Sword Play

What's new? Well, we're learning to use swords! And for those of us that haven't yet bought a sword, we're learning with bokkens (A bokken is an inexpensive and relatively safe substitute for a real sword used in training in the martial arts - wikipedia).

So far, we've learned three parts of our first cutting kata. They're cool, fun, and really hard to remember. There's new words for the handle, the part that protects your hand, the thing (sheath) that you put it in, the motions you make to shake the blood off the sword, and the motion for putting the sword back in it's holder. I can't remember any of them. Do you? If so, please send them along.

I did get a few pictures of stances (thanks Joe) and a very simple video of one of the three "cutting forms."



The fun gets funner. We now have swords as part of the curriculum!



This is a basic demo, very slow, of Cutting form 2. Basically:
- upblock
- slice across on the 45
-slide across on the horizontal
- overhead strike
- hit the sword to clearn off the blood - chabusi?
- resheath the sword while in a cool sideways stance
- salute.



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"It's like recess"

I was explaining to a high school kid why I look forward each day to my karate class. I found myself explaining: "It's like recess for adults!"



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Bugo Kumite

I went to bugo on Saturday saying only a few things to myself. Since I had watched the videos of myself sparing with a few people, including Mr. Wilson, my priorities were to fix the obvious problems.

1. Hands up. They're too low, expecially when I kick. In fact, on roundhouse kicks, my hands go way low. Keep them in guard.

2. Circle to my right. Not my left. My right. 80% of the time.

3. Combinations and quickness. Stop being a one hit wonder, especially with kicks. Commit to a combination which is hand hand hand kick. Don't charge in with front kicks. Save them for defense or as a finish on a combination.

4. Quicker and slower. I bounce and move incessantly. Almost too much. No wonder I'm beat. I can be on my toes and shuffling but I don't need to be quite so active, especially when I'm outsite. And when I do attack, focus on being quicker.

How'd I do? So so. I'll keep at it.


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Black Belt Spectaculars

I just found, via a friend's facebook page (thanks Dani), a well-produced video about the April 2009 Black Belt Spectacular which is the Lavallee show for the belt promotion for black belts. Take a look. It's by egoose2000.



And here is the show from December 2008 when Steve Lavallee was promoted to eighth degree black belt. It was also a few weeks before his hip surgery. (He has recovered well). It's thanks to karate EWM.





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