a Travesty in action

Discussion in 'Training Logs' started by Travess, Jul 16, 2015.

  1. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Friday 05/05/2017 (Wk 44 – Year 2)

    Just a very quick, very small Strength Training Routine this morning, which I repeated for just 3 sets

    20 x Calf Raises
    20 x Squats
    20 x Crunches
    20 x 12kg Closed Grip Curls
    20 x Push Ups


    Had very little time on my hands today, as I have a 3 hour drive ahead of me (“UK Martial Arts Show” up in Doncaster) after lunch, and in typical fashion, I have still yet to pack, clean out the car (it isn’t pretty in there) or get a haircut… :bang:

    Sanchin Kata: Tally today = 4

    Travess
     
  2. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Yesterday (Saturday 06/05/17) was a Rest Day*

    (*Spent the day at the UK Martial Arts Show in Doncaster, but only had a walking around pass for the day, so would have to wait until the next day to fully take part)


    Sunday 07/05/2017 (Wk 44 – Year 2)

    The second day at the UK Martial Arts show today, this time I had a seminar pass for the day, and took part in 3 separate 1 hour seminars (Kevin Brewerton, John Burke and Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace) throughout the day.


    Kevin ‘The Jedi’ Brewerton:
    He started out by running us through a few Solo Combinations, as a part of the Warm Up, starting with a 3 technique burst, building up 1 additional technique at a time, until we were up to a 6 move flurry (Each combination repeated for a minute at a time, from left then right stance, before the next technique was added)

    Next up it was time to pair off for a few Partner Drills, working specifically on Reactionary Counter-Striking, Side Steps with Driving in Counters and Jamming Techniques.

    Last up was 7 x 2 minute rounds of Free Sparring, changing partners with each round – I managed to convince Kevin to join in and spar with me during the 3rd exchange, which was insightful, humbling and extremely enjoyable (well, for the 1st 90 seconds at least, then it was suddenly just very 1 sided)

    (Note: I followed ‘The Jedi’ during my Sport Taekwon-Do days, many, many a moon ago, so getting to train with him today, especially to be able to exchange a few techniques with him too, was a definite ‘Bucket List’ moment for me – He was THE nicest guy too, spending so much time interacting with people, taking an interest in their backgrounds, and giving so much positive energy)


    John Burke:
    John is a traditional Karate guy, who is heavily involved with Bunkai Strategies, so his session was all about some of the various ‘hidden’ Wrist, Elbow, Shoulder, Neck and Ankle Locks, that are found scattered throughout their (Wado Ryu I believe) Kata.


    Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace:
    Missed the opener to this one, as it overlapped slightly with my previous session, but I joined in just as they were Drilling Combinations that either started, or ended, with a Lead Leg Side or Round Kick (usually following, or preceding 2 or 3 punching techniques)

    Next up was his favourite Stepping in Side Kick technique, looking how the distance is covered (and how quickly/explosively) how the kick is delivered, how to set up follow up techniques and then minimising becoming a target yourself, once the kick has landed.

    we repeated both these drills extensively, with Bill frequently adding cheeky little attention takers, pearls of wisdom and variations on the theme.

    (Note: ‘Superfoot’ is the sweetest, most loveable ‘old guy’, who could still split me in 2 with his side kick, but who instead meets you with a beaming smile, some great ‘back in the day' tales’)


    (No Sanchin Kata at all this weekend)


    Travess
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2017
  3. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Monday 08/05/2017 (Wk 44 – Year 2)

    Karate @ 90 minutes (45 minutes training / 45 minutes teaching)

    Started the session with 30 minutes of Pad Drills, working Multiple Combinations, varying up ranges, angles, and target heights. Next we did some good old fashioned Kihon, moving up and down the hall, repeating Age Uke, Uchi Uke and Gedan Barrai* firstly as individual techniques, then all done together as 3 techniques per 1 count (*The rest of the line-up were adding additional techniques to each step, but I was down with the white belts, giving them someone/something to copy along to)

    When it came time to teach, I had to forego my initial lesson plan, in favour of More Kihon, looking at Stance Transition, The Power Train of each stance (just Zenkutsu and Sheiko) and Upper body alignment (as all of these areas appeared to require the most attention) – They all suffered for the art tonight, unfortunately, and will most definitely be feeling it today.

    I managed a grand total of 5 Sanchin Kata today


    Travess
     
  4. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Tuesday 09/05/2017 (Wk 44 – Year 2)

    Had a nice 5.5km Walk this morning, despite the air being a lot chillier than that of last week.

    It was starting to feel like it had been way too long since I did any real Ab/Core Work (barring singular Ab exercises that were thrown in with a bigger routine)

    1 x Sanchin Kata
    1 x Tensho Kata
    10 x Crunches
    10 x Mason Twists
    10 x Flutter Kicks
    10 x Seconds Plank


    (Rest 1 minute, repeat for 5 sets)

    Obviously, there was a total of 5 Sanchin Kata in my routine today


    Travess
     
  5. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Yesterday (Wednesday 10/05/2017) was technically another Rest Day, although, due to the lovely weather, school pick up turned in to an after school walk – Just under 2 hours out and about and almost 8km covered


    Thursday 11/05/2017 (Wk 44 – Year 2)

    AM:
    Ran a few Tabata Drills this morning, 1 Cardio based, 1 Kettlebell Based and a Shadow Boxing one, all of which I book ended with a Sanchin Kata.

    Tabata 1: 1 min Burpees / 1 min Kettlebell Swing / 1 min Mountain Climbers / 1 min Sit Throughs
    Tabata 2: 1 min Bicep Curls / 1 min Goblet Squats / 1 min Tricep Curls / 1 min Press’
    Tabata 3: 4 min Shadow Fighting Only.



    PM: (afternoon)
    After School Karate Class @ 45 minutes (Teaching)

    Today’s session did not run to plan, due to a few new discipline* related concerns cropping up, which required more attention than expected. When things finally settled down, we continued last weeks Avoidance/Redirecting Partner Drills, this time introducing Dialogue, and eventually adding a Single Pre-emptive Strike.

    (*This I think has been a result of my sometimes too relaxed manner, so hopefully today’s less formal, more structured approach, which seemed to do the trick, carries over into future sessions)


    PM: (evening)
    Karate @ 75 minutes

    My Instructor ran what he calls an Interpreting Basics sessions tonight, which tonight was limited to just 3 basic ‘blocks’ - Age Uke, Uchi Uke and Gedan Barrai. Firstly, performing 80 of each technique in Stationary Kihon, then partnering up, for a few Live Drills, where we’d look at the multiple uses of each singular ‘blocking’ technique, from Traps, to Strikes, Receiving/Redirecting Techniques or even Joint Manipulation/Destruction, up to and including a Takedown or 2

    These kind of sessions are always great for keeping the Junior/newer students interested, as it gives them a glimpse, even if only a small one, into some of the potential that is hidden within some of the more basic looking techniques.


    I managed to squeeze in another 6 Sanchin Kata today


    Travess
     
  6. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Friday 12/05/2017 (Wk 44 – Year 2)

    Fancied a bit of a Cardio Blast this morning, so opted for 1 of my Staircase Runs, thrown in with a few Sanchin Kata:

    Sanchin Kata
    Staircase Run*
    Sanchin Kata


    Rest for 90 seconds and repeat for 6 sets (*Started off the 1st set with 5 laps, then added an extra lap with each set, until I was up to 10 laps)

    I hadn’t found myself needing to squeeze in a workout, whilst my youngest has her nap, for quite some time – It is actually quite motivating, as I never know how much time she is gonna give me, so really do need to knuckle down straight away… Turns out she was gonna give me just enough time for a whopping 12 Sanchin Kata and the equivalent of 45 flights of stairs (up and down)


    Travess
     
  7. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Saturday 13/05/2017 (Wk 44 – Year 2)

    Found myself with some free time this morning, and whilst I really do need to get some serious time in on the Heavy-Bag, injury dictated otherwise (tennis elbow playing up)

    Instead I opted for a 1 hour straight Road/Trail run (which in hindsight, following yesterday's Staircase run, probably wasn't the best choice) Not my best distance for that time (10.47km) but it was good to get out again, even if I still have plenty of work still to do.

    Decided to give myself a break from Sanchin Kata today.

    Travess
     
  8. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Had myself a Rest Day yesterday (Sunday 14/05/2017) but as with my last day ‘off’ I roped my Family into a nice long walk (and Picnic) All in all (but not all in one go) we covered just over 10.5km.

    Monday 15/05/2017 (Wk 45 – Year 2)

    AM:
    Headed out to the garage this morning, dusting off an old routine that I have not done since my late teens/early 20’s, when I was studying Lau Gar/kickboxing – 8 x 3 minute rounds (1 min rest periods) breaking each round down into 1 minute Skipping / 1 minute Footwork* / 1 minute Heavy-Bag

    (*Training/learning point: Whilst from a striking/kicking standpoint, I am as proficient from a southpaw stance as I am from an orthodox one, it would appear that my footwork on the latter is pretty disjointed and often unstable – More work needed)

    PM:
    Karate @ 90 minutes

    Got things off to pretty energetic start with 6 x 1 minute Rounds of Sparring (Fantastic opener, despite ending up with the right sleeve of my freshly washed and ironed Gi absolutely pebble-dashed with blood from sparring with my brother :mad: and then landing an accidentally excessive elbow to the nose of one of our brown belts :eek: )

    Kata was up next, covering Ichi, Ni, Saifa and Seyunchin, firstly at (around) 50% and then going all out. We were then permitted to do a Kata of our choice, so I opted for Sanseru, which we just did at 50%

    The Instructor then asked if anyone wanted to cover anything specific, and the 1st to answer to be called out was Kicking, so that is what we did – Starting with Kihon, we ran thru Mae Geri, Kin Geri, Yoko Geri (1st from Sheiko Dachi, then Zenkutsu) and finally Mawashi Geri. We then repeated these same techniques, in turn, this time on the Kick-shields. The session was then finished up with a 90 second Best Effort Kicking Drill (Partner calling out the targets, and adjusting the pads as necessary)

    I don’t mind admitting that I found this whole session pretty grueling, to the point that Sempai asked me if I had poured water over my Gi, as it was beginning to become see-through…

    Also managed 4 Sanchin Kata today.

    Travess
     
  9. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Tuesday 16/05/2017 (Wk 45 – Year 2)

    A much simpler day today, compared to yesterday – Fancied an Arm ‘Day’ this morning, so dusted off the 20 lb Dumbbells for a 6 x 6 rep Exercise, with each single rep containing 4 different ranges of motion (Bicep Curl, straight up into an Overhead Press, lower the weights behind my head for a Tricep Curl then finishing up with a 45 degree Press)

    Broke up the above sets with a Sanchin Kata, giving a total of 6 for the morning.

    Travess
     
  10. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Wednesday 17/05/2017 (Wk 45 – Year 2)

    Decided to put myself through my paces today, with a killer 5 x 4 min Tabata Ab/Core RoutineTabata 1: Mason Twists / Tabata 2: Crunches / Tabata 3: Oblique ‘V’ Ups* / Tabata 4: Leg Raises / Tabata 5: Plank (90 seconds rest between each Tabata) This was a lot of hard work, managing a total of 524 reps, and a single 4 min (Tabata) Plank, in just 26 minutes (including breaks)

    (Note: *Switching sides every 20 second work block)

    I’ll still say that I ran thru Sanchin Kata 5 times today, despite it not actually being the complete Kata, in the strictest sense, as I worked solely on Stance Work, Transitions, Grounding, Turns etc… (Hands kept static in double Uchi uke for the entire Kata)

    Travess
     
  11. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Thursday 17/05/2017 (Wk 45 – Year 2)

    Karate @ 90 minutes

    Much like Monday night’s session, we jumped straight in tonight with 5 x 1 minute rounds of Sparring – I ended up going with a few senior grade students that I’d not sparred with in a while, and I found their commitment, aggression, and intent to be kind of wavering, which was a shame.

    Next up was around 40 minutes of Kihon, starting with basic Standing Block, Punch Drill, then progressing into Multiple Combination Drills (not exceeding 7 moves per combo), moving forward and backwards, incorporating a mixture of stances/angles, and a range of strikes that included Front Kicks, Stomping Kicks, Elbows, Backfists, and Openhand techniques.

    The last 40 minutes was Spent of Restrictive/Short Range Pad Drills, looking at Single Punches, Elbows, Front Kicks and Knees, all positioned with our backs against a wall, stood only an arms distance from the pad holder.

    I spared myself any Sanchin Kata today.

    Travess
     
  12. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Yesterday (19/05/2017) was Rest Day

    Saturday 20/05/2017 (Wk 45 – Year 2)

    Today I put myself thru what I’d call a 20 second Cardio Escalation Drill, the aim of which is to work for 2 minutes 20 seconds straight, increasing the difficulty every 20 seconds, by switching to a more cardio intensive exercise.

    Warm Up:
    3 x Sanchin Kata

    The Escalation Drill: (20 Seconds each)
    Moving Footwork
    Jogging on the Spot
    Jumping Jacks (Star Jumps)
    Sit Throughs
    Bag Work
    Mountain Climbers
    Burpees

    (20 second rest, and repeat for 5 rounds)

    Cool Down:
    3 x Tensho Kata

    Just gonna stick to the 3 Sanchin Kata today, that I did as part of the above drill.


    Travess
     
  13. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Day before yesterday (21/05/2017) was Rest Day

    Monday 22/05/2017 (Wk 46 – Year 2)

    AM:
    Set aside (just over) 30 minutes for a Bodyweight Routine this morning, which was made up of 6 exercises - 7 x Push Ups / 10 x Tricep Dips / 13 x Calf Raises / 16 x Squats / 19 x Crunches / 1 x Sanchin Kata - which I repeated for 7 sets, with 1 min rest between each set.

    PM:
    Karate at 90 minutes (20 minutes training / 70 minutes teaching)
    Sempai ran a few Pad Drills tonight, as part of the Warm Up, with the main focus on stringing multiple shots together and getting them to flow – This was it for me, so whilst intermediate grades and above continued with Pad Drill, more specifically on restrictive striking, I took the junior grades off for more Kihon and Kata. They have been doing a fair bit of this recently, so rather than just going up and down the hall in the line-up (which they did some of too) I also took them thru some Partner and Pad Drills related to the Kihon, as well as introducing them to some very basic Bunkai for the opening of Ichi

    Managed to work thru Sanchin Kata a total of 8 times today.

    Today (23/05/2017) will also be a Rest Day, as I have not been sleeping too well this week, and it has started to catch up with me… Will need to get things back on track following that, as over the past 5 days, 3 of them have been Rest Days!


    Travess
     
  14. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Wednesday 24/05/2017 (Wk 46 – Year 2)

    Finally did it!!! – There is a bridge / Railway overpass about a Mile from my house (1400m), that is almost bang on 250m end to end, with quite a steep incline up to its apex, that I have been meaning to utilize for a while now. This morning I Ran the 1400m out, rested for 30 seconds, then Ran up, over and back again, for a total of 10 Laps (2500m) rested for another 30 seconds, then finished up with the 1400m Run back to my house. The whole routine took 31 minutes*, covered 5.3km and provided a much harder workout for me than previous 10-12km runs, that took me twice as long…

    …Got another one pencilled in for late Saturday morning.

    No Sanchin Kata for me today, as I have decided that I would be much better served going to the Cinema this evening, instead of sticking to my planned session :D

    (*I've started aiming for each single workout to be a minimum of 30 minutes)


    Travess
     
  15. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Thursday 25/05/2017 (Wk 46 – Year 2)

    AM:
    Pretty low key Kettlebell / Ab Session this morning, with each set starting with a single Sanchin Kata, and followed with 10 reps each of Bicep Curls / Crunches / Press’ / Mason Twists / Tricep Curls / Leg Raises / Bent Over Row – Did as many full sets as I could fit into a ‘30 minute’ workout (7 sets in 34 min 17 secs) including the 30 second rest between each sets.

    PM:
    I had 2 x 1 hour Karate sessions over the course of the day, firstly at our after (Primary) school club, and secondly at our adults (14+) only class, both of which I only taught at. In the former class they covered variations on a technique, specifically A) Closed Fist Strikes (which included Straight Punches, Hammerfist and Backfist) and B) Elbow Strikes (covering Front, Round and Back Elbows) For the Adults class, I had a small group of 9th/10th Kyu to work with, so I offered them an introduction to Kata & Kata Principles (for Ichi) as well as Bunkai Rules.

    Thanks to this morning session, I got in a total of 7 Sanchin Kata today

    Travess
     
  16. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Yesterday (Friday 26th May) was another (unplanned) Rest Day, which was originally meant to be an early evening Bag Session, but thanks to a visit to my parents, become a late afternoon sharing of my dad’s beers…

    Saturday 27/05/2017 (Wk 46 – Year 2)

    Had a pretty non-stop day today, up until just before 4 o’clock that is, when I ended up having a little siesta… Started the morning of with 60 minutes of Juniors (4-12 yr olds) Karate, which whilst being very low key and low in intensity, I did take part in a lot of, due to there being odd numbers – They got started with Shuttle Runs, Striking (BoB) Drills, and Kihon, which also included more Running (Multiple combination Kihon, all the way along the length of the hall, then Sprint back to the other end and repeat) The second part of the class was broken down into grade group, with my group (senior grades) working on Sparring Drills, which I partnered with my Instructor’s daughter for (she is only 8, so no effort, intensity, just 25 minutes of light moving around, feeding her strikes)

    After returning home, I decide to head straight out for a Run (repeating the ‘Bridge’ run that I did on Wednesday)
    I honestly thought I was gonna struggle with this one today, but actually managed it in just over a minute quicker than the 1st time I went out. (5.3km @ 29m 46s)

    After lunch, my Wife suggested that we all go out for a Walk, so, remembering all the puddles that I passed on my run earlier, I told my girls to put their wellies on, and off we went to ‘my’ bridge – Once you take out all the up and overs of the bridge that I do, it turns out it was a little over 3km -Wife was happy, and kids were suitably pooped...

    No Sanchin Kata today!

    Travess
     
  17. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Sunday 28/05/2017 (Wk 46 – Year 2)

    The original plan for this morning was to stick to my 30(ish) minute routine, but instead I ended up adding to it as I went along (which after just 5 hours sleep, and possibly a few too many beers last night, is probably gonna bite me in the backside halfway through tonight’s nightshift)

    Main Routine:
    My phone said it was 20 degrees today, which was probably more like 30 degrees in that sweatbox I call a garage - 8 x 3m 30s rounds – 1 x Sanchin Kata / 30 seconds Kettlebell Swings / 30 seconds of Bag Work (combinations/flurries) / 30 seconds of Ab Roll Outs / 30 seconds of Bag Work (Single power strikes) - followed by 30 seconds rest and repeat

    Extra Credit: (Unplanned bit part 1)
    Just over a 1 Mile Road Run (didn’t time)

    Cool Down: (Unplanned bit part 2)
    Just some Kata (Ichi, Ni, Saifa, Seyunchin, Shisochin, Sanseru) which I performed at a Slow Pace (less than half speed maybe)

    8 Sanchin Kata today!

    Travess
     
  18. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Monday 29/05/2017 (Wk 47 – Year 2)

    Karate @ 90 minutes

    We started off tonight’s session with a few Break Fall Drills, specifically Front Break Fall (from kneeling, then from standing) Side, Back and Rolling Break Falls. We then broke down into separate grade groups, to cover some relative Sparring Drills – For my group (junior grades) it was an Introduction to Milling, with some additional Condition Drills thrown in for good measure. (Due to odd numbers, I had to take part as well as run these drills)

    We paired off, and started with some Light Contact Sparring Drills, gradually escalating, up to point that we were knocking quite a few clumps out of each other –

    Drill 1:
    Taking it in turns with 1 person feeding strikes, the other only defending, and then repeating it for several rounds.

    Drill 2:
    We gloved up (8-14lb Bag gloves) with 1 partner covering their head, whilst the other lands a barrage of head shots, for about 10 seconds, at which point the one being ‘attacked’ was to escape and/or evade – Repeat for 3 rounds, then the other person gets a ‘turn’. We then escalated things, donning (Redman) headguards, and repeating the drill exactly, only with a lot more impact.

    Drill 3:
    Headguards removed, we worked on defending and countering against a Jab – The rule being that you must let the jab connect, before reacting. The aim of this was A) Getting them used to ‘staying in the fight’ even when things do not go exactly to plan, and B) Realising that they are not made of glass, and getting caught with a shot or 2 (or more) is not the end of the world. We also repeated this drill with a Hook punch, which was particularly unpleasant.

    Drill 4:
    Lastly we lost the bag gloves, and took part in a spot of (bare knuckle) Midsection Conditioning, with 1 person throwing continuous strikes, to the gut, chest, flank and even armpit area of their partner, who was just to absorb the strikes, remembering to exhale on impact.

    Drill 5 was meant to be a free-flowing drill, bringing the above 4 drills together, as part of a live (but still not all out) Milling experience, but we ran out of time.

    Whilst we were doing all this, the intermediate/senior groups were running a few of Geoff Thompson's 'Animal Day' Drills, which what I saw, seemed to go very well.


    Travess
     
  19. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Tuesday 30/05/2017 (Wk 47 – Year 2)

    This was meant to be my long awaited return to an Arm/Chest TRX workout (had loaned the straps to a friend and have only just had them returned to me) but unfortunately I awoke to find that my tennis elbow/tendonitis was playing up. Instead of sacking the day off in favour of a Rest Day (which had most definitely crossed my mind) I instead decided on a Leg / Core Tabata Day, made up of 6 x 4 minute Tabata, with 1 minutes rest between each. (This only brought my routine to 29 minutes end to end, but decided that for today, it was close enough to my ‘mandatory’ 30 minute minimum workout time…)

    Tabata 1: Crunches
    Tabata 2: Squats
    Tabata 3: Mason Twists
    Tabata 4: Calf Raises
    Tabata 5: Plank
    Tabata 6: Lunges



    Wednesday 31/05/2017 (Today) is most definitely setting up to be a Rest Day though!!!


    Travess
     
  20. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    Thursday 01/06/2017 (Wk 47 – Year 2)

    AM:
    My arm was feeling much better this morning (thank you Naproxen) so after a quick 5 min Warm Up, and went straight into 6 x 4 min Upper-body TRX Tabata, concentrating on arms, chest and shoulders –

    Tabata 1, 2, 3, & 4:
    Minute 1: Bicep Curls
    Minute 2: Tricep Curls
    Minute 3: ‘Y’ Flyes
    Minute 4: Low Row


    Tabata 5 & 6:
    Minute 1: Press’
    Minute 2: ‘Y’ Flyes
    Minute 3: Low Row
    Minute 4: XR Flyes


    PM:
    Karate @ 90 minutes (teaching)

    A very small class tonight, of just 4 junior grade students (Whilst the Intermediate/Senior students were running a Scenario Planning Session, ready for next Thursday) We gave them an Introduction to the Fence – What is a Fence, maintaining a Fence through closing ranges, using the fence passively (tactile redirection) and striking from the fence – to name but a few.


    Travess
     

Share This Page