Shine Like a Mirror

Connecting

I've been slowly, slowly progressing with kumite - some days I feel like I've gone two steps back, others I feel like I've made a huge improvement. Today felt like something clicked. I'm not sure if it was what one of the senseis said, or if I've just started actually listening, but the rounds seemed much smoother and my kicks and punches were landing more solidly.

Sensei G said to me, "You've got to focus your power more and put more behind your punches and kicks. Think about connecting, don't be afraid that you're going to hurt someone - these guys can take it." I think that I've been pretty tentative with getting in close - one because it's a bit scary, and two because everyone's always emphasizing control. But I was worrying way too much about control to the point where I wasn't even really landing anything. Which is no good! I also remembered last week that Jun Shihan W told me that I was leaning too much when I was throwing techniques - I was totally off balance and I had no power.

So I really tried to focus my energy into connecting, getting much closer in, and using my hips. At the same time I was trying to stay aware of what was coming at me and getting out of the way if necessary.  Afterwards I started thinking about the tanden - it's the center of energy in the lower abdomen where your center of gravity is and where all your power comes from. It's also related to the breathing technique of ibuki that we practice a lot in class, which is supposed to help you activate that energy. I think I was able to connect with the tanden more than I normally do, and it was so good to feel light on my feet AND able to land really effective techniques.

Now I just need to keep these things in mind as I start to train for the tournament in October.

Tournament Recap

The tournament was a great success - I was able to stay focused and scored some points with the reverse punch. The biggest thing for me was to realize how far I've come in the past year in my training. I noticed that it's easier for me to stay calm under pressure and that I feel less tentative; the bouts are so short that there is very little time to think, it's just about moving and going for it.

I also started realizing that it's about unpredictability and continually measuring the situation and adjusting as necessary. It's so easy to watch other people and see that they're getting hit the same way every time, and saying to yourself "why don't they move out of the way? Why don't they try something different?" But it's another thing to get into the ring and actually realize that what you're doing is making yourself vulnerable over and over again, and then change the pattern. It's something that I'm still working on - and will be working on! - but I felt slightly more comfortable this time with trying out different strategies and adjusting as the bout progressed.

 One thing that I know I still need to work on is using angles. I definitely still feel awkward moving towards or away from an opponent other than directly forward and back. Something to keep in mind for next time.

How to Kick

I wish I spoke Japanese! But I get the gist of it. Uh, remember to twist your body...?

Nerves

The semi-annual tournament at the dojo is coming up on Saturday. I'm always ambivalent about attending - partially because I feel like I don't have that much experience with point fighting (the classes I take are focused more on light contact) but it's also another thing for me to worry about. I get a case of the nerves - I feel jittery, uncomfortable and weird, and it's hard for me to knowingly put myself in a situation like that.

But usually someone convinces me to join their team, and I go, I fight a few rounds, and deal with my nerves. And I end up having fun. I think that doing the tournament is a part of training, it can't be divorced from it. Having to confront one's fears is a huge part of why I train, so avoiding something because it makes me uncomfortable defeats the purpose. It's not about winning, really, it's about putting yourself out there and doing the best that you can under the circumstances. It's about mental and physical preparation - "have I trained hard enough? Am I focused?", getting rid of ego and being honest about where you are, and a good way to measure growth. I really try to keep these things in mind and just observe my semi-annual case of nerves.

And this *might* be the last year that I compete as a color belt, so I should take advantage of it - otherwise I'll be facing down people like Sensei Eileen!

Back to training

Today was the first day in a few weeks that I made it to the dojo. I've been feeling rather out of shape and rusty on my material, but I knew the longer I put off returning, the worse it was going to be. Surprisingly, there were some katas that I remembered much better than others. I had to return to that certain state of concentration, where I'm relying on a combination of muscle memory and consciously thinking about all the little bits that make a kata polished.

The newer katas, like pinan 5 and seido 4, still feel awkward. Besides the fact that I still haven't memorized all the moves yet.

It felt really good to be in that physical and mental state again - I just need to be more consistent about going, and maybe I'll actually learn these brown belt katas.

Awareness and Strategy

I think one of the most difficult things about kumite is learning how to gauge your opponent and actually react to what they're doing. Today I wasn't so great at it - I felt like I was just doing the automatic response to things and I ended up getting hit a lot. It takes a certain amount of concentration and presence to realize you're doing something wrong and to change it.

For instance, some people really like to kick, and you can sort of predict what they're going to do. But even though I knew that eventually they were going to kick, I didn't block effectively or move out of the way or counterattack quickly enough. I was doing the same thing I aleats tend to do, a reverse left punch. Bit against a side kick it's not very effective because I can't reach that far.

I really need to work on reacting and being aware of who I'm fighting and whether or not my strategy is even working. I need to add more moves to my repetoire, like back spin kicks and urakens, so that I'm not just punching all the time. Most of all I have to remember to breathe!

A purpose

I've finally decided what this blog is going to be used for. I'm going to write about my experiences training in karate. It's something that I've been dedicated to for the past three years, and I spend a good amount of time doing it and thinking about it - why not actually keep track of these things?

So as I train, I'll be posting musings about training at the dojo, learning kumite and kata, as well as longer term ideas about how karate and life are intertwined. Maybe that sounds a bit cheesy but hopefully I'll be better able to articulate where i'm going with this over time.