Denver Colorado Karate Classes Blog

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Tonights karate training class focused on some Aikido moves against people who put their hands on your shoulders. Some of the moves we did ended up flipping the other person to the ground.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Tonights theme was basically focusing your attention on your kicks and hand blocks and strikes so that you learn to so the proper technique in class and on the street. We did some pad work that required some power put into it but we were to still do it with accuracy and good form

Monday, November 20, 2006

Right before we started our warm-ups, I started thinking that maybe the Sensei should change the warm-up routine and not do the same exercises in the same order. Sure enough, we started in with different exercises and it felt good to try something different.

After that, we grouped up into three’s with two in the group holding a hand pad and the 3rd person goes into the middle. We ended up doing some kick combinations while hitting the pads. For example, one person with the pad would stand at 12 o’clock and you would land a crescent kick. Then the other person would be standing at 9 o’clock and right after the crescent, you would pop off a left side blade.

I think we did about 6-7 different combinations, doing 10 kicks with each leg.

Wednesday, November 16, 2006

Tonight’s class theme was working on our defense maneuvers but trying to perfect the actual DM. Brown and black belts had to do them left handed. #3, #13, #18, and #20 gave me the most trouble but the others were done OK. Not real fast but done with proper technique. The class ended up with about 5 minutes of pad work doing a circular simultaneous left hand and then followed with a right hand strike. Then using the other side of the body with a right hand and then a left hand strike — all in a circular motion.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Tonights class was one of those where a little creativity can be applied by the students. First we partnered up (I with a black belt) and we ran through our Kempos. By the time we go to around #20, the Sensei stopped the class and announced that he’s giving us 10 minutes to come up with our own Kempo. The brown and black belts were challenged to come up with a new Kempo that has at least 6 kicks/punches.

My made-up Kempo consisted of:
1. left hand knife block, grab wrist
2. right roundhouse to the ribs
3. right side blade to the gut
4. end up in a left twist stance and pop off a rear back kick to the gut again
5. twirl around and do a slight hop while landing a downward elbow to each side of the collarbone
6. right upward elbow to the chin
7. left upward elbow to the chin
8. then doing part of Kempo 12, left hand goes under opponents right arm, pressing them down, pop off a right hand thrust punch to the temple

We then had to do our Kempo is a circle for all to watch. It was fun.

Wednesday, Novemeber 8, 2006

Tonights class was themed around getting your body into position using angles. Instead on moving your body at a typical 12 oclock or 6 oclock angle, we practiced moving at all different angles in order to defend or strike an oppenent. We partnered up and tried these techniques in order to get used to the different movement for each angle.

November 1, 2006

Tonight’s karate class was themed around legs. Not the use of legs but how you would defend and fight if you were one knee due to an injury.

After warm-ups, we lined up in three rows of about 4 each. We started off doing multiple hand and kick combos while shuffling forward. Then we got into a side horse stance, shuffle sideways and do a side thrust punch, shuffle forward again and do roundhouse punch, shuffle forward and do a back fist and shuffle again and do an upper cut. While reading this, it reads like we stop on every shuffle but it’s really one continuous motion while moving forward. We did that about 7-8 times and it takes a lot of effort to coordinate the foot and hand movement.

After that we did out DM’s while on one knee. This required greater agility to complete the DM and it was tiring getting off the ground 20-30 times.

Then we wrapped up the class with our sparring gear on and back down on one knee while the person standing in front of you would land multiple hand and leg blows to your body. While on one knee, you would have to try and deflect and prevent the attack. I found an effective strategy while on one knee was to stick my left arm as close to the eyes of the person standing up. This narrowed down their field of vision and made it difficult for them to see the attack zone while a hand was in their face.