Three questions and a demonstration

Charles James Sensei is asking fellow martial artists to answer the following questions. I highly recommend checking it out. Plus he has a wonderful MA blog along with a wealth of MA knowledge.

1. Why do you practice karate?
I originally began karate with the mindset of learning how to defend myself. However, my practice has now developed into learning more about myself and about how I can move my body while performing kata and ippons. Karate training provides a platform for me to stand on while I practice moving and breathing. It has become so important to my everyday life and how I move through that life, both physically and mentally.

2. Which of the three forms of practice do you feel fits your viewpoint (jutsu, do, or supo-tsu)?
Do definitely fits my viewpoint. There are so many levels to karate training and the deepest ones are learned through do, at least for me. I find that by practicing karate-do I am able to access much more inside myself and then translate that energy outwardly in my kata and ippon training. I am much more comfortable with kata than I am with self-defense techniqes, so the fact that my training focuses more on do helps me immensely with that discomfort and allows me to really believe in myself and what I am able to do.

3. Do you practice a combination of the three? If yes, which?
I would say that I practice a combination of jutsu and do. There is a definite feeling of warrior training in my practice and I like how that makes me feel, but the do tempers that energy by making me work slower and with more meaning. I have no desire to practice supo-tsu. That seems a little empty to me, personally speaking. I have no problem with karate as sport, just not for myself.

Today a few members of the dojo went with sensei to an elementary/middle school to put on a karate demonstration. I could not believe how nervous I was to show youngsters of a variety of ages what we do! When I was called to perform a kata by myself my nerves almost got the best of me and my brain became way too involved in what I was doing. Of course I did the kata Siekuran Lin Bloom, which I haven't had all that much practice with (say two months worth of time into this kata). It's amazing what a change of scenery will do to your training - different floor, different lighting, different direction. I've always had a hard time performing in front of lots of people, and karate has tempered that, but today it was as if I had never done it before. Very strange and interesting. I'll have to let that sink in a bit. It was a great demonstration, though. The kids were so excited and laughed and seemed to really enjoy what they were seeing. One of my fellow shodans, Chris, teaches the phys. ed. class there and she had been doing Asian studies for the month. So, she decided that it would be extra wonderful to have them see karate in action! My favorite part was when sensei had all the kids line up to do some simple forms and he asked a girl to switch to her left foot to which she replied, "I have a hard time remembering which is which!" I believe she was around 5-6 years old. It was so cute. There are many times when I have a hard time remembering which is which, too...

Pictures

Time for a little fluff after a heavy post. These pictures were taken by my dear dojo mate, Kitt.

In the first picture we are in the middle of Lin Wane Kune. The paper on the mirror says "indomitable spirit".

This kata would be seiyunchin.

More Lin Wane Kune

Here I am demonstrating eagle claw to the throat. Very informally I might add...the first was a really good grab to the throat of the man on the right (white gi).

Now what do I do?

A head butt, of course! This wasn't the actual progression, but, hey, it's my blog!

Well, there you have it. Happy Koro Ken land.

Sensei will be testing for his Go Dan on January 26, it's official. It should be very interesting. I'll have some more pictures then.

Stalling

Okay, I've really been stalling about writing an entry. However, I haven't been able to make the time until now, holidays and all. They were good, but I'm glad they are over. Anyway, there is so much in my brain right now having to do with training and where I want to be in it all. One thing is about what to do when your sensei has the blues...I'm not sure what is going on, but he has seemed a little off lately, but we all get that way and I'm not judging him in the least. He's the most balanced man I know, at least most of the time. However, it can affect training. I know that when I'm feeling off and not so great my training takes a nose dive and I find it incredibly hard to concentrate. This isn't new, I think I'm just noticing it more these days. I know that he's about to go for Go Dan in a few weeks, where he will be involved in a community exhibition. No rough stuff. It sounds like the higher you go, the more you receive the upper dan for what you provide to the community, and he has done so much in that area. Great man.
Great teacher. Period.

I mentioned writing about tolerance and balance and that post is still working it's way to the front of my brain. I've been faced a lot lately with having to be tolerant and having to balance my life. An example is the choice I've made to put off testing for Ni Dan, which was planned for this September, in order to have another baby. Originally when my husband and I talked about it I wanted to wait for the shiai, but after mulling it over realized that it was a little too selfish of me. Plus I want our children to be no more than four years apart. This was a big decision for me since I've put so much into my training. However, it has taken time away from my family and I need to change that because family is first. My husband mentioned that he wishes I were as passionate about him as I am about karate. Hmmm...interesting. It's been so difficult to find that balance since karate is always on my mind; how to train more, how to make this self-defense technique work without muscling it, how to bring hara to the forefront of my training. It's always there. Often before I go to sleep I go over kata or self-defense techniques in my head. When I give a massage I go over kata, which isn't necessarily the right time but, hey, sometimes my mind wanders. I also practice stance work and hara work while I give a massage. So much has changed in my martial arts training over the past year and it has excited me beyond anything that I've ever experienced. It's so important to me. When I do become pregnant I plan on training until my body is so big that I'm ready to pop. The last time I stopped training early in the pregnancy and ended up taking two years off. That will not happen this time. Karate is different for me now, it means so much more to me than it did four years ago. Plus I want to experience what it's like training very pregnant. Of course no kumite or throws, but there's so much more to do. I won't be bored.

Well, guess that turned out to be a post about balance. There's so much more to it, though, and I most likely spend more energy thinking about it than is necessary. All I know is karate makes my life complete and without it I would be very sad indeed. It's molded me into this person I always wanted to be: compassionate, humble, excited, happy, strong in both body and mind.

Here's a little promote three meme: go right now and check out kuanti mama . She's a rad chick. There aren't many posts, but there's definite possibility. I've found similar themes to my posts, which made this blog appealing. Someone to relate to, another female warrior.

Absence

All week I've been wanting to write about various themes in this blog, but haven't had the time available to put any quality thought into them. The topics were tolerance and balance and I will get to them since they are playing a rampant theme in my life lately, both in and out of the dojo. But to me my life is my dojo and they aren't really separate. That said, I hope all you have wonderful holidays full of family love (and tolerance and balance) and wonderful things. I'll write again when I have the time to sit and really put some thought into those two topics since they really need my attention.

SWOT 'yo part 2

I've been asked to do the promote three meme by John Wood yet again, and I will get to it, really. I think it's a wonderful way to get others to read those blogs that do not have a lot of traffic (mine included) yet may contain those little gems of insight worthy of all our attention. I've put a list together and am in the process of looking them over. That said, it's back to SWOT 'yo!

Strengths: I feel that my blog's strengths lie in my honesty and my hard work regarding my training. Writing about what you know is the best way to write, at least in my eyes. I do not toot my own horn, but look at my path with open eyes and use my blog as a way to further my progress in the martial arts.

Weaknesses: My writing could use a little polishing, especially the grammar. I tend not to pay attention to many of the rules, but part of me doesn't really care about that as long as I can get my point across. But I know that there are grammar Nazis out there....you know who you are. Another weakness is my tendency not to post in this blog as often as I post in my other one, which is a very different vein of topic. Maybe there's a way to combine the two so that I post more often? However, I keep them separate for a reason since the other blog has nothing to do with MA. Something to consider. There is also this aversion to writing about specific MA topics since I do not feel qualified to do so. That comes with time put into training and learning. I've started reading more about MA and also google many styles to learn more about them as well to see how they can further my knowledge in the style I've learned.

Opportunities: Commenting on other martial arts blogs usually results in the authors checking out your blog. I've started doing that more often, and not just to get them to come over to my house. I'm also a part of the Convocation of Combat Arts Forum, which does the same thing. I've also told my dojo mates about my blog. Getting out into my community isn't as important as getting it out to the blogosphere since I talk to my friends in the dojo all the time. What I want here is to talk to other martial artists everywhere.

Threats: I tend to be a shy gal, which prevents me from speaking up the way I want to speak up. That is something I've worked on for a long time. Speaking my mind is much easier these days since I'm not opposed to any confrontation that may result from my opinions. There's also the tendency for me not to go into any topic where I may "talk out of my behind" instead of learning the facts.

Phew, that wasn't so bad. I'll move onto the next part some other day.

I learned Naihanchin today! I love it! It's such a cool kata, and apparently Sensei has been teaching it to the upper belts in the later classes. It didn't take me long to learn, though, since it's very repetitious. I love the side stepping and the cobra-like punches. Now I have two new katas in my arsenal of learning. Love the kata....

I'm also loving the "Living the Martial Way" book. I just may do a review from my point of view when I'm finished with it. It has propelled my thinking into a whole other realm, which has had amazing results in my training. I feel so much more grounded and capable. It's a wonderful thing. My hesitation is almost non-existent now when I'm grabbed. Finally...

SWOT 'yo, the beginning

There's this part of my brain that really want's to do the new Mokuren dojo challenge about where you want your blog to go. Okay, that's the really basic explanation, but it works for right now. This is my first step to that challenge: the "goal". When I started this blog it was for the purpose of writing down my thoughts on my shodan training and where this new path was leading me. It is still about that, but I want it to be more. I don't feel I have the experience under my belt yet to write about specific topics, but I can at least write about things that I know. So, my goal for my blog is to: 1. Write about more specific topics as they relate to my training, and 2. Have more people read my blog. Why is it important to have more people read my blog? Well, it's nice to know there are other's out there who agree and disagree with what I'm talking about. It's also nice to have the comraderie of those with similar interests, in this case martial arts. The only time I get to discuss anything MA related is either in the dojo, a place where I frequent only three times a week, or online. I crave to talk about topics in the MA world and to give my two cents about them. That's why I joined the Convocation of Combat Arts forum. Yet, I am still such a young one when it comes to all things MA. There's also this desire to learn about all the different types of MA out there. But, I digress. Anyway, here's the beginning to the challenge. Now I have to go back and read the post again, and maybe write it down...

Seminar

Today I took part in this amazing MA seminar at my dojo. Master Morallo came down from Rutland to teach us all sorts of crazy, fun things. First we dove into flexibility exercises and strengthening. His stretch routine is a workout alone, and then we did so much more! There were quite a few push-up variation, like Hindus (ouch!) and many hip stretches. Master Morallo focuses a lot of attention on opening the hip joints in order to give lasting flexibility without causing too much wear and tear on the joint. He feels that by doing these exercises on a regular basis will allow you to kick fluidly and without injury well into old age. Needless to say that's the sorest part of me right now. Then we went into internal exercises, pulling our power from the earth and dissolving into our hara. We did this first by working on sebaki and sudiash (I'm sure I'm not spelling those right), the basic evasion maneuvers. This is such a hard concept to actualize, and it left us exhausted. It also opened up a new avenue to training. Working on kihones in this manner can skyrocket you MA abilities, especially due to the spiraling energy that we incorporate into everything we do. After this we moved onto heavy hand exercises of which I have forgotten the name. It's a "push/pull" type of exercise used in aikido which works on your warding off posture. From there we went into kotegaishi along with the circling step used in the throw. Then we went into key locks using the elbows along with a takedown. Great stuff! I was also honored to be Master Morallo's uke, gulp....he's like a Mack truck. Luckily for me I have good ukemi and fall well. I felt like a rag doll! It was fun! I have this suspicion, however, that I may have a hardt time getting out of bed tomorrow morning. All in all I came away with so much more to work with, but it's the kind of work I've been leaning towards. I want to dive so much further into the internal aspects of my MA and see how I can make it work for me, to really begin to make it my own. There has been a difinite shift in my attitude this week and it's left me feeling so much more secure about my abilities and where they can take me. Practice, practice, practice!

I've been chosen again to do the promote three meme, which I haven't done! My next mission is to go over to toplist so that I can see who I deem worthy....hee, hee, hee. Thanks, John!