Ippon Kumite. This, besides my never-ending battle with horse stance, has been the bane of my martial arts existence. My battle is to not hesitate when the strike comes my way. I've been getting better, but it would be nice to go to the dojo everyday and practice with someone. Alas, that will never happen. See, I am the "breadwinner" right now, doing massage therapy (nine years in my own practice) and work on 4-5 people four days a week. Sometimes more. I get to the dojo on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings and also try to do the Kabox cardio class whenever I can. When I'm done with work all I want to do is go home and see my hubby and two year old son. So, practice comes when I can get it. It's mostly inside my head, often right before I am trying to fall asleep. "Okay, what if I did this and then that and then..." endlessly, making it hard to fall asleep.
Today I did a little slow-flow Kumite with another dojo mate and it was really great. That is exactly what it sounds like. Slow, flowing punches and kicks, making sure you keep your hands up (I got a good shot to the mouth, but no fat lip...darn) and your elbows in. That is an area where I need more practice, too, but at least now my adrenaline dump isn't as severe as it used to be and I stay relatively relaxed. There are times when we both escalated and Sensei Bottomms had us stop and then he and I would go and then I would go again with the other person. Man, my lungs need more of that so I'm not sucking wind at the Shodan Shiai. Sparring is a major part of that shiai and I really want to be in shape. At least I have an extra week now to train since the test has been moved to August 29. Phew.
I still feel ready to test. I'm so freaking excited!!! I figured out that I've had my brown belt for 6 years and for the past four years I've been training for black belt. The first time I was supposed to go I sprained my ankle, the second time I got pregnant. Now it's my time!
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4 comments:
Man, sounds like you have quite a full plate!
How long does your Shodan test last?
6 years at brown belt? That's paying your dues! Good luck with your shodan test.
Good luck with your shodan test. When I went up for mine, I did not at all feel ready. Even now, I still don't feel completely ready. It's like I suddenly realized how much I don't know.
The slow flowing kumite sounds really intriguing. How exactly does it work?
Good luck with your shodan test. Our sensei is having the test for our dojo's first ever blackbelt Aug. 25th (not me).
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