Shotokan's time to use what was learned

[Shotokan]

The last four week challenge was a learning experience and this time around, I want to focus on what I learned and see where it takes me.  I think Mr. Spock would approve.  I had a gif of Mr. Spock saying logical but it was too large to upload here and I couldn't link to it so you will need to use your imagination to see it until I upload it to one of my websites.   So, I am changing the theme this month since I just found the gif below and I like the Librarians show and I think Flynn Carson would agree with my challenge goals.

 

 

They key thing that I am trying to do now is get my body to adapt to the training.  I need to do things for a long time to get my body to adjust. When I was young, I could train like a lunatic and recover before the next day but now it takes a lot longer, especially my hamstrings, for my body to recover.  My thoughts are, working the same muscles, sometimes daily, will help them adapt and get used to the workouts.

 

1. Kicking complexes - 3 times a week

I don't know if they are really called complexes or circuits but complexes sounded better.  Finding the combination of kicks and hips/core/glute movements had a positive impact on my kicks and stances so doing them at least three times a week is the goal.

 

2. Humane Burpee  or other circuit training - 2 times per week

I have to give credit to Dan John for this one.  This kettlebell/bodyweight/loaded carries circuit really interests me.  It seems to be the right amount of movements to get the entire body working and it really pushes my endurance.  I might create some other circuits for variety but these will be the main focus for this part of the challenge.  Only two times per week since I already have the kicking complexes three times a week.  

 

3. More kata training - 35 Shotokan katas per week

My kata training is going well and since I am still not taking classes, I need to get in my training time at home.  This time around, I want to do 35 Shotokan katas each week. This is doable this time around but I want to spread them out over the week instead of doing 25 or more on the weekend.  In the back of my mind, I think I am considering coming out of retirement and competing next year a the state championships. This is more of a long term goal but starting now will give my about nine months to prepare.

 

Extra credit - Write 500 words per week

The writing went okay last time around but I know that I didn't get 500 words per week.  I am not sure why I didn't do it, since it's only 2000 words over the challenge but this time, I want to hit that goal. 

[Shotokan]

I'm going to call this week tweak week.  I plan on spending this week getting the correct order and reps for my workouts coming up.

 

I'll post the two workouts from this week tomorrow since I didn't realize that it's almost midnight here.

[Shotokan]

Sunday was the Humane Burpee workout but I added kettlebell rows to the mix for two circuits.

 

Farmers walk 80 steps with 120 lbs

Two arm kettlebell row 25 x 15

Goblet squat 25 x 5

Push up 5

One arm kettlebell row 20 x 10 right

Single arm kb swing 15 x 15 left

Goblet squat 25 x 3

Push up 3

One arm kb row 20 x 10 left

Single arm kb swing 15 x 15 right

Goblet Squat 25 x 1

Pushup 2

 

Monday was the kicking workout

 

I tired a couple different movements such as glute bridge on a bench with march and I just didn't feel it but then I tried lying single leg raise and those really helped my front snap kicks.  I also tried upping the reps for the movements but 10 was two many it and it tired my legs out too much. Two circuits of the following:

 

Single leg raise 10 each leg

Front snap kicks 5 each leg

Fire hydrants 10 each leg

Side thrust kicks 5 each leg

Donkey kick 10 each leg

Back kick 5 each leg

Glute bridge 10

Side snap kick 5 each leg

Medicine ball scissor 10 x 8lbs

 

Tuesday was teaching along with 6 Shotokan katas and one Iaido kata. I told my Sensei tonight that I plan on competing at the state championships next year so I guess I really have to do it now.  Goals are just dreams unless you tell someone about them, right?

 

 

[Shotokan]

Today was kata training day.  I spent most of the time working out which three katas I will compete with next year.  I still have some more to figure out and I need to test out one of them in a larger space before I decide to use it.  Eight Shotokan katas and 5 Iaido katas.   My stances are starting to improve again and I am much more stable at a lower stance than before. 

[Kishi]

Ooh, coming out of retirement sounds fun! I hope that this challenge puts you closer to a place where you feel like you can compete.

[Shotokan]

3 hours ago, Kishi said:

Ooh, coming out of retirement sounds fun! I hope that this challenge puts you closer to a place where you feel like you can compete.

It's kinda fun that my Sensei told me to do it. He said "do it" like three or four times when I mentioned it.  Since I don't have interest in chasing ranks, I need something to work toward and this helps give me some extra focus on something that I have been training anyway.

[Shotokan]

Just a couple katas today.  12 hours at work really saps all my energy.  

[Kishi]

Yeah. 12-hour shifts will do that. Still, you did show up and do the thing.

[Shotokan]

Today's workout was a bit more than yesterday.  I started working on a new kata that my kata coach wants to learn so I lost count after doing it at least 10 times. Then my son came in and I showed him two of the other katas that I have been working on.  Today was a good kata day overall. 

[Shotokan]

Today's training went really well even though the challenge doesn't officially start until tomorrow.  I spent almost three hours working on katas with my wife and my kata coach.  I can now say that I have done all 26 Shotokan katas.  Notice I said done and not mastered.  I am not sure how many katas I did today but it was easily over 15 total.  Granted, we worked on the new kata at least 10 times and then worked one some others having a lot of fun doing them.  The next goal is to do all 26 katas in one day but as of today, I can only remember about 23 of the 26. 

 

I still have a lot of work to get ready to compete next year and I need to find the three main katas to work on for the tournament. 

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

It's cool you could get your son intrested as well. Is he doing martial arts, too?

[Shotokan]

5 hours ago, Luciana Valerosa Culming said:

It's cool you could get your son intrested as well. Is he doing martial arts, too?

He's not training as much anymore but he actually started before my wife and I and is a higher rank in both arts that we all study.  He did well at many of the local tournaments and even competed in the World Shotokan Championships in 2011 and took to a bronze medal in Iaido at the USA nationals in 2013.  

[Shotokan]

Day 1:

 

I wasn't feeling like working out today but being that it's first day of the challenge and time I will never get back I dragged my lazy but to my home dojo and did it anyway.  I hardly slept last night because my hips were really sore from all the kata work but i guess that saying that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger is somewhat accurate. 

 

Only one circuit today but it really tired me out.

 

Single leg raise 10 each leg

Front snap kicks 5 each leg

Fire hydrants 10 each leg

Side thrust kicks 5 each leg

Donkey kick 10 each leg

Back kick 5 each leg

Glute bridge with band 10

Side snap kick 5 each leg

Medicine ball scissor 10 x 8lbs

Roundhouse kick 5 each leg

Swissball squeeze 10 

 

After that, 2 sets of 8 face pulls and cable rows followed by 2 sets of 8 cable pull aparts along with 2 sets of cable crunches for 10 reps.  I did something weird to my upper back doing the pull aparts but hopefully I won't feel it tomorrow.  I am focusing on my posture and hope that the back work will help get my back muscles more active.

 

I finished up with six Shotokan katas along with two of the advanced Iaido katas.

 

It's off to a good start but I need to carry it for another 27 days.

[sarakingdom]

8 hours ago, Shotokan said:

I hardly slept last night because my hips were really sore from all the kata work but i guess that saying that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger is somewhat accurate.

 

Makes you stronger or ups your injury rate from overwork, I guess. One or the other.  

 

 

[Kishi]

One day at a time, then. You can carry the weight.

[RisenPhoenix]

On 9/11/2017 at 0:21 AM, Shotokan said:

Humane Burpee  

 

A humane burpee is something that doesn't exist.  Burpees are always inhumane.  Always.

 

 

[Shotokan]

Day 2:

 

Today's workout started with the normal warm up for reps each.  Them came kata training.  I was focusing on getting my pelvis in the correct position for movement and after 15 katas, I seemed to work because my legs and hips were really feeling them.  I finished up with some foam rolling, that I haven't done for some time now and that was it.  I was having some trouble with me knee today so I am thinking the foam rolling will help it out.

[Kishi]

22 hours ago, RisenPhoenix said:

 

A humane burpee is something that doesn't exist.  Burpees are always inhumane.  Always.

 

 

 

...

 

we're gonna do so many, aren't we.

[Shotokan]

Day 3:

 

I am thinking Tuesday's are going to be my active rest day.  Since I am not taking class but am teaching, I get in some bit of a workout but not anything specific to my goals here so active rest it is.  

 

I did some techniques while teaching but not enough to get a sweat going. 

 

Today is ending with two Shotokan and Iaido katas along with 500 words in an upcoming blog post about the class I helped with tonight.

[Kishi]

You know, I'm kind of in that same boat w/ my karate right now. Like, if there's anyone else there with me beyond Sensei, it's easy. People just can't keep up, so everything slows down and becomes more of a study than a hard class. Which isn't bad, but. You know?

[Shotokan]

13 hours ago, Kishi said:

You know, I'm kind of in that same boat w/ my karate right now. Like, if there's anyone else there with me beyond Sensei, it's easy. People just can't keep up, so everything slows down and becomes more of a study than a hard class. Which isn't bad, but. You know?

I know what you are saying.  For me, it depends upon the students and sometimes their rank.  When I am working with lower Kyu ranks and they are all tired from school that day, they drain my energy and I don't move as much as I do when I am working with the higher ranks who really want to improve.  I have had classes where I work with the high brown belts and black belts that give me a very hard workout.  The higher rank katas have more details witch have to be demonstrated at a higher level and it makes me stay on my A game.  It's not always this way though.  There are some lower rank students who are really into it and then I have to show them the kata on a level above theirs because they want to learn it and they are really into it.  On the other side of the coin, they are some high ranks who are just going through the motions.  I have seen, too many times, where a superstar will train down to the level that they need instead of the superstar level that they are at when there are people better than them in class.  

 

When I started out, I always trained in front with the higher ranks because I wanted to be at their level.  Most students would hide in the back of the dojo so they could slack off but I had serious goals to reach and wanted to prove to myself that I could keep up the higher ranks.  

 

Now a days, I train to make myself better.  I don't care if I am training along side my Sensei's or the students who slack off, I put everything I have on the floor no matter who is next to me.  

[Shotokan]

Day 4:

 

Today's was supposed to be a kettlebell day but that didn't happen.  Instead it turned out to be a kata with 15 Shotokan and 10 Iaido katas.  I only planned on doing a few katas but once I reached the fifth kata, I just kept going.  Even though it was "lazy" Wednesday, it ended up turning into a good workout. 

[Kishi]

Hey, that happens sometimes, yeah? Nothing wrong with taking what your body will give you.

[Shotokan]

Day 5:

 

I am a little behind on parts of my challenge this week so today will hopefully catch me up.  Today started with the normal warm up for 5 reps each leg, one circuit of the inhumane burpee and one circuit of my kicking workout:

 

Farmers walk 100 steps with 120 lbs

Two arm kettlebell swing 25 x 15

Goblet squat 25 x 5

Push up 10

One arm kettlebell row 20 x 10 right

Single arm kb swing 15 x 15 left

Goblet squat 25 x 5 was only supposed to do 3 but extra wont hurt

Push up 7

One arm kb row 20 x 10 left

Single arm kb swing 15 x 15 right

Goblet Squat 25 x 1

Pushup 5

 

Single leg raise 10 each leg

Front snap kicks 5 each leg

Fire hydrants 10 each leg

Side thrust kicks 5 each leg

Donkey kick 10 each leg

Back kick 5 each leg

Glute bridge with band 10

Side snap kick 5 each leg

Medicine ball scissor 10 x 8lbs

Roundhouse kick 5 each leg

Swissball squeeze 12 

 

Two Shotokan and two Iaido katas finished up the night.

[Shotokan]

Day 6: 

 

Today I was lazy but I had to workout so after the warm up with 5 reps each came:

 

Single leg raise 10 each leg

Front snap kicks 5 each leg

Fire hydrants 10 each leg

Side thrust kicks 5 each leg

Donkey kick 10 each leg

Back kick 5 each leg

Glute bridge with band 10

Side snap kick 5 each leg

Medicine ball scissor 10 x 8lbs

Roundhouse kick 5 each leg

Swissball squeeze 12 

 

My hips were a bit tight today and I felt them through all five Shotokan katas and the two Iaido katas.  I'm thinking I might need to find a day when I can add some focused mobility / flexibility training again.