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pegkerrFriday's class is a multi-level one, all the way from white belt to black belt. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pazlazuli spent most of the class period having us do slow kicks. Slow kicks are the bread and butter of kicking muscle development. They build strength and balance, and offer an opportunity to work on the fine points of form. If the sensei is feeling particularly demanding, we take them reeeeeaaaaaaaallllllyyyyyyyy slllllllllooooooowwwwwwwllllllllllyyyyyyy, which makes everything harder. First front kicks, then round kicks, then side kicks (and maybe we'll throw some hook kicks in, just to keep things interesting). With front kicks, you must bend the knee tightly before and after the kick, and keep the knee level. Round kicks: supporting foot rotates, the knee must stay level, passing the center line of the supporting leg both before and after the kick. Obliques keep the torso crunched upright. Sidekicks: make sure the supporting leg pivots all the way. Chamber the knee back tightly both before and after the kick. Lock both the kicking leg and supporting leg out tightly.
And on all kicks, look at your target!
I am trying not to get overly frustrated when I have troubles with balance. Of course, I always compare myself with the advanced belts, who are expected to be able to balance without the supporting bar. (I can do it, sometimes). My other big issue is that I am really quite uncomfortable and uncertain with the round kick. My problem is that my pregnacy with Delia Did Something Bad to the ligaments in my hips (I actually required a cane to walk from the sixth month on). Sometimes, when I'm throwing a round kick, it feels as thought something has gone wrong with the hip socket, and I get a flash of pain, which usually evokes a startled yelp. Usually, by bending my hips and rotating my knee in and out several times, I can get the hip to realign. But I hate it when it happens--I'm always nervous that I'm going to hurt myself. And I feel my lack of flexibility particularly with the round kick. I long to be able to kick my opponent in the head, but I can't get higher than belt level, at least not yet. I do straddle stretches each day after lunch. I'm still waiting for it to make a difference--haven't seen a change yet.
On Saturday, we attended the quarterly citywide black belt exam, because Fiona was holding pads for Hannah, a girl who had passed the screening (unlike Fiona, sob!) It was interesting for me, because this was the first black belt exam I'd attended after determining that I was going for black belt myself. I realize now, after going through the screening process with Fiona, that really the screenings are much more ferocious. In comparison, the black belt test looks easy (well, I doubt I'll say that when I'm up there doing it myself!)
This was a special test, because the two co-founders of the National Karate franchise, Mr. Worley and Mr. Carnahan, were being awarded their black belt ninth degree (they received their belts from their own master, J. Pat Burleson, who has a black belt tenth degree and has been studying for fifty years). Because it was such a special test, there were some additional demonstrations by some national championship winners. Two senseis from our dojo participated in these: Mr. Betlach and Mr. Dingmann, who have won a lot of championships in sparring, and Mr. Dingmann also demonstrated Extreme Form (with lots of gymnastic components--I've talked with him about perhaps helping Delia to learn some of this stuff after she reaches black belt, because she's so flexible. If she's still interested in studying that is.)
We went to an open house/party celebration afterwards, honoring Hannah receiving her black belt, and I had a nice long talk withpazlazuli. She surprised me by telling me that I really had good balance for someone who has been away from karate for so long. I asked her what the girls and I need to work on developing. She said that Fiona and I both have power, but we're almost too deliberate about our punches and kicks. It is as if we are placing the punch, rather than actually punching. We need to harness explosive power, but then relax between those explosions (if we stay tense all the time, it is too tiring). The exercise she recommended for the two of us was to have one of us hold a folded newspaper at head height and then drop it, and the other has to lunge forward to catch it.
Fiona also has to work on a fiercer facial expression!
Delia's problem is her crazy flexibilty doesn't have enough supportive muscle control. (She is prone to throwing out her knees in particular).pazlazuli recommended that she wear supportive knee bracing when doing karate, and that she try doing small movements (straightening her knee, leg circles) using light ankle weights, to strengthen the small muscles around each joint.
pazlazuli spent most of the class period having us do slow kicks. Slow kicks are the bread and butter of kicking muscle development. They build strength and balance, and offer an opportunity to work on the fine points of form. If the sensei is feeling particularly demanding, we take them reeeeeaaaaaaaallllllyyyyyyyy slllllllllooooooowwwwwwwllllllllllyyyyyyy, which makes everything harder. First front kicks, then round kicks, then side kicks (and maybe we'll throw some hook kicks in, just to keep things interesting). With front kicks, you must bend the knee tightly before and after the kick, and keep the knee level. Round kicks: supporting foot rotates, the knee must stay level, passing the center line of the supporting leg both before and after the kick. Obliques keep the torso crunched upright. Sidekicks: make sure the supporting leg pivots all the way. Chamber the knee back tightly both before and after the kick. Lock both the kicking leg and supporting leg out tightly. And on all kicks, look at your target!
I am trying not to get overly frustrated when I have troubles with balance. Of course, I always compare myself with the advanced belts, who are expected to be able to balance without the supporting bar. (I can do it, sometimes). My other big issue is that I am really quite uncomfortable and uncertain with the round kick. My problem is that my pregnacy with Delia Did Something Bad to the ligaments in my hips (I actually required a cane to walk from the sixth month on). Sometimes, when I'm throwing a round kick, it feels as thought something has gone wrong with the hip socket, and I get a flash of pain, which usually evokes a startled yelp. Usually, by bending my hips and rotating my knee in and out several times, I can get the hip to realign. But I hate it when it happens--I'm always nervous that I'm going to hurt myself. And I feel my lack of flexibility particularly with the round kick. I long to be able to kick my opponent in the head, but I can't get higher than belt level, at least not yet. I do straddle stretches each day after lunch. I'm still waiting for it to make a difference--haven't seen a change yet.
On Saturday, we attended the quarterly citywide black belt exam, because Fiona was holding pads for Hannah, a girl who had passed the screening (unlike Fiona, sob!) It was interesting for me, because this was the first black belt exam I'd attended after determining that I was going for black belt myself. I realize now, after going through the screening process with Fiona, that really the screenings are much more ferocious. In comparison, the black belt test looks easy (well, I doubt I'll say that when I'm up there doing it myself!)
This was a special test, because the two co-founders of the National Karate franchise, Mr. Worley and Mr. Carnahan, were being awarded their black belt ninth degree (they received their belts from their own master, J. Pat Burleson, who has a black belt tenth degree and has been studying for fifty years). Because it was such a special test, there were some additional demonstrations by some national championship winners. Two senseis from our dojo participated in these: Mr. Betlach and Mr. Dingmann, who have won a lot of championships in sparring, and Mr. Dingmann also demonstrated Extreme Form (with lots of gymnastic components--I've talked with him about perhaps helping Delia to learn some of this stuff after she reaches black belt, because she's so flexible. If she's still interested in studying that is.)
We went to an open house/party celebration afterwards, honoring Hannah receiving her black belt, and I had a nice long talk with
pazlazuli. She surprised me by telling me that I really had good balance for someone who has been away from karate for so long. I asked her what the girls and I need to work on developing. She said that Fiona and I both have power, but we're almost too deliberate about our punches and kicks. It is as if we are placing the punch, rather than actually punching. We need to harness explosive power, but then relax between those explosions (if we stay tense all the time, it is too tiring). The exercise she recommended for the two of us was to have one of us hold a folded newspaper at head height and then drop it, and the other has to lunge forward to catch it. Fiona also has to work on a fiercer facial expression!
Delia's problem is her crazy flexibilty doesn't have enough supportive muscle control. (She is prone to throwing out her knees in particular).
pazlazuli recommended that she wear supportive knee bracing when doing karate, and that she try doing small movements (straightening her knee, leg circles) using light ankle weights, to strengthen the small muscles around each joint.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-10 11:53 pm (UTC)