Denver Colorado Karate Classes Blog

Monday, January 30, 2006

Tonight’s adult class started off with count downs. Start at the 15 repetition, we had to do 15 jumping jacks, hit the floor and do 15 push ups, stand up and do 15 deep knee squats and back on your back and do 15 crunches. Once that set is complete, you get on your feet and do the whole set over again at 14 repetitions, then 13, etc…

The sensei stopped us after about 5-7 minutes and I just completed my 5th countdown ready to go into #4. Right around the 11th circuit, my breathing was in a very relaxed pace even though I was going at a very fast clip. Felt very relaxed, didn’t short-cut any exercises and would have finished all 15 circuits in another 60 seconds.

After that warm up we partnered up and did our three latest DM’s and our three latest Kenpos

For DM’s, I did #26, #16 and #17. On #26, I need to focus more on grabbing the pant leg with my right hand in order to do the take down better. On #16, I perfected grabbing the their hand and twisting it to lock out the elbow joint better and on #17, I did that OK.

On kenpos, on #5, I locked out their elbow joint pretty good and forcing them to the ground in a submission hold. On #9, it’s just an awkward move by trying to throw somebody down on the ground while pushing them behind your back and sweeping their foot. On #16, felt Ok and just need to work on the timing of the shuto and take down at the same time.

We ended the class by doing some leg pad work starting off with a side thrust kick using both legs and then down a side thrust cross-over step to gain more kicking power.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

We started off the class (after warm-ups) by doing Pinan #1 in a very slow and deliberate manner while getting as low as you can go in your stances - with back fully erect. It was hard.

After that, we partnered up by taking a portion of Pinan #3 and breaking down one element into a self defense technique. So when the attacker came punching or kicking in and their body position was off a bit, it may have made sense to do a thrust punch to the gut instead on sticking to the technique 100% which calls for no thrust punch.

After that, we moved on over to hand pad work by doing a right and left hand combo while using a shuffle step to complete the second hand strike. Then we did the same routine with the opposite side starting with the left and following up with the right hand.

Sensei announces that February with be on Ju-Jitsu and ground grappling. I feel comfortable on the ground since I know how to wrestle so I look forward to this.

Monday, January 23, 2006

This evenings karate training class consisted of doing stage 1-4 Buddha-palm training. The whole secret in deflecting incoming punches is to not over react and over extend your hand/arm block which then leaves your face and/or gut wide open for another strike. I generally like to react by attempting to block their upper forearm or bicep which then stops the strike dead in it’s tracks. When we got to stage 4, the blocker was allowed to counter-strike back so once I saw their mid-section open, I swiftly opened up with a right or left jab to the mid section.

I frustrated a few people by breaking down their defenses and then tapping then on the head or ear before they could even react to the strike. Sometime a quick hand or shoulder fake with the right side then allows you to throw in the left jab right to the face (even though we can’t aim for the face).

One student was so frustrated that after we bowed out at the end of the class, he requested if I would again square off with him and try and land some punches in on him which I obliged. After about 30 seconds, we stopped and he commented that he felt better now because he blocked about half of my punches. So I said, “Oh, I thought you wanted me to go only half speed on you. Let’s go full speed.” He accepted and I demolished him by tapping him on the head and then the gut and back to the head and then gut over and over again until his defenses completely broke down.

It was fun.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Tonight’s adult karate class started off with some pushups, crunches, jumping jacks and then we partnered off to do some leg kicks at each other such as crescent, reverse crescent, front instep and side blade kicks, 10 on each leg. Then we ended up doing some kicking pad work by having the pad holder stepping in at you like an attacker would and you would have to respond with a right front ball kick or a left front ball kick and then do a rear back kick. This helps is getting your distance and timing down.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

I tested for my green/brown stripe test and basically it was the hardest workout I had since college sports. Without going into great detail, it was non-stop for X-hours with running, jumping, kicks, punches, takedowns in the parking lot with no breaks.

It took my body about 24 hours to recover but nothing was achy or sore

Monday, January 9, 2005

The new Highlands Ranch east dojo opened last Saturday so we decided to visit and take a Monday night adult class. Including us two, there were two other adults and one young teenager for a total mix of 1-white, 2-yellows, 1-green and 1-brown.

We did the usual warm-ups. Us two were challenged to do double the amount of exercise repetitions than the lower ranks which is fine. At the end of the warm-ups, the Sensei asked if we were belt testing this weekend. I answered “yes” so the Sensei was gracious enough to have us do a mini-review which was appreciated. I caught myself not doing the side thrust kick properly which I corrected.

Then we moved on over to our Forms and did all Pinans, Katas, Stature of the Crane and Northern/Southern. When I was doing Kata 1, I got disrupted in thought when doing a double arm block but I just plowed through the form due to muscle memory and didn’t miss a beat. The Sensei had us do Stature facing different directions. Doing Stature in one direction was disorienting but I focused on the movement and not try and orient myself by looking at the walls and Stature was completed with no problems.

Then we moved on over to doing our DM’s. I did all of the DM’s without hesitation. After that, we did dragon circle and had to do our DM’s inside the circle with five people punching in at a random pattern. I did DM 6, 7, 3, 2, 5, 4, 8, 9, 12 and the last one, the Sensei was directly behind me and she punched in so I just did a rear kick on her (not hitting anybody of course.) Sensei commented that I was very “speedy” in doing each DM.

Saturday, January 7, 2006

I decided to attend a Saturday sparring class to brush off the cobwebs for my upcoming belt test which will probably include some sparring. I am personally not interested in perfecting my sparring techniques because I believe it teaches and trains you to become a good point sparrer but not a good street fighter using martial arts.

I visited the new Highlands Ranch east dojo along with a few of my other dojo peers and after the usual warm-ups, the black, brown and green belts went outside to the buildings front lawn that borders the roadway. The front lawn is pitched at about a 30 degree angle and that is steep. if you are uphill, you downhill opponent is 3 feet lower than you.

My first sparring partner is a green belt and he wanted to dominate the uphill position. I didn’t care so when he came in close at me, I locked up his arms and flung him downhill. He rolled downhill like a marble rolling down a tilted kitchen floor.

In sparring, I am teaching myself to hold on to the persons arm or kicking leg if they are going to dangle it out there. Since it’s sparring, you are not allowed to do this but I’d rather train myself to use this technique so if a real fight happens, I would do this instinctively.

After that, I had the opportunity to spar some more on a flat parking lot surface. The first person in the ring was a seasoned black belt who knocked out another black belt in the last tournament. He’s in the middle of the circle and the sensei asks who want to spar first. I was the first to jump in while he was fresh.

We mixed it up a bit and it seemed to me we were both doing the same techniques on each other which neutralized our attacks. I did one rear back kick and it felt like I nailed him in the gut. I don’t think he got any good punches or kicks on me. I’d call the match a draw for the one minute we sparred.

Wednesday, January 4, 2006

Highlands Ranch Karate - Martial Arts - Learn To Use a Death Blow

This evenings adult karate class started off with a different warm-up routine. We had to partner up and do 50 military push-ups (your chest must hit the partners closed fist to count) and 50 crunches by tapping the partners hand on the way up. I did all 50 in probably less than 1 minute and was the first to finish. I did 50 crunches but started to tank out at 40. Probably due to me working out at the gym that afternoon and already doing inclined sit-ups. After that we did squats and the other routine exercises.

Then we moved on over to doing our DM’s (I have 17) with the Sensei calling them out in random order. I think the only one I partially flubbed was DM#11 by not doing the first initial cat stance/left hand block move but completed the rest of the DM. I was anticipating another DM in my head and got caught off guard.

Then we moved to partnering up again and started to learn a complicated side club defense maneuver due to limited time in the class, we only learned about 75% of it. First it starts off by:

- step in with the right leg and turn facing 9:00 while doing a left hand knife block and a right hand strike to the bicep
- while punching the bicep in a downward motion, the right hand then does a backfist to the face followed up with a left-hand palm heel strike to the face again.
- followed up with a right hand thrust punch to the gut and then a left hand shuto to the neck

When class was winding down, the Sensei had three belt test card to hand out. I received one to test for my Green/Brown stripe belt.

Monday, January 2, 2006

Tonight’s Highlands Ranch adult karate class started off with doing all of our hand strikes with intensity. It was a good review. Then we partnered up to do up to 10 hand strike combinations — first doing linear strikes and then circular strikes. After that exercise, we were allowed to do any combination of linear and circular strikes while the partner was able to do level 3 buddha-palm blocks.

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