Kemposhot
Orange Belt
As mentioned above, this is definitely something you learn with time. I think we all have stories of times we should have tapped sooner lol.
Journey to a new style...
- Thread starter _Simon_
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OP
OP
_Simon_
Senior Master
Today was awesome 
Did our normal class this morning followed by advanced class.
Then a bit of break before the sparring session, absolutely loved it
. We actually started off with some push hands work in an attempt to actually get ourselves nice and loose and relaxed, as sparring can definitely get people all tense. Was such a nice way to start and a great baseline to go from. Did some different drills and techniques, then took it in turns watching and doing freesparring.
I made sure to keep good control as alot of them were still very new to sparring, and my instructor actually got me to share some techniques and knowledge I had of sparring as he knew that I've got quite some experience, which I was quite honoured by. I got great feedback from everyone and said they learned alot from me; was quite humbling!
Learned alot today, and the club really values everyone's input. I aaaaam tired now though haha.
Did our normal class this morning followed by advanced class.
Then a bit of break before the sparring session, absolutely loved it
. We actually started off with some push hands work in an attempt to actually get ourselves nice and loose and relaxed, as sparring can definitely get people all tense. Was such a nice way to start and a great baseline to go from. Did some different drills and techniques, then took it in turns watching and doing freesparring.I made sure to keep good control as alot of them were still very new to sparring, and my instructor actually got me to share some techniques and knowledge I had of sparring as he knew that I've got quite some experience, which I was quite honoured by. I got great feedback from everyone and said they learned alot from me; was quite humbling!
Learned alot today, and the club really values everyone's input
. I aaaaam tired now though haha.
OP
OP
_Simon_
Senior Master
Also just realised, I have not sparred in I'd say about 2 years or more (obviously with everything that's been happening), and it went really went... was so happy with how I sparred. I felt really relaxed, fast, able to see openings and counter well, and still able to be respectful, controlled and hopefully helpful to the others when we sparred. Amazing that it all came back to me still!Today was awesome
Did our normal class this morning followed by advanced class.
Then a bit of break before the sparring session, absolutely loved it
I made sure to keep good control as alot of them were still very new to sparring, and my instructor actually got me to share some techniques and knowledge I had of sparring as he knew that I've got quite some experience, which I was quite honoured by. I got great feedback from everyone and said they learned alot from me; was quite humbling!
Learned alot today, and the club really values everyone's input
isshinryuronin
Senior Master
I have found that coming back after a significant layoff, some part of your skill will often be improved. This seems contrary to logic. Maybe after going without practice you come back with basics more in mind, going a little slower and not going all out. Whatever, you're more relaxed in your execution.
Also, the time off may have allowed you to "forget" some things (mentally and physically), so you're more open to "new" ideas. And maybe just time itself let some things/concepts coalesce and crystalize, like a wine in the cellar gets better with age. Maybe you're just excited getting back into it. It's hard to tell exactly why "the less you do, the better you get" upon return, but at times, true. Just don't use this as an excuse for not working out!
dvcochran
Grandmaster
Agree.I have found that coming back after a significant layoff, some part of your skill will often be improved. This seems contrary to logic. Maybe after going without practice you come back with basics more in mind, going a little slower and not going all out. Whatever, you're more relaxed in your execution.
Also, the time off may have allowed you to "forget" some things (mentally and physically), so you're more open to "new" ideas. And maybe just time itself let some things/concepts coalesce and crystalize, like a wine in the cellar gets better with age. Maybe you're just excited getting back into it. It's hard to tell exactly why "the less you do, the better you get" upon return, but at times, true. Just don't use this as an excuse for not working out!
Sometimes we just get in our own head and muck up things like reaction time.
Being off for a while can clear this out and let things freely flow.
My sparring coach never let me full out spar the week before matches. He had a word for it (a psych term) but I forget what it is at the moment.
OP
OP
_Simon_
Senior Master
Geez I reckon you hit the nail on the head!I have found that coming back after a significant layoff, some part of your skill will often be improved. This seems contrary to logic. Maybe after going without practice you come back with basics more in mind, going a little slower and not going all out. Whatever, you're more relaxed in your execution.
Also, the time off may have allowed you to "forget" some things (mentally and physically), so you're more open to "new" ideas. And maybe just time itself let some things/concepts coalesce and crystalize, like a wine in the cellar gets better with age. Maybe you're just excited getting back into it. It's hard to tell exactly why "the less you do, the better you get" upon return, but at times, true. Just don't use this as an excuse for not working out!
All those points I think are in play for sure! Honestly I've spent sooo much time with my online training (which has been alot of themes of natural movement, relaxation, groundedness and internal "feel" rather than perfect shape) and also incorporated alot of this into my solo training, and I swear it must have been engrained in me on some deep level. Natural movement actually, is the perfect descriptor. Sparring didn't feel forced, full of angst, control, but just a smooth natural flow. My energy didn't rise up into my upper body but I felt just so connected to the ground. So bizarre and so happy that I'm finally feeling that...
Very true also about forgetting things. It's been a very conscious process of letting go of old ways of moving, training, and living in general.
Appreciate those thoughts so much, thank you
OP
OP
_Simon_
Senior Master
Absolutely! Time away from what at times felt like sparring to survive haha may have helped. It's also possible the relaxed push hands we did prior to sparring also facilitated this mindset!
Cheers for that
Man, that's gotta feel good! I get ansty all the time. Once we have a reasonable gap in Covid waves, I need to get out looking for a new place.Missing the dojo! We start up again next week after a holiday break. Been training still alot during the holidays, but keen to get back
dvcochran
Grandmaster
Well FWIW it is official, at least in TN. I just saw on the local news that health officials here are now saying TN will never get to 0% safe for Covid.
'Covid' is officially the new word for the common 'cold'.
While Covid remains considerably more dangerous than the common cold in most cases, it is likely we will never be rid of it. But if we only have strains where they aren't particularly worrisome to the vaccinated, I'll likely get back to teaching, and will simply require vaccination. For me, strains like Omicron are problematic, in that they aren't much worry for me, directly, but since they infect even the vaccinated at troubling rates, I become a vector to my mom, who is on immunosuppressants. I'd have to cancel classes for a week or two before visiting her every time, with strains like that in the wild.
Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
These are the issues that people need to consider. Unfortunately, many do not.
I plan to put a sign on my front door, "Only fully vaccinated people are allowed to enter this door."
At present, I don't have a door, but that's the idea.
OP
OP
_Simon_
Senior Master
Been having quite a rough time of late... life stuff huh... but training always seems to help. And it's been wonderful being back at dojo training, have missed it. We've been having special sparring seminars/sessions too after the first class which are alot of fun.
And today we had a special guest visit us, a 7th Dan in Goju. Quite an honour to meet and chat with him, he graded to Shodan under the founder of our style too. And he said I have really good technique, so that's pretty cool!
And today we had a special guest visit us, a 7th Dan in Goju. Quite an honour to meet and chat with him, he graded to Shodan under the founder of our style too. And he said I have really good technique, so that's pretty cool!
isshinryuronin
Senior Master
I went on that "Journey To A New Style," but stayed within the same ryu, Isshinryu. Sound confusing? It's not. I spent many years doing Isshinryu as it had commonly been done since the Marines brought it back from Okinawa - Basic block, punch and kick, with a few other strikes thrown in. It closely resembled most of the karate in the USA in this respect.
What changed was learning how the Okinawans did it - Original style karate. So now my Isshinryu incorporates the original core concepts and principles (such as hikite, tuite, bunkai oyo, simultaneous defense and offense, and other Okinawan ideas of karate.)
The way I do karate today is so different from 20, 30, 50 yrs. ago, it is as different as any two karate styles, even though I have remained in the same system. I'm still doing the Isshinryu system, but in the Okinawan style. It's more than just putting my personal touch to it, it's adopting what karate really was (to the best we can know) prior to WWII in Okinawa.
A simple way to put it, is that instead of just reading the Cliff Notes version of karate, I'm reading the actual novel. It contains enough rich and nuanced material to keep me busy for the next 20 years and really is a "journey to a new style."
What changed was learning how the Okinawans did it - Original style karate. So now my Isshinryu incorporates the original core concepts and principles (such as hikite, tuite, bunkai oyo, simultaneous defense and offense, and other Okinawan ideas of karate.)
The way I do karate today is so different from 20, 30, 50 yrs. ago, it is as different as any two karate styles, even though I have remained in the same system. I'm still doing the Isshinryu system, but in the Okinawan style. It's more than just putting my personal touch to it, it's adopting what karate really was (to the best we can know) prior to WWII in Okinawa.
A simple way to put it, is that instead of just reading the Cliff Notes version of karate, I'm reading the actual novel. It contains enough rich and nuanced material to keep me busy for the next 20 years and really is a "journey to a new style."
OP
OP
_Simon_
Senior Master
Yeah for sure, I know what you mean! And we all go through our own personal evolution throughout. That's really cool even within the same style your karate is changing
.Our style has similarities in that they do things differently to what I'm used to, which I feel are more Okinawan style traits: not 'reverse-rotating' blocks, simultaneous block+strike, push/pull hikite use, even getting used to the 'uchi uke/inside block' being the opposite motion to the terminology I'm used to (this is out-to-in instead of in-to-out block)... along with a different 'whippy' punching style. All good fun and I'm loving the differences
This is an interesting inversion of how I usually use "style" and "system". Normally, there are multiple "systems" (ways of developing people) within a larger "style" (the art), but this highlights that it can be the opposite: a number of ways of using the tools (system) to develop different sets of principles (styles).
OP
OP
_Simon_
Senior Master
Okay! I've been recently invited to grade this Wednesday to 2nd kyu! Feeling ready but still nervous. Have worked very hard on drills, bunkai and kata requirements, and unbeknownst to me part of my grading was sort of today haha.
We had our sparring class and Shihan sparred a few rounds with me to test me a bit, was some good hard sparring and he certainly tested me, was really fun. Was only a couple of rounds but he really pushed me. Even though it's not a big sparring-centred club, it was great to have that element tested a bit today, and I felt like I could hold my own well.
See how Wednesday goes! Kyu gradings aren't held on a separate day but during regular class which is fine, and are less of a survival test and more of a technical one and a focus on understanding the art. Still requiring baseline fitness though. Basically to see that you are already that grade rather than 'testing' for it, which is kinda nice of an approach
We had our sparring class and Shihan sparred a few rounds with me to test me a bit, was some good hard sparring and he certainly tested me, was really fun. Was only a couple of rounds but he really pushed me. Even though it's not a big sparring-centred club, it was great to have that element tested a bit today, and I felt like I could hold my own well.
See how Wednesday goes! Kyu gradings aren't held on a separate day but during regular class which is fine, and are less of a survival test and more of a technical one and a focus on understanding the art. Still requiring baseline fitness though. Basically to see that you are already that grade rather than 'testing' for it, which is kinda nice of an approach
I'm a fan of surreptitious testing as part of the evaluation.Okay! I've been recently invited to grade this Wednesday to 2nd kyu! Feeling ready but still nervous. Have worked very hard on drills, bunkai and kata requirements, and unbeknownst to me part of my grading was sort of today haha.
We had our sparring class and Shihan sparred a few rounds with me to test me a bit, was some good hard sparring and he certainly tested me, was really fun. Was only a couple of rounds but he really pushed me. Even though it's not a big sparring-centred club, it was great to have that element tested a bit today, and I felt like I could hold my own well.
See how Wednesday goes! Kyu gradings aren't held on a separate day but during regular class which is fine, and are less of a survival test and more of a technical one and a focus on understanding the art. Still requiring baseline fitness though. Basically to see that you are already that grade rather than 'testing' for it, which is kinda nice of an approach
