Punches

How many variation of punches there can be?
A lot. Even just straight punch, you can made a lot of variation with it. Different speed extending different length, twist or no twist, etc.

First we do Kizami and gyaku, then we do doubel gyaku.
One thing that Leong Lok Senpai stressed about when punching the second gyaku tsuki is that, extend fully the back leg while the punching hand lands on the target. While pulling back the hand, retract the back leg at the same time as well.

There are a lot of minor minor problems in the juniors. Something that I notice about Jonathan today.
1. Giving out signals before attacking. Recoiling his back hand, and recoiling his front legs are both giving off signals.
2. Not retracting the hand in a straight line manner. Although in the end, Leong Lok Senpai said that it could be used to his advantage, but he didn't explain further how.

A junior asked me how to counter a gyakutsuki-gyakutsuki combination attack.
My standard political answer - Depends, and it really depends on too many things.

Today's 一言：Cut your finger nails before training

Congratulations!

Training today was not really that tough. It is just basic, yet it really give us a good workout.
After stretching (which is something we haven't been doing for quite sometime), we did the basic movement.
1. Shift left leg leftward and forward while turning the body left, block and punch.
2. Shift right leg rightward and forward while turning the body right, block and punch.
3. Shift right leg rightward and backward while turning the body left, block and punch.
4. Shift left leg leftward and backward while turning the body right, block and punch.
5. Shift left leg forward, block and punch.
6. Shift right leg forward, block and punch.
7. Shift right leg backward, body remain forward, block and punch.
8. Shift left leg backward, body remain forward, block and punch.
9. Shift right leg backward and rightward(while facing back), turn body back, block and punch.
10. Shift left leg backward and leftward (while facing back), turn body back, block and punch.
11. Shift left leg forward and leftward (while facing back), turn body back, block and punch.
12. Shift right leg forward and rightward (while facing back), turn body back, block and punch.

Hmm... i wonder how many people will understand my description here. But these are the basic movements that one should be familiar with, especially if one wants to be a kata player.

Then came the training that I dreaded, kick twice 前蹴り(maegeri) in the air. The pointer is to always keep the foot close to the body. One, it helps to balance; two, it will be relatively easier to kick when the leg is nearer to the body. Personally, i felt that I still haven't develop the muscle for kicking . I guess that is the main reason i can't kick fast and sharp.
To make things more complicated, kick 前蹴り(maegeri) forward, 横蹴り(yokogeri) to the side, and 回蹴り(mawashigeri) forward again, without putting the leg down.
I have no problem balancing, but i have problem in extending my leg out. Most of us when we train, we kick with the speed and force that was generated while kicking off the ground. Generating speed and power in the air is difficult, but once able to do that, it will be wonderful.

Several 'new' punches: 1. 振り突き(furitsuki)　or 振り拳(furiken). 2. 裏拳突き(urakentsuki) 3. 小...(ah!!! i forgot!)
Urakentsuki is especially useful for new distance. Both of these punches, need to be done with proper hip turning. Else, the punch will be light and ineffective. They are not normally used in Kumite, but can be used in real fighting.
Furitsuki can be done with ko-something(i forgot the name), where we use the 'second' knuckle to 'scratch' the eyes. If missed, just reverse it and throw another urakenuchi.

Ah.... that is all for basic today...

Oh, why congratulation? Congratulation to Kevin for making into Mauritius national team~
See him fighting with Ziwee senpai today. It is quite obvious the speed of his movement increased a lot. Several interesting thing about his bouncing is that he bounce with a 'broken' rhythm. For a counter fighter who need to catch the timing to charge in, this is very irritating. Especially when I got trap into his timing, i will be bouncing at an unnatural rhythm (to me) and not able to move.
But what is more important is the sharpness and speed of the technique. Kevin mentioned that some of the other fighter will just stand still. You can dance and jump around like monkey or rabbit, they just stay put. Once you enter his zone of attack, he will launch off with such high speed and accuracy that you will regret of stepping into his zone. (that sounds scary...)

Today's 一言：Don't eat chilly before training...

Post 71~

Congratulation to myself~
For writing the 71st post.

Well, but i was told that i have been writing too much about myself. Should write a bit more about other people... I guess it just shows that I am generally a self centered person, which makes it a good reason for me to practice kata.

Today started off with warming up as usual. Just that Sensei asked us to run in round rather than back and forth in the dojo. When done in a different manner, I didn't manage to judge the distance and thus pushing us moving more than usual. But i guess it is a good exercise, just that we are a bit too tired for subsequent training.

Sensei lead the training today himself. Starting off with punching sideways, not even twisting the hip. Ivan said it is called Kagezuki, haven't check with sensei about the name. With this, it will be 5 kinds of variation for the basic punches to start the lesson with. Of course, kicks can be added in as well, which will make more variation.

Although it has been explicitly stated before, where is chudan, where is jodan, but a lot of juniors are still punching in between chudan and jodan for chudan, and too hight for Jodan. Lack of training? or is it just ignorance? With the shoulder locked tight, and throwing in with all the force without control and coordination, it just looks wrong.
This is especially scary when i need to spar with the junior without countering. In normal situations, the 'hooligan' punches are best defended with a nice sharp counter punch straight into the stomach. But when that is being prohibited, blocking and evading is really difficult, but i guess it is a good training.

Anyway, as I have mention in the previous post, for beginers, don't think of doing all the fancy fancy stuff in the begining. Always stick back to the basic, learn from the basic. Without the basic, the practice of fanciful technique will not move one forward.
And I seriously think that technique comes first, then speed and power. A lot of juniors are still throwing their punches and kicks with all the speed and power in an incorrect manner, which is quite dangerous. For one, it becomes a big and lengthy technique that can be evaded or counter easily, and two sometime it causes one to lose balance and fall easily.
But i really wonder does my word register in them.

While carrying a pile of paper in office today, suddenly my memory refreshes.
I used to train punching home-made-makiwara as well! Telephone book.
The person holding will train his or her gripping, while the person punching, (by right) should punch exactly to the target (that is why it is called target training) hard and fast. When the hard cover of the telephone book comes off, the second part of the training is to tear off the page with the twisting motion of the knuckle at the very end of the punch.

Been talking about doing a diary of training.
Is this my diary of training? In a way, it is; but i didn't put all the things into detail.
Perhaps is this 'old' thinking of mine, which thinks that the training that i do in the dojo should only be known to the seniors, the juniors, and to those who are training under sensei. Should i blog all the details out here? Or I should keep myself a written book?

Today's 一言：Should I blog in details?

Tired...

The second half of the training today are Kata.
This is the first time after training in this Dojo, we did from teh very first kihon kata slowly all the way up.

When all of us did the kihon kata together, the feeling is so good!
Especially when there is some synchronization, it just feel great.

Each kata, first time sensei count slowly and we do.
Second round, he will count faster at all the continuous technique.
Third round, we all do by our own timing.
Except for the last two kata where we only do 2 times.

So all together, we have did 9 kata, with a total of 25 times.
The body is tired, but it is tired in a different way. In a way that with some rest, it will be enough for me to recover and start the training again. In a way that it is building up the body bit by bit.

Today's 一言：懐かしい～　(Miss the days~)

Die hard training

When is the last time I did 'die hard training'?

Can't remember,
Too long ago.

Is my passion for Karate growing or shrinking?
Or disappearing?

I haven't been 'updating' and 'upgrading' myself.
The trick that i can pull off are still the few same tricks that I have for the past few years.
Perhaps even less, as my body are not flexible enough to pull off all of them.

They were talking about wanting to do die hard training together.
Do I have the time?
Or should I ask,
Am I willing/wanting to spend the time for die hard training?

Wondering...

Today's 一言：Shall I get crazy?

Footworks...

Before that, correction...
On monday, it should be urakenuchi　裏拳うち, not urakentsuki. Haha... my bad.

Well, other than having two hand that punch, it is as important, to have good footwork, to bring you to your enemy to hit your enemy, and to bring you away from your enemy after you hit your enemy, or when your enemy attack.

Leong Lok Senpai told me to repeat this:
Nekoashi, Zenkutsu, Nekoashi (all with one leg moving in and out, no stepping forward).
Especially the pulling back is important. This will ensure that you pull back, away from your enemy after the attack.

Well, I guess i have neglected this for a long time.
During target training, i tend to stay in front of my oponent after hitting the target. I don't pull back, I don't shift aside.
It may be alright if the oponent is taken down with one punch (that is what we aim to do), but it is a good practice to take precaution all the time. Thus, we should pull ourselves back or push ourselves to the other side, facing the oponent after every charging, instead of standing upclose, or worse, with the back facing the oponent.

Today's 一言：Need more footwork training

Urakentsuki

裏拳突き.
I really wonder how many uraken have I thrown today.
500? Perhaps somewhere around there.

It really has been quite a while, that i training consist of a big bulk of hand technique. And I enjoyed it a lot. But throwing about 500 urakentsuki really made my arms felt tired. Or is the feeling tired actually? The innerside of my forearm felt tighter and tighter when i throw more and more uraken.

I guess I am hitting the limit.
Well, when is the last time i pushed myself towards this kind of limit?

After training went for supper, and i started to crap. (Wahaha...)
Telling them about all sorts of funny funny way to train. Personally, I haven't tried most of them, and not really sure about them. But no matter what has been said, the more important thing is to put everyword into action.

I seriously feel that more and more of us are starting to become 'theoritical' fighter. In theory, we can talk all sorts of funny funny style and movement. In actual case? I am not sure about others, but I think i will be the first one to perish. Wahaha....

Today's 一言：Punch 200times a day, can you do that?