"Do you have any sore muscles?" Asks my 17 yr old daughter casually, as she whisks up a chocolate mousse for dessert.
"Nope" I answer blithely while puttering away on the Internet.
"Well you need to work harder next time then!" She GROWLS at me!!!
We trained together yesterday - bit of bag work, bit of pad work, and a medicine ball applied, from height, frequently to the stomach region.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
I love my stairs
I was 'doing' my stairs yesterday and was amazed at the love hate relationship I have manufactured for each repeat of the stairs.
First time up is pretty much always my least favourite. The ipod isn't always on the right tune. It's harder that it should be and there are a whole heap still to do. 2 and 3 are much the same. I start to wonder how I ever make 10, my quads ache.
By number 4 I'm realise that my breathing is actually OK and that was almost fun.
Five and I'm cruising - Piece of cake, halfway already - ah hah! It is working...
6 - yeah another one down.
7 - Not a good one. 3 more to do, breathing a little more heavily at the top.
Maybe that will do - I know I can do ten - do I need to ten again? Maybe 7 is a good number today?
At the bottom, look up the stairs - find a better song - My sharona - the perfect beat (I never said I was fast!) and I make number 8 without too much bother - keeping in pace with the beat.
9 - replay that song - Phew, a bit harder to get all the way to the top on beat - but do-able.
10 and it's over again for the week. Feeling GOOD.
But should I do another? - Just because I can? Nah. Head home on wobbly legs and think about how bad I'd look doing any syllabus right this minute.
First time up is pretty much always my least favourite. The ipod isn't always on the right tune. It's harder that it should be and there are a whole heap still to do. 2 and 3 are much the same. I start to wonder how I ever make 10, my quads ache.
By number 4 I'm realise that my breathing is actually OK and that was almost fun.
Five and I'm cruising - Piece of cake, halfway already - ah hah! It is working...
6 - yeah another one down.
7 - Not a good one. 3 more to do, breathing a little more heavily at the top.
Maybe that will do - I know I can do ten - do I need to ten again? Maybe 7 is a good number today?
At the bottom, look up the stairs - find a better song - My sharona - the perfect beat (I never said I was fast!) and I make number 8 without too much bother - keeping in pace with the beat.
9 - replay that song - Phew, a bit harder to get all the way to the top on beat - but do-able.
10 and it's over again for the week. Feeling GOOD.
But should I do another? - Just because I can? Nah. Head home on wobbly legs and think about how bad I'd look doing any syllabus right this minute.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Tip of the day - kata
Tsuki no kata:
Keep all stances tight and low. Look in direction of first two punches - 45 degrees... Rotate hips for gedan, then gedan/chudan punch. Keep sanchin stance tight on turn...explode into two jodan punches. Keep fist chambered for mae geri. Keep in same 'plane' for junzuki punches/nukite strikes. Kiai on first junzuki. Swing around hard for first nukite. Swivel into next nukite - but set stance first and then strike hard. etc, etc.
Great to have an hour kata classe now, and to just concentrate on one kata for the whole class. I'm getting the feel or this kata finally - so tricky with all the stance changes at first.
Keep all stances tight and low. Look in direction of first two punches - 45 degrees... Rotate hips for gedan, then gedan/chudan punch. Keep sanchin stance tight on turn...explode into two jodan punches. Keep fist chambered for mae geri. Keep in same 'plane' for junzuki punches/nukite strikes. Kiai on first junzuki. Swing around hard for first nukite. Swivel into next nukite - but set stance first and then strike hard. etc, etc.
Great to have an hour kata classe now, and to just concentrate on one kata for the whole class. I'm getting the feel or this kata finally - so tricky with all the stance changes at first.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
More classes please!
Loving my karate at the moment. I feel like I done the right training at the right pace this time around. I may never be a fabulous brown belt, but I am being the best brown belt I can be. I'm really looking forward to this grading being over though so that I can concentrate on refining my techniques. I don't want to change too much at the moment, just do the stuff I need to do as I know how now. But, I can't wait to then spend the next year (or so) polishing, polishing, polishing. Relaxing into the moves and really making them work, rather than just remembering what the moves are.
I seem to be sweating heaps more this time. Poor Senpai Zoë was apparently sprayed with sweat each time I kicked her tonight. I had put my shin guards on for the whole class (have a few bruises from yokusoku) and they are coated in a shiny vinyl stuff. Obviously the sweat was pooling and then swishing out each time I contacted her. Yuck! That is so disgusting...It's usually the guys dripping on us girlies. Maybe 'more fit - more sweat'?
It's just so much fun!
I seem to be sweating heaps more this time. Poor Senpai Zoë was apparently sprayed with sweat each time I kicked her tonight. I had put my shin guards on for the whole class (have a few bruises from yokusoku) and they are coated in a shiny vinyl stuff. Obviously the sweat was pooling and then swishing out each time I contacted her. Yuck! That is so disgusting...It's usually the guys dripping on us girlies. Maybe 'more fit - more sweat'?
It's just so much fun!
Monday, March 16, 2009
6 weeks
Phew! Six weeks. Panicking a wee bit. Time to choose between fitness and technique...ahhh no, no, no.
"Technique before Strength, Spirit before Technique" This will be my mantra for the next 6 weeks.
I should be good with the spirit, I'm doing my best with technique. Strength? - yeah, well going hard there too, but will always be pushed to the limit I guess and then technique gets sloppy and then there's only spirt left (that and a good jab - punch, keep the hands up!).
These beauties are not designed as landing gear, when swept. I went down like a tonne of bricks - still don't know where the foot came from.
Meanwhile Senpai Zoe is not back training after gaining a mild concussion (foot applied briskly to the forehead). Three weeks and still experiencing; headaches, nausea, noise intolerance and difficulty concentrating at school. It's a laugh a minute in our house.
I'm still dreaming kata and kihon, etc...Sad as the dreaming is not helping the reality. Just need time in the dojo now. Scared I'm not doing enough. Scared to do more in case I get too tired or injured. Tricky, tricky, tricky...
"Technique before Strength, Spirit before Technique" This will be my mantra for the next 6 weeks.
I should be good with the spirit, I'm doing my best with technique. Strength? - yeah, well going hard there too, but will always be pushed to the limit I guess and then technique gets sloppy and then there's only spirt left (that and a good jab - punch, keep the hands up!).
These beauties are not designed as landing gear, when swept. I went down like a tonne of bricks - still don't know where the foot came from.
Meanwhile Senpai Zoe is not back training after gaining a mild concussion (foot applied briskly to the forehead). Three weeks and still experiencing; headaches, nausea, noise intolerance and difficulty concentrating at school. It's a laugh a minute in our house.
I'm still dreaming kata and kihon, etc...Sad as the dreaming is not helping the reality. Just need time in the dojo now. Scared I'm not doing enough. Scared to do more in case I get too tired or injured. Tricky, tricky, tricky...
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