A steady week, even if it is the holidays.

It was a quite Sunday for the SSKC, the last training session at Barlby for August (the next 3 Sundays are at Hambleton). Just myself and fourteen kyu grades, Sensei Andy was away enjoying the Scottish cuisine.

There was a fairly even mix of low grades and 5th kyu and greater, no mid grades so I decided after Kihoon training to do "Gohon Kumite". After drilling in kihon form for the lower grades each partnered with a higher grade. Jodan attack, Ichi........Go, attack change, then change partners, seven sets jodan each low grade with each high grade. Then onto chudan, then onto full Gohon kumite. With seven sets I could start slow to count and gradually build up in speed until no count speed and power, (control for the higher grades). 45 minutes of Gohon kumite went quickly and the session was over.
The second session just left myself and Dom, Dom is preparing for Shodan. I ran through all the Kihon that Kato Sensei did for the Shodan gradings in Budapest a few years ago. I knew that note book would come in handy. It is amazing how Sensei can put a short string of basic techniques into such difficult combinations. We also worked on Jion and a little Kanku Sho.

Wednesday at Hambleton was very quite, Sensei Andy was back from his hols and when he asked what were we going to do I requested Heian Nidan. Sensei drilled us in Kihon, application and Kata. Julie and Amy were doing fairly basic form and Rebecca and I were set with all sorts of challenges all around H2. A great session for all four of us, Sensei ne rei, Osu!

Tonight, I went to train with Sensei Mike at Haxby, training starts at 19.00hrs, but I can sometimes sneak into the hall at 18.00hrs when they open the door to "fat fighters" in the adjacent room. I had been sitting in my car flicking through my note book and found some scribblings of two kata that I hadn't done for a couple of years.

Above : Koller Shihan

The first was Mawari No Kata, this was devised by Koller Shihan and the second was the Asai ryu kata, kokutsu-dachi No Kata. I spent an hour trying to remember them, with Mawari No Kata I was ok until the last few moves, the Gyaku Zukis didn't seem quite right and my scribblings weren't helping.

Above : Asai Shihan

Kokutsu-dachi-No-Kata, I had tried to remember about a year ago and again my notes had failed me when I couldn't remember the transitions or which way to turn, a couple of notes didn't make much sense. However I was still trying to figure it out when Sensei Mike turned up. Then suddenly, a couple of pennies dropped, I could remember Sensei teaching it and little details of half steps and spinning. I think I nearly have it now.
Sensei Mike had to leave early so I was Instructing for about the last hour. We started with back stance, starting with just the feet. Then I had the white belts just stepping blocking shuto and all the purple belts and above eventually doing the kata. I found myself really enjoying this kata, perhaps it has changed for me now I have a basic knowledge of Bassai Sho and Kanku Sho, I can appreciate better what I am meant to be doing. I finished with the Brown belts and above focusing on when to turn on the ball and when the heel for smooth transition. I hope everyone enjoyed learning it as much as I did teaching it, Osu!

If anyone knows where I can find any video of these kata I would greatly appreciate an E-mail.

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Sunday Training - 9th March 2008

This Sunday my theme of training was movement and turning, general rules of when to turn on the ball of the foot and when to turn on the heel. We also looked at examples of turning on a ball/heel combination.

We explored the need for use of the hips in movement and the transfer of weight to a position directly above the pivot point of the turns.

Most Karateka had few problems with 90 and 180 degree turns but 360 degree spins did cause problems for most, a little more work required I think?

We then went onto Kata the class divided into two groups side by side.

I taught the beginners Di-Ichi and the coloured belts Mawari-No-Kata, I believe the Di katas were devised by Asai Shihan and Mawari-No-Kata was devised as a training Kata by Koller Shihan, you can see the strong influences of Asai Shihan within the kata, in the turning and spinning movements.

I have always liked to teach Di-Ichi to beginners because it is straight forward with little to confuse them. I also like it because of the power that you can develop in stepping forward punching Gyaku-Zuki rather than Oi-Zuki, perhaps it is just my personal preference.

I found that by teaching the beginners one move one count and the coloured belts two punches to each count (except on turns) that the katas were the same length. Quite handy when you are teaching two kata at the same time to two groups. At least the first four moves of both Kata are the same.

I was trying to explain principles of movement rather than say this is how you do this move in this kata, I hope that it gave you all something to think about?

After the beginners had finished, I quickly ran through both Di-Ni and Di-San, two kata that I have not done for quite a while. Just a quick introduction to a couple of kata outside the normal grading kata but very useful in our development. I hope you enjoyed the departure from the norm?

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