Shotokan

Day nine:

Another good start with kata this morning.  I am having some problems with my neck and after I get out of bed, it hurts for while.  By the time I am out of the show, it starts to loosen a little but during the morning kata, it starts to feel better.  It's been bothering me off and on for about two months now but it comes and goes.  Either way, the kata helps get my posture right and it carries throughout the day.  I am a little behind on my kicks and mediation but I think I can make up for the kicks this week.  Overall, I think my Karate techniques are getting better now than all the time I have been training. One advantage of training on Zoom classes and by myself, I am not fighting to get my body into positions that hurt it like I do in class.  My hips and lower back are better and I think I am recovering faster from the hard training than I did before.

626 active calories

47 minutes of training

16 stand hours

Day seven:

For some reason, my workouts usually fall short on the weekends.  This weekend wasn't the usual.  Saturday was a great Zoom class working on my favorite kata. Lots of good training and a lot of output.

882 active calories

83 minutes of training

13 stand hours

Day eight:

Another great Zoom class working on kumite, moving from the center and lower body instead of the upper body. A short walk too added to the movement for today.

635 active calories

61 minutes of training

13 stand hours

Day six:

Morning kata training again.  This is turning into one of the better habits that I have formed. I really get my head cleared before leaving for work and I think it is helping my body be more relaxed throughout the day.  Night time workout was some bodyweight work, bands, dumbbell work and farmers walks.  Some meditation with Calm will finished off the day.

643 active calories

51 minutes of training

13 stand hours

Day five:

Started the day with kata again. Only about 10 minutes of morning training but it's turning into a good workout.  Tonight was kicking night and it was another good workout.  I only focused on slow kicks on the air in the past but hitting something seems to be helping me improve.  I am guessing that ultimately I will be doing both but for now I want to focus on hitting.  Oddly, I did throw a few punches and somewhere I found a lot more power than before.

The formal meditation is not going as well as I hoped but I am doing some relaxation meditation each day before bed.  It does seem to be helping me fall asleep faster but I think the stress from work is starting to wear on me a little more than before.

690 active calories

41 minutes of training

13 stand hours

Day four:

I am seeing a pattern, which I really don't mind at this point.  The day starts with some kata and then night time comes some band work and some more kata.  Today was kata in the morning, some light band work, kata and stretching at night. 

682 active calories

30 minutes of training

15 stand hours

8 hours ago, Kishi said:

Yes sir. I'm familiar with Sanchin. Mostly because of all that time I spend nerding out over RKC-style kettlebell work.  Although, correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't shotokan have its own version of that kata?

There is a Shotokan kata which is similar in principle but different in techniques.  In Shotokan, we have a kata called Hangetsu which is an internal kata to a point but there is a mix of slow and fast techniques.  With Sanchin, all techniques are slow and based on the breath from what I can tell.  There are two main benefits that I am seeing from Sanchin are posture and connection. Hangetsu does have moments of connection and posture but some of the moves are more dynamic and less precise.

Day three:

Today started with kata and then tonight a little more kata and my kicking workout.  Front kicks, side thrust kicks, back kicks and roundhouse kicks all for 10 with each leg.  There were some extra kicks in there but I just playing around.

786 active calories

56 minutes of training

14 stand hours

Day two:

Today was mostly kata. Early morning kata and evening kata.  Some meditation will finish it up.

737 active calories

44 minutes of training

15 stand hours

Day one:

Good training day.  It started off with some early morning kata and then a nice walk with my wife and mom.  A band workout tonight went well.  It's a simple routine for two sets of 15 reps which includes:

Squats

Deadlifts

Bent over rows

Straight arm pulldowns

One are standing rows

Bench press

Fly

Side raises

Front raises

Pull aparts

Triceps pushdowns

Curls

Standing plank

The bands bring a different feel to the workout.  I used to discount them because they aren't weights but the bands do a good job keeping the heart rate up and the variable resistance makes it feel much different than the weights.

All three rings are closed for today on the Apple watch:

613 active calories

51 minutes of training

13 stand hours

Some meditation will finished off the day.

5 hours ago, Kishi said:

I like that you've found different ways to move that suit you better. Styles are supposed to be methods of expressing oneself, not something to sublimate one's self into. Crossing over into another style is a good start to something; I invite you to try more.

Isn't that the great thing about Martial Arts.  No matter how much you learn or how long you do it, there is always something to learn.  My Sensei that retired in 2013 used to always tell me just move.  He didn't say form or style was unimportant since he was teaching the style specific for our club but he often mentioned how he transferred much of his Iaido training to his Shotokan training.  I started working on a kata call Sanchin from Gojo Ryu, which is a very internal kata, that focuses on posture and body awareness.  I have also started learning the use the Jo, which is a good teacher to help my movements fluid instead of rigid.  I am not abandoning my Shotokan style but I am looking for better ways to supplement my Martial Arts training that allows me to move better and also keep me from getting some of the injuries from forcing my body to do things it really isn't made to do but also give me the same results.

The last challenge was a mind opening learning experience for me and I hope to continue that in this challenge. Even though Shotokan is the style that I have trained for over 16 years now, the time away from the Dojo has given me the opportunity to find and learn some different ways to move my body and still get the results I am trying to achieve. This also gives me a good amount of content for a blog post too.

1. Close all three rings on my Apple watch for the entire challenge.

Technology can be an interesting motivator.  Using the Apple for the last few years has driven me to workout more than I used to before I had it.  It has three daily goals which include Move which shows the number of calories burned while moving. It has Exercise, which shows the number of minutes that some type of exercise is being done and Stand which is standing for at least a minute an hour moving around. I currently have it set for the following: Move: 600 calories, Exercise 30 minutes and Stand for 12 hours.  These are the same settings that I used for the last challenge and it was a good balance of being able to reach the number and still force me to workout even if I don't feel like doing it.

2. Kick the WaveMaster three times a week.

One of the new things I learned during the last challenge was doing a Taikwondo side kick is better for my body than a Shotokan side kick.  Changing the position of my stationary foot puts my body in a better position for power and height than the Shotokan side kick that I have been trying to improve for the last, well since I started training.  Five to 10 kicks with each leg for front, side and back should be enough for me to continue to improve without making my legs too sore to train.  I learned that if I do full out side kicks too many times in one session, it takes a toll on my legs but it is fun.

3. Get back to meditating every day.

After reaching a long time streak of 1250 days of straight meditation, I missed one day and then it went down hill from there.  I used to do it every night before bed and I missed one day and the streak was broken.  It does help me sleep better and I feel more rested when I wake up so I need to get back in the groove.  I was doing Headspace but I recently found a discount on Calm and want to try to see if it works as well.

Extra Credit: Publish a blog post!!!

Enough said.

On 8/28/2020 at 1:50 PM, Kishi said:

Yo! Hope you're working the clock and the clock isn't working you!

The work clock was a working against me but it still allowed me to workout for the last 30+ plus days.  I averaged 39 minutes of workouts across the last challenge with some workouts lasting over 90 minutes.  Sleep, from my Apple watch says I had 7 hr 18 min sleep average but I am thinking it might be a little off.  Reading also went very well and I read an awesome book that I want to read again just because it had some much good information in it.  It's called Secrets of the Black Belt Mindset: Turning Simple Habits Into Extraordinary Success but Will Dieck.  Lots of great mind and habit info.  The only downside is, I didn't get in the blog post but that seem to be a pattern that I need to fix.

This past week has been one of the best workout weeks I have had in a while.  I am averaging about 44 a day.  Sleep isn't as bad as I thought for the week I had 6:47 average but some days were really low with a little over five hours.  Reading is going really well and I am getting in more time reading than I expected.  I found another great book called The Secrets of the Black Belt Mindset. It's most about NLP,, which I have always had a heavy interest in and this is one of the easier books about the subject that I have read.

Workouts have been going well with at least 30 minutes a day up to over 80 minutes on the weekends.  I am guessing the average is 45 minutes a day.  Sleep is not going as well with a little over six hours a night and some less.  Lots of work is keeping me from sleeping as much as I want but when I do get more time in bed, I feel much better the following morning. Reading is going well.

Day four:

Good workout overall for 34 minutes.  Some kata and some Tabata lower body work.  Reading is good and sleep was 6:35.

Day five:

Easy workout day.  I was adjusted by my Chiropractor and he did some hard adjustments although he said I was a really relaxed overall.  Some kata work with not much power but clean technique.  Reading again and sleep was at 6:26.

On 8/6/2020 at 1:17 PM, Kishi said:

Nice! Sounds like reading before bed might be a thing for you to do. Could be the root of a routine for better sleep, maybe.

I have been reading before bed but it's not so much trouble falling asleep, it's waking up throughout the night that is lowering my sleep time.  It's not too bad because I am pretty much used to six hours but I do notice that if I have good sleep for at least six and half hours, I feel better.

Day two:

Good workout day. 53 minutes of training, only 6:17 minutes of sleep and a good amount of reading.  This workout started slow and ramped up quickly.  I'm not sure what happened with my sleep that night but it was a rough sleep.

Day three:

Okay workout.  36 minutes of what felt like forced training. I was a bit still and my workout did get better after I warmed up but not like the previous day.  Sleep was better with 6:35 minutes but I was foggy an my neck was a squawking a bit.  Reading went well again before bed.

I realized that my updates are going to be a day behind unless I start typing in my sleep.

Day one: 8/2

Starting out with a 36 minute workout.  Some extra stretching, which I pushed too much and put my left hip out of wack.  I was able to do some other stretches to get is back in place and then came some kata work and some basics.  I did some sparring drills, focusing on foot work more than the actual attacks and it felt pretty good.  I all but stopped doing sparring drills over the last few years and getting back into them is like learning something new again.  I still move automatically when doing these types of drills but I seem to have dropped some bad habits from not doing them for so long a time.  Some lower body exercises finished out the day.

Reading went well with more than ten minutes and sleep time ended at 6 hours and 40 minutes.  It was cut short from a midnight call from the alarm company at my office, which was a false alarm anyway but enough to break my sleep.

The last challenge went well overall and I believe that it's because I really didn't have a specific plan for training.  My decision of not taking an in person Karate class made me feel a little lost but I finally started to get back on track after a few weeks passed.  I can still get in good training even if I am not in class and I can still learn some new things as long a my mind is open.  With that said, this challenge is all about just doing something and going with my gut instead of my mind.  I often heard that the gut is the other brain and it seems to be pretty smart and many times smarter than the one in my head.

1 - 30 minute workout for 30 days

The Apple watch has had a big impact on my training and the information it contains has kept me moving even when I don't feel like moving.  I found that getting it makes me feel guilty if I don't workout and I think getting at least 30 minutes of workout time is a good place to be.  I have done it in the past and even had a pr of 75 days in a row but over the last few months those numbers have dropping and it's time to get them back up.

2 - Find time for sleep

I have had sleep issues for years and I notice that if I have even 20 minutes more sleep in a day, I feel much better overall.  The goal is to get 6 hours and 45 minutes of sleep each week night and one weekend day.

3 - Read 10 minutes a day

This part of the past challenges has been going well and I want to continue it going forward.

Extra credit: Publish that one elusive blog post. I almost had it in the last challenge and I think I can do it this time around.

I haven't been keeping track of my training like I should be but I have been working out a lot and getting in some great training sessions.  Katas are coming along nicely and the home workouts are going well too.  I have been training more of what I feel like doing, instead of my structured training, and it seems to be flowing well.

Kata 65/125

Home workout: 15/30

Read: 21/25

Blog post: 0/1

On 7/11/2020 at 1:49 AM, Kishi said:

You're doing the right thing. I respect how difficult this is; some localities have opened up back here too and some of us have even gone out of state to train with open places.

 

Holding this line is very difficult, and for what it's worth, I salute you for doing so.

If anything good has come about from the current situation, I found that I can look at other ways to still learn new things while being away from the dojo.  Since it looks like my Sensei will not be doing Zoom classes for now, there is a wealth of information available on the internet and and other excellent instructors from far away that are offering Zoom classes from places that are hard to travel to weekly.  I am not sure how much beginners would benefit from virtual training but advanced students with solid fundamentals can learn and improve as long as their mind is open to it. I feel that this is opening up a whole new world of learning by allowing students to go to a seminar or training class that is either cost too much or not be practical for them to travel to.

Day 11 - July 1

Great Zoom Karate class was the workout of the day.  It was tough with a lot of kata work.

Day 12 - July 2

All kata work for this workout.  My wife wanted to work on some of the details from class the night before and we got in a pretty good but short workout.

Day 13 - July 3

Another great Zoom class.  More kata work and a lot of basics.  It wasn't as tough as Wednesday but still a great class.

Day 14 - July 4

No workout but not exactly a rest day either.

Day 15 - July 5

Good home workout warm up and then eight katas to finish off the day.  I found out today that the weekly Zoom classes with my Sensei are over.  My club decided that it's time to start training in person again.  They have some safeguards in place to keep students safe but one of my biggest concerns is the park district that hosts our classes is not cleaning between classes.  Even though everyone will have a six to eight foot box to train in, there's a lot of sweat flying around. This will be my first time in 16 years that I am going to miss a full session of Karate. I'm not sure what the future holds but I will keep training at home for now.

Kata 45/125

Home workout: 6/30

Read: 13/25

Blog post: 0/1

Day 6 - June 26

More long hours at work kept me from training again but a lot of activity at work kept me moving.

Day 7 - June 27

Zoom Karate class and it was good.  Lots of kata training and more kata training.  I almost missed it because of work again but I got home just before it started.

Day 8 - June 28

Mental and pretty much everything rest day but a couple katas get in there.

Day 9 - June 29

More work and no workout is making me not happy.

Day 10 - June 30

Another long day of mental draining but some good mobility training and a couple of katas felt pretty good although I my eyes feel like someone is pulling them closed as I type this.

Kata 24/125

Home workout: 5/30

Read: 8/25

Blog post: 0/1

Day 5 - June 25

Today was filled with good workout intentions but work got in the way.  Even though I had enough activity at work and a good workout throughout the day, I was only able to get two katas done today.  Some reading before bed will finish it up.

Kata 16/125

Home workout: 4/30

Read: 4/25

Blog post: 0/1

Day 4 - June 24

Today was almost a day off of training.  Any early start for work and stressful day was going to be my excuse but I ended up getting in two Grokker workouts which made me feel pretty good.  Some reading will end the day.

Kata 14/125

Home workout: 4/30

Read: 3/25

Blog post: 0/1