Jan 13 It was a warm day today - it got to 37C in my suburb and is still around the 30C mark at 8:30pm. So I didn't push myself overmuch, given tomorrow is meant to be 43, Wednesday 38, and Thursday and Friday both over 40. Maybe I should get up early to train? Anway, today I picked up the bo for the first time this year. Did bo junbi-undo and some basics (strike, thrust and block) for half an hour. TT: 7:43 D: 13
Ugh, sounds awful. It's actually been cooler up here this week, thank goodness. I prefer to use the pool to escape the heat when training
Well, it was bound to make its way to us sooner or later. I'm just glad I don't live in WA or inland QLD. I wish I had a pool! I have to rake away the chook poo from the backyard first before training.
Well, that was a warm one! It got to 42 in the shade on our back verandah today, 67C in the SUN, and at 9pm it was still 34.5C. Started with 3x sanchin, 3x tensho, tenshin-ho, 5x seienchin and finished (cooled down!?!) with the 24 yang taichi. TT: 8:14 D: 14
Goodness grief, dude! I think I would probably pass out in that kind of heat! I suffer badly during the summer months here in the UK as it is I'd probably have to tape a few freezer packs to me to do that. You're a brave man for starting with Sanchin, I find it utterly exhausting. Not as hard on the legs as seiyunchin/seienchin (I can never spell that one right) but just utterly taxing mentally. How are you finding the 24 form compared to the goju katas you practice?
Wow. Just wow. 67C?!?!?!?! Are you sure? That's insane! Kudos for training in that heat without a pool!
That's why I started with sanchin, while I was still fresh. Although these days I find that on finishing I feel more invigorated and ready to go - a good cobweb shaker if you will. Also by starting with it, my body structure for the rest of the session is better, because it has been switched on by sanchin. It's an interesting question you ask about the 24 form, because initially when I started learning it, it was verrrry different in feeling to the karate katas as I was performing them (that was about 4 years ago now I was first introduced to it). Nowadays, they are a lot closer together, as a lot of the tai chi principles of movement and power generation are finding their way into my karate. I find this easier to express in some kata (ie: shisochin, tensho, sanseru) than others (saifa, seienchin). Which is how, according to the style I'm doing, it is meant to be. Ohtsuka sensei started incorporating tai chi and ba gua principles into his karate in his karate curriculum in the 1970s through his training with Yang Ming Shih and Wang Shu Jin.
Jan 15 Got up early (well, didn't really get to sleep. It was still 34C at 1am, and 28C at 7am) and after giving the kids breakfast, welcomed the next 40 degree day with the ba duan jin and naifanchi kata. TT: 8:45 D: 15
Jan 16 Another awful night's sleep, even with the air-con going I didn't drop off until after 3. So, of course, I got up at a normal time and went outside to train before it got too hot (it's meant to be 44C today). After a brief non-karate warm up (20 minutes of hand-planing a workbench I'm making), I spent half an hour working on the opening 2 sections of sepai (up to the signature armbar). TT: 9:15 D: 16
Hooray! the cool change came through at about 5:30pm. The temperature dropped from 42 to 32 in about 15 minutes and is down at a cool 26C as I type at 9:30. To celebrate, and to make up for the minimal sessions I did during the week, I went a bit harder, doing every kata twice in a row. 2x sanchin, 2x tensho, 2x gekisai, 2x gekisai dai, 2x gekisai sho, 2x saifa, 2x seienchin, 2x sanseru, 2x sepai, 2x hakkucho, 2x naifanchi shodan, 2x shisochin, 2x seisan, 2x kururunfa, 2x suparimpei, 2x mccarthy-no-happoren, 2x ohtsuka-no-happoren. A thunderstorm started to dump rain on me while I was doing shisochin and seisan but unfortunately it didn't amount to much. I could have done with the shower. On the plus side, the amount I was sweating gave me good feedback on whether I was keeping my punches and hikite in line or not, as I could feel the slippery-slide of my arms against my body whenever I was doing it correctly. TT: 10:15 D: 17
Sounded like it ended up turning into a really good training session. I've not heard of McCarthy-no-happoren though, would you mind elaborating on that?
It's just how I label it. We have two versions of happoren; one my instructor learned from Patrick McCarthy, and one from Tadahiko Ohtsuka. We have no formal difference in name for them if we do them in class, just happoren "this way" or "that way".
Jan 18 Had my first chance to train with other people for the year when I went over to my sensei's place and trained with three others who are going to the same seminar next weekend. We mostly did partner drills, starting with some tui shou, then the gojukensha basic sparring method sets, then various sabaki sets (keri, ken, te, ashi) then looked at variations in some of the kata we are likely to do at the seminar; mostly suparimpei and happoren. It was nice to train with other bodies giving feedback and nice to see my friends again. TT: 12:30 D: 18
Jan 20 Started with the ba duan jin, which I'm trying to do at least once a week (and probably should do once a day, as my joints &tc feel much more limber afterwards). Then, for a slight change, I got the kettlebell out for the first time in about a year. I didn't do anything strenuous, it was more just to refamiliarise with it: 40 swings 5 military presses on the right, then on the left chi-ishi style lifts/squats/exercises for 5 minutes (no idea what their names are - the one where you lift back over your head and behind, then back to the front, the double-handed push to one side then the other, the twist down and back and down again, and squats). After that, I spent the rest of the time working on the same stuff as yesterday. TT: 13:30 D: 20
Love the fact that you get to train in a garage - is it one that has been converted to a dojo or is it more of a general garage that you happen to have the space to train in? Out of curiosity, what is your senseis' name?
No, it's been converted to a dojo - jigsaw mats on the floor, mirrors on two walls, pictures and certificates, a rack of training weapons. The cars live outside. On the other question, I'll PM you.
Sounds nice - I was about to ask what your heating/insulation situation is in the garage, but I imagine in Australia you don't have to worry about heating it up to much, do you?
