Quick Review of the past 3 days

2 lazy weeks off training and finally back into the dojo for a 2 week training intensive… Changing from being in holiday mode to a normal schedule again usually likes to take its time and I would usually feel unmotivated to do anything. Since I have participated in these training intensives in the past a couple of times I am starting to see the positive impacts it has on me both mentally and physically, so it wasn’t so hard to get moving again for the new year.

Even though it hasn’t been as hard for me this year, I still struggle to wake up in the mornings as I am not a morning person. Although I find it difficult to get up early I know that the hardest part about the morning training is waking up and turning up, but I know I have to push myself out of my comfort zone otherwise I will not achieve great results if I don’t turn up and give it all I’ve got.

On the first days of the intensive program I was having trouble getting through the afternoon because of the early mornings because by the time it gets to the afternoon it has already been a long day but, there is no point going to train if I’m not putting 100% effort in.

Training

In the dojo so far there have been a range things that I have been working on. The thing that has stood out the most to me is the amount of stretching and conditioning we do. I think that it is a great way to kick off the year and it is helping me get back to being more physical as I did not do much over the Christmas/new year break. The conditioning that we are doing at the moment is probably more mentally tough than physically because of the repetition and it isn’t the same type we would usually do either. It feels great to try new things especially after a long break.

Being back in the dojo means reviewing everything lots! Pretty much every class we will go through our basics but, it never gets boring because there isn’t only one way to practise which makes me feel engaged when I train. Just going through all the kihons and kata in different ways makes it a better learning experience for me. Going through it everything really fast and pushing ourselves or even slowing it right down to focus on specific main points like breathing, having good posture etc.

In some classes over the past few days we have briefly covered some kumite. For this we mainly only practised one combination and the focus was to have good distance at the beginning and the end of the technique, plus having as little gap in between the two punches as possible to create maximum speed on our combination. For me this wasn’t a too hard to execute when practising on the bags but as soon as we moved to an actual partner I was already finding it difficult to adapt. Doing these drills helped me realise what I need to really try hard to work on making this a great learning experience.

Last night and this morning we did some sai training. Since I haven’t done this in a while it was great to clear some cobwebs out of the way as well as learning new things as well. Last night, we went through the sai basics, kihons, and the kata. For me, I already knew the first sai kata but last night I learnt the second one too with some help from Bailey.

Oh yeah! We can’t forget Lachlan’s 10th birthday. Always great to see all the karate kids bringing a positive attitude to the dojo with big smiles and always supporting each other.

Great getting back into the swing of things and can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store for the year to come!

So much feedback tonight, I am still absorbing it all. Tonight’s sessions were both physically and mentally exhausting, I don’t think they were any more difficult than the previous days, the lactic build up around my muscles and the physical exhaustion was a real contributing factor though. In times like this it is when you really need to dig deep and remember what motivates you. When I feel like giving up and my head is feeding me alternative thoughts, I have to remember why I started and what I’m working towards. Putting in that little bit of extra effort now will result in big gains.

If you think that you’re already giving 100%, dig a little deeper and give another 10%. By proving you are capable of this will not only grow yourself, but will influence upon everybody else around you. Tonight I really tried to show this and hopefully I can continue this throughout the entire two week intensive. When you think you have reached your limit, it is just a thought, pushing through the mental barrier of pain and doubt is what will get you to your next level or goal.

The second day of training is finished. I missed the morning classes due to work commitments but tonight’s class sure made up for it. My muscles are screaming but I have never been more excited for the upcoming two weeks! I hope to build my muscle endurance and extend my mental stamina over the intensive program. This quote encompasses the reason I am challenging myself to do every class possible over the next two weeks, not just participating but by extending myself.

“Your body can stand almost anything, its your mind that you have to convince.”

Evening Classes:

Kids Classes: It is becoming easier to take off the teachers hat and just train. I have done many years of leadership so helping out the younger students comes naturally now, but by being a good role model and helping out non verbally has assisted me in my growth. This is a great skill as there is a time and a place for talking, but also a time for the ‘just train’ attitude. This is a very mental skill and through my university studies in coaching I have found that kinetic instructing/training (physically) is one of my preferred styles.

In the advanced class we threw on some bogu and jumped into some kumite skills. This was another instance where I had to brush off the cob webs. We focused on three elements of an attack; distance, speed and accuracy.  Even on a swinging bag this can be difficult to execute. We also worked on how to generate reach, I came to the conclusion that I need to bend my knees more and turn my hips more!

Adult Class: Tonight I trained as if I was competing. Hopefully at the end of this intensive I have purged my Christmas over eating and gotten my beach body back! The first half of the class Sensei Sandra stretched us and evaluated everybody’s capabilities after the break. She must have thought we were pretty capable because she put us through our paces after a quick drink break. While performing every kata as I was at a tournament I had only one focus; to enter. While stepping or changing stances, instead of turning the back foot away from the centre, I tried to generate the feeling of entering / like I was throwing a partner. This helped me with my pull to the centre throughout the class. 

I am eager to find out what lessons can be learnt throughout the next week and a half of training!

Two weeks off of regular training and jumping straight into a two week training intensive! What a way to dust off the cobwebs. This mornings class we split into two groups, juniors and seniors. Sensei Martin took the seniors and we did every kata from kihon dosa ichi to the highest we knew. I enjoyed starting the intensive with a fast pace review.

6am Morning Class:

Starting training at 6am wasn’t a struggle as I start work at 5am most days, but my favourite part was training beside new karate-ka. I learnt so much by watching students that I haven’t met before, the way their bodies move and how they execute techniques, makes me remember that you can learn from anybody. I hope that through the next two weeks I can learn more from these students.

Afternoon Class:

The adult class 6-8pm is where you’ll usually find me, but today I started at 3:45  with the little champions. I brought my little sister in to train early with me and she enjoyed training with the under 8yo so much.

The main focus tonight was keeping your head still during kata. Being a female with long hair it is easy to distinguish when my head wobbles as my hair wiggles. I can remember Sensei Helen pulling me up on this multiple times when I was an orange belt so it was good to touch base tonight. When Soke sensei visits, he always emphasises eye focus and keeping your head up straight as it is the basis to a good technique. First basic eye focus, second body, third strong stance to execute the technique. 

Was a great first day back getting into the swing of things. Looking forwards to what the next two weeks can throw at me!