Today's Karate class has left me with a sore lower back and some stiffness in my knee ligaments.
We arrived a good 30 minutes before class was to start, so I had a nice amount of time before class started for training kata. I warmed up with Heian 1 through 5, did Tekki shodan and was re-learning Tekki Nidan when Sensei came out and started class.
We did a light routine of basics:
standing punch (choku zuki)
straight punch while in Side Stance (choku zuki in kiba dachi)
Stepping front punch (oi zuki)
front punch reverse punch in a stationary front stance (kizame zuki, gyaku zuki in zenkutso dachi)
stepping front kick (mae geri)
stepping roundhouse (mawashi geri)
front kick off front leg, front kick off back leg (mae ashi geri?, mae geri)
roundhouse front leg, roundhouse back leg (mawashi ashi geri?, mawashi geri)
For my own part, I've really noticed my roundhouse kick has gone way down.
Then we started Bassai Dai, which I like very much, and Jutte, which I need some refresher work on. This part of the class was more practice and less theory so I was able to get a bit of a sweat going.
Next class is tomorrow - and I'm going to it as well!
Promoting MyShotokan Locally
Today was one of the first times I spoke about MyShotokan to the other karate students in the class. Perhaps I'll get a few local people to help me pick up my training!
Cheers all, time for a beer.
Showing posts with label shotokan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shotokan. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Flexibility Training for Karate
I've struggled to increase my flexibility throughout my decades of karate training.
Now, I'm over 40 years old and I am MUCH more flexible than I was in high school.
However - many of my students are a long way off from doing the full splits - and the students in my club have indicated that this range of flexibility is important.
So, we've started to study the book Scientifically Stretching - and we are re-planning our class training structure so we can incorporate the sequence and intensity of training that this manual prescribes. I want to write out a rough idea of this sequence of flexibility training drills - just so it's easier for me to remember this structure when I'm teaching the next karate classes.
Start of Class:
Rotate wrists, elbows, shoulders, trunk etc,
10 minutes calesthenics to warm up the main muscle groups
3 sets of dynamic stretches
light kata to warm up to karate techniques
Class content
Warm down with a full twenty minute, detailed series of isometric stretches intended to strengthen the major leg muscle groups by contracting them strongly while at their maximum range of motion.
...over the next few weeks the Class Content section of this general karate lesson plan will be much the same... because we are on a flexibility increase phase of our training, we will be spending 8 minutes of training broken up by stretching. For example, we will do one kata five times, then stretch, do a second kata 5 times, then break for a stretch... each set of kata and stretching take 10 minutes. Between each set of kata we will put our legs up on our stretching racks in front split and side split - then we will remove our karate belts, loop our belt around one foot and hold our legs out at maximum hight to the front and side... then back to kata...
Ok - that should be enough notes for me to keep in mind the routine we will be repeating... then I am LESS likely to get side-tracked... ;-)
Now, I'm over 40 years old and I am MUCH more flexible than I was in high school.
However - many of my students are a long way off from doing the full splits - and the students in my club have indicated that this range of flexibility is important.
So, we've started to study the book Scientifically Stretching - and we are re-planning our class training structure so we can incorporate the sequence and intensity of training that this manual prescribes. I want to write out a rough idea of this sequence of flexibility training drills - just so it's easier for me to remember this structure when I'm teaching the next karate classes.
Start of Class:
Rotate wrists, elbows, shoulders, trunk etc,
10 minutes calesthenics to warm up the main muscle groups
3 sets of dynamic stretches
light kata to warm up to karate techniques
Class content
Warm down with a full twenty minute, detailed series of isometric stretches intended to strengthen the major leg muscle groups by contracting them strongly while at their maximum range of motion.
...over the next few weeks the Class Content section of this general karate lesson plan will be much the same... because we are on a flexibility increase phase of our training, we will be spending 8 minutes of training broken up by stretching. For example, we will do one kata five times, then stretch, do a second kata 5 times, then break for a stretch... each set of kata and stretching take 10 minutes. Between each set of kata we will put our legs up on our stretching racks in front split and side split - then we will remove our karate belts, loop our belt around one foot and hold our legs out at maximum hight to the front and side... then back to kata...
Ok - that should be enough notes for me to keep in mind the routine we will be repeating... then I am LESS likely to get side-tracked... ;-)
Monday, February 19, 2007
The final touches
I'm getting more excited as the Launch Date approaches for MyShotokan.com!
The final touches are being completed now. All the construction on Sensei's Office is down to the details and clean-up - and it's lookin' GREAT! ... if I do say so myself... ;-)
Today we are testing the signup and registration process, then following every link and review each page with a checklist to be certain everything will be working smoothly tomorrow for the Grand Re-Opening!
Thanks again everyone, for all your helpful email!
Back to the dusting and polishing!!
:-D
The final touches are being completed now. All the construction on Sensei's Office is down to the details and clean-up - and it's lookin' GREAT! ... if I do say so myself... ;-)
Today we are testing the signup and registration process, then following every link and review each page with a checklist to be certain everything will be working smoothly tomorrow for the Grand Re-Opening!
Thanks again everyone, for all your helpful email!
Back to the dusting and polishing!!
:-D
Saturday, February 17, 2007
New Shotokan Karate Videos
No more delays - the site will be opening on schedule this Tuesday!
Thank you again for all your email and messages over this past week as the renovations are being finalized. I'm really humbled by the number of people who are telling me that THEY can't wait for the site to be re-opened!
I can certaily assure you that it's all going to be worth the wait!
What's the most exciting part for me? I'm not sure if it's the great new look and layout, or if it's the new shotokan JKA Masters karate videos I've been able to find! Many of the searches to find these videos were very obsure - but the results were like a prospector finding nuggetts of gold in unexpected places. Solid gold, amazing videos of the top JKA Masters... and as you'll see - it's no wonder that these men are at the top. They did not get promoted for politics. They really are amoung the most astonishing atheletes the world has ever witnessed.
Update:
The Free Membership section of the site, the Videos of the 26 Shotokan Traditional Kata, is completed.
Sensie's Office is almost completed. Those members who hold the Dojo Key Subscription will have access to an expanded and improved section with videos of the worlds top JKA Karate Masters including Funakoshi, Nakayama, Nishiyama, Asai, Okazaki, Enoeda, Kanazawa, Yahara and Abe. Dojo Key Members will find much more in Sensie's Office! Such as Karate lessons teaching Kihon and Basic Combinations in Japanese, and special sections of videos on Karate Kicking Drills, Kumite Drills and many karate tournament highlight videos. In addition, Dojo Key holders can also access a special section on four advanced Shotokan Kata that you may have never seen before.
I'm creating a Special Bonus section of Amazing Stunts Videos. These Martial Artist will make you do a double-take, rub your eyes and shake your head before you watch the video again. No kidding. These Amazing Martial Artist Stuntmen are not necessarily Shotokan Karate-ka, but we who love Unsu, Kanku-sho, Enpi and Heian Godan for the jumps and athletics will be impressed... no, you will be astonished by these videos.
Finally I have two more of the most exciting areas to complete before Tuesday... only a few more hours at the computer checking off the final things my list of things left to complete before launch time in 2 days, 23 hours...
Ok - back to work/play!
Thank you again for all your email and messages over this past week as the renovations are being finalized. I'm really humbled by the number of people who are telling me that THEY can't wait for the site to be re-opened!
I can certaily assure you that it's all going to be worth the wait!
What's the most exciting part for me? I'm not sure if it's the great new look and layout, or if it's the new shotokan JKA Masters karate videos I've been able to find! Many of the searches to find these videos were very obsure - but the results were like a prospector finding nuggetts of gold in unexpected places. Solid gold, amazing videos of the top JKA Masters... and as you'll see - it's no wonder that these men are at the top. They did not get promoted for politics. They really are amoung the most astonishing atheletes the world has ever witnessed.
Update:
The Free Membership section of the site, the Videos of the 26 Shotokan Traditional Kata, is completed.
Sensie's Office is almost completed. Those members who hold the Dojo Key Subscription will have access to an expanded and improved section with videos of the worlds top JKA Karate Masters including Funakoshi, Nakayama, Nishiyama, Asai, Okazaki, Enoeda, Kanazawa, Yahara and Abe. Dojo Key Members will find much more in Sensie's Office! Such as Karate lessons teaching Kihon and Basic Combinations in Japanese, and special sections of videos on Karate Kicking Drills, Kumite Drills and many karate tournament highlight videos. In addition, Dojo Key holders can also access a special section on four advanced Shotokan Kata that you may have never seen before.
I'm creating a Special Bonus section of Amazing Stunts Videos. These Martial Artist will make you do a double-take, rub your eyes and shake your head before you watch the video again. No kidding. These Amazing Martial Artist Stuntmen are not necessarily Shotokan Karate-ka, but we who love Unsu, Kanku-sho, Enpi and Heian Godan for the jumps and athletics will be impressed... no, you will be astonished by these videos.
Finally I have two more of the most exciting areas to complete before Tuesday... only a few more hours at the computer checking off the final things my list of things left to complete before launch time in 2 days, 23 hours...
Ok - back to work/play!
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