through Hangetsu before class ended, so I don't know how close to my mark I am there.
After class, two of the regular training females descended on me in the changeroom and said they had a "proposition" for me. I responded something smart ass about not easily being propositioned by women initially ;) They asked me if I'd like to be in a team kata with them this year for the competition season leading up to Nationals in May '06. Excellent! Last year I didn't get into a solid team for this, and this year we're able to choose from a much larger variety of kata, so this is good from all angles!
This weekend there's a 3-day seminar, the three of us should get a chance to walk through some kata to figure out what we like and what works for us together, and I'll get a chance to chat with my Enbu partner for this upcoming competition season, Scott. This is another event I'm very much looking forward to getting into, the pre-choreographed attack and defense sequences.
For karate reasons, I'm glad fall is here. I'll be sad to see the snow fly in October and November, however.
Jill
Now that I'm a black belt and restrictions in competition largely don't exist for me (or at least are different restrictions), practicing those black belt kata like Jutte, Bassai Sho and Hangetsu actually MEANS something. I CARE whether I come back to my starting mark at the finish, I CARE whether I'm doing the right stances when it comes to stances that look similar to front stance but are different tension-wise. And I'm very much looking forward to the upcoming competitive season. For kata, anyway. Kumite is going to be quite another story, although I look forward to my learning improvements there too.
Last night the lowest ranked student was brown belt so we practiced Jutte and Hangetsu. Last Wednesday we had a purple belt in our ranks so we went through the 5 Heian katas and Tekki Shodan - which is fine, because at every level we are to improve the kata that we no longer have to worry about for testing sake... but I'm pretty sick of some of those kata from doing them 5,000 times each.
Jutte and Hangetsu are both kata that don't have jumps in them, which is a good thing to me because I have bad arches in my feet and jumping isn't the best thing for me on cold hard floors like most competitions have. I got a chance to see how close I come back to my mark in Jutte but we didn't go all the way through Hangetsu before class ended, so I don't know how close to my mark I am there.
After class, two of the regular training females descended on me in the changeroom and said they had a "proposition" for me. I responded something smart ass about not easily being propositioned by women initially ;) They asked me if I'd like to be in a team kata with them this year for the competition season leading up to Nationals in May '06. Excellent! Last year I didn't get into a solid team for this, and this year we're able to choose from a much larger variety of kata, so this is good from all angles!
This weekend there's a 3-day seminar, the three of us should get a chance to walk through some kata to figure out what we like and what works for us together, and I'll get a chance to chat with my Enbu partner for this upcoming competition season, Scott. This is another event I'm very much looking forward to getting into, the pre-choreographed attack and defense sequences.
For karate reasons, I'm glad fall is here. I'll be sad to see the snow fly in October and November, however.
Jill
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Walkin' round the neighborhood
I have another hobby aside from Karate which I'm quite interested in and have been building a solid foundation for, for the past 5 years or so, and that's building my passive income portfolio. I've recently decided my investments are going to go into real estate in various ways, and since I'm nowhere near Florida where the prices are nutzo, I think I'm okay in terms of a bubble popping ;)
Tonight I put on my runners and went for a brisk 40 minute walk in my neighborhood. I headed over to a street where I had seen a "house for sale" sign pointing down the road when I was driving around earlier, and set out to find that house.
Well, it turns out that house was the opposite way that I wanted to go, both in my walk and in the physical neighborhoods I'm looking to purchase my real estate investments in (north of a certain street near my house, prices skyrocket), so I walked the way I wanted to walk and kept eyes out for other "For Sale" signs.
I only found ONE for sale house in the 200 or so I walked by, so I made sure to write down the information so I can follow up and see what the deal is. I also paid attention and looked for houses which needed "exterior improvements" - outdated color (one was salmon pink), or peeling paint, or unkept yards is what I was looking for. I wrote down five of those houses. Of course, for now I have no idea what to do with this information, but at least I have it and can ask the question.
The walk was a nice one, I saw a few folks from our neighborhood out exercising or walking their pets, and I made sure to make eye contact, smile and say hello to each one or each group that went by. Perhaps one day I'll be looking to buy their neighbor's house, after all.
Jill
Tonight I put on my runners and went for a brisk 40 minute walk in my neighborhood. I headed over to a street where I had seen a "house for sale" sign pointing down the road when I was driving around earlier, and set out to find that house.
Well, it turns out that house was the opposite way that I wanted to go, both in my walk and in the physical neighborhoods I'm looking to purchase my real estate investments in (north of a certain street near my house, prices skyrocket), so I walked the way I wanted to walk and kept eyes out for other "For Sale" signs.
I only found ONE for sale house in the 200 or so I walked by, so I made sure to write down the information so I can follow up and see what the deal is. I also paid attention and looked for houses which needed "exterior improvements" - outdated color (one was salmon pink), or peeling paint, or unkept yards is what I was looking for. I wrote down five of those houses. Of course, for now I have no idea what to do with this information, but at least I have it and can ask the question.
The walk was a nice one, I saw a few folks from our neighborhood out exercising or walking their pets, and I made sure to make eye contact, smile and say hello to each one or each group that went by. Perhaps one day I'll be looking to buy their neighbor's house, after all.
Jill
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Wednesday, kata class.
Last night's class was another excellent, physically draining workout. There were about 12-14 people in the class, and after Sempai took us through the regular warm-up, Sensei continued us through more strenuous warm-ups for a short while before starting on the katas he wanted to review with us.
The most junior student was a teenaged purple belt - 5th or 4th kyu - so I believe that's why Sensei took us through Heian Nidan, Heian Sandan, Heian Yondan, Heian Godan and Tekki Shodan before progressing to the black belt kata we normally practice (since the club is predominantly brown and black belts). After we went through all of those kata multiple times and at different intensities with Sensei using different students to demonstrate the key points in each of the kata, we finally did a black belt kata, Kanku Dai.
Of course, by that part of the class I had about 10% juice left in my batteries, and while they recharge at a fair rate during the many rests Sensei gives us, once the batteries have been drained a bunch, they drain a lot more quickly after a bit of recharge ;)
Because of the concert I'm going to tonight and the upcoming holiday weekend, there's no karate class until next Wednesday. So, I guess I'll be treadmillin' it until then!
Jill
The most junior student was a teenaged purple belt - 5th or 4th kyu - so I believe that's why Sensei took us through Heian Nidan, Heian Sandan, Heian Yondan, Heian Godan and Tekki Shodan before progressing to the black belt kata we normally practice (since the club is predominantly brown and black belts). After we went through all of those kata multiple times and at different intensities with Sensei using different students to demonstrate the key points in each of the kata, we finally did a black belt kata, Kanku Dai.
Of course, by that part of the class I had about 10% juice left in my batteries, and while they recharge at a fair rate during the many rests Sensei gives us, once the batteries have been drained a bunch, they drain a lot more quickly after a bit of recharge ;)
Because of the concert I'm going to tonight and the upcoming holiday weekend, there's no karate class until next Wednesday. So, I guess I'll be treadmillin' it until then!
Jill
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Getting back on track
Life kind of got disrupted with the passing of my last living grandparent. Gramma Eleanor died on August 12, and the funeral was on August 17, which would have been her 94th birthday. It doesn't sound like she died in pain, which is good, but she's been in everyone's lives forever and her being gone really does change the way the world looks, just a bit. That elderly lady with the bright red top and dark pants, sitting with her friends at the donut shop, gives me warm feelings, instead of just being another woman I don't know, for example. It's nice, although sprung from a sad occasion.
I went to karate last night (Monday) and after two weeks of not training, the class felt like a killer! There were more than a few times that I was barely able to go through the techniques - I certainly wasn't attempting to do the techniques any kind of right. I'd gain back a bit of wind with a bit of rest, but by the time class ended I was toast.
I walked on the treadmill today, using the new workout I programmed just before Gramma died is what I walked to today, and my heartrate got up to 163 as a high. When I got to the end of the program, my heartrate was still above 140. This sucks, but will improve as I keep at it.
For now, however, I need to get rested as tomorrow is another karate night and promises to be physically challenging once again!
Jill
I went to karate last night (Monday) and after two weeks of not training, the class felt like a killer! There were more than a few times that I was barely able to go through the techniques - I certainly wasn't attempting to do the techniques any kind of right. I'd gain back a bit of wind with a bit of rest, but by the time class ended I was toast.
I walked on the treadmill today, using the new workout I programmed just before Gramma died is what I walked to today, and my heartrate got up to 163 as a high. When I got to the end of the program, my heartrate was still above 140. This sucks, but will improve as I keep at it.
For now, however, I need to get rested as tomorrow is another karate night and promises to be physically challenging once again!
Jill
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Changes to treadmill workout
I programmed a new, more challenging, 45 min workout while walking tonight.
Old stats:
Old stats:
- average speed 3.7mph, with about 40 min of the walk at 3.8mph
- 2.8 miles completed
- 6.8 aeropoints
- ? calories expended (sorry, I don't pay much attention to this stat)
- max incline, 1 degree
New stats:
- average speed 3.7 mph, with about 40 min of the walk at 3.8mph
- 2.79 miles completed
- 6.8 aeropoints
- 320-some calories expended
- max incline, 3 degrees
As you can see, not much of a change to the workout, the major change was the max incline. I targetted my new workout to a heartrate of 155 or 157bpm during the main 35 minutes of the walk, bringing myself up gradually over the first 5 minutes and down gradually over the last 5 minutes.
My walking goals are to maintain a 45 min walk that holds my heartrate between 145-155, so I should be able to use this new program for a couple of weeks before the main part of the walk is getting very close to not keeping my heartrate high enough to stay within that range, and then I'll have to re-examine things. I won't worry about it until then.
No karate tomorrow, so I'll be walking then, too. After taking this time to carefully watch and adjust the incline and speed on the machine to go with my heartrate, it's always nice to take that first walk on the new program, without having to pay attention to changing anything.Wednesday night training
Last night was a great class! Physically it went very well, Mentally I was well-connected within partner exercises, and as an added bonus, my favorite instructor who runs a related club came out to train with our mutual Sensei here at the Instructor's Dojo.
Brianna - someone who used to train 15 yrs ago as a pre-pubescent youth and just came back - came to the dojo early enough that I was able to invite her before class started to go through the kata she knew years ago, and she was very happy about the invite. We only had about 7 minutes of time to work together before Sensei came onto the floor and class started, but we went through Heian Shodan three times and walked through most of Heian Nidan before class started. After class, Brianna asked me to take her through Heian Shodan one more time so we did that as well. Throughout class and while we went through kata before and afterwards, Brianna trained near me and watched me for clues of what we were doing, and as a result I tried to go through my techniques more completely without rushing through them, to give her brain time to recognize what was going on.
During the class itself, Don (my riding/training buddy) conducted the warmup as usual, and when Sensei returned to the floor, we continued the warmup with our standard standing punches (hip vibration practice), then jab/reverse punch combinations while standing in a deep front stance (hip rotation practice), then stepping forward, punching (forward drive practice), then front kicking (hip pendulum action practice). We went back and forth and back and forth with the moving exercises, and got the blood pumping and the breath gasping for everyone.
Wednesday nights are 'kata night', although we tend to have kata as part of all of our training classes, with very few exceptions. Wednesday is specifically labelled kata night however, and we tend to go through more kata or junior level kata with much more detail and depth than when we were learning that same kata for testing for a colored belt years ago.
Last night we went through Kanku Sho again a few times, and then moved on to Heian Yondan and Heian Godan. I'm sure Sensei selected those two to help Brianna re-familiarize herself with those two kata, since her old rank attainments as a kid had already used both kata successfully in tests (meaning, Heian Godan was the last kata she used for her last successful testing, and thus isn't testing with the same kata again for the next 3 tests, but still should know and improve upon the kata she's finished testing with). We went through each kata about 4 times, until everyone was tired again.
Afterwards we did some kumite exercises with a partner, and switched around so we got to work with a number of different people. I was working on my sen timing, mainly. It's kind of scary to go IN on an incoming roundhouse or front kick to start my defense, but a useful timing ability to have.
All in all, class was a good workout and I made some nice deposits to the karate karma bank by being the one who approached the "new girl" and helped her start to re-learn what she already knows. I don't understand why so many other people my rank are afraid to offer assistance, or just don't think about what someone else at a junior rank may be interested in getting assistance with. After all, Sensei can't answer every question or help you with everything - a lot of karate is self-training and seeking out help on your own.
Brianna - someone who used to train 15 yrs ago as a pre-pubescent youth and just came back - came to the dojo early enough that I was able to invite her before class started to go through the kata she knew years ago, and she was very happy about the invite. We only had about 7 minutes of time to work together before Sensei came onto the floor and class started, but we went through Heian Shodan three times and walked through most of Heian Nidan before class started. After class, Brianna asked me to take her through Heian Shodan one more time so we did that as well. Throughout class and while we went through kata before and afterwards, Brianna trained near me and watched me for clues of what we were doing, and as a result I tried to go through my techniques more completely without rushing through them, to give her brain time to recognize what was going on.
During the class itself, Don (my riding/training buddy) conducted the warmup as usual, and when Sensei returned to the floor, we continued the warmup with our standard standing punches (hip vibration practice), then jab/reverse punch combinations while standing in a deep front stance (hip rotation practice), then stepping forward, punching (forward drive practice), then front kicking (hip pendulum action practice). We went back and forth and back and forth with the moving exercises, and got the blood pumping and the breath gasping for everyone.
Wednesday nights are 'kata night', although we tend to have kata as part of all of our training classes, with very few exceptions. Wednesday is specifically labelled kata night however, and we tend to go through more kata or junior level kata with much more detail and depth than when we were learning that same kata for testing for a colored belt years ago.
Last night we went through Kanku Sho again a few times, and then moved on to Heian Yondan and Heian Godan. I'm sure Sensei selected those two to help Brianna re-familiarize herself with those two kata, since her old rank attainments as a kid had already used both kata successfully in tests (meaning, Heian Godan was the last kata she used for her last successful testing, and thus isn't testing with the same kata again for the next 3 tests, but still should know and improve upon the kata she's finished testing with). We went through each kata about 4 times, until everyone was tired again.
Afterwards we did some kumite exercises with a partner, and switched around so we got to work with a number of different people. I was working on my sen timing, mainly. It's kind of scary to go IN on an incoming roundhouse or front kick to start my defense, but a useful timing ability to have.
All in all, class was a good workout and I made some nice deposits to the karate karma bank by being the one who approached the "new girl" and helped her start to re-learn what she already knows. I don't understand why so many other people my rank are afraid to offer assistance, or just don't think about what someone else at a junior rank may be interested in getting assistance with. After all, Sensei can't answer every question or help you with everything - a lot of karate is self-training and seeking out help on your own.
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