Motivation

Hope you saw this while it was available. Taken down for copyright infringement.

We all can use a little help. What motivates you?

E-book Review: The Best of Wim's Blog

The full title of this book is - Martial Arts Self-Defense and a Whole Lot More: The Best of Wim's Blog, Volume I by Wim Demeere.

Wim Demeere is a martial artist (MA) whose blog I have been following for more than a few years now. You can find the link in the Blogs I Follow section to the bottom right of this home page. He is more than a martial artist, as everyone is, and is pretty objective about what he writes and is entertaining as well. Based on my links and last non-children book review, you can tell what kind of MA blogs and books that I like. :-)

This review concerns the e-book. I follow Demeere on Facebook as well and was lucky enough to score this e-book for free during one of his promotions. So no conflict of interest here.

"The Best Of..." is more than a collection of blog posts. Demeere has taken popular posts/comments and incorporated them into sections where he explains his view on the matters. Like all blogs the content is a matter of opinion or personal experience. It helps to keep that in perspective and it's too bad people don't keep that in mind when responding or commenting.

The subject spectrum is pretty much what you'd expect: self-defense, MMA vs Traditional Martial Arts, training, what is "real" fighting, etc. However, Demeere presents it all in a concise manner without any nonsensical filler you find in some MA blogs and books. The material is presented from his experiences, so it's different from what you know, or I know, or even others with a long history of either MA training, LEO or other violence experience know. That's what makes it a good subject read. Note that it is not a "how-to" or literary masterpiece - and it is not intended this way.

I found it very useful in that it supported some of my held notions on martial arts and challenged others. A great section for most people is the section on sparring. For example, we are focusing more on sparring during our Summer training sessions. My Sensei and Demeere say pretty much the same thing - sparring at the end of class is primarily time to work on the drills or tactics you have just been taught. Not to beat on each other, which accomplishes nothing.  Unfortunately I see this a lot with some of my fellow students. Luckily my partner is on the same page. When it's time for free-sparring, that's different. Demeere does a great job of breaking down the types of partners who deviate from the script and suggests good ways to deal with them.

You could get all of this information on his blog by searching but it's pretty spread out, plus you'd have to filter through all of the comments. Having it available on my smartphone in airplane mode is important for me, especially when my commuter train goes underground. The guest posts at the end of the book were a nice addition. He asked colleagues (Marc "Animal" MacYoung, Loren Christensen, Rory Miller, etc.)  to write on anything they wanted. All he told them was the nature of his blog and this book, and set no limits. That was a real treat but it looks like you'll have to get the book to enjoy them. All in all the book provides pretty solid advice, common sense actions/reactions, and a level-headedness uncommon in the MA world. Well worth the couple of bucks it costs.

Those Darned Katas

Preparing for karate training after a long break really exposes what you have forgotten. Katas are one part of training you think you'll never forget. It's like riding a bicycle, once you learn that is all you need to do. Well that was not the case for me.

When I began I knew I would trouble with Seichin and prepped for that. However I did not expect to go blank at the end of Kanshiwa or the middle of Kanshu. Sanchin was the only bicycle kata for me. It only took me one evening to straighten myself out, but I had to use an old standby to help me. Videos. When I first started training it was hard to remember all the kata steps and movements. I trained in class twice a week and wrote down what I learned. But it wasn't enough.

There are many videos online of people performing kata. The problem is that they are of varying quality and even within the same style of martial arts they are performed differently, Uechi-ryu is no ecxeption.

I use videos to help me remember the sequence of the steps/moves while taking pains not to imitate what the performer was doing. You still perform the moves as taught by your Sensei - do not forget this if you decide to try using videos as a training aid.

For Uechi-ryu Kyu katas I like the ones by Anthony Licalzi on the Uechi-Ryu.com Streaming Videos page. His videos are slow speed, he performs crisp moves and is easy to follow. They are not perfect as sometimes he is not facing the camera, etc. But don't complain, they are great examples and *free*.  There are also many videos on kumite, bunkai, and more on the Internet available for use. These people are really great to provide these resources for us to use.

Again the videos are here but feel free to search for ones that suit you better and remember that it is an aid, not a substitute for learning in class.

 

http://www.uechi-ryu.com/videos/s_seichin.jpg




Ed. Note: I mixed up Seisan for Seichin in the orginal post. Sorry for any confusion.

Getting Ready to Train

I have been working on a post for about three weeks and it is still all over the place. It needs to be reworked and potentially scrapped, it's about monks in the East and West and meditation and some other stuff.  In the meantime I almost forgot that I will begin training again so here is a short piece on that.

It has been a very long time but I am ready to test the training waters again. The Summer sessions have begun and I start my Uechi-ryu class next week.

My son is back today so it kind of feels normal for me again.  My back is feeling better and I have been running. I just haven't been training karate...it will be a rude awakening. :-)

I do look forward to it and have spoken with our Sensei about my condition and goals for now. It should be a good experience.

I need a headband!

New Blog - Mechanical Time

I have started a new blog about my interest watches. It's more of an outlet for my hobby and appreciation of manufacture d'horlogerie. It hasn't taken a set direction yet but I look forward to seeing how it goes. I'm still trying to figure out a tie-in with Uechi-ryu. :-) Take a look when you can.

Mechanical Time Blog

http://mechanicaltime.blogspot.com/

Please Let Me Re-Introduce Myself

Sorry for changing up the Rolling Stones lyric in the title.  As you can tell from the deafening silence, I have not posted in nearly one year. Lots of things were going on.  I know it is hard to regain an audience but I will be posting again and hope to get back to what led me to start this blog to begin with.

My back has been improving steadily and I've signed up for Uech-ryu classes at my old school later this Summer. I don't intend to go full out (go for next rank, etc.), at least not now. I've always liked the spiritual and meditative aspects of traditional martial arts and find that it's more complete when you train in a group rather than just alone. I hope to go into this further in future posts.

Until then, take a look at the Sanchin testing video. It is being conducted by Gushi Sensei and I believe the student on the left is either his son or grandson. The other student is using sanchin jars - you can find out more about them here, but essentially they are used to develop hand strength/grip. They also are the reason for "Uechi Shoulders".

10,000 and going

The site has hit the 10,000 views mark. Thank you all for visiting and I hope it is worth your while. Cheers!

Explosiveness

Explosiveness is a much talked about, but difficult skill to achieve in karate. Many people think of it as being really fast or hitting really hard. The concept of fajin "(expressed power)" brings it into better perspective. "Fajin is considered by many to be the most sophisticated physical expression of energy in the martial arts...".

Uechi-ryu has many movements that give the practitioner the opportunity to practice explosive movements solo, and with partners. And for a system that focuses on close-in or close combat fighting, being able to learn and use these techniques is an important, though not the only, step to your success.

I suggest reading more about the theory and application of explosiveness, and how it applies to Uechi-ryu. These are two great resources.

1. Elements of Fajin in Uechi-ryu Karate, by David Elkins, L.C.S.W.
2. Explosive Karate, (1) by Arthur Rabesa (Amazon.com)
3. Explosive Karate, (2) by Arthur Rabesa (EasternArts)

Some examples of this explosiveness in action by Wayne Otto, 5 Dan. Though it's kumite, you see the explosiveness and control exhibited.

Product Review - Warrior Full Sparring Gear Set

Occasionally I review products from karatedepot.com (KD). My last one was about breaking boards and focus targets. I try to keep these specific to youth but you can see the application for parents/adults.

A few weeks ago, KD was kind enough to send me a set of sparring gear to test and review. I requested a youth set so I could test it for kids. Pictures follow the review.

I started by reviewing the different sets on their website and found what I would consider a reasonably priced set. You want quality but not something too expensive as most kids will 1. outgrow it in a year and 2. frankly not use it as often as you would expect. I settled on the Warrior Full Sparring Gear Set by Macho because of the price for the full set and other reviews I had seen. The set comes with Warrior model head gear, punch (gloves), kick (feet), a reversible chest protector, and Macho-branded mouth guard and case. This is a popular set for kids so it was odd to me that a face protector is not part of the set for kids orders. You can, however, purchase one separately. If you do opt for it, get the Warrior Face Shield, other ones will not fit the Warrior head gear - more on this later.

The next step was taking measurements according to the guide on the KD website. These worked very well. Head gear is usually the toughest to get a good fit but the head gear I received was spot on. The mouth guard is your typical one that needs to be put in hot water and molded to your teeth. It was easy to get the fit done quickly.

I found the chest protector to be very simple to put on and take off. Though like most, you need one person to assist. It is designed so you do not have to thread the ties multiple times but still provides a snug fit. It is thick enough for beginning sparring with strikes. It may be a bit thin for absorbing kicks.

The hand and feet gear are pretty thick and are easy to put on and take off. They use velcro straps to stay in place and so far have been very reliable. They absorb impact pretty well. The gloves completely cover the fingers and extend to cover the wrists. The Kicks cover the entire foot along with the ankles, and about an inch or so above the heel. They do not "stick" to the floor when sparring. Youth have no problem putting them on and taking them off.

The head gear fully wraps the head, with some openings in the back and sides for breathability and to be able to hear. It is made of the same thick, vinyl material as the hands and feet gear. By itself it is a good quality piece of gear.

Because this set can be sold for kids (and for the price it is probably a best seller for KD) I expected it to come with a face protector or shield. As I mentioned earlier, you can buy one separately, but it costs nearly 50% of the the entire sparring gear set. Though it is cheaper than ordering the protector directly from Macho Martial Arts.

As a parent of a youth martial artist, this is a major concern. For all the confidence that a youth and\or his teacher may have in his abilities, the fact is that youth do not have great control - neither do adults, I can attest to that :-). But even if they had great control, a blocked strike can still glance off and land hard anywhere in the face and cause some damage.

My recommendation would be to purchase the face protector in addition to the gear set. But because of the added cost, you now need to consider if it is a better value than a complete set would cost through your school. With some schools, it can literally take months to get gear after you order it, others have inventory on hand. I can say that after ordering this set, it only took about 3-4 days to receive it.

This sparring gear set is overall a great product and can be a great value - depending on if you value total cost or delivery time. The individual products' fits are accurate and the quality of the materials is excellent. Sold as is, I would recommend purchasing this set for the beginner martial artist, just think twice about ordering without a face protector.

Following is what Arrives with the Set
Any white spots you see in the pictures are from the camera, not the products. Also, the blogspot picture uploading tool did not upload the correct orientation of a couple of pictures, sorry for that.


Head Gear:

Chest Protector:

Punch and Kick:

Mouth Guard:

Arm Pounding and Youth Karateka

Arm Pounding.  That's attention grabbing, but it's just another way to say arm conditioning\rubbing, or Kotigitae.  Karate conditioning helps the practitioner "toughen up" muscles and bones.  I posted about partner conditioning, geared more for adults here.  Arm conditioning introduces you to getting hit and building up resistance to bruising.  It also helps develop concentration, core strength, spacing, and balance.  The following is an excellent article on karate conditioning that goes into more detail: Is Body Conditioning Karate's Lost Art? by George Chaplin.  Arm pounding is just the beginning of learning to condition your body, both internally and externally.

Depending on the Uechi dojo, youth\children will probably start learning this at around the 6-4 Kyu rank.  If your child is learning it, seek out their teacher to learn how it is properly and safely practiced.  It is important that they practice correctly and go somewhat easy initially because it is very easy to condition the wrong parts of the arm or hit too hard.  The goal is to build up resistance, not injure and bruise each other.  I wouldn't recommend practicing this exercise with your child, but learn to look for signs that it is being done incorrectly - as a parent safety should be your first concern.

As your child progresses, he will be learning leg and core conditioning, and "Sanchin Testing".  Done properly all of these exercises will buildup a tougher body, which is a great defensive aid if they should ever be attacked.  Conditioning is an integral part of karate with benefits that go beyond avoiding injury.



http://www.uechiryu-karate.co.uk/images/iansimon.jpg



Karate Kid Part 2 Greenlighted

According to Variety, Karate Kid 2 (sequel to 2010s remake of the 1984 original movie) is a go with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan reprising their roles. Though Smith's character is taught Kung Fu, all traditional martial arts schools should see a boost in interest and enrollments when the marketing machine begins to hype the movie.

This is obviously good for martial arts schools as they will likely see an increase in enrollment. If you own a school and haven't thought about it, now would be a good time to start preparing for the uptick in interest and questions. Especially if the parents want their kid to learn Kung Fu but they come to a Karate school because that's the name of the movie. :-)

Some schools used Karate Kids promotions in 2010/2011 and be prepared to see more of the same when Part 2 comes out. As parents, when you start seeing these or any promotion, carefully check them out. Remember to go in with an open mind and be on the lookout for the less than honorable schools. See my previous post on TMA schools and McDojos for a refresher.

That said I look forward to the movie and all the new students going to the dojo!

New Year, New Session, Ready to Go

The end of last year was very busy for me and the beginning is shaping up the same. Karate has begun and I'm back helping teach the class my son attends. I felt pretty good today until our second Kanshiwa kata when I re-aggravated a nerve in my foot...That smarted. :-)

We have 6 and 5 Kyus in this class and I helped work with the 6 Kyus on their Kanshiwa. It's time for them really start showing some intent, snap and quickness in their katas and everything else. It's interesting to note that at this level they have the same kind of attributes to work on. Proper extension of Shuto Uchi, relaxing shoulders before a Nukite, intent (Tiger Eyes), time on target, etc.

The kids always seem to take to it a little faster than the adults but now it's evening out. You have to focus even more on explaining things correctly and making sure they listen and go slowly, especially during Sanchin testing.

I'm looking forward to getting back both for the experience of helping other students and to help lose a bit of the Holiday goodness I gained. The kids and adults look motivated, especially after our school had students place anywhere from 1 to 4 in different ages and categories at the World Cup Martial Arts Organization tournament in Reston, VA this weekend. It should be a good session.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! Wishing you all health, wealth and luck in 2012.

Lyoto Machida Karate Kata

Lyoto Machida is a karate-trained MMA fighter and former UFC champion. He just lost his last bout against Jon Jones. What was interesting to me is that he demonstrated a kata at an UFC open workout. I don't watch MMA enough to know if this is common but it was cool to watch. It's not as crisp as he has done at competitions but it's still good form.

Martial Arts Jobs in München, Germany

For any German or EU readers, there are some opportunities at Karate Club Bunkai in München. See the link for details.

http://www.karatemünchen.de/lehrer.html

Karate Front Kick and the "38 Special"

Something you don't see emphasized outside of traditional martial arts much are good basic kicks, especially front kicks, which can be especially devastating. Just ask Vitor Belfort after Anderson Silva unleashed one on him.

The 38 Special is a pretty cool kata developed by Sensei Bill Glasheen, Uechi-ryu 8 Dan. It demonstrates the various kicks used in karate, especially the front kick. The kata starts about 1:20 into the video. It is not the best quality but you can really see the crispness and good form.

Coaching Soccer and Teaching Karate to Kids

Both the Fall soccer season and Fall/Winter karate session started up a few weeks ago. This will be the first time I have coached and helped teach karate simultaneously. Needless to say I have been very busy. And though the teaching methods are a little different in the beginning, the goals of each for working with children are very similar, including teaching responsibility, decision-making skills and discipline to name a few. 

In karate, there is not much room for creativity, other than in sparring. In soccer there is actually a lot, but up until recently it hasn't really been promoted at the children's level. There is usually a lot of drilling and a sort of submission to the coach. You can see this difference in soccer styles by watching Major League Soccer games vs. La Liga or Série A. You can also see which is more successful.

As most of you know, Martial Arts students begin to learn by mimicry while the teacher(s) demonstrate, correct, fine tune and answer questions. At first there is not much room for creativity, but that is by design for reasons of safety and to make the fundamentals easier to learn for the students. I love both. For children the goals are similar but for adults they are very different, self-defense versus playing a game at a high level. Still, working with the kids is pretty rewarding

I coach under-12 boys in a "house league" that follows the coaching guidelines set by the Virginia Youth Soccer Association and US Youth Soccer. The league is competitive but the overriding goal is to foster and instill an enjoyment of the game so that the children will hopefully continue to play recreationally, professionally if they are very good and very lucky, into their 30s and 40s. I'm not sure how that's tracked but it's a great goal. Do I need to keep tabs on them...? :-) This is a similar goal in martial arts though I have never seen it written anywhere. Karate is a lifetime pursuit. By making it fun and interesting for the kids, you hope they will continue on when they get older as well. This is the tough part, especially when there is not any wiggle room for 'play'.

In our soccer coaching certification sessions we were encouraged to have the boys at this level play 'games, not drills and to "coach without coaching". That is, let the 'games' teach the techniques and offer points and ask implication questions throughout practice. For example, a player is defended by two players and tries to dribble out of trouble but can't and loses the ball. You can ask him what he could have done differently. Let him answer or if he can't, suggest he pass to an open teammate, etc. Then compliment him on something and keep the 'game' or scrimmage going. You put the kids in situations where they have to decide for themselves, not look to a coach or an adult for help or to ask if something was right or wrong. This style takes some getting used to but it seems to be working for our team so far.

I'm coming to the realization that all children should play a few years in an environment like this (having played it, basketball offers the same aforementioned opportunities for coaches and children but I don't know the philosophy currently used to teach it). This setting compliments how Martial Arts are taught, and compliments other sports and activities by really getting the children to think for themselves and to try new things without fear of repercussions (laps, sprints, etc.).

Soccer is a perfect medium because there is constant action that provides multiple decision-making opportunities for each teammate at a fast pace. Whereas football and baseball (both of which I played and enjoyed) are essentially played in short bursts with lots of down time.

Children at this age really show growth and eagerness in their learning. Providing safe, fun and competitive environments are starting blocks for their continued learning and interest in sports and Martial Arts.

Guess who I like?

Impressions from a Rank Promotion Test

Sunday's rank promotion test went off without a hitch. The candidates were ready to roll and the volunteers running the RPT did a fantastic job. My son received his 5 Kyu and is now ready for some bunkai, kotigitae and kyu kumite. Unfortunately, I could not watch him perform the whole time as I was judgng one of the other candidates in his group. I did get to see his sparring and that was fun. I was pretty impressed with how well a lot of the students performed, especially the beginner ranks. There were lots of good fundamentals on display.

Judging was a treat. It was my first time on the test board and I have to say I really like it. It was nice to see some old friends who were there on the test board and as candidates, one who was promoted to 1 Kyu. Judging is also difficult. You need to be fair. And some performances were a bit shaky in parts. For example say someone testing for 7 or 6 Kyu makes mistakes they shouldn't be. How do you handle it? Mark them down, maybe fail them? Probably/maybe if it's an adult. Our school has pretty strict standards, I know from my own testing experiences. But what if the candidate is 7 or 10 years old? They certainly are nervous, you can see it in their eyes. But you also know they are ready for the next level, having seen them in class. So would you fail them? In the end it's a judgment call and I learned a lot about judging and scoring from Master Folta, 7 Dan and the 1 Dan who I sat next to on the board (FYI, I don't use names from my school unless it's pre-approved by the person in question). Oh, no one failed. :-) We also had some really good free sparring at the end.

We were very lucky to be able to have the RPT as the worst of Hurricane Irene just barely missed us. We had a lot of rain and high winds - and sticks for my son to pick up. I know many people who were hit very hard by the storm in the Southern and Eastern parts of Virginia and Maryland. Luckily no one was seriously injured. We all wish for a speedy restoration of electrical service and all repairs. So count your blessings and help out your neighbors and fellow martial artists caught in the storm's path. Get more information here.

Zengu - Martial Arts/Boxing Equipment Wholesalers

There is new martial arts wholesale site online now. It's called Zengu and is part of the team from Karate Depot. It combines equipment for owners of martial arts schools (Karate, BJJ, TKD, etc.) and Boxing gyms. (Side note - it's funny how we tend to seperate Boxing from other MA styles even though it is a Martial Art).

There is a good selection of equipment on the site and prices are pretty good as well. It seems a big feature draw is the ability to create lists of equipment that you need for various events. I do like the system they use for further filtering your search results with links on the left side of the page, it reminds me of the system used on Puma's website -- BTW, I'd love a gi from them; I may need to create a Puma-based MA style to justify it. :-)

I cannot test Zengu's ordering system as I am not an owner and can't prove that I am one. They do restrict membership by having you send them a copy of your business license and a copy of a brochure from your school. I don't know how or if they verify this information.

Zengu.com looks like a great resource, espcially for the selection and pricing. There is more information on their site here and on the Ikigai Blog.

Another RPT Coming Up

It's Rank Promotion Test time again. It's Summer so there are fewer students overall going for their next rank, but there are more younger kids and "lower" ranks testing. My son will be going for his 5 Kyu. A little work on the history of Uechi-ryu and I think he'll do well.

It's also nice seeing the kids I helped teach in the no belt - 8 Kyu class earlier this year move up the ranks. They have definitely improved. We'll see how they do in a few weeks.