Nachi's Log

Discussion in 'Training Logs' started by Nachi, Apr 23, 2015.

  1. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Saturday 11.7.15: 1 Sanchin

    Sunday 12.7.15:
    3x Sanchin
    5x10 knuckle push-ups

    I completely forgot about the video recordings of my kata I made last week and only looked at them now. Wow, I haven't actually found too many "mistakes", but I do the kata just too fast and some things just look strange. I know I have issue with timing and I tend to speed things up if I'm a little nervous (like before a camera), but I seriously need to slow down and do stuff properly. From what I saw I think I actually came to understand what sensei meant when he said the flow was off and about the soft parts. From the recordings, it's pretty obvious... And I sway way too much. I need to work on my kime and properly tighten my muscles where needed.
    Contrary to what I thought, the Sayunchin kata probably looks the best. There are probably a lot of mistakes I'm not aware of, but because I'm not too familiar with the kata and need to think a lot, I do it slowly :D Haha, what irony.
    Anyway, I think I need to work on this (and there seems to be quite a lot of work) and record myself again in the not too distant future to see any improvement.
     
  2. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Monday 13.7.15:

    1x Sanchin

    In the afternoon I went with sensei buy some new furniture and discussed what needs to be done in the dojo to make it more cozy, so we can do some of the work when he'll be away :)
    Sensei wasn't available for today's training, but I let everyone know we'll be training anyway and 7 of us came, which is just about the size of a normal class.

    Karate training (close to 3 hours):
    - warm-up with a game of tag (20 mins.)
    - 3x Sanchin
    - stretching

    - Hojo Undo (probably close to 1 hour) - circuit training with 7 posts:
    - Makiage kigu - I reeled it 6x up and down
    - "Tetsu geta" - again with 3 kg kettlebell on the tip of the foot raise it slowly in the front kick movement and back. 3x10 + 3x5 for each leg
    - Kongoken
    - stretch arms with kongoken above head + fall into shiko-dachi 15x
    - steering wheel + fall into shiko-dachi - 16x
    - push-ups with one end of the kongoken resting on neck - 15x
    - 15 squats (only to shiko-dachi), with (only) one end of the kongoken on shoulders
    - some rotating on end of kongoken and going right and left in shiko-dachi
    - Miyagi's garden - bring the 9 stones to the other side of the dojo, moving only in shiko-dachi
    - Chi-ishi
    - Belly work-out at wall-bars:
    - 100 half sit-ups
    - 50 half sit-ups with elevated bent legs
    - 20x swinging extended legs up and down
    - 20x right and left
    - 30x butt up and down with legs extended towards the ceiling
    - Makiwara - tsuki, ko-uke, shotei tsuki, shuto-uchi, haito-uchi - 2x10 of each for each hand, somehow today hitting the makiwara felt really good, so I tried really hard :)

    - Pad work (45 mins.):
    - 2x25 mawashi geri (roundhouse kick) for each leg
    - approx. 35x mae geri (front kick), alternating front and back legs, some knee kicks thrown in, too
    - Mitts:
    - oi tsuki + gyaku tsuki + mawashi tsuki (punch from front arm + from back arm + hook punch)
    - oi tsuki + gyaku tsuki + mawashi tsuki + jodan mawashi geri (+ head-height roundhouse kick)
    - oi tsuki + gyaku tsuki + mawashi tsuki + jodan mawashi geri + spinning back fist
    - oi tsuki + gyaku tsuki + mawashi tsuki + jodan mawashi geri + spinning hook kick
    - there was a couple more, but I was only holding the mitts for those

    - Kata (20 mins.):
    - 3x Seiyunchin
    - 3x Saifa
    - 1x Seiyunchin

    We were originally planning to do more kata, to practise all we know, but It was already late and I thought I should really go home to study for my exam...
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2015
  3. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Tuesday 14.7.15:

    Today I went for a trial lesson of a functional training for women (1 hour):
    Since I don't have regular trainings in the summer, I thought I could try some additional exercising and this looked really interesting. There should be a lot of training with kettlebells, bodyweight, some other equipment and a big barbell for the most advanced students. Most of the women there looked muscular, or rather well toned, so it probably works.
    As a beginner, I was attended by the instructor for the whole lesson and according to their plan, I started from the very basics. After the initial warm-up/stretching, I was explained all these exercises in more detail, which took almost the whole lesson.
    I did feel nicely stretched and relaxed after the lesson, but I didn't do any work out and unfortunately as a complete beginner I wasn't allowed to even touch the kettlebells that are the main focus there. I can understand that, but I secretly hoped I could try what the training there was about during this trial lesson, to see if I'm interested to come again.

    Anyway, for the first time ever I tried the foam rollers. I was warned it might hurt, but it was rather comfortable. I think I'll search for more information what they're all about and what they're good for...
    Then I was shown and explained some exercises they called 'reset', as they should help to reset the motion apparatus and somehow help with joints, I think. Nothing too difficult, but probably a good exercise for the start of the lesson. A part of it was diaphragmatic breathing, which I was quite confident in thanks to the Sanchin and other karate training :)
    And since there was 10 mins left, the instructor showed me some stretches that can be useful for me to even do at home. I wasn't familiar with most of them and some were for stretching muscles I probably don't usually stretch and that supposedly people who sit a lot have stiff. I felt one of them, but the other not at all which was probably a good sign. I wanted to stretch more to at least see if I'll feel anything (I felt I can go much farther in this), but the instructor pointed out it's not a race about how far one can go in this exercise and it was probably not the point (?), so I didn't want to make a fool out of myself. I'll try that again later :)

    The people there seemed nice enough and friendly and I think this type of exercise could complement and improve my karate performance. There's a plan they go through with every beginner, but the speed depends on the person, as the instructor pointed out at the end, probably to assure me they won't make me only do stretching and this stuff for too long, if I can do it well enough. And since she asked me if I ever did gymnastics since I'm quite flexible in the hips (lol, she has no idea what kind of a bumpkin I am when it comes to stuff like gymnastics :) ), I shouldn't be stuck at the stretching routine forever.
    It's just too bad it can only be paid monthly, so I will not start right away, since I won't be at home continually now. But what really is a pity that I'd have to come at least twice a week, which might not fit all that well with the karate classes and above all it's just too expensive.... :( I'll see if I'll be able to try it at least for that one month...


    1 Sanchin
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2015
  4. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Wednesday 15.7.15:

    I was studying for tommorow's exam and did nothing except for 1 Sanchin, at least.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Thursday 16.7.15:

    I didn't bring anything to read in the public transport on my way to the dojo, so I at least spent the last 20 minutes in the bus practising the slow and deep breathing to tanden.
    No sensei available today either, but we went to the dojo anyway and 8 of us gathered. We spent some time deciding what to practise next, but overall we trained for about 3,5 hours: :)

    - warm-up with a game of tag, using legs and kicks instead of hands (25 mins)
    - 3x Sanchin

    - Hojo Undo (shorter version today, only 4 posts):
    - Belly work-out at wall-bars:
    - 100 half sit-ups
    - 50 half sit-ups with elevated bent legs
    - 20x swinging extended legs up and down
    - 20x right and left
    - 20x butt up and down with legs extended towards the ceiling
    - Chi-ishi
    - Kongoken
    - stretch arms with kongoken above head + fall into shiko-dachi 15x
    - steering wheel + fall into shiko-dachi - 16x
    - push-ups with one end of the kongoken resting on neck - 15x (for the last 5 a friend also put a stone in my butt, to see if I'm tough enough, :D)
    - some rotating on end of kongoken and going right and left in shiko-dachi
    - Miyagi's garden - bring the 11 stones to the other side of the dojo, moving only in shiko-dachi

    - a bit of stretching

    - We decided to practise kihon ido = basic techniques in line; it took some time together with explaining to those who did it for the first time, so we only did all the techniques for the grading to 9th and 8th kyu, according to the syllabus

    - Kata:
    - Gekisai Dai Ichi - I think this took at least 45 minutes. We were going slowly and explained some things to those who learnt the kata recently. Most of that time I was teaching the kata to a new student, who didn't know it yet (my friend and I had the highest grade of the people present)
    - 3x Gekisai Dai Ni
    - 3x Saifa
    - 3x Seiyunchin
    - It was getting late, but one friend with 7th kyu asked us if we could teach her a bit of Seiyunchin, since because of circumstances she wasn't taught yet, so we tried to explain the first part of it as well as we could and stooped at that part where we're not completely sure about some details.

    Hopefully we'll also be able to practise bunkai and some other stuff next time...
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2015
  5. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Dojo Work Day

    Friday 17.7.15: 3x Sanchin
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Saturday 18.7.15:

    10 AM - 10 PM

    As I mentioned before, sensei wrote a list of things that he'd like to get for the dojo, like some furniture. Work, that he'd like to be done, things that need be repaired. He is abroad at the moment, but I promised we'd do some of those things while he's away. And today was the day.
    I met with a friend at the dojo and we started by putting together the piece of furniture I went to buy with sensei earlier this week. We only needed less than an hour and decided to use the time to do a short training (1 hour, but with a lot of talking about details in the kata, mostly):

    - 3x Gekisai Dai Ichi
    - 3x Gekisai Dai Ni
    - 3x Saifa
    - 3x Seiyunchin
    - all the bunkai for Gekisai Dai Ichi, Ni and Saifa

    - lunch

    One of the things on the list was to "hang" a string in the shower room to put the wet towels on. Instead, I thought of asking a friend, one of the newer students who works at a bathroom studio, if by any chance they didn't have any spare holders for the towels that she could bring. They had. Apart from 3 holders, she brought other two holders for shower gels, holders for toilet paper, for liquid soap, holders for towels at the toilets, several nice-looking hooks for clothes to the shower rooms, two not really cheap glass shelves and some other things and cleaners (the toilets never shined so much and smelled so nicely before :)). She even helped us for several hours and we spent the rest of the day attaching all that stuff in the bathrooms and shower rooms. It looks really neat now ^^ We agreed that all of these things are much prettier that what any of us has at home (well, when we heard what they originally cost, none of us would spent so much on bathroom accessories).
    And while we were at it, I took liberty of sticking some cute bird decorations on all four bathroom mirrors. 'Cause I like birds ^^ Well, sensei will probably be surprised when he returns :cool: Unfortunately, the list of things that we were supposed to do didn't get any shorter...


    1 Sanchin
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2015
  6. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Sunday 19.7.15: 3x Sanchin

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Monday 20.7.15:

    3x Sanchin

    We went for a holiday at our family's cottage and since I missed our group's training, I trained on my own for 1 hour:

    - 20x knuckle push-ups, sit-ups, V-ups, lunges and squats
    - short stretching

    - Practising kicks with 1 kg ankle weights in slow motion and holding the leg outstretched for a few second. For each leg:
    - 2x5 mae-geri
    - 5x mawashi-geri - aimed for lower body
    - 5x mawashi geri - chest height
    - 5x yoko geri - aimed for lower body
    - 5x yoko geri - chest height
    - 2x5 ushiro geri

    - the same kicks without weights, fast, 5x for each leg

    - kata:
    - 3x Gekisai Dai Ichi
    - 3x Gekisai Dai Ni
    - 5x Saifa
    - 5x Seiyunchin

    - San Dan Gi Ichi, Ni, San and Shi
    - Renzoku bunkai kumite = kata in line
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2015
  7. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Tuesday 21.7.15:

    3x Sanchin

    Solo training for 1 hour, very similar to yesterday

    - 20x knuckle push-ups, sit-ups, V-ups, lunges, tricep dips and squats
    - stances:
    - 1,5 minute in neko-ashi dachi (cat stance) for each side
    - 2 minutes in shiko dachi (horse stance)

    - Practising kicks with 1 kg ankle weights in slow motion and holding the leg outstretched for 3 seconds. For each leg:
    - 2x5 mae-geri
    - 5x mawashi-geri - aimed for lower body
    - 5x mawashi geri - chest height
    - 5x yoko geri - aimed for lower body
    - 5x yoko geri - chest height
    - 2x5 ushiro geri

    - the same kicks without weights, fast, 5x for each leg

    - San Dan Gi Ichi, Ni, San and Shi
    - 3x10 knuckle push-ups
    - Renzoku bunkai kumite = kata in line

    - kata:
    - 2x Gekisai Dai Ichi
    - 2x Gekisai Dai Ni
    - 2x Saifa
    - 2x Seiyunchin

    - all the bunkai I know
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2015
  8. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Well, although I started my holiday quite actively, I didn't find enough time/motivation to continue this, so I took a whole awful week off, not doing much physical activity :(

    Wednesday 22.7.15: 3x Sanchin, a little bit of swimming
    Thursday 23.7.15: 1x Sanchin, roughly 6 km walk up and down the hill
    Friday 24.7.15: 1x Sanchin
    Saturday 25.7.15: 1x Sanchin, at least 5 km walk
    Sunday 26.7.15: 1x Sanchin
    Monday 27.7.15: 1x Sanchin, 8+ km walk

    Tuesday 28.7.15:
    Today we were returning from our cottage. In the morning my dad and I needed to put two old cast iron bathtubs on the car, each weighing around 110 kg. When lifting the first one, I forgot what we learned about lifting heavy stuff and I felt it in my lower back. Luckily it wasn't much and any pressure dissappeared in a few hours, so I was ready for the training :)
    After we returned home, I went to the dojo, since a friend announced he'd be there for a joint training today, again. It turned out I was the only other person who'd turned up - it looks like people are getting lazy... At the last minute, another friend, a student from a sister dojo from another city arrived to stay the night in the dojo. We were all fairly surprised to see each other, but he joined us for the training in the end. :)

    Karate training (90 mins.), nothing too difficult today
    - 3x Sanchin
    - A game/exercise a friend read about somewhere where one makes a technique, the second person repeats it and adds a second one, the third person repeats both and adds a third one, etc. until a person messes up. It was quite fun, we created our own "kata" with 24 techniques, but ended it there in favour of other stuff.
    - Kata:
    - 3x Gekisai Dai Ichi
    - 3x Gekisai Dai Ni
    - 3x Saifa
    - 4x Seiyunchin

    - All the bunkai for Gekisai Dai Ichi, Ni and Saifa, 3 or 4 from Seiyunchin

    This was all we did if I remember well. It wasn't too much, probably because we were also discussing some techniques, checking one another and perhaps even chatting about some unrelated stuff :)
     
  9. belltoller

    belltoller OffTopic MonstreOrdinaire Supporter

    You don't want to forget too often - one wrong move can stay with you for decades.
     
  10. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Yep, I know, I was quite angry at myself and paid more attantion to lifting the second one. It was a stupid mistake I hope not to repeat...
     
  11. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    good thing is when we now convince you to lift regular weight, you won't have any problems deadlifting :p
     
  12. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    :D Haha, you think?
    But we? So far you're the only one trying to convince me, hehe :D And you would have to try much harder! :p
    Knowing myself, I'm pretty sure I'd have many problems! Those kind of problems you'd never even dream were possible for someone to have when deadlifting ^^
     
  13. LemonSloth

    LemonSloth Laugh and grow fat!

    That's because the rest of us have been lurking or otherwise being distracted by lifting videos* :p

    *By lifting, I mean cute cat videos.**

    **By cute cat videos, I mean lifting videos.

    My goodness, there are so many reasons to lift. Stronger joints, stronger muscles, improved muscular endurance, lower rate of injury, ridiculously efficient calorie burning exercises, etc.

    Plus, studies have conclusively shown you will be 150% more awesome at everything. What's to lose?

    To be fair, most people say something along those lines when they're unsure about something. 99%, as long as people don't be deliberately stupid with it, they're fine.

    In all seriousness though, it is worth a look, even as a passing/casual thing.
     
  14. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Oh, any cute cat... I mean, ehm, lifting videos to share? :)

    Thanks, I know there are undoubtedly a lot of reasons to lift and execise in general... And what you write is quite tempting. I'm quite open to trying new sports as long as it's not endurance running or aerobic :D I don't really like gyms and making a fool out of myself there and I realised I prefer some kind of group excercising to keep me motivated. Those are minor reasons, though. I could give it a try if I knew how to and found a partner to come with me. The major problem is that I decided to keep training in karate as much as possible to get better, especially when I'll be supposed to explain techniques to others. Come September/October, I'll have trainings 4, (maybe 5) times a week and not short ones (+ 2 hours to get to the dojo and back each day). So far karate alone takes much of my time (and money - not for the classes, but for various events more often), so I'm not sure if I'm ready to start going to a gym regularly. And there's still that lack of motivation. I'm pretty sure I woudn't enjoy going there alone...
    Not too long ago I wrote about a trial lesson of functional training, where the main thing was exercising with kettlebells. I read those exercises are a great supplement for karate and I enjoyed the lesson. I'd go there regularly, if there wasn't that time and money issue. (I'm trying to save for a trip to Okinawa, when there's going to be the World Budo Sai next summer :p)
     
  15. HarryF

    HarryF Malued Vember

    Hello!

    Slothy of Fishy are 100% correct!

    Do it! Lift weights, it'll easily make you 150% - 500% more awesome (depending on your starting level of awesomeness), plus being stronger means your grip, throws and strikes will be better, and it'll improve your sense of how to coordinate your body, improving athleticism all round.

    It sounds like, for you, finding a good gym partner to go with, and finding a gym that doesn't have "those" types of people are a couple of key elements. I tried a big name chain gym, but there were a (seemingly) high percentage of "gym bros". I then found a small independent gym, it didn't have loads of machines but they had enough basic equipment, and most of the people were nice.

    If time is a limitation then you can still benefit from lifting once a week, even just learning and doing one movement (deadlift, obvs!) and getting decent at that should be a positive addition to your training!

    Don't be too sold on "functional" training, sometimes "functional training" rapidly descends in to "conditioning with light weights". While that's fine for someone who does little else, you already train a lot with your bodyweight, moving for extended periods (90-120 minute karate class, for example), so doing something quite different (low reps with deadlift) can probably probably give you more return (results) on your investment (time/money).

    And getting a little bit stronger in the deadlift will be functional for a lot of things, not to mention picking up bath tubs...

    Enjoyment is an important factor, and this could come from watching your strength numbers go up, enhancing performance in MA, or upsetting some gym bros when you deadlift more than them :D

    Did I mention that I think you should deadlift? I'm not too pushy am I? But you should definitely deadlift.
     
  16. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Ugh, you sir are trying to temp me!
    Yeah, I do have areas I'd really like to improve. Like my grip.

    Yes, I used to go to a gym years ago and didn't even dare approach the barbell area because of the local occurance of those guys... It would be enough for me alone to watch my failure, I don't have to amuse other people as well. :D

    I have no experience with it, so you may be right. This place, however, had a clear progression, where the final stage was precisely deadlifting. And it was women only! :D But pretty expensive...

    I can imagine that. Though if I only went once a week, my improvement will probably be rather slow.
    I doubt that :D

    Oh, you are pushy! :evil: It is indeed your fault that just now, out of curiosity I googled gyms in my area. And 'sadly' there appears to be one within a walking distance (even!), that looks quite new and nicely equipped. And the worst part, the entrance fee for students there is 40 CZK, which is more or less 1£! Which completely undermines my money argument... :cry:

    You guys just had to put me in this dilemma! :D But I'm not going without a partner, you know! And who will I ask to come with me? If I ask someone from the karate class and by chance one or the other senseis hear about it.... I can imagine at least one of them laughing like crazy! ...They finally stopped calling me "Martin" for some time, you know? And I don't really want to remind them... :)
     
  17. HarryF

    HarryF Malued Vember

    The thought of someone laughing at me would be even more reason for me to try something to prove they are a fool for doubting me.

    Besides, if that's coming from the sensei(s) at karate it's not very respectful at all. I would have thought they should be encouraging you to improve, and praising you for doing something outside of the class to get better at karate.

    Someone ridiculing you for doing something positive does not deserve your respect. Maybe they're afraid you'll get stronger than them. Do it anyway :)
     
  18. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Of course, but only in case you know you have a chance of proving them wrong. I'm afraid I'd just confirm their preconceptions :D

    It looks like what I wrote sounded a bit different than what I thought. The senseis in my school are very good friends of mine and they just like teasing. They do have my respect, even for the fact that they are friendly like that and aren't trying to put themselves on some kind of pedestal and don't act like they're something special. If the sensei would laugh at me, it wouldn't be really to discourage me from doing something beneficial (I think he's going to a gym, too), but because last time he mumbled something along the lines: "Stop lifting stuff. Or you'll grow bigger muscles than me!"
    It's not that they'd be disrespectful or seriously discouraging me from doing something, but I can see him laughing his butt off :)
    ^ Yep, this :) That sensei is actually as heavy as me ... so my goal is to beat him one day! :evil: I don't have the slightest chance against the other one, though. :)
     
  19. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    You should definitely go and try lifting weights! If possible find somewhere that has barbells, dumbbells and squat racks rather than lots of shiny, expensive new-fangled machinery. :)
     
  20. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Thanks, it really looks like lifting is popular and encouraged here! :)
    I know, on the gym's website, from what I could see in the photogallery, they should have a lot of barbells and dumbbels, too. The thing is, I'm not really sure what all the stuff is for, so I don't know what to look for :D

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    This might be for the squats, right?
    [​IMG]

    I'm not sure if any of it is the place for deadlifting, though?
    I really need a partner to go with me... Someone who actually know how and what to lift :)
     

Share This Page