Sunday, October 29, 2006

Not a good idea at all

Scheduling my upper body weight training the day before my biggest Kyokushin class was not a good idea at all!

When it came time to do my usual push ups.. my arms were noodles. No ability to lift anything! I laid there like a wet blanket.... well .. more like a struggling wet blanket. I had no energy in my arm muscles at all. In fact, at one point I attempted to do a head block to a quite strong opponent. No way.. I had no power in my arms, and I had to dodge my head to the side. It's Sunday already, and I'm supposed to be doing more weight lifting. No way.. my arms are still recuperating from Friday. I've got to revise my schedule.. oh yes!

I also have to reposition my Bo staff training. Right now I have it scheduled at moments when all the kids are home.. not good. My kids sit there staring at me as I work through my routine. I'm having issues with the tight quarters of training indoors ( due to the cold weather), and once in awhile my staff will thunk against a wall or door frame, and the group of children will erupt in giggles of delight. They are just waiting for that to happen. It really makes it difficult to focus on your technique. Training on Bo Staff while the kids are in bed isn't a good idea either. I could still hear them giggling at the "thunk" sounds when my staff would slightly tap a chair, or the floor. It keeps them awake. I tried switching to a shorter Jo staff for practice work, and that seems to make it a little easier to move around the room, but it doesn't spin the same way.. nor does it have the same weight. I tried training outside in my jacket... but the Bo staff work doesn't mix well with a thick winter coat.

Saturday my body was sore "all-where": feet, heels, legs, hips, stomach, arms.. you name it, I could barely move. Yet, I still had to go buy groceries, and carry the bags into the house with my husband. That doesn't sound like much exercise, but when you have to supply food for close to 10 people.. that is alot of weight to carry into the house. We spend close to $200 on groceries per week. That amounts to 10 pounds of apples, 5 pounds of oranges, 5 pounds of bananas, 15 pounds of ground beef, 8 quarts of milk.. etc. etc.

Oh.. and I forgot to add the Vital points hand strikes sequence that I need to practice into my list. I've got to add the Kihon Geiko technique practice more than once a week. Aargh. I need to practice my Bo staff twice a week, not once. How do I remedy this????

Hmm.. I've revised my schedule.. but I'm still not satisfied...

Mon
-2 hrs folding clothes
-2 hrs karate instruction
-50 + push ups
- Kihon geiko practice half hour ( basic techniques)

Tues
-3 hrs karate instruction
-Inversions/ Break fall practice
- *Focus on the legs here*

Wed
-2 hrs folding clothes
-3 hrs karate instruction
-Inversions/ break fall practice

Thurs
-Vital point hand strikes sequences
-Kihon geiko practice half hour ( basic techniques)

Fri
-2 hrs folding clothes
-4 hrs karate instruction
- *Focus on the legs here*

Sat
-2 hrs karate instruction
-50 push ups extra

Sun
-Bo staff practice half hour
-Upper body weight training

Maybe this will work out better for me.. fingers crossed.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Balancing the demand on my arms.

Mr. X. gave me this comment on my last addition to my blog.

"You should at least a day of break in between each push-up sessions. At the rate you are going, you're not giving your muscles enough time to repair themselves. "

I've been thinking about that:

Each day I have been doing 50 push ups ( interspaced in time) I've also done a half hour of upper body weight training with 3 lb weights. In addition to this I've been doing Bo staff practice 3 times a week for a good half hour with a 6 foot hardwood Bo staff. Oh.. then there are the inversions that I have been doing.. that takes alot of shoulder, and tricep effort. AND then... 3 times a week I do about 2 hours of consequetive folding, and placing clothes on a shelf as a volunteer at the nearby family center. My arms get exhausted from that too.

Add the fact that I train for an average of 11 hours of instruction in karate during the week at the dojo.

Yes, Mr. X., I can see how my muscles do not get time to repair themselves.

So... I've decided to try to schedule the demand on my arms out more evenly. I won't add all of the leg work stuff, kata stuff, conditioning exercises, self defense stuff yet. I'll keep this list focused mostly on the needs of my arms.:

Mon
-2 hrs folding clothes
-2 hrs karate instruction
-50 + push ups
- Kihon geiko practice half hour ( basic techniques)

Tues
-3 hrs karate instruction
-Inversions/ Break fall practice
- *Focus on the legs here*

Wed
-2 hrs folding clothes
-3 hrs karate instruction
-Inversions/ break fall practice

Thurs
-Bo staff practice half hour
-Upper body weight training

Fri
-2 hrs folding clothes
-4 hrs karate instruction
- *Focus on the legs here*

Sat
-2 hrs karate instruction
-50 push ups extra

Sun
-Bo staff practice half hour
-Upper body weight training

I'll see how this works for me.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Learning about push ups

My body has been teaching me about how much the various joints dislike doing push ups with improper technique. I've been doing about 50 push ups in a row per day, and the result has been strong pain building up in my wrists, biceps, shoulders, neck, small of the back, and hips. On the advice of my Sensei, I gave my body a rest break for a week so that what damage I have done can repair itself.

I started looking at what I was doing right, and wrong as I did my push ups, and learned quite alot about them. I'd like to share my knowledge on this blog so that others need not suffer as I have.

a) Having a straight back means "tucking in your hips" even when you are in the push up position. I believe that my sore lower back muscles, and hip joint pain was happening because I was jack-knifing my body, and popping my bottom up too high. I've learned that proper posture ( hips tucked in, shoulders back, back straight) is needed in this exercise. Another way to look at it is to "squeeze your buttocks together".

b) I was going too close to the floor. The arms should not go past a 90 degree angle, because this puts too much stress on the shoulder muscles, and ligaments especially for women. We aren't built like men in our upper bodies. Also.. by going to close to the floor and touching.. the muscles will relax, and then send a surge to push back up again. This puts a sudden stress on all of the joints instead of keeping a constant weight pressure.

c) You do not want to lock your arms at the top of the push up either. The whole idea is to keep the muscles working, and to not release the pressure... this will bring out the maximum efficiency of the push up.

d) Doing push ups once your muscles are too fatigued will transfer the weight demand unto the joints, and ligaments. You do not want to do this, you want to build up muscle, and strength, not weaken, and damage your joints.

I found this website quite helpful at looking at how to do push ups:
http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Push-Up

If you'd like to know how your ability to do a push up rates against other people your age, just go to this website:

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/PushUps.html

Even in my weakened state I still received a "good" rating. I'm shooting for excellent.. but I will have to let my muscles heal first.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Deceiving oneself

I've been contemplating many things during karate class lately. Perhaps that is just part of walking along with a black belt around your waist that you can stop for a second and assess what is happening around you.

I've noticed that many of us deceive ourselves as we train. For example, I've seen some students jump the instructor's count. They anticipate the upcoming number, and already send their strike before he/she actually counted. The result is that their strike is finished far before everyone else's. The sad thing is that this gives an inaccurate training result. First of all they will develop improper timing. Also, they are not training their fast twitch muscles to react quickly. It would be far more helpful to them if they waited for the sound of the count, and THEN reacted.. as if the sound was an actual attack.

I've really come to a full circle when it comes to how I tie my belt. There has been a silent struggle within my mind as to which height I should tie it. I would attempt to tie it down on my hips ( as has been tradition). The result would be either that the belt would pop up to my waist on it's own through movement, or it would fall down to the ground. Now I have come to the point of realization: a) It's MY belt, and my karate. I can chose as to where I wish to place my belt upon my body.. as long as it does it's job of holding my Gi closed. b) Practicality dictates that I place the belt just above the navel at the curve of my waist ( not below). Since I am a woman this area is the most curving and most condusive to having the belt out of the way of my kicks. c) If I ever had to defend myself, it will not matter as to where I placed my belt upon my body. My skills will be as they are.

Many of us like to deceive ourselves as to how hard we train in karate. It reminds me of how my children will bring home their homework, sit down for about 10 minutes, and write a paragraph of information. Then they will spend half an hour complaining to each other about how much WORK they had to do. I believe that we tend to exagerate that which we consider difficult. I have been quite guilty of this type of building up of experiences. Similar to how a fish that wasn't caught grows three sizes, I have sat there telling my friends of how I ran at least 25 laps around the gym last night, although in reality it wasn't that much.

Today, I have learned that karate is just part of life. We train our bodies for our continued health. Everyone needs to exercise to maintain strength, flexibility, cardio, etc. Our bodies are designed to move, and it sickens when it is kept laying still. So.. I have chosen to move my body in the form of kata, kihon, and kumite while someone else may enjoy tennis, swimming, or other physical expressions of themselves. Now that I think in that way, the few laps around the gym are not much in compared to a marathon runner, the few push ups that I've done are nothing compared to what some military soldier needed to do today. I'm not saying that I should belittle my achievements, but more that I have learned to see them in perspective. This is the path that I have chosen to live.. I train each class to be the best that I can be at that moment.. so if I can only do 5 laps around the gym due to my state of health.. then good for me. If I can run 150 laps.. good for me. It is nothing to be exalted about, nor to push aside. It just exists as part of my life.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

My blog taught me some things about me..

I was reading some of my past postings on this blog, and I learned a couple of things about myself:

a) My skin condition seems to have a pattern as to when it flares up into pain. It usually happens during the first strong snow fall of the season. This is probably when the air is most dry. There just was a snowfall for two days now, and my skin was painfully telling me about this change in the weather. AHA!

b) I have developed in my understanding of, and expectations in my martial arts. I am able to look at things differently, and even see the bigger picture since last year. I can see my limitations as challenges, and my strengths as opportunities.

c) My gratitude towards those Sensei who have guided me on my path has not diminished. It is wonderful to think that I have had the chance to meet, interact, and learn from these kind people. I can foresee many more opportunities to meet, and explore the depths of my art in the future.

d) I can greatly appreciate those fellow karate students who come to class with a healthy, encouraging, and energetic attitude. They make the training environment such a pleasant place to be. I really admire their dedication, and effort. I hope that I am giving them the same impression.

e) I have learned to appreciate my Kyokushin training for the unique, all encompassing, and experiencial art that it is, and to appreciate my Shotokan training for the strength contained within it. My energies at this point of my path have been balanced more towards Kyokushin because I'm still climbing the ladder in that art. My Shotokan training has calmed down to focusing on my basics, and truly centering my basic kata into my spirit.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Martial arts mothering

I chose a different path as a mother today. I leaned on all of my martial arts training, and I chose to control my opponents rather than to do violence to myself.

I placed my kids on the couch, and calmly put forward my expectations towards chores around the house. I gave them a good amount of awareness of where there is disharmony, and where I want to see improvements. I did not raise my voice ( as was my habit in the past ).

I controled my anger at the awful mess that they had created. Sure.. I was upset, but I placed that as a low priority. Instead, I focused on solving the problem by getting the children motivated to do what I wanted them to do.

I thought of how various manner of pain is used on your opponent to give them incentive to go in the direction that you want them to go. I then provided the children with very good motivation. I assured them that our family will be fasting until the house is in good order. I informed them that I have successfully fasted on just fruit juice for 4 days straight, so I will have no problem fasting for as long as it takes them to clean up their mess. Since I view fasting as a positive energy building, and healing moment for the body, I didn't mind putting my children on such a fast.

I also informed them that I will not touch anything, nor clean anything because at this point, they are to be responsible for the mess that THEY created. None of the mess was from my actions.. therefore I chose not to clean it.

We will see how quickly the house will get clean through the efforts of my children. It has to be clean at MY specifications. Already the dining room, entryway, and living room have been brought to that level. Only 6 more rooms to go.

Me? I am calm, relaxed, and enjoying adding this entry to my blog.

KIAI!!!!!!

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Wonderful quotes

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." Harry Truman

"The years teach much which the days never know." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Education is hanging on until you've caught on." Robert Frost

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty." Henry Ford

"Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers." Alfred Lord Tennyson

"The man who keeps everything locked up in his heart will know far less than he who compares notes with his fellows." Theodore Gordon

"I can learn from anyone, but I do not stop at that. I go on trying to learn from myself." Zane Grey

"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop." Confucius

"Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself." St. Frances of Sales

"Character is that which can do without success." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Deviation from nature is deviation from happiness." Samuel Johnson

"Humility neither falls far, nor heavilly" Publilius Syrus

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts; therefore guard accordingly." Marcus Aurelius

"Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so." William Shakespear

"Happiness and misery depend as much on temperament as on fortune." La Rochefoucauld

"It is not the fish we catch that counts, for they can be had for mere silver. It is the break of the waves, the joyous rush of the brook, and the contemplation of the eternal rush of the stream." Herbert Hoover.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

The latest and greatest news

Well.. my cold is still holding on, but not strongly. I've been keeping up with the housework, training, and other needs of my position as Mom, and Black belt making sure that I drank lots of various liquids, and ate as much Vitamin C as I can to help support my immune system. One thing that I learned is that my body has no desire whatsover to invert into the upside down position when it has a cold.. no way. It doesn't feel nice at all. So.. I have relaxed on my headstands. I've also stopped putting mental pressure on me to try for a handstand. I just decided that I have succeeded on my first goal, and that I need to give myself a break before I start working towards a handstand. Handstands always bring up that inner "terror" reaction within me at this moment. I think that it would be best to let that demand relax a little, and keep practicing headstands until I'm so comfortable with them that I can do them in a heartbeat.

...And what does my little 7 year son come running up to me to state with joy, and declaration? "Mom! Watch me! I can do a one handed handstand, and hold position. OH.. and look at this Mom.. I can walk forwards on my hands while I'm in a handstand.. see???"

It appears that my little boy has been training on his handstands with even more gusto now that he has seen me doing my little headstands everyday. It's a good thing that we are competing. That little one is advancing beyond me in leaps and bounds when it concerns "going upside down".

I've been focusing my home practice on doing my basic kata starting from the opposite side. I am striving to make it so that I can do my kata starting from the right with the same comfort level as if I started from the left. This is far harder to do than to say. At first I would hold position, and my body would yell out that it's supposed to turn left at this part of the kata, but since I'm moving in the opposite direction, I knew that I had to turn right.. BUT... How? Which leg does what? It was quite a challenge at first.

I've also been adding time to my Bo Staff practice. Winter is coming soon, and I will have limited ability to swing a 6 foot Bo around my head. The wasps are all hibernating now, and the weather is just warm, and cool enough to allow me to go outside and take advantage of the space. My neighbour looked over the fence, and saw me practicing my Bo staff kata, and he yelled out "Go get him! That opponent is DEAD the way that you swing that thing!" in the middle of my kata. I was quite proud with the fact that I held concentration, finished the kata, and then responded to his encouragement with gratitude.

I've also been working on moving forwards with a 360 degree spin in front stance. I've been fighting to keep balance, use the placement of my feet properly, and control my eyes/ head so that it supports the movement.

Also.... I've been doing extra "tutoring" of a couple of students of my club that may be testing for Shodan in the near future. I've been giving them extra attention, guidance, and suggestions to help them feel prepared for the challenge mentally, physically, and spiritually by showing up very early, and giving them as much as almost an hour of extra training before normal class. I've seen alot of progress in their skills, and I am confident that they will do well on their rank test.

I learned an important life lesson during one of the children's classes during which I assist. We were doing "frog hops" across the floor. In an attempt to gain in distance of the hops, I leaned forwards rather than keeping my back in proper straight alignment. I knew that I was risking injury as I did this, but I was willing to face the risk in a gamble that I could cover more ground. I did 3 hops like that.. and felt a sudden sharp pain erupt from my large gluteal muscles ( my posterior/ my butt) From that moment I felt pain. I couldn't sit, stand, lay, crouch.. nothing.. everything hurt. Oh dear.. oh dear.. I was at a loss. It took me a good half hour of stretching of the leg/ back/ and butt muscles just to be able to lift my leg again.
I learned a REALLY good karate lesson: Keep good posture when executing movements/ and technique unless you want to feel a very bad OUCHY in embarrassing spots. Also I learned the life lesson of: Proper posture can help prevent headaches, back aches, even digestion problems. So! Shoulders back, hips in, and back straight people.. if you want to stay healthy.