100th post~

This call for a celebration~~
(for what? hmm....)

Didn't want to look at my lecture notes and decided to go to MPSH to practice my Kata. This time round, instead of going through from Heian shodan all the way up, I started with Nipaipo, then Chatanyara Kusanku. Did Seisan and Pachu as well.

Starting to feel that there is some improvement with my movement. Am able to feel the movement better, able to make use of the motion to generate more power and maintaining the balance at the same time.
But my stamina is still lacking. With every few technique, I run out of breath and need a break.

The taekwondo people were doing their routine training there as well. Perhaps I was too sensitive, but some of them don't seem to be happy with me practicing alone there. But as far as possible, I didn't disturb them. I chose a secluded corner to practice, I stop my practice when their people came to take water from the water dispenser... But for don't know what reason, they chose to come down from upstairs, to practice at a place near by me.
At first I thought they were just passing by so paused my training for a while. But they started to practice there, so I just continue on with my practice.

To practice my breathing (as I was a bit out of breath), I did sanchin and tensho, two very slow kata. The Taekwondo people, not sure is implying me (or may be just me too sensitive), saying out loud, "So slow, like TaiChi, hahaha...." making some joke. (Hey, Taichi may be slow, but the practice is actually difficult!)

Two of the Taekwondo people came to talk to me when they have break, and apparently someone was not very happy about it...

Ok, enough bad mouthing about other people.... me also not any better. Wahaha...

It is always good to learn from others.
Something that happen a few weeks ago. Went to the Kendo place, and this guy was teaching me how to swing the sword in the Kendo way. Yupe~ I may be able to swing the sword, but my way of cutting is wrong. He taught me about the cross to take note whenever holding the sword, he pointed out my mistake in moving my wrist, he pointed out my mistake of pulling my hand back causing my cut to fall short...
It was certainly a good experience, and I must agree that I learn a lot from him.

Oh ya, and I learn how to choke a person from a Judo guy as well~
Hoping to learn more ground technique from them also.

Hmm... but I still need to practice my Kata.

一言：Still pride myself as a Karateka.

Sharpness

Grading...

There is this Japanese girl, Soraku.
During normal training, I didn't see her to be performing exceptionally well.

During grading, I didn't thought of paying that much attention. But as soon as she started to do her first kata, Heian Godan, it draws my attention.

The movements are sharp.

From a hunching position, i straighten my back to have a better view of her doing her Kata. She may be young, and thus there were not much power in each of the movement, but her control of her technique, the precision made it looks very sharp and pretty.
After her Kata, everyone was trully amazed, and gave a round of applause to her.

一言：Full control is more enjoyable than brute force.

Muslce ache

(long long time no update)

Had my grading.
After grading, there are two points which was exceptionally sore. It is at the lower part of where the arm join the shoulder (ok, lousy description).

I thought it was only me, but came to realize that Colin also had the same problem. Was it due to our grading/training on Monday which brings about this pain? According to Leong Lok Senpai, it is due to the pulling back of the hand, the 引き手. But it is not like I pull back my hand exceptionally hard... or did I?

Trying to recall, when i was doing Wanshu on Monday, a lot more forces are put into every punches and blocks, until I neglected my stance. Towards the last spining movement, I lost my balance slightly. But it certainly feels great, when one can throw the punches and blocks without drawbacks, without hesitation.

一言：Punch with the believe that you will definitely hit the target.

Hungry Kata

Not a new kata that i developed.
Haven't been eating much since morning, but suddenly just felt like doing kata. Put on my gi, and went to my 'training ground'.

With a hungry stomach, I can't put in brut force into my technique. I need to focus myself to execute each technique. Perhaps it is because of this high level of focusing, I think I manage to control my movement better.

Another thing is that I am forcing myself to 'breath' again. In the past, breathing is part of kata training: When to breath in, when to breath out. But somehow after coming here, I don't breath according to my movement, i simply breath. But when I am very hungry, breathing correctly ensure that I can still execute my movement without problem.

Hmm... perhaps training with an empty stomach is a good idea.

Today's 一言：Disclaimer: Try at your own risk

Oosaka Karate

It is really a privilidged, to be able to trained with the karateka from Oosaka Technology University.

An immediate feeling when one see the Karate team is that we can feel clearly their ranking. The seniors will always be in front and the juniors are always at the back. In lining up, in walking from place to place, in boarding bus, alighting from bus, and in training as well.

The training session was lead by them. It is not complicated, but it is tough.

In the warming up session, we formed circle, with the people leading the warming up in the center, and two circles surrounding them. The person who lead will count, "一、二、三、四" and the rest will count "五、六、七、八" with a very loud voice.
Today's training, are a lot of punches and kicks. Not much moving around, only training the basix on the spot. However, all of us paired up when training the basic punches and kicks. Reason? We are suppose to always try to beat the speed of the punch of the 'oponent' in front of us, and at the same time, using them as a target to make sure that our punches and kics are not too far off from the actual target. It somehow did encourage me to punch faster and faster, but with limited stamina, after sometime, I chose to reserve my energy so that I can finish their training without problem.

After the basic training, we had a short Kumite session. Firstly, it is just one side attack and the other side defend only. When my oponent defend, he didn't really take much effort to stop me down, especially when i charged in too 'squarely'. All he did was just to straighten his front hand, aiming somewhere around the center of my chest and I can't move in. I need to kill the front hand, or to shift in in an angle just nice to get him, yet not to be blocked by his hand.
When he charged in, the speed was quite scary. I can't really stay put to block everything as my reaction time is not fast enough. I will need to rotate around, but still he manage to get me a lot of times, almost in all of his attempts in attacking me.
Last round, is free sparring. I guess he let down his guard slightly so that I will be able to go in. There are 2 attacks that i did, which i think pretty well. One is a counter attack of his leg, something that I has been practicing for quite sometime: half step back block, step forward and punch. The other is a rushing in in the angle just nice to evade the opponent's attack.
Well, but when he started to attack, I found myself defenseless as well. The last punch, I am not too sure did he miss me on purpose (we are not suppose to kill each other anyway) or is it that i manage to dodge slightly, a clear scratch of his glove on my neck left a mark that is now still red.

After that is a session where we have Kata. I didn't prepare well, but was call upon to do it. I chose Nipaipo, perhaps because that is a higher rangking kata, and at least I have done it for sometime. But still, I made a mistake movement.
I can't really see myself when doing kata, but when looking at the Japanese Karateka doing their kata, i was trully amazed. They are also tired, so not much force is put into each and every technique, but the sharpness of the movement still remains. Really, I still have a lot of room for improvement.

I am not too sure what other people think about the training, was it too tough? But I do hope that this will give them a good experience, to see what is the training like in Japan, and will be motivated themselves, to try their very best to excel.

Today's 一言：気合 (Kiai)