Today’s training followed a similar pattern to yesterday.  We started with warmups and a basic combination, this time inward block, jab to the face, lunge punch to the body.  After doing that quite a bit, we switched to one-time attack partner training.  The combination we worked on today was withdrawing in back stance.  The attacking […]

Continue reading...

Today marked the beginning of this year’s Kangeiko.  Kangeiko literally means (so I’m told) “dead of winter training” and is treated like equal parts Karate Homecoming and Spirit Training for this organization.  I left the house around 4:30 am to pick up Paul B. before heading down to Denver for the training. Just like last […]

Continue reading...

This afternoon Paul B. and I got together for a little cross-training.  The best way we could come up with to cross-train and satisfy the kumite itch was to spar.  A lot.  We opted for medium-speed free sparring, which naturally gravitated toward faster speeds and a bit more power.  In order to keep things under […]

Continue reading...

Tonight’s workout was great!  We opened with some basic combinations, then did some Heian kata.  We did Heian Shodan at one point, adding an extra reverse punch with every technique.  It was kind’ve a brain-teaser, but reminded me of some of the variations that Sensei Hartman would run us through back in IL.  We quickly […]

Continue reading...

As previously mentioned, today is the 13th anniversary of getting my Shodan.  For this reason, I opted for a karate workout with my buddy Paul.  We started off with warmups, then I took him through the body tension and connection drills that we did at the Arvada dojo on Tuesday.  Then we did some basic […]

Continue reading...

As I was getting things shut down for bed, I looked at the date and wondered aloud why it sounds familiar. Then I came to it… 13 years ago today, I got my Shodan.  Thinking back, I can almost feel the frozen tile of that Elk’s Lodge under my feet.  If my memory serves me […]

Continue reading...

Tonight was a great night at the dojo!  After a painfully slow warmup, we started in with standing punch and block combinations to work on core tension and body timing.  Shortly thereafter, we were told to get across from partners and we were going to do some kumite drills.  We started off with basic three […]

Continue reading...

Tonight’s workout was very interesting, in fact it was one of those workouts that I wish I could share with the Pekin dojo.  It was a unique take on an old classic: when and how to tense your body.  It all began with an odd stance and an even odder combination.  It began in what […]

Continue reading...