Denver Colorado Karate Classes Blog

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

After doing our warm-ups, the Sensei had the higher belt ranks do our 10-point blocks while half-mooning forward and backwards. It wasn’t that difficult to do. Then we paired off to punch in on each other while the other person would do a 10-point block move to either block the punch or kick. From there, the Sensei showed us a new move that kind of went like this:

Left over right crossover while doing a left outward knife block blocking the right hand punch.
From the left hand knife block, then do a left hand block blocking the left punch jab while moving to the left side of the attacker’s body,
Wrapping the right arm around the attackers left arm and delivering a left hand palm heel to the face.
Release the right arm wrap and replace with a left arm wrap and turning clockwise 180 degrees and deliver a reverse spin elbow to the face.
Release arm wrap again with left arm and replace with right arm wrap spinning counter-clockwise and delivering a palm heel to the face again.

On the street you would do all of those moves but doing an arm wrap to immobilize their upper body and landing an elbow to the face would probably end the fracas real fast.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Tonight we again paired off and did some basic routines blocking using the iron fortress block. After that, we did some kicking pad work to work up a sweat. The pad work consisted of doing 20 right and 20 left roundhouse kicks and then doing 10 right and 10 left spinning reverse crescent kicks. Would never use in the street but it helps hone some balance and control.

Monday, May 21, 2007

After a couple days in Tokyo in late April, my lower back started killing me from the hotel lumpy beds and ever since, it still hurts. It’s affecting my karate a bit but I still work through it because it doesn’t hurt while exercising. Go figure.

Tonight’s class consisted of pairing off and doing one for one punch combos to the head, solar and groin. Then doing a kick (any kind) followed up with a punch to the head, solar and groin. It’s called “working the body.”

Tnen the brown and black belts grouped off to learn an advanced side club technique. Starts off as:

- right leg forward, turn to 9:00 position and do a left hand knife block and a right hand downward hammer to the attackers bicep.
- right hand hammer glances off the nose and blocks the attackers left arm hook punch
- right hand hammer to the jaw and left hand shuto to the opposite side of the jaw (like a vise)
- left hand flicks the eyes and right arm does a forearm to the jaw
- right arm does a downward elbow to the chest
- turn towards 6:00 (somewhere in that direction) and do a rising left kick to the groin and a right hand hammer to the groin at the same time.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Tonight after warmups, first we partnered up to do some basic punching routines which then led to us to form groups of 3-4 people to do some pad work. The pad work consisted of doing some cross-over back kicks, front thrust kicks, and some side thrust kicks using the right and left side.

Monday, May 14, 2007

I was there but waited too long to make the blog post to remember all of the details.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Inward and outward blocks followed up with any hand combos you want to use was the training session tonight. We partnered up with the attacker throwing a punch hard and fast at you. The defender would do a left hand outward block and then follow up with a hand combo to the head and upper body. I was trying different hand strikes to see which felt comfortable and flowed together properly.

Wednesday May 2, 2007

Tonight was just pure physical and balance with really no street value at all. Afetr warmups, we grouped up and I was with two black belts. All we had to do were ten repititions of kicks in a progressive stairstep manner. First front ball 10 times for right and left leg. That is set #1. Set #2 was front ball and then front instep, 10 times right and left leg.

So the order of progression was:
- front ball
- front instep
- rising knee roundhouse
- side blade
- back kick
- round house
- hook kick
- butterfly kick

So on the last set of eight kick, you do a total of 10 reps on each leg. That’s 80 kicks on each leg. That’s a total of 360 kicks on the right leg and 360 kicks on the left leg for a grand total of 720 kicks. My hamstrings hurt for four days.