Jeez my back is in half after last Thursday's training. Doing some upright grappling which progressed to the "piece de resistence" which was a throw to the ground. That's what hurt. It was still pinching when I went to Monday night's training too......lone soldier of a sensei was Dave C after Chief Instructor and second in command couldn't make the show, much to Dave's disgust.

Now I like the way Dave projects the training - he's a traditional martial artist, but Monday I could have killed him (well, maybe I couldn't actually - he holds the 3rd dan grade black belt) as I was hurting like hell. Couldn't breathe properly either as I'm still getting over a cold.

Started off doing line bashing, then kata, then sparring and finally some fitness work incorporating some kick/punch bag work.

Did I give up? Not on your life! The meaning of martial arts training - never give up.

So my back is hurting like mad now but have I one more training session tomorrow night before two weeks in Turkey, in a villa, private pool, just right.

Gone down with a freaking cold - going on previous experience, training is impossible when you can't breathe so won't be going till it's gone! :(

Ruddy combinations.....

Not posted for a while. Been up to my eyes in work, car breaking down and so on - you know, the usual. Haven't missed any training but the last three sessions we've been doing a lot of "combinations" which is exactly what it says really.
For example, in "line bashing"* a particular punch, followed by another type of punch, followed by a kick, followed by a different kick, and ending with a couple of the earlier punches - all in one action....for me, very hard and I have to say not my favourite part of training.
You have to REALLY focus on what you're doing and at the same time ensure that the technique and delivery of the punches and kicks are as strong as if you were actually fighting someone. Thirty minutes of this is very very tiring and I personally sweat buckets.
For some reason if I get even slightly distracted and spot someone out the corner of my doing it not quite right, I end up copying them and losing all orientation, what stance I'm in, whether I should be throwing a kick or a punch, facing in the wrong stances-I get in a right state.
I've found lately that I'm in line with a young lady whose stance in these combos aren't very long. So we when we've turned round (Mwatte) and I'm following her, I'm almost kicking her up the arse or punching her and then I have to shuffle backwards to give her a bit of a head start. Bless her.
Anyway, that's all for now, we have training tonight and at the moment I have a sore throat, a bit achey and feel like shite.....all I can think is sodding swine flu!


*"Line bashing" is my own term for when the "karateka" are all in a line across the dojo and, under the sensei's command we move forward, carrying out these combinations, basics etc otherwise known as "kihon".

Trained tonight, and looked forward to it all day. However.......when I got to the dojo and started warming up I felt I had no energy for it.
We did some line bashing and Shodan kata as it must be that sensei thinks we are all shit at it. I certainly felt shit at it - no strength in my punches or kicks, knife hands - it was all crap basically.
The last half of the session was spent doing Shote bunkai which is very effective in taking out an opponent if pulled off properly.
I think the guy I paired up with was a bit fed up with my not able to use the right hands to launch an attack - I think basically my mind was not on the job.

Roll on Monday night.........or not.

Reasonably good session last night apart from my bloody trousers wanting to descend all the time. Now that the weight is coming off at a huge rate my Gi is now too big round the waste! Nice problem to have but I need to sort it out by Thursday. Nothing more likely to get your kicks at half mast than the feeling you are about to lose your kecks in front of the ladies!

Towards the end did my first public display of Sandan. Ok doing it slowly but trying to do it at full speed and I'm conciously thinking what comes next. Still, early days yet - never learned Nidan and Shodan as quick as this one so we should be ok. Had some corrections by our sensei on some positioning of arms and legs. Just hope I remember what they were next time.

It is easier to move having lost about a stone in weight over the last month and we did a lot of line work combinations which normally I would be gasping afterwards but very pleased with the progress so far.

Was wandering around Iain Abernethy's excellent website earlier and was amused to read that one of his friends or contributors, not sure which, believed that a kick to the head was about as much use as a punch to the shin.

Not certain that I go along with that as I was at a competition last year watching some male seniors. One of them decides to execute a spinning kick and caught his opponents temple which sent him crashing in a heap to the floor. It was a good five minutes before he was able to get off the stretcher after being carried off by the meds.......

I can see what he means though as in a street situation there will be more time to do a disabling knee stamp than an arty farty Jackie Chan manoeuvre!

I had a spinny roundy kick done on me once by a black belt a couple of years ago in sparring - not a terribly good one I might add and I managed to duck under the kick which disoriented me a bit and while I was down there I punched him in the bollocks much to his disgust (and mine).

Well, no I didn't go to the kata course yesterday - not because I didn't want to, I had my Gi on all ready.....it was the Mrs who said did I really need to go and train in this heat, when there is quite a long time to the next grading at Christmas. I have Sandan all mapped out now and already know it quite well. Obviously, technically it needs work which is where the kata course is useful to iron out any bad habits or incorrect form creeping in. As the aforementioned "Mrs" is already a 2nd Kyu (Brown belt, two stripes) and has already shown me a fair bit of kata techniques in the past, I agreed with her - stayed home and did garden DIY instead.

Usually after a weekend of DIY and karate my back is hanging and usually miss Monday night's training session. At the moment my back feels fine so should be up for some training tomorrow.