Denver Colorado Karate Classes Blog

Monday, October 31, 2005

I expected tonight’s karate class to be empty but there were 11 students who showed up. The evening’s warm-ups started off with “Count Downs.” The count downs start at 10 and consisted of: jumping jacks, crunches, squats, reverse crunches, calf raises and then frog hops. I was the first to finish.

Then we moved on over to partnering up to learn some stabbing knife, swinging knife and overhead knife techniques. After that, we learned a Halloween Kempo that basically let you twist the opponents head off their shoulders like a top.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Highlands Ranch Martial Arts, Cardio Exercises

Missed Monday’s class due to travels out of town. Tonight’s class was belt test evaluation theme night. Warm-ups consisted of doing 50 crunches then up on your feet to do Pinan #1. Back on the floor and bang out 50 reverse crunches and spring up and do Pinan #2. Then to Pinan #3, etc, etc… I did the forms without any flubs.

Thing that amazes me after doing 50 crunches, 50 reverse and 25 leg lift crunch (where your legs are fully extended and you keep them off the ground a few inches and then raise them straight in the air pointing to the ceiling, everybody was rolling on the ground in agony. I wasn’t sure if they were acting for the Sensei because the crunches hardly phase me at all.

When doing the reverse crunch, everybody bangs their toes on the ground on the decline and then spring their legs up in the air for the next rep. I do the reverse crunch going up and down without ever letting my toes touch the ground for that momentarily rest.

After warm-up, we did all of our DM’s. Sensei yelled out DM 16 and I did 26. Guess I locked in on hearing the number 6 or something.

Then we did all of our Kenpo’s. I did 18 of them or thought I did and realized I skipped over #11 by mistake.

After all of this, the Sensei awarded some belt test cards. I am not expecting a card since I just tested for Green on Sept 16. I have all of my Green/Brown material but less than two months is way too soon for another test (even though I take double-privates and come into the dojo on Friday’s to practice on my own.)

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Tonight’s class only had seven people in it. I was in the front line for the first time. The warm-up exercises consisted of asking each student what exercise and how many reps would we like to do. So we basically did 7 different warm-up exercises and the reps ranged from 25-50 each.

Then we did some line drills for some more warm-up. We started out doing half-mooning with front two-knuckle punch. Then half-mooning with a front two knuckle, hammer strike to the groin, back two knuckle to the face and another hand strike.

Then another line drill consisted of doing crescent, reverse crescent and spinning reverse crescent kicks.

After that, we partnered up and did one for one half mooning using our 8-point block with counter strikes.

Monday, October 17, 2005

Self Defense Training Men Women & Children

Nearing belt testing so class evaluations starting this evening.

This evenings adult class started off with doing some DM’s mixed in with some push-ups, squats and crunches. I had a mental block doing DM #10 and did the other 16 DM’s OK. I am getting pretty good on DM #14. I didn’t run during my lunch hour today so my legs felt more springy than usual.

After this warm-up, we partnered up (3 of us in my group) and we ran through our Kempos. I have a total of 18. Little weak on #9. Just can’t torque my body enough to throw the person behind my back.

Then we broke off into two groups with green and above in one group and blue/green and below in the other group. Our group learned a new collar technique that is found in www.ussd.net

That was it for the evenings adult karate class.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Karate School, Colorado Martial Arts Schools, Karate Training: www.ussd-colorado.com

I thought Monday’s class was challenging. Wednesday’s adult karate class in Highlands Ranch was theme night focusing on the abdomen.

We did the requisite 50 jumping jacks, 50 push-ups and then into the abs. We partnered up into two single lines. We were instructed to hit the hand pad by doing 25 crescent kicks with the right foot and then another 25 with the left foot. Then we switch and the partner does the same. We do this for four sets of 25 for crescents which totals a 100 kicks. Then we have to another 4 sets of 25 doing reverse crescent kicks.

Total of 200 kicks in 10 minutes for each person.

I realized the secret in getting reverse crescent kick velocity is actually (using the right leg for example) sweeping your leg to the left at the bottom of your arc which then gives your leg a greater distance and more time to create leg speed before hitting the target. 6″ to the left gave me more power when kicking to my right.

After this “warm-up”, we lined-up again to complete our surprise exercise. The Sensei told us to do 100 strict crunches at our own pace. I did my crunches lifting my shoulder blades off the floor and got into an upward rocking motion that was rhythmic. The rhythm got me to finish first.

Now that we were warmed up, we partnered up again and did a Buddha-palm-like exercise (Sensei called it something else) where we circle our hands together in a circular motion. The other person can strict at you to knock you off balance by striking you in either shoulder, the chest or the hips. When being struck at, you are to block the strict but also use your body to “slip” the punch and try and force the strikers body momentum to keep moving forward. Kind of like Aikido or Judo.

I did this with about 7-8 partners. On the 3rd partner, I was with a Black Belt and we both did it with our eyes closed. We both did pretty good in sensing each others strikes. Subsequent partners I did it with my eyes closed and I think I did better eyes closed then eyes open.

That was the end of the 60-minute class.

The next day, no aches or pains. Just some left elbow tendonitis that’s been active for about a week now.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Tonight’s class was unusual in the sense that (1.) there were no lower ranks below blue/green stripe (except for one yellow belt) and (2.) there were no females in the class when there are usually 4-5. There were a total of about 15 students tonight.

Warm-ups started off with the usual exercises and then we went into overdrive. The sensei had us do about 20-25 front ball kicks, then 20-25 side blades, then front ball with a roundhouse follow-up, then rear kicks and then crescent kicks followed-up with a roundhouse. I felt ok but some looked like they were ready to puke into their gi. I always wondered if I didn’t lift and run 6 hours earlier in the gym, would I do better, worse or the same.

Then we partnered up and did some one on one back fist/block, backfist/block, etc…with the partner. This got your timing and hand speed going as fast as you can keep up. We did this with 3-4 different partners.

Then the sensei announces there are seven different work stations that we will rotate to every 4 minutes. At each station, you are to go as hard as you can, up to 25 strikes and then rotate with your partner. The partner goes 25 strikes on a pad and then you go again until the sensei says to switch to a different station.

The stations are:

- back fist followed up with an open palm strike
- crescent kicks
- roundhouse kicks
- back kicks
- back fist followed up with a roundhouse elbow
- side thrust kicks
- I forget

By the end of the 60 minutes, everybody was drained and tired. It was a good class.

October 8, 2005

Sparring, Kata, Forms, Weapons - Denver Colorado

Green/Green-Brown Sparring - 35 and older
As I write this log, it’s not to complain about anything. What happened, happened and you move on. Since I took first place 6 months ago, I should have done better than getting wiped out in the first round. Since my son took a video of my bout and I watched it about 8 times, here’s my take on the bout.

First, I get paired off with a 6′4″, 210 pound guy (I am 5′10″ and 165) while there were three other guys in the group that were my height and near my weight. Why I get the second tallest guy, I don’t know.

Like my match 6 months ago, every opponent nails me the first time but they won’t after that. The bout begins and the guy cleanly nails me with a front kick. Bout 1 - 0

We do some shucking and jiving and I nail him with a roundhouse instep kick to the chest but the ref disallows the point because he said I trapped his leg with my left arm for a split second. The ref proceeds to admonish me for 30 seconds for the trap before resuming the bout. I watched the video over and over and I didn’t trap his leg. Bout 1 - 0

I do a front ball kick to the mid-section and followed up with a hammer strike on the guys head. Ref disallows the point because he says my opponent trapped my front ball kick. I rewatch the video and my opponent did try a downward parry block but my kick already stuck in. Bout 1 - 0

Next I do a right roundhouse kick to his upper chest and it sticks. Ref stops the bout and disallows the point because after I stuck in my roundhouse, my opponent kicked me in my gonads. Bout 1 - 0

My opponent comes in with a front ball kick that was at least 2 feet away from my chest and the ref calls a point. Bout 2 - 0

The match begins and I switch stances into a lefty stance (right foot and right hand leading) so that the ref can not see my body targets. My opponent unwisely follows suit and now his body is open to the ref to see.

I opened up with a right roundhouse to his forehead, missing his head by 6″. My opponent made no attempt to block my kick. Ref stops the match to call a point for me. He asks the other ref if she saw it. She says no. No point. Bout 2 - 0

Now I am little frustrated that my points are either being disallowed or not seen. So I go back into my lefty stance, do some weaving and bobbing and sure enough, my opponent comes in with a weak front ball kick. I responded back with an instep roundhouse to his stomach and I decked the guy down like a bag of rocks falling to the ground. The ref asks the other ref if she saw the point. She didn’t. Bout 2 - 0

I was never good keeping score in my head when boxing and today was no different but in my mind, I thought the match was at least 2 - 2 by now.

Next my opponent comes at me with some punches that miss and I side blade him in the upper chest.
Bout 2 - 1

Next my opponent comes lunging in with a kick that was 3 feet short, I respond back with a kick to his chest that landed and a hammer strike to his head. Then the ref stops the bout and awards the opponent with a point for a thrust punch. My two sons and I watched that part of the bout over and over and there was no punch thrown at me before I landed my kick or before I clocked the guy on the head. Bout 3 - 1

The frustrating thing was watching another opponent take 2nd place and I beat him twice at the last tournament.

I’ll get them all next time.

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

Karate, Martial Arts Training, Cardio Kickboxing, Women’s Self Defense Training - Highlands Ranch

With the tournament 3 days away, the class was spent on doing our Forms and Point Sparring.

Monday, October 3, 2005

Adult Karate Classes, Kumite Sparring, Kick Boxing Tournament Training - Colorado

This evenings class was all point sparring. First we did a few line drills to evade and/slip a punch or a kick and then retaliate back with a punch.

Then we sparred a few opponents. Nothing unusual to add except once I got home, I thought I had a broken left hand.