First black belt class
May. 4th, 2011 10:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pegkerrI had my first black belt class. I didn't exactly cover myself in glory. Not unexpected.
We started out with slow kicks. I fell out of them on my bad side, much to my humiliation. But I was cramping on that side, and it's my bad side, and I was sore from the test and...yeah. Ouch.
They didn't stop the class and order me to take off the black belt and give it back to them. Not yet, anyway.
Then we did combinations: punch, back leg round kick, back leg round kick, punch, ridge hand, spinning hook kick. The problem is, I haven't been doing spinning hook kicks. I was exempted from them during the screening process because of my knee, and so I'm terrible at spinning hook kicks. I just don't have the muscle memory to do them right at all. I tried, but that was humiliating, too. Again, the lingering soreness in my hamstrings was interfering with my form on the back leg round kicks, too.
We worked on stretches, partnering up and having one person pull the other person's leg up, in front kick, round kick, and side kick position. My hamstrings are stubbornly tight, and so my stretches were the lowest in the class. I desperately coveted the hips and hamstrings of the teenage girl next to me, who was able to stretch her kicks pretty far over her head.
I used to be able to do that when I was sixteen, too. Will my hamstrings ever open up? They just haven't budged in years. I want I want I WANT to be able to do decent straddle stretches so I can kick higher. Above waist level would be nice. Please.
Finally, we worked on take down sweeps. First we went over the proper procedures for falls: chin tucked and slapping the ground with the whole length of the arm to spread out the force rather than trying to stop yourself with the wrist or elbow. We partnered up, practicing going back and forth trying the sweep. Mr. Sidner saw the doubtful look on my face and exempted me from actually having to go down on the ground--he's seen what trouble I always have getting up from the ground again, because of the knee. But really, I'm going to have to figure this out. I'm a black belt, and part of being a black belt is doing take downs, and I'll have to partner whenever we practice.
So...a little discouraging, but that's not unexpected. My frustration, I mean--my teacher is always more patient with me than I am.
They always say that once you become a black belt, it's not as if you think you've reached a pinnacle: if you're a good student, you really see what you have to learn.
Heh. That's not a problem for me.
One bright spot: I'll be getting a formal karate portrait next Saturday, the three part one that we've always purchased when each of us reached black belt. Here is Fiona's, from 2008, and here is Delia's, from 2009.
*sniff* If only I could kick high.
*considers*
Oy, Peg, you're so ungrateful. You have a black belt and now you're whining about not kicking high enough.
We started out with slow kicks. I fell out of them on my bad side, much to my humiliation. But I was cramping on that side, and it's my bad side, and I was sore from the test and...yeah. Ouch.
They didn't stop the class and order me to take off the black belt and give it back to them. Not yet, anyway.
Then we did combinations: punch, back leg round kick, back leg round kick, punch, ridge hand, spinning hook kick. The problem is, I haven't been doing spinning hook kicks. I was exempted from them during the screening process because of my knee, and so I'm terrible at spinning hook kicks. I just don't have the muscle memory to do them right at all. I tried, but that was humiliating, too. Again, the lingering soreness in my hamstrings was interfering with my form on the back leg round kicks, too.
We worked on stretches, partnering up and having one person pull the other person's leg up, in front kick, round kick, and side kick position. My hamstrings are stubbornly tight, and so my stretches were the lowest in the class. I desperately coveted the hips and hamstrings of the teenage girl next to me, who was able to stretch her kicks pretty far over her head.
I used to be able to do that when I was sixteen, too. Will my hamstrings ever open up? They just haven't budged in years. I want I want I WANT to be able to do decent straddle stretches so I can kick higher. Above waist level would be nice. Please.
Finally, we worked on take down sweeps. First we went over the proper procedures for falls: chin tucked and slapping the ground with the whole length of the arm to spread out the force rather than trying to stop yourself with the wrist or elbow. We partnered up, practicing going back and forth trying the sweep. Mr. Sidner saw the doubtful look on my face and exempted me from actually having to go down on the ground--he's seen what trouble I always have getting up from the ground again, because of the knee. But really, I'm going to have to figure this out. I'm a black belt, and part of being a black belt is doing take downs, and I'll have to partner whenever we practice.
So...a little discouraging, but that's not unexpected. My frustration, I mean--my teacher is always more patient with me than I am.
They always say that once you become a black belt, it's not as if you think you've reached a pinnacle: if you're a good student, you really see what you have to learn.
Heh. That's not a problem for me.
One bright spot: I'll be getting a formal karate portrait next Saturday, the three part one that we've always purchased when each of us reached black belt. Here is Fiona's, from 2008, and here is Delia's, from 2009.
*sniff* If only I could kick high.
*considers*
Oy, Peg, you're so ungrateful. You have a black belt and now you're whining about not kicking high enough.