Denver Colorado Karate Classes Blog

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

After our karate warm-up exercises, the entire class spent about 20 minutes reviewing the finer points of Pinan #1. We uncovered little faults such as feet and hips position and how high or how low our punches were. Mine were too high.

Then we partnered up and practiced a mini-version of Pinan #4 which is basically clearing the attackers hands from your body, doing a front ball kick into their stomach and cross-over your feet while doing a left hand block and a right hand backfist to their face. The partner would punch in at you while you did this technique. The tactic is very street practical.

My partner said I kicked him too hard.

Monday, December 26, 2005

It seems like the classes are getting more challenging over the last couple of months. Tonight for example, we started our warm-ups with 80 jumping jacks, 50 calf raisers, 25 more jumping jacks, 50 crunches, 20 left side and 20 right side crunches, 20 leg lift crunches and 20 crunches with your legs straight up towards the ceiling. Then we did are circles (arms parallel to the ground while swirling your arms in a circular manner) in different directions for out 3-4 minutes.

With the Delts fatigued, we then did 25 pushups, then hold the upward position for 30 seconds and then bang out another 10 pushups. Did them all with no cheats.

Then we partnered up first doing 4-5 random kicks on each other to see what works best. Then we were allowed to do random kicks and up to two hand strikes in any pattern you wanted to do under the pretext that it’s for sparring.

I am beginning to make the mental transformation that point sparring teaches poor street defense/offense habits and doesn’t encourage the use of using your knees and sweeps (for example.)

So tonight, I took the opportunity with my partner (he expects it) to grab his uniform and knee strike him into the ribs, or I did a hook kick to behind his knee (not really striking his knee but under control.) So in a street fight, these types of tactics will naturally come out versus getting into a point sparring stance and having a hammer strike to the top of the head come out.

Maybe in a future adult class, we can practice faux street fighting sequences.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Tonight’s class started off by doing punching and kicking combinations while facing north, east , south and west. It got a little complicated when it was doing 4-5 hand strikes followed up with a couple of kicks.

Then we partnered up and did different combination strikes on each other while the other person was to use different blocking techniques to defend against the incoming blows.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

This evenings adult class started off pretty basic and I was wondering where we are going with this lesson. First we did front ball kicks full speed. Then the Sensei broke down the ball kick into four separate movements and we couldn’t proceed to the next movement until he gave the command to do so. So we did 10 right and 10 left 4-step ball kicks. Then 10 right and 10 side blade kicks, then 10 and 10 rear back kicks.

After that little warm-up, we partnered up and did our front ball kicks using different stances. First using the conventional horse stance, then with the right kicking leg in a left half moon stance, then using a right half moon stance, then using a side horse stance and then using a crane stance. It seemed most comfortable using a crane stance to pop off a quick kick.

After that, we banged some pads full force. The goal was to use kicks you like that can exert enough force into the pads to move the pad holder…but…it must be done under full control and technique.

Tonight’s lesson was to learn adaptability using different stances.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Tonight evening class focused on evading and blocking punches. How we started was by pairing up and going one for one suing simple front two knuckle punches and the person being punched blocks the punch. The session culminated by stepping into the blocker and throwing up to 5 punches and a kick. The other person had to figure out that was being thrown at them and block all incoming strikes without getting hit.

I kept on hitting my pinky knuckle on my partners forearm bone and it stung because it still feel s like it’s a broken knuckle from the 2 on 1 wrestling match last week.

The main lesson was body and hand position. If you are blocking a punch that takes your hand guard away from your face/head, you need to train yourself to use your other free hand to act as the guard and quickly retract your other hand back into a guard position.

Since 50-60% of punches never hit the intended target, it’s better to keep your guard up at all times and don’t try to deflect every incoming strike at you.

Wednesday, December 7, 2005

Tonight’s adult karate class was probably the most intense since I started taking karate in 2004. Our warm-up consisted of floor and standing-up exercises. Then we moved on to doing all of our defense maneuvers. The Sensei called out DM 17 and it didn’t sink in that I already know that one. The Sensei’s and my eyes locked with the look (you already know that one). He called out DM 17 again and I executed it without hesitation.

I flubbed DM 15. Coincidently I practiced the DM’s at home prior to the class and I wasn’t sure of the DM 15 starting footwork. I figured it out but in the class, I hesitated with the initial move again and only did half of the DM.

From there, we did Buddha-palm. With the two lines facing each other, first we did Buddha-palm with our palms stuck together while trying to block incoming punching. Next it was with your hands separated but whereever one hand went, the other hand had to follow in parallel. Then the next Buddha-palm exercise allow you to free-form your blocking hands in any direction in order deflect incoming blows.

Then we teamed up into groups of threes. Two people interlocked their legs so they are hip-to-hip and each one can only use their outside hand to block punches. You had to reply on your partner to assist in deflecting incoming blows.

Then the real endurance test came. While still in groups of three’s and nearing the same weight, it was 2 on 1 ground grappling. Two people were to work together in trying to bring down the one person to the ground and immobilizing them.

I went first as the monkey in the middle. Quickly one person swooped around and tried to get behind me while one was in front. I grabbed that person by the shoulder and used their body as a shield. That other free roaming person eventually worked his way in so I shot for his leg and took him down and did a basic 3-point stance on his body immobilizing at least one of the attackers. Their other teammate then got on top of me.

Next I teamed up and another person was the monkey in the middle. I again shot in on his leg, creep up his body to bring him down to the mat and arm-locked both his arms (kind of like a semi-chicken wing lock). He was immobile and had to tap out.

I hadn’t wrestled since 12 grade but the techniques are still there by instinct it paid off.

I hope we do more ground fighting in the future.

Monday, December 5, 2005

This evenings practice was deceptive. Our warm-ups were short and not very challenging which I thought was unusual. After warm-ups, the Sensei had us do repetitive hand strikes with varying degree of difficulty. From there, we progressed to doing right and left leg kicks but at the completion of your kick, you had to rotate either clockwise or counter clockwise to position yourself for the next kick, while using perfect technique and body positioning.

From there, we partnered up and we had to do the three most recently learned DM’s. In our case, it was DM 16,17 and 26 with full take downs. After about 15 minutes, it became apparent to the both of us that the person having the DM performed on was much harder than doing the DM because of the constant getting thrown on the floor and getting up off the floor.

Overall it was a fairly strenuous workout.