Denver Colorado Karate Classes Blog

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Warm-ups only took a few minutes so it was apparent something was different in tonight’s karate class. We paired up and basically did an almost full review of punches, hand strikes, and kicks — 10 reps right and 10 left handed. Then we did our DM’s which my group did them left handed. Then we regrouped as a class and did some our forms. The class ended with us forming groups of 4 and running through our top 15 kempos.

After class I did a private lesson with 3 others and we reviewed our knife and club techniques for about 30 minutes.

Monday, July 28, 2008

After warm-ups we partnered up to do a training drill using circular motions to block and attack. Basically it entailed using a right and then a left outward knife hand block, grab writs with left hand, spear hand poke to the eyes (or neck), press with the right hand and punch to the face with the left. I did it right and left handed and found doing it lefty was easier.

After that we did our top 10 DM’s in a slower manner to break down each move. I did 1, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, and 26. I was mistepping with #15 but soon corrected it.

At the end of the class the Sensei was holding two test cards and when he said; “…and you train for a long time to reach black belt, it doesn’t mean once you get that rank, your training is over, it’s just beginning.” I figured out he was talking about me. So going into my 5th year of karate training, I was invited to test for 1st degree black belt in early September in California.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Three more classes in July will put me at perfect attendance for any particular month in four years. There’s always something coming up that makes me miss a class or two in any given month. For about 3.5 years, I was averaging about a 75% attendance record. During the first six months of 2008, I was averaging about a 55% attendance record due to business travel, vacations, and PE episode that threw me off track.

Tonight’s class started off with the requisite warm-ups which now include running in place while throwing simultaneous punches. It’s the most unnatural exercise contrived.

We paired up to do some combo work that included a left/right combo to the pad, duck under the pad, throw a hook and follow up with a crescent kick.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

After warm-ups, we started the lesson by doing some basic DM’s by turning to different directions base on 12:00 o’clock, 3, 6 and 9. The first couple were confusing when trying to figure out which way to spin but after a while it sunk in. Then we formed groups of 6 with one person in the middle and the other five standing at different position based upon the clock. I went first and managed to to do my DM’s one after another based upon what position the person called out.

Then we formed groups of three with one in the middle. We had to do our kempos one after another while each person attacks you. Out of 27 kempos, I think I did 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6, 7 , 8 , 9, 10 11, 12, 13 (hesitated), 17, 18, 19, 22 (hesitated), 27, 30 and 33 for a total of 20.

The class ended doing one form in front of the class. I did kata 6. I missed two moves in the middle of the routine but I am sure the class didn’t notice. After group class, a few of us did a 1 hour private that included doing overhead clubs, side clubs, stabbing knife, slashing knife, choke hold and lapel holds.

Monday, July 14, 2008

The class started off doing count downs…again. But this time the class had to go together as a group which made the entire exercise rather easy. It was over 500 repetitions doing 8 exercises.

Then we paired off to do two-punch DM’s. First punch you deflect and then going into your DM. Did this for all 22 DM’s Then we went into a drill where you block with your rear hand and them counter with a back fist. Then we added on the right hand strike to the rib cage, counter clockwise spin around to the rear of the attacker doing a back fist to the head left handed followed by a palm heel. This training was mainly for point sparring.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

The warmup exercises includes a high rep blitz of the core exercises within a 30 or 60 second time span. Crunches in 60 seconds or push ups in 60 seconds. All that is fine until we come to frog hops. Frog Hops last March is what brought out my pulmonary embolism symptoms which through me into the hospital the next day.

So last night we had to do 20 frog hops. My normal routine is to spring up as high as possible and then go as low as possible. Last night…I did a modified version of the springing up and probably only jumped up 12 inches off the ground. It’s all mental. Even doing that still spent my quads out.

The core lesson last night was working the angles in blocking and attacking from the left and right side. Hand and leg kicks were both involved.

Monday, July 7, 2008

After doing 50 jumping jacks, we lined up into four lines of about 5 people each. The Sensei wanted to continue the warmups but with a different twist. Some of the exercises we did were push-ups but having to move your body sideways (to go to the other side of the room) and then do a push up. Move sideways, another push up. Then we have to drag ourselves on the ground without any aide of our legs. It was all upper body. It was hard but my breathing was 100% fine and recovered fast. Others were not so lucky. We did a few more of these line drill exercises before moving over to the lesson.

Tonight we did our DM’s starting from the kneeling position. Some DM’s were easy to do and some were difficult to execute. Then we did some ground work on flipping the person on top of you to becomming the person now on the bottom.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

After a pulmonary embolism, you have that feeling that you can get an emboli symptom during or after a hard workout. The probablity of that happening is almost next to zero but it’s there in your head.

Tonights workout started with Count Downs starting at the 13 count. We had to do jumping jacks, push ups, squats, crunches and then mounatin climbers. That’s a total of 455 repititions of 5 exercises. I paced myself with a teen next to me and near the end, I was about 5 seconds behind him. We were both well ahead of the group. My breathing was excellent and was on pace. Others in the class were gasping and making loud grunts I guess to simulate they were trying real hard. When it was over, I recovered real fast in about 3-4 minutes.

After that we started off with some line drills forward and backwards doing various kicks. Then we did some pad work doing some thrust kicks and some roundhouse kicks.