Friday 1.5.15: Only a little over an hour long training at home. Sanchin, 4x: times: 3:39, 3:42, 3:54, 3:46 (looks like it slowly takes longer ) Warm up and stretching: - 10x Neko Undo (No idea about the English name for this. Maybe cat exercise?) - I can feel my shoulders and arms could get stronger in order to do all ten properly and without trouble. I think I'll do this exercise more often as well. - 10 squats just for a bit more warm-up - stretching - 10x kick to the front as high as possible just for stretching +1 kg weights on ankles and for each leg: (concentrating more on balance and technique than speed and power) 10x again kick to the front as high as possible 10x mae geri (front kick) 10x mawashi geri (roundhouse kick) 10x ushiro geri (back kick) - trying not to be turning on heels as I tend to do 10x yoko geri (side kick) 10x ura-mawashi geri (hook kick) 10x hiza geri (knee kick) 10x kakato otoshi geri (axe kick) 10x mikazuki geri (crescent kick) 10x jodan mawashi geri (roundhouse kick head-hight) 10x kicking to the front as high as possible once more 10x jodan mawashi geri without the weights Kata (forms) +1 kg weights on wrists: Gekisai Dai Ichi (1x) Gekisai Dai Ni (1x) Saifa (1x) Sanchin - 3:10
Saturday 2.5.15: In the end I didn't find much time for any exercise today, so only evening Sanchin (3x): 3:25, 3:32, 3:19
So how are you on axe and crescent kicks? - those are tough buggars as I recall from my kids' TKD days.
Hehe, not sure how to answer... Well, I'm definitely no expert We don't do them too often, so I'm pretty sure my technique (and speed) could use much more work. I don't feel confident enough to use them in sparring, either. But they can be fun to practise :3
Sunday 3.5.15: Finally, after about a year and a half I got to go roller skating! Distance according to the map: 17,5 km Time: 58 mins (...not counting a break I needed in order to put plasters on my blisters) ...I thought I'd do worse... Then Sanchin - 5 times throughout the afternoon: 3:29, 3:16, 3:27, 3:42, 3:32
Monday 4.5.15: Afternoon Sanchin - 3x: 3:07, 3:32, 3:19 Today I wasn't really in a mood for Sanchin and I did it just before I needed to leave for class, so I was in a bit of a hurry and couldn't relax my mind. Maybe because of that today's Sanchin felt a bit weird. 19:00-20:00 - Karate training: Monday's lessons are short, therefore we spent the whole training practising various strikes and blocks and some takedowns in pairs; going from very easy ones to more difficult, incorporating a couple of bunkai for Gekisai Dai Ni and Saifa, which made it even more interesting. 20:00-21:45 Self-defence class for woman: We were doing nothing too exhausting, practised techniques in pairs again, but more varied, more intuitive, we were free to use our fantasy and were advised general rules how to attack and what to attack. Practised some chokes and how to get to them. I was given a good advise on how to use a rear naked choke on a much taller person by working with their center of gravity. I just couldn't get my arm around a much taller girl I was paired with. This way seemed surprisingly easy, so I will be remembering it! (I couldn't figure out a way myself...) approximately 21:45-22:00 - a short grappling lesson(?) (not sure about the precise meaning of 'grappling', it's quite possible I'm using it wrong...) A friend showed me a few techniques from Jiu Jitsu (I think) - what to do when a choke failes but I'm in a good position for something else - and practised an arm bar with me. I told him about my last week's sparring with Sensei, where I thought of, but couldn't use a triangle, so he offered me a nice alternative (but I still think I couldn't easily pull it off on a person much bigger than me) On my way out of the dojo, Sensei was teasing me a bit, so I (and my friend, who wouldn't let another girl in that predicament alone ) went after his legs, got him to the ground in the corridor and fought a bit. I'm writing it down because even this was actually quite a good lesson - I learned exactly how bad an idea it is to get into a fight with untied long hair, glasses on and a bag across my shoulders. I couldn't properly defend with my hair being (unintentionally) pulled on everywhere. I never really sparred like this in my casual clothes. Good thing I don't at least wear heels. ....basically Sensei:girls = 1:0 (for now!)
Grappling can include Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Olympic Wrestling, Judo - although I think some limit the term strictly to submission wrestling - very similar to no gi bjj but others would contend the approach can be markedly different. But we get the idea of what you're meaning here. Carry on
I see. Thanks a lot for the explanation, belltoller! It will take some time for me to learn the MA 'terminology'... ^^ I'm glad you at least understand what I meant
Tuesday 5.5.15: Afternoon Sanchin - 6x: 3:32, 3:39, 3:34, 3:54, 3:41, 3:30 + a bit of stretching 1,5 hour - advanced karate class: After warm up we started with kihon (basic techniques), but a few of them were rather new to me, so I'll write them down to practise later: furi tsuki (circular swing punch) and mawashi tsuki (round hook punch) + soto uke (from the outside block) and uchi uke (inside block) - in pairs. Three forms of kosa-uke (cross block) - jodan, chudan, gedan. Then more advanced kicks - mikazuki geri (crescent kick), fumikomi geri (stomp kick) and another one which name I don't know (stomping on a knee from the side). Kata practise - turning in circle and around in order to face in odd directions: Gekisai Dai Ichi, Gekisai Dai Ni - facing the mirror with Sensei pointing out our mistakes: Saifa - bunkai for Gekisai Dai Ichi and Ni + work-out with various body-weight exercises. As I wrote last week I was prescribed some medication to improve my breathing. It had to be ordered, so I only got it today. I'm going to try and see if I'll indeed beat everyone as the doctor promised
Wednesday 6.5.15: Sanchin - 3x: 3:38, 3:48, 3:457 Today's training was unfortunately cancelled and because the semester is at its end, there will be no more Wednesday trainings until October. That's just too sad :'(
That would be at least one drawback to taking all of one's MAs at University - the shutdown between terms and especially the long Christmas break.
Definitely. But the break between terms is worse (1,5 or 4 months). Christmas is only about 10 days or so (at least here). I actually first went to this class at our university in October 2013 and because I enjoyed the lessons very much and liked the teacher, too, I came to his dojo for regular trainings at the end of the semester to avoid any breaks and to train more often... and I stayed there
Thursday 7.5.15: Sanchin - 4x: 3:44, 3:29, 3:21, 3:13 The last one I concentrated on strong breathing, which is why it took less time, but I think it was the best kata. The time is not the best thing to show how well I did. I think it's interesting to see how it changes, but I will not necessarily record it all the time, just when I feel like it. In the afternoon, Sensei went to check out a gym as a possible place for the European Gasshuku (seminar) of IOGKF in 2017, that will be held in Prague. The other Sensei couldn't make it today so I was invited to come instead, just to have more people checking the place. And because of that I was half an hour late for class (different Sensei teaching today)... Karate class (1 hour) I stretched quickly, did 20 push ups to warm up and joined the kata training - Gekisai Dai Ichi slowly and Gekisai Dai Ichi paused after every technique in the kata to do a push-up. Kumite (sparring) - trying techniques in pairs, playing with kicks, then competition-like round of sparring. I've never sparred with the competition rules that sensei just explained and I can't help but think they're a bit dumb. I wasn't sure what I can or can't do, so I hesitated when I got my sparring partner to the ground (although I didn't intend to) and didn't even "finish" him... Well, I'm not good in sparring in general, much less with this stuff... Kata again - slowly, faster and "full power": Gekisai Dai Ichi, Gekisai Dai Ni, Saifa. This kumite training was a bit out of my comfort zone, but that's good. I should push myself to do stuff like that more often. On the other hand it was a perfect test for my new medicine. We were told to jump (- not really "jump" probably - just what you do in competition sparring, not my thing), so were hopping around for quite a while and while I noticed some people breathing somewhat heavily, I was perfectly fine, not out of breath at all. Like, not at all! It felt like magic. I didn't feel any difference when doing normal everyday stuff, nor much difference in Sanchin, but this was quite awesome
Friday 8.5.15: Exercising in the span of approx. 3 hours: 5x Sanchin 20x Neko Undo (cat exercise) 100 push-ups (trying to keep elbows close to the body, I'm trying to improve the "technique") 100 lunges 100 sit-ups 150 squats (as deep as possible)
Saturday 9.5.15: Solo training at home: Sanchin - 3x Body-weight workout: (not all the exercises at a time, rather something like 20 of each, then again and 10 for the last round) 30x Neko Undo 50 lunges 50 squats 50 sit-ups 50 v-ups 50 push-ups 50 tricep dips My back muscles hurt (in a good way) after these and yesterday's exercises. Not sure which one is the reason, though my tip is Neko Undo. This is good to know as I think strenghtening my back muscles is not a bad idea at all. (...and screw the shops and their fashionable clothes that are made for women without any shoulders at all, as it seems! I don't care anymore, I hate shopping anyway!) - stretching - Stance training: - 3x 1 minute in shiko-dachi (as deep as possible) (= horse stance) - for each leg 1 minute in neko-ashi-dachi (cat stance) - my thighs buuurn! Or at least the right one. And I always thought right was my stronger leg... Kicking practise: This time I wanted to concentrate on precision and coordination over speed and power. I made a very improvised stand consisting of a chair, broomstick, my dad's dumbbell, piece of cloth, string and a box of matches hanged on it. And practised kicking into that as a target. Counted only the successfull kicks (so there were about as many unsuccessful attempts for ura-mawashi geri for example...) When I concentrate too much on the target alone, I tend to loose form. More practise needed! For each leg: 10 mae geri (front kick) - chest height 10 mawashi geri (roundhouse kick) - eye level 20 ura-mawashi geri (hook kick) - eye level 10 mawashi geri (roundhouse kick) - sightly above-head level 10 combo: mikazuki geri (crescent kick), turn + ura-mawashi geri (hook kick) - neck level 10 yoko geri (side kick) - neck level ...I wanted to try some knuckle push-ups, but however unbelievable it is, two of my knuckles still hurt from makiwara 15 days ago
Sunday 10.5.15: Sanchin - 3x Today I took my scooter out for a little trip. Distance: 27,56 km (that might actually be my record - I'm pretty sure karate improved both my strenght and stamina) Time: 1:56:58 It was perfect weather today and I really enjoyed myself. Maybe because it's been such a long time since I went out with my precious scooter Woohoo!
Monday 11.5.15: Sanchin - 3x Karate class (1 hour) After individual stretching a bit of a warm up + techniques in pairs of people of similar weight: - sequence of mae geri (front kick) with the partner on your back across the dojo and back - mikazuki geri (crescent kick) + sweeps - mae geri (front kick) + mawashi geri (roundhouse kick) + yoko geri (side kick) + ushiro geri (back kick) aimed at the partner and to the pad later - pad work - elbow strikes, punches - kihon (basic techniques) - punches and various forms of uraken (back fist strike), concentrating a lot on the speed, without messing up the technique - light sparring with light or no contact to try and use the uraken strikes we practised Self-defence class for women (1,5 hour) - warm-up + some fun workouts in pairs - repeting several things from previous lessons in different exercises - training how to stand up best - some awareness and trying to escape random aggressors - individual stretching - I was again stretching for a split and my dear friend made me try a very "nice" exercise of going for a split while resting on my forearms when he put the biggest piece of rock on my lower back and made me stay like that for half a minute (something they did in Muai Thai classes). Let me tell you, not comfortable at all! But if it can help me do a full split.... It's almost amazing how ofter I tend to come across new exercises I'm not good at and should practise more
