What skill/technique are you learning right now?

It's good to hear you are going back to classes and that you will be able to have tournaments again! Good luck with it

You are a black sash in TCC, is that right? What grade are you going for? Second degree? Or higher? Is the grading at a specific time since you mention it preparing for it clashes with the tournament?

 

I'm working with the 13 postures, changing a form I learned (Chen based) to Yang, as well as designing one of my own based on old Yang style writings. And of course sensible, simple applications

 

I never could understand the whole just doing techniques in a set pattern over and over because someone once made a form up and this is the way it must be done mentality.

I think it's much more alive and beneficial to do as you are doing once you understand the arts framework and theory, make the art yours, make it alive to you.

 

Been a while since I posted as life has been hectic, Taken a step back from HMB competition for the moment and have been studying JKD/Kali under Steve Martin in Chertsey UK for the last four months alongside my Jujitsu which has added a new dimension to my training.. Currently working on my Kali stick work and panantukan which really blends well with my current skill set. Gutted I started my JKD/Kali journey late and I had an excellent seminar today with Guru Terry Barnett and have alot of stuff I want to work on.

 

currently all my practice is syllabus for blue belt in Judo, my coach wants me to gear up for my next grading so I can begin the coaching qualifications journey.

 

I have always held the view point from my days of knockdown karate along side goju ryu at the same club that form only takes you so far. The reason I split from the club was when the kudo group fell apart as adults moved on and only myself and teenagers were left. Then we got a new assistant instructor who reckoned he was a tough guy but tried to tell me Hojo Undo is a myth and 'all you need to win fights is kata.'

Dogmatic attitudes about how to train discourage innovation, excellence and ultimately create more tribalism than they do better the arts and serve the practitioners. I could take the kata I learned in Goju, reverse them and call myself a black belt in JuGo karate for all it's worth and I could register that as my school, call myself the grand ultimate master and so long as I can prove what I do creates what I advertise (by which I mean I'd teach judo and some knockdown style striking) only kata purists and traditionalists would have reason to get upset, again, because they'd dogmatically hold standard to 'it's older therefore better' not realizing karate as it is now is not how it was in the Ryuku Kingdom.

 

That sounds nice. It is good to hear you stuck to martial arts even if life has been hectic
I love all the seminars I have ever been to. Always so many things to work on and inspiration gathered

Good luck with the grading! When is it?


For my training, in karate, I haven't started learning anything new, but in the recent seminar, I think I finally more or less got to remember Sepai kata bunkai - applications. This weekend we'll visit Germany for a black belt gasshuku with our world chief instructor and I am looking forward to it so much! I am sure to bring many things to work on. But I should review my kata till then, as I haven't been doing them too much lately.... And I'd better not mess any up.

In Taiji I have finally learned the whole fan form. And I started teaching it in a new course. Just last week we also started learning the double fan form. It looks like it's going to be quite fun, too My learning of broadsword and the Cannon Fist form is going to be finished soon, too. Of course, I will need a lot of pracice, but we have learned the moves of nearly the whole forms now. The teacher promised after broadsword we are going to work on sword applications with wooden swords. I am rather looking forward to that.
And as my teaching the fan form goes, one lady asked for a private class with me, to help her work on the fan form a bit more. It caught me by surprise, as I've never expected that, but I did teach my first private class. I kind of consider that as something I am learning how to do right now, too. We won't be having regular sessions, I think, but maybe once in a while.

 

Not entirely sure, probably within the next few months to give me time, but I'm excited for it and opening new horizons as a PT and aspiring martial arts coach.

 

Ha, nearly forgot about my thread here!

The August is a month of a Kata challenge within our organization worldwide. I've been doing at the very least 33 katas a day. Soem days I felt tired or sluggist after training, but today my kata felt good, so I thought I could record myself as we are encouraged to share our progress, pictures, videos, etc.
I picked Shisochin kata - I like it and it is not too new to me.
Recording my kata or form is really great to see any mistakes or things to improve. Although sometimes it is hard to watch it later
I do see stuff to work on here, but I am relatively happy. If anyone has any suggestions, let me hear them!