2007 Workout #54-57: Gasshuku, Two Tuesdays, Saturday…

This year’s Gasshuku went off without a hitch. It was a great workout, we got the opportunity to work on hip action in basics, a variation on Hangetsu kata, and as always a good session of kumite. It was a smallish crowd this year, however we did a lot more talking about karate history and kata origins than we have in past years. I enjoyed that addition and I hope that we continue to do more of that in the years to come.

We had a pretty standard workout last Tuesday, working on some sparring training and good basics. There wasn’t really too much to report. We had a lull while we were at GenCon, but I was able to make the next Tuesday workout. The first class was basics and partner training, and after the first class was over Sensei Brewer took us through one of his classic quick burn workouts. I was dying after only 20 minutes, when we switched to some partner training drills. It was a good workout, I was sore the next morning!

This morning and I showed up late, but we still got through the Sandan required black belt katas. We did a few Sochin kata again, and I am still constantly amazed at how comfortable that kata feels after taking a break from doing it. I ended my workout with an ab workout, doing 150 crunches of various varieties. showed me a new version of crunches where both legs were held up off the ground and apart while the crunch is being done. They hurt. I liked it. 🙂