Goju Ryu Training Log

Sayings of Choki Motobu

2011-08-12T23:58:00.002-04:00

Sayings of Choki Motobu

4 Feb

In 1978, an essay entitled “Collection of Sayings by Motobu Choki” was published in Japanese. This essay is based upon the oral teachings of Motobu Choki to his students, and was overseen by one direct student of Motobu, namely Marukawa Kenji. Let us now take a look at these “oral transmissions.”

1. Everything is natural, and changing.

2. Kamae is in the heart, not a physical manifestation.

3. One must develop the ability to read how much striking power any person has in one glance.

4. One does not have to take care to block every single attack by an opponent with weak striking power.

5. One must develop the ability to deflect an attack even from behind.

6. In a real confrontation, more than anything else one should strike to the face first, as this is the most effective.

7. Kicks are not all that effective in a real confrontation.

8.”Karate IS Sente” (Here, sente means the initiative, or the first move. c.f. Karate ni Sente Nashi – there is no first move in karate).

9. The position of the legs and hips in Naifuanchin no Kata is the basics of karate.

10. Twisting to the left or right from the Naifuanchin stance will give you the stance used in a real confrontation. Twisting ones way of thinking about Naifuanchin left and right, the various meanings in each movement of the kata will also become clear.

11. One must always try and block the attack at its source (i.e. block not the attacking hand, but deeper on the arm).

12. The blocking hand must be able to become the attacking hand in an instant. Blocking with one hand and then countering with the other is not true bujutsu. Real bujutsu presses forward and blocks and counters in the same motion.

13. One cannot use continuous attacks against true karate. That is because the blocks of true karate make it impossible for the opponent to launch a second attack.

14. I still do not yet know the best way to punch the makiwara. (note: this statement was made when Choki was over 60!!!)

15. It’s interesting, but when I just think about performing a kata, when I’m seated, I break a sweat.

16. When punching to the face, one must thrust as if punching through to the back of the head.

17. When fighting a boxer, it is better to go with his flow, and take up a rhythm with both of your hands.

18. It is necessary to drink alcohol and pursue other fun human activities. The art (i.e. karate) of someone who is too serious has no “flavour.”

19. It is OK to take two steps forward or back in the same kamae, but over three steps, one must change the position (facing) of their guard.

20. When I fought the foreign boxer in Kyoto, he was taller than me so I jumped up and punched him in the face. This is effective against people who are taller than you.

21. I started having real fights at Tsuji when I was young, and fought over 100 of them, but I was never hit in the face.

22. When I was 4, I was made to go to a school, but I hated studying, so I often skipped class and played somewhere with my friends.

23. When I was still in Okinawa, Kano Jigoro of the Kodokan visited and asked to talk with me, and through a friend we went to a certain restaurant. Mr. Kano talked about a lot of things, but about karate, he asked me what I would do if my punch missed. I answered that I would immediately follow with an elbow strike from that motion. After that, he became very quiet and asked nothing more about karate.

24. There are no stances such as neko-ashi, zenkutsu or kokutsu in my karate. Neko-ashi is a form of “floating foot” which is considered very bad in bujutsu. If one receives a body strike, one will be thrown off balance. Zenkutsu and kokutsu are unnatural, and prevent free leg movement. The stance in my karate, whether in kata or kumite, is like Naifuanchin, with the knees slightly bent, and the footwork is free. When defending or attacking, I tighten the knees and drop the hips, but I do not put my weight on either front or back foot, rather keeping it evenly distributed.

25. When blocking kicks, one must block as if trying to break the opponent’s shin.

26. When I came to Tokyo, there was another Okinawan who was teaching karate there quite actively. When in Okinawa I hadn’t even heard his name. Upon the guidance of another Okinawan, I went to the place he was teaching youngsters, where he was running his mouth, bragging. Upon seeing this, I grabbed his hand, took up the position of “kake-kumite” and said “What will you do?” He was hesitant, and I thought to punch him would be too much, so I threw him with “kote-gaeshi” at which he fell to the ground with a thud. He got up, his face red, and said “once more” so we took up the position of kake-kumite again. And again I threw him with kote-gaeshi. He did not relent and asked for another bout, so he was thrown the same way for a third time.
By Joe Swift
http://www.karate.butsu.net/sydney/?p=111

2/20

2011-02-20T15:58:00.002-05:00

Quote I liked from Charle's Goodin's blog Karate Thoughts:

"I've also written that what's important is not being better than other people but being better than yesterday (quoting Jigoro Kano). It is also true that if you have not improved today, you have gotten worse (because you have gotten older). We must constantly seek improvement."

http://karatejutsu.blogspot.com/2011/02/improvement-in-higher-dan-ranks.html

11/25

2010-11-26T00:33:00.002-05:00

It's been a couple months or so of not really practicing any karate since I moved here. Today I went for a night walk and slowly went through most of the goju kata. It felt good and made me happy, a couple things I was a little fuzzy about which I'm reviewing tonight. I also just did a light workout, I'm out of shape pretty much. I'll be keeping a log of my workout on a separate blog for now.

I was reading through some old posts on the Traditional Fighting Arts Forum, and found a link to another awesome Rory Miller blog post, here's the link:

http://chirontraining.blogspot.com/2009/09/myth-of-fully-resisting-opponent.html

8/18

2010-08-18T23:18:00.003-04:00

I'll make more of an effort to update my blog, things have been busy and will be more for the next month while I move to the peninsula.

I attended the Crossing the Pond expo last weekend, it was super awesome. Kris Wilder, Rory Miller, Nicholas Yang, Marc "the animal" MacYoung, Al Peasland, and Ian Abernethey taught, it was a good time, I met a bunch of cool folks. I'll write a more detailed account of it this weekend, I just got back from a run and I need to eat and sleep.

7/19

2010-07-20T02:05:00.004-04:00

I was thinking about maybe ending my blog or just not writing in it for awhile since I've been mostly just writing notes/questions and such in my notebook but I've decided to keep going with it because I think it can still be useful. Today was a good class, a throw or two from sesan and a couple from kururunfa, I haven't learned the pattern for that kata yet...I need to get to sleep I'll write more this week.

7/4/10

2010-07-05T01:10:00.003-04:00

I got back from Port Angeles last Friday, from my tour with the trails crew, which I'll be working on when my stint with the KCD crew ends this fall, it was a good time, beautiful area. I'm looking forward to getting back to training and working out this week, tomorrow it looks like it's going to be sunny and hot, I think I'll bring my rings to a park and workout and run. I need to remember to work on my posterior deltoid, I've felt it being a weak link in some tasks at work.

I'll probably do something like this:

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidPosterior/DBOneArmRearLateralRaise.html

I'm currently reading the Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, it's excellent, maybe after this one I'll finally read Meditations on Violence.

Happy Independence Day!

6/22

2010-06-22T19:55:00.002-04:00

I did a light workout today on my pullup bar, rings-tuck rows, and dips, hanging leg raises, weighted pushups, handstand work, curls, a bunch of chi ishi, and some wrist roller. I'm going for a run later. I also did some assisted one arm chin ups and some weighted chin ups, I'm going to start working on achieving a one arm chin up when I get back next month. I also made another ab wheel today but I may return the wheels and get better ones because it doesn't roll smoothly like my other one.

Scott Jurek Interview

2010-06-22T01:31:00.002-04:00

Here's an interview with the vegan elite ultra marathoner Scott Jurek. He's a beast. He recently beat the US record for number of miles ran in 24 hours, I think it was like 165 miles, and it was around a .7 mile track. He also won the Western State 100 like six or seven times, and set a course record. Hell yea.

http://www.thekathleenshow.com/2010/06/19/scott-jurek-interview/

Bagua

2010-06-22T01:20:00.002-04:00

Sensei was talking a little about Bagua last week, when we working on Sepei kata, I had heard of it but never really read about or watched any videos of it, so I've been reading a little about it and watching some videos, looks like some cool stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvt7D4OfunU

I also found a Judo dojo in Port Angeles, so if I do end up moving there this fall I'll be going there! Sensei has done judo for a while and recommends it, he recommends training with other people, not just staying with one teacher forever, and I agree, makes sense, there's a lot out there, I'm always going to stay with goju, as long as I like it, but I still want to train in m other styles-like judo, and who knows what else, wherever I end up living after that.

This video has been going around about this cop that punched a women in the face, apparently for jay walking, doesn't really matter, from what I saw in the video I'd say he's totally justified, those two women were resisting arrest, fighting, you don't know what could've happened, if they're armed or whatever, plus the cop is alone with an angry crowd around him, granted I don't know anything about law enforcement, but still, don't mess with a cop, that's just stupid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYQWbfSNpIg&feature=player_embedded

Seyunchin

2010-06-22T00:24:00.002-04:00

I'm just going to write this all out as it comes out, I won't bother editing it or anything. Today at class we worked on seyunchin bunkai, it was me, sensei, and two other students, one of which I've only worked with once before, a black belt that's pretty strong. We just worked through the kata and application for each movement. Awesome stuff. We stood in a triangle where we'd each take turns attacking each other and we'd practice which ever application we were working on, while Sensei watched and offered tips. The first bunkai we worked on was in the beginning of the kata-where you go into shiko dachi and do the mountain block; you step in and block the punch or whatever it is with both arms and pull it down and to the side, but keep one arm there to the attacker can't turn either way to attack you and simultaneously you strike, he also showed also a couple variations of that, man it would be handy to video record this stuff. The next bunkai in the kata is where you step back into neko ashi-the oh shit stance- and someone is pushing you, you step back bringing their hands down and then you step in and strike to their neck with the blade of your forearm while your hand is wrapped around your fist so that your body is linked. The next part of the kata where you step back and strike with your elbow and your hand over your elbow, we did the bunkai as an arm break, which we practiced on a piece of PVC- which Sensei and one of the senpei broke with their elbow strike, he said it's more of an elbow strike coming up while the other hand is pulling the opposite way. The part of the kata we worked on after, I think is often called the reinforced block, I think we step into the strike blocking it and striking to the head at the same time. He also talked a lot about uraken and age tsuki, I think that's right, and the targets for them and why. Another thing Sensei talked about was not separating the technique into segments, like one, two, which I tend to do I think, but instead it should just be boom, "him down now," no gap! Another bunkai we worked on was they part of the kata where you turn and do a gedan and chudan uke, which is blocking the strike-bringing it down and with the other hand stepping in and doing a rising punch to the chin. Another one in the kata was where you step back into neko and do a furi uchi to the side of the attacker's head, he was explaining also about which part of the hand you attack with, the first knuckle, you put everything into it, which he then demonstrated with a pad on each of our shoulders-using the knuckles and then using just the one knuckle. There's some other things we worked on but that's good for now.

On the way to class I stopped at a grocery store to get a new notebook for karate but they didn't have the kind I wanted so tomorrow I'll buy one, I'm probably going to buy some climbing rope tomorrow also from a fishing and marine supply store, some two inch think manilla rope, I plan on hanging it from my pull up bar and then also finding places to hang it to climb up it, but I figure at first I'll mostly be doing rope pull ups with it until I figure out a good way to hang it somewhere and remove it every time, it should be a killer grip workout.

I'm starting to find that I practice my kata differently than I used to, instead of just running through kata over an over, now I'm more interested in thinking about what is in the kata, and seeing how it works, and not be worrying about if this arm or whatever is exactly in the "right" spot or something.

I went on a good fast run last Friday and Saturday, but I was wicked sore, most of my left left, especially my calf and tendon near my calf, so was my knee and hip a little too; so I haven't ran in a couple days, but I'll be running with a friend tomorrow when karate class is actually, and then I'm leaving Wed. the Peninsula for like ten days so I'll be back around the second of July.

6/17

2010-06-18T00:21:00.004-04:00

Today and Tuesday I did a light workout with the pullup bar, rings, chi ishi, parallelettes, dumbbell and wrist roller. I mostly did L pullups, ring dips, ring rows, tuck rows, pushups, neck bridges, chi ishi, and forearm work.

Instead of training on Wed. after work I went with some of my crew and met up with another crew that was working in the Mtns, for dinner, it was worth, although I really wanted to train. I'll be training this Saturday though, I found out last class it's an open dojo in the morning.

I found this to be inspiring:

http://rosstraining.com/blog/2010/06/17/gymnastics-at-age-69/

There's been a video that has been going around recently showing a cop punching a women who was resisting arrest. Wim Demere wrote a good post about it on his blog:

http://www.wimsblog.com/2010/06/cop-hits-woman-part-two/

Don't touch a cop!

6/14

2010-06-15T01:05:00.003-04:00

Extra early day tomorrow so I can't write much.

Today at class we mostly worked on Sepai. We ran through the pattern several times and worked on some bunkai through it. One of the things Sensei talked a lot about was this step (I forget the name of it!) that you do at the very beginning of the kata, where you flick your heels out, and you're cheating the opponent, the opponent thinks you're in front of him, but you're really not.

One of the things he talked a little about was how Karate is all about the entry, and all about commanding the space and controlling the body.

too much to write about right now, some reminders for later: whipping punch, escape grab throat strike at the beginning, the thing where you lock the arm-kick and pull em in, this kata probably would suit me well, saifa bunkai, those two bunkai from seyunchin-the very beginning, and the "reinforced" block; later I should just run through everything we did in class in my head and write it down

After class he told me the way he used to take notes, sounds like a good way, I need to get a new notebook and try it out.

Friday I went on a short fast run, and Saturday I went on a really long run with a friend of mine through Capitol Hill, Montlake, and UW.

6/10

2010-06-10T23:03:00.002-04:00

I've been out of town the past four days because I had Wilderness First Responder training (which was awesome), the second half of the course, which I passed! Last Sunday I did a light workout, I did some sets of pull ups, elevated pushups, handstand pushups, chi ishi, wrist roller, hammer curls, neck bridges, neck curls, and some hanging leg raises. I also ran a once or twice during training, I'm going for a long run this Saturday with a friend of mine at the Arboretum in Seattle, I haven't been there yet, but it sounds cool.

I'm excited to get back to the dojo on Monday.

6/1

2010-06-01T18:08:00.001-04:00

6/1

Todays workout:

5X5 weighted pullups
5X squats

5X5-12 HSPU
5X12 hanging leg raises

5X5 DB rows
5X weighted pushups

4 set ring dips

5 set hammer curl
2 set reverse curl
5 set tricep dip

4 set chi ishi

forearm work:
5 set wrist roller
5 set wrist curls
4 set plate pinch
finish with hand grippers

neck work:

5 set neck bridges
5X set neck raises with 10lbs

5/31

2010-05-31T23:32:00.003-04:00

I went for a light run today, I'm a tad sore, from backpacking, yesterday we did like fifteen miles at a quick pace, the hot springs were awesome, I'll definitely be going back there.

I was going to workout more today but I decided I'll workout more tomorrow.

In the next week or two I'll probably run at a track and time myself in the mile and three mile.

5/28

2010-05-28T03:40:00.002-04:00

Other things have been taking priority over updating my journal, updating it after class and work during the week isn't going to happen because I need my sleep. I've been writing notes down in my notebook about karate, in class and just throughout the day when I think of things we worked on in class or questions I have etc. Every class I'm overwhelmed with information, it's great.

Normally in the advanced classes it's just me, one other student, and Sensei, often he'll ask me if there's anything in particular I had in mind that I'd like to work on and we work on that. I've normally been going to class three times a week, but this week I only went once, last Wed. I didn't go Mon. or Tues. because I thought I should take it a little easier since I was in a bike accident last Saturday, I was biking down the sidewalk on my way to the library and this guy pulled out-not looking and not stopping before he pulled onto the sidewalk and I nailed the side of his car and flew onto and off his hood leaving a couple dents in the side of his car, and my bike a bit messed up, later my neighbor that I didn't even know drove me to the hospital. Anyways, lesson is to call the cops right when that happens; I wasn't thinking clearly.

Last class a student had some questions on Sesan, so we ended up working on that the whole class, which was awesome. I hadn't been taught Sesan yet, I've been watching videos and running through it during the day in my head and pieces of it when I can, I felt like in class I was having a hard time remembering the pattern-I think because I was just really tired, hungry and dehydrated, but I remembered more than I thought. Sensei was saying that he thinks all you really need are sanchin and sesan and maybe one other kata for fun, and that if you're going to forget kata, don't let it be sesan; sesan and shisochin are two of his favorites I think. One of the things he's talked about is learning what kata best suits you, physically-my body type, how I move, how I think, my disposition, and really work on those. Anyways in class we ran through a bunch of bunkai from sesan, crazy brutal stuff. There's so much that we cover in class I could sit here and type just about that one class for a while.

Last week we worked on shisochin a bit that was cool, I really like the bunkai he showed me for that kata over what I knew as the bunkai before, this one bunkai from has been on my mind a lot lately, the opening sequence in the kata, instead of the more orthodox block-block arm bar one, you step and do a low kind block and a throat strike with your other arm, and then with the hand that is down you strike to the face and then do an elbow strike with the arm that hit the throat.

I've also been going back and re reading The Way of Sanchin and making notes, I'm getting more out of it now since Sensei has been explaining a lot about Sanchin to me, awesome stuff. He can generate so much power from sanchin, without and visible motion of his body, no hip movement etc. He's also showed me some drills to work on, for sanchin.

I've been following this lady's blog, Tara Scott, some cool stuff. She's a vegan, and one entry I thought was especially cool she wrote about how she doesn't, or at least hadn't then, taken any days off from exercise for like 766 days if I remember correctly. She just listens to her body, some days trains really hard, other days very light, and other days somewhere in-between. I originally heard of her blog from Ross Enamait's blog, he had a similar entry about a runner that had been running everyday for like thirty years or something, maybe it was longer than that.

I'm going backpacking for the next four days starting tomorrow with a friend of mine.

Sanseiru

2010-05-13T00:30:00.003-04:00

Quick post, I need to shower, eat, and get some sleep.

Today at class it was just me, one other student and Sensei. He asked us what we wanted to work on and I decided on sanseiru bunkai, so we went through the kata for the bunkai, it was awesome; simple and effective stuff. While working on the bunkai I ended up asking questions about other things that came up, like on zenkutsu dachi, and why it doesn't work, and what he uses and why, a short zenkutsu dachi so you're body is in a better position. Later I should elaborate on the bunkai we worked on, so it stays fresh in my brain.

***

I was just thinking since I don't have much if any time to update my blog during my work days, which is when the dojo is open too, I should start writing in a notebook what I've been learning/working on in the dojo, throughout the day when I think of things and have a free moment here and there, and on the weekend too.

4/21

2010-04-22T00:38:00.003-04:00

I just got back from class a little while ago, it was awesome, just me and Sensei. We pretty much worked on Sanchin the whole time, he asked me if there was anything I had in mind to work on. He should me an exercise to practice for sanchin, for linking the spine.

This is great, I'm so excited to train there.

More later.

4/19

2010-04-19T23:50:00.003-04:00

A couple weeks ago I visited the West Seattle Karate Academy, it was awesome, apparently every month they do a workshop night, which is when I happened to be there, the topic was chokes. Kris Wilder used me to demo the chokes on, it was great and makes me really want to do Judo too. After class I went over some questions and topics with Mr. Wilder, so much cool stuff! I'll write more about it later, I need to get to sleep. I wasn't able to start training there last week but I'm going to start this week.

I've also been running a lot more, running is awesome, I ran a 5k last weekend, got fifth place. I'll be better at updating my log, I've been busy.

3/13/10

2010-03-13T20:45:00.002-05:00

Was feeling way too tired, went to bed very late past couple days, training was awesome, I learned a lot; I look forward to taking the rest of the Wilderness First Responder class in June.

2 sets db bench press
1 set weighted push up
3 set weighted pull ups
1 set bodyweight L pull ups
1 set db row
3 set tuck lever rows
4 set hammer curl
3 set weighted tricep dip
3 set weighted squats for rep
4 set HSPU
2 set each side of neck weighted
3 set wrist roller outer forearm, 1 set inner
3-5 set of hand gripper
2 set of chi ishi
3 set hanging leg raises
2 set ab roller-one I've my long term goals is to do a one arm stand ab wheel rollout, I've been reading about how to progress to that, an incline works well apparently. I'll start doing it one handed from kneeling, and with a weight vest, and also partial stand rollouts, I think the biggest weak link is perhaps my lower back, although it's a big upper body exercise too.
some blocks with db

71 Year Old Man Does 100 Ab Wheel Roll outs

2010-03-07T20:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTF5rFM1cWk&feature=related

3/7/10

2010-03-07T17:32:00.003-05:00

I had a pretty good workout today, my knee seems to be getting better, biking to work and back yesterday didn't seem to bother it.

3 sets dumbbell bench press
4 sets dumbbell rows
4 sets pull ups, 3 weighted
3 sets weighted triceps dip
2 sets neck lifts for each side
2 sets wall HSPU
2 sets sandbag clean and press
3 sets hammer curls
6 sets wrist roller
2 sets chi ishi
3-4 sets of hand gripper
3 sets handing leg raises, 1 set side planks, 1 set ab wheel
sanchin kata
some hojo undo

Rory Miller Seminar and things

2010-03-03T21:36:00.003-05:00

I've been a bit busy lately, I've at least been doing some kihon and some kata in the morning, although I hurt my knee coming down a mountain a couple weeks ago, it's still giving me some trouble so I'm trying to take it easy with my legs. A few weeks ago I attended a Rory Miller in Seattle at a bar, it was awesome, I haven't read his book yet, Meditations on Violence, but now I certainly will, during the seminar he also talked a little about his next book. I don't have my notes with me, and I should have written this shortly after the seminar when it was still fresh in my mind. I'll write more about it after I review my notes; he covered different types of violence, how people react in violence, flinch reactions, we did a bunch of slow motion fighting drills and other drills, legal stuff, and he showed some videos for examples of violence and how people react, everybody freezes, I started writing more about it but I should review my notes before I do.

Here's some blog posts about the seminar, if you click on the first picture you can see part of me, I'm wearing a blue shirt.

http://thestrikingpost.blogspot.com/2010/02/chicken-wire-black-paint-and-neon-oh-my.html

http://chirontraining.blogspot.com/2010/02/seminar-last-saturday.html

Just a quick post, I'll write more this weekend. I've been searching for a new place to live since my friend from NH moved back, I found a place in West Seattle, that isn't too far from the West Seattle Karate Academy, I spoke with Kris Wilder after the seminar, when I move up there I'm going to stop in, I hope it works out well because I would love to train there!

I recently read the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, I'll write more on this later, it's a good book; I'm already a vegetarian but now I'm considering going vegan, I've been reading a bunch of articles online about, and I picked up a couple books from the library on it too, one's a cook book and the other is Becoming Vegan. Last weekend I also watched Food Inc, overall I liked it but I'm unsure about the farm they showed, Polyface Farm, no doubt it's way better than factory farms and such, but I read the the chickens they use are essentially the same genetically modified ones used in factory farms, so they're born suffering and messed up. I've also been reading about vegan athletes, and was happy to learn that the TUF season six winner is a Vegan, Mac Danzig.

I had a good workout on Wednesday, and a light workout last night, today at work was a decent shoulder workout, and tomorrow I'll workout some more, this weekend I'm going to try to do some intervals on the cycle, depending on how my knee is, I need to get more prepared for training in a dojo.

Sleep.

Carry on!

2010-02-15T14:33:00.003-05:00

I just got back from NH last night. It was good to be back in NH and in the woods, lots of animal sign. I worked out a little while there and hit my tire makiwara just about everyday.

Here's one of my favorite Robert Service poems.

Carry on!
It’s easy to fight when everything’s right,
And you're mad with the thrill and the glory;
It’s easy to cheer when victory’s near,
And wallow in fields that are gory.
It’s a different song when everything’s wrong.
When you're feeling infernally mortal;
When it’s ten against one, and hope there is none,
Buck up, little soldier, and chortle;
Carry on! Carry on!
There isn't much punch in your blow.
You're glaring and staring and hitting out blind;
You're muddy and bloody, but never you mind.
Carry on! Carry on!
You haven't the ghost of a show.
It’s looking like death, but while you've a breath,
Carry on, my son! Carry on!
And so in the strife of the battle of life
It’s easy to fight when you're winning;
It’s easy to slave, and starve and be brave,
When the dawn of success is beginning.
But the man who can meet despair and defeat
With a cheer, there’s the man of God’s choosing;
The man who can fight to Heaven’s own height
Is the man who can fight when he’s losing.
Carry on! Carry on!
Things never were looking so black.
But show that you haven't a cowardly streak,
And though you're unlucky you never are weak.
Carry on! Carry on!
Brace up for another attack.
It’s looking like hell, but -- you never can tell:
Carry on, old man! Carry on!
There are some who drift out in the deserts of doubt,
And some who in brutishness wallow;
There are others, I know, who in piety go
Because of a Heaven to follow.
But to labour with zest, and to give of your best,
For the sweetness and joy of the giving;
To help folks along with a hand and a song;
Why, there’s the real sunshine of living.
Carry on! Carry on!
Fight the good fight and true;
Believe in your mission, greet life with a cheer;
There’s big work to do, and that’s why you are here.
Carry on! Carry on!
Let the world be better for you;
And at last when you die, let this be your cry:
Carry on, my soul! Carry on!

2/3/10

2010-02-04T01:10:00.003-05:00

I just a quick workout while I'm getting ready to catch my plane after work tomorrow. Did a few sets of pull ups, ring dips, tricep dips, hammer curls, push ups, chi ishi, leg raises, v ups, 2 sets of neck raises-front, back and side to side and 2 sets of neck bridges, and some kicks out of shiko dachi for leg conditioning.

After I get back into Washington I'm going to a seminar at the West Seattle Karate Academy (Kris Wilder's dojo, the author of The Way of Kata). It's taught by Rory Miller, author Meditations on Violence, someone that knows violence, I'm excited about it. I haven't read his book yet but I have read some of his blog.

2/1/10

2010-02-02T01:11:00.003-05:00

Today before work I practiced sanchin, some kihon geri, hip drills, and Gekisai Dai Ichi. I also did my routine of stretches.

Tomorrow I'll do a good workout, and start doing some neck work too. I'm going to do neck raises, to the front, back and sides, and end with neck bridges. Soon I'll buy a neck harness. I read the other day that Mike Tyson had a twenty inch neck (in a training montage on youtube you can see him doing neck bridges). Also looking at some pictures of some senior karateka, like Taira Sensei, Gushi, had strong necks. I think it just makes sense to train the neck, even if you're not going to box or whatever, to be a little more protection from being knocked out. I was reading some old posts by Ross Enamait, he mentioned in the old gym he trained at there was an amateur boxing who was getting rocked in every bout, so then he started working his neck like crazy and he helped a lot, he later went pro.

I head back to NH this Thursday. I left a bunch of books and things there I'm looking forward to having with me.

Cool Site

2010-01-31T23:58:00.002-05:00

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

Just found that.

I bought the book Infinite Intensity last month, it's an awesome book, I'll be writing more about it later.

I also made a medicine ball recently but it might have a leak.

1/31/10

2010-01-31T21:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I did a quick workout before I left to visit my girlfriend. Several sets of pullups/chinups-weighted, about 45lbs, weighted push ups, ring dips, 3-4 sets of dumbbell snatches, 3 sets of wrist roller, 3 sets of chi ishi, 2 sets of bodyweight tricep extensions, some flags, and hand grip work.

I recently made a "sandbag" to workout with, it's a surplus duffel bag that I filled with wood pellets, for wood furnaces, one bag that weighs forty pounds sells for 5$ at Home Depot, I bought two bags, I've started to incorporate it into my workout, and I like it a lot; not have a fixed handle to grab onto and its odd shape is an added challenge, I've mostly been doing clean and presses with it.

I also made two dumbbells a few weeks ago, wicked easy to do, took two pipes eighteen inches long and four hose clamps on each, and wrapped the handle part with tennis grip tape, they work well. I'm going to make two more to keep designated for farmers walks ans shrugs.

My training for the past couple weeks has been a bit slack, but that has ended. I've been bummed that I haven't had anyone to train with in Goju-ryu, but I shouldn't let that stop me from training! I found a boxing gym in town, not too far from me; I posted a question on the International Goju-ryu Development Society on boxing and I got some good feedback, so I'm going to start training there when I get back from NH on the 14th. I was going to start tomorrow but financially it'll make more sense to start when I get back so I wont be paying for two weeks of no training. I'm excited about it, I visited the gym last week, looks pretty cool, seemed pretty intense, a good workout, pretty much nonstop for an 1 -1.5 hours. I'll really have to plan my meals out well since I'll be leaving straight from work to the gym and then to my apartment, long 12hr+ days. I'll also have to change my strength training around a bit, I'll probably just do two sessions a week, with a third that will include neck, forearms, and core. I'm going to start doing more isometrics too, I'm going to make a simple isometric tool, consists of a 2x4, a dowel and some chain.

12/14

2009-12-14T23:10:00.002-05:00

Quick post, need sleep.
3 sets pull ups
3 sets dips
3 set bench
3 set tricep dip
3 set curl
2 set reverse curl
3 set sumo squat
1 set lunge
2 set chi ishi
2 set shoulder tensho dumb bell thing
3 set weighted decline sit ups
3 set hanging leg raises
1 L sit
2 sets shrugs
3 sets neck raises
3 set wrist roller
3 set hand gripper

12/4

2009-12-04T17:48:00.002-05:00

I just got back from a run, first real one in a while, I'll ease back into it and slowly add my miles and slowly increase my tempo, but do more cross training with cycling and such for now. I ran at a park near my girlfriends in West Seattle, a couple weeks ago I worked on kata there at night. After my run I did sanchin, gekisai dai ichi, and some kihon. Every day before work in the parking lot I've been doing kata also.

11/22

2009-11-22T22:51:00.003-05:00

My weight vest has arrived! It's adjustable up to sixty pounds with four pound weights; I used it for the first time today. I'll be incorporating it a lot into my exercise and training.

Today I mostly did:
4 sets push ups with weight vest, 60lbs, 48lbs
4 sets pull ups 2 60lbs, 2 48lbs, 1 set L pull ups
4 sets ring rows, 2 60lbs, 2 48 lbs
4 sets ring dips
2 sets HSPU
4 sets chi ishi with vest
3 sets lat pull down
4 sets curls
3 sets Bruce Lee leg raises
1 set weighted sit ups
1 set ring L sit
1 set neck bridges
3 sets upright rows
2 sets lunges w vest
2 sets squats with vest
2 set shiko dachi mae geri with vest
2 sets wrist roller
2 sets chi ishi on leg
4-6 sets hand gripper

kihon blocks and strikes, sanchin.

I'll be making more hojo undo tools soon.

11/16

2009-11-17T00:22:00.002-05:00

Today I did some aerobic for 25 mins, mostly on the cycle. I also did sanchin in the morning and some slow kihon. I went to bed way too late on Sunday so I was quite tired at work. I'm also considering going vegetarian again, I already only eat meat from local free range organic farms, but I'm starting to question how sustainable that is and whether I should, need to do some research.

My second chi ishi didn't turn out as well, I think I moved it too quickly before it dried enough.

11/15

2009-11-15T20:41:00.002-05:00

Today I did a light workout, which included:
2 sets HSPU
3 sets ring dips
2 sets tuck lever rows
3 sets pull ups, 1 L
ring L sit
hanging leg raises
leg raises
side to side crunches thing
2 set chi ishi, front and overhead
2 sets tri kickback
1 set knuckle push ups
3 sets bodyweight squats, one out of shiko doing mae geri
2 sets wrist roller
2 sets chi ishi as a leverage bar on leg to work forearm
5-6 sets of hand grippers 1.5, no. 1
1 set wall walks

I also did some kihon.

For now on I need to do Karate training every day, consistency is key! Even days that are my rest days I should at least do hip drills, and kihon/kata slow.

One Straw Revolution

2009-11-15T19:59:00.002-05:00

I started reading One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka today. Here's a passage I particularly liked, I think it's a good reminder not to put one's teacher, mentor, on a pedestal and not to totally emulate them.

"That this realization in itself has great value does not mean that any special value is attached to me. I remain a simple man, just an old crow, so to speak. To the casual observer I may seem either humble or arrogant. I tell the young people up in my orchard again and again not to try to imitate me, and it really angers me if there is someone who does not take this advice to heart. I ask, instead, that they simply live in nature and apply themselves to their daily work. No, there is nothing special about me, but what I have glimpsed is vastly important."

page 10

Hojo Undo

2009-11-12T01:40:00.004-05:00

My roommate drove me to a hardware store today and I picked up some materials to make a chi ishi and an ishi sashi. They didn't carry the little disposable painting containers so I bought a five gallon one, put some concrete in the base of it, had a dowel cut into three pieces at the store, nailed four nails into the end of it (used a dumbbell) and stuck it in the bottom of the bucket. For constructing the ishi sashi I'm using an empty paint can (I got the idea from Michael Clarke's book on hojo undo), and smaller piece of towel, to make the holes I used a nail and my leatherman, it was way easier than I expected it to be, I'll be making another one this week, and at least one more chi ishi, eventually I'll be making at least two more. I also ordered a weight vest on Ebay, I wasn't planning on it but there was good deal, 60lb adjustable weight vest for 74$ with free shipping. I've never owned a weight vest, but I'm excited about it, when I trained at the gym in NH I used the weight vest every time.

I was talking to my roommate about setting up a makiwara, he thinks that if we made holes in the porch they wouldn't be hard to conceal after we leave, we're going to look at the color of the concrete tomorrow, but he's confident we'll figure something out.

It's late, time for bed. More later!

Interesting Posts

2009-11-07T19:12:00.003-05:00

Here are some sweet articles I've been reading, from Dan Djurdjevic's blog. Lot's of information there!

http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2008/08/karate-kamae-or-guard.html
http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2008/07/melee-karates-fighting-range.html
http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2008/06/why-blocks-do-work.html
http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2008/06/evasion-vs-blocking-with-evasion.html

I saw this article last week:

http://www.totalprosports.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/matthias-schlitte-is-a-modern-day-popeye/

I want to know what his training was like to develop his massive arm. Crazy.

I'm feeling a little sick, wicked tired.

November Already!

2009-11-05T01:47:00.003-05:00

I've been AWOL from my blog, quite lame I know. I'll be much better this month for sure. Just a quick post, I should've been asleep an hour ago. Just a quick things I'll mention, I have a girl friend in WA now, awesome, I've been quite busy with work and her, just an excuse-I know! Everyone's busy. I'm liking my work, I have a good crew, good supervisor and it's good work, helping the environment, doing positive things, and working outside. I recently rejoined the Tairabunkai.com site, it's great! Way overload of information for sure. gave me some advice, to focus on gekisai, hip drills, weights, etc to keep working on that, and not to move onto saifa etc until I really have that, which I don't foresee me really getting the feel for it anytime in the near future.

Hopefully soon I'll be training with some folks I've been in touch with in WA.

My roommate from NH arrived last week, that's nice. He brought a duffel bag of things I had set aside, I still have a bunch of things I would very much like to have out here, books (martial arts, nature, philosophy etc) my dogi- I brought my obi because I also use it as a dip belt, and I have my judo pants, I think my Mother is sending me my copy of the Way of Kata, I'd like to get my other Kris Wilder books out here too, and my Jundokan book and my Bubishi. I have my rings out here now, they work well hanging from my door pull up bar, more crammed than the garage I was training in before, but this works!!

I'll write more this weekend. I recently started another blog also, focusing more on my nature studies and such, I'll be catching up on that this week probably, I'm behind on a bunch of plant journals.

Off to bed. I didn't proof read this, there's probably a pile of typos, oh well.

Captains of Crush

2009-10-01T22:32:00.002-04:00

I used an Amazon gift card to buy two more Captains of Crush hand grippers, they came in today, the No. 1.5 and No. 2. The 1.5 is about 165lbs and the .2 is about 200lbs. I'm able to close the 165lbs but not quite the 200lbs, my goal is to be able to close it by Jan!

I had a quick workout today at the apartment fitness room, and used my hand grippers and finished with some towel pull ups in my place.

I also ordered Michael Clarke's book on Hojo Undo at Borders with a gift card I found behind my shelf while cleaning before I left New Hampshire. I'm excited to read it. Need to get some sleep.

Brandon Lee Quote

2009-09-30T00:03:00.003-04:00

I just read this quote from Brandon Lee, which is on his tombstone:

"Because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five time more. Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless."

There's a lot of martial art schools in the Renton area but most of them seem to be Tae Kwon Do, which doesn't interest me, there's an MMA place not too far but it's about a $100 a month; which I can't afford, there's a Judo/boxing/submission wrestling place about a half hour bus ride away, I'm going to find out how much that is. I got in touch with some Goju folks in WA before I moved out, I'll be following up on it more this week.

Yesterday I used the fitness center that is with the apartment complex I now live in, it was bigger than I expected it to be, but it's mostly machines, I'd prefer to use more free weights but I'm going to take advantage of it anyways. I had a good light workout there yesterday; and it's quite close to my room, about fifty feet or some I'm guessing.

I'm looking forward to starting work next week, should be good. Tomorrow I'm probably going to downtown Seattle to explore.

In WA!

2009-09-28T15:08:00.003-04:00

I made it to Washington last week, my friend Paul and I found an apartment and moved in last Wednesday. I'll have internet tomorrow probably so I can update my blog and catch up things. I need to get training with folks out here!

Hojo Undo Book Sample

2009-09-20T20:07:00.003-04:00

I just found this book sample of the new book The Art of Hojo Undo by Michael Clarke. I had never heard of Michael Clarke until I found out about this book. His books sound good also, a he has two that are about his life. I read that he was in prison for two years in the UK and when he got out he discovered Karate and started training.

www.ymaa.com/articles/hojo-undo-traditional-karate-s-forgotten-training-methods

9/19

2009-09-20T08:54:00.001-04:00

Today was my last day at the Crandall Family dojo, for a long time. The first part of class was jiyu kumite, which I haven't done in a while, and the second half was open dojo, I worked on Sanchin with sensei and then practiced sepai and shisoschin. I banged my shin up a bit during class, it's all swollen, and jammed my big toe also.

After class I talked with sensei for a while, I'll miss him, and the dojo; that's one of the best parts about training, meeting good people and making good friends. He may end up closing the dojo next month if he still doesn't have enough membership to cover the rent.

9/17

2009-09-18T08:09:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I went to beginners class, it was me and three other student's, two of which were new white belts. We worked on kihon a lot, some kihonido, and then me and Chris worked on Gekisai ichi rezouku bunkai for the remainder of the class.

After class Sensei and I talked for a bit, he mentioned that he may have to close the dojo this month because he hasn't had enough membership to pay the rent in months; he said if he does close the dojo that he'd probably still do something at the rec center down the road.

Artist of Life

2009-09-17T15:09:00.002-04:00

I've been a fan of Bruce Lee since I was a child, one of my favorite books of his Bruce Lee Artist of Life, compiled and edited by John Little (I also like The Art of Expressing the Human Body a lot). Last night I was reading through some of it, I've read the book a bunch of times; it had been a while since I read any of it. Here are two passages from the book, the first is a poem that Bruce Lee translated.

"The Frost by Tzu-yeh

Young man,
Seize every minute
Of your time.

The days fly by;
Ere long you too
Will grow old.

If you believe me not,
See there, in the courtyeard,
How the frost
Glitters white and cold and
cruel
On the grass that once was
green.

Do you not see
That you and I
Are as the branches
Of one tree?

With your rejoicing,
Comes my laughter;
With your sadness
Start my tears.

Love,
Could life be otherwise
With you and me?" pg. 110

Here is another passage from a personal essay he wrote entitled In My Own Process: III

"However, the problem is one where some people have a self, but most people have a void, because they are too busy wasting their vital creative energy to project themselves as this or that-dedicating their lives to actualizing a concept of what they should be like rather than actualizing their ever-growing potentiality as a human being; a sort of "being" versus having-that is, we do not "have" mind, we simply "are" mind. We are what we are.

Once the intelligence issue is established, I wonder how many of us have really gone to the trouble of reexamining all these so-called ready-made intelligent answers that are constantly crammed down our throats ever since heaven knows how long. Maybe starting from our first sign of capacity to learn. Yes, we possess a pair of eyes, the function of which is to observe, to discover, and so forth. Yet many of us simply do not really see in the true sens of the word. I must say that when the eyes are used externally to observe the inevitable faults of other human beings, most of us are rather quick with ready-made condemnation.

For it is easy to criticize and break down the spirit of others, but to know yourself takes maybe a lifetime. To take responsibility for one's actions, good and bad, is something else. After all, all knowledge simply means self-knowledge." pg 230

9/16

2009-09-16T21:13:00.002-04:00

I had a good time at the dojo today, probably only one or two times left before I go to Seattle. If I can keep my car a little longer on Saturday then I will go, I'm going to beginner class tomorrow.

I led junbi undo today, did probably around 120 leg raises and I'm not sure how many push ups, I noticed though I'm a little weaker from not training as much lately. Which has got me thinking more about my approach. When I get to Seattle I'm changing things up a bit, and I'll be forced to really do more bodyweight training since I'll have less space and equipment. I'm going to do a morning workout to, to get the blood flowing and wake me up/warm me up so I can get a good stretching session in before work.

We worked on kihon, kihonido (I noticed a lack of muscular endurance while doing some techniques, I'll be working on that a lot), and we went through gekisai dai ichi, ni, saifa, seyunchin, shisochin, and sanseru; with particularly attention to the later two, I also have improved a bit with not rushing the kata, it felt good and Sensei commented on it. Later we worked on some kihon bunkai from Saifa and then ended class.

Vitor Belfort is fighting this weekend, against former champion Rich Franklin, he's been training in Shotokan:

http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/belforts-secret-skill-karate-19632

I thought it was interesting that the first person to beat Franklin was Machida, and then fellow Blackhouse fighter Anderson Silva was the second.

Rocky's Story

2009-09-09T07:57:00.002-04:00

I've been reading some older posts on Ross Enamait's blog particularly the posts labeled under inspiration, there's lots of good ones, there's the story of a man that lost 400lbs by eating right and exercising, another man that lost 200lbs when he was 45 and became a collegieate wrestler, and many other's that I haven't read yet. Here's the link to his post about Stallone, he has a video of Tony Robbins telling Stallone's story. I didn't know that he was so poor and went through so much to accomplish what he has.

http://rosstraining.com/blog/2008/03/16/tony-robbins-tells-the-rocky-story/

9/08

2009-09-08T21:04:00.003-04:00

It was a busy day today, I had several appointments, and and errands to run in order to get ready for my move. But I did work out, I did some intervals biking, skipped some rope, and did some intervals and core work. I ran into a couple friends from high school there it was great to see them, talking to one of them has made me decide to focus more on running again, with the goal of running when I go to college at Evergreen State in a little over a year; which means I need to spend the next year really working on my running, but this time I'll be smart about it and not over train, more on this later.

I've been away from the internet for the past several days because of a camping trip and my new laptop got a virus! I've since wiped out my Windows Vista and install Ubuntu, so far so good!

I started a thread on Traditional Fighting Arts a couple weeks ago, asking about kensetsu geri in Sanseru, I was wondering if people pivot their foot when executing the kick or not, I'm taught not to when doing the kata, and kihon also, trying to figure out why you should or shouldn't. Which also also got me thinking more about the kick. I'm going to the dojo tomorrow so I'll see what I can come up with there.

I'm excited about moving to Seattle and training in Goju there, and other systems too, there seems to be martial art places all over! Depending on my finances I should be able to find a place to train at BJJ/Judo/Wrestling and or Kickboxing/Boxing. I really want to spend some time on a grappling system and another stand up one, like boxing and kickboxing, I think it will improve my Goju, by giving me another perspective and developing certain skills that are lacking in Goju, or at least that I haven't been exposed to yet, plus it just sounds fun, the brief time I trained in BJJ and Judo it was great fun and a good workout. Also with the kickboxing and boxing I'd like to get more experience with getting hit hard etc. Free sparring at the dojo was on Fridays, I worked at a restaurant so I was unable to make it there, so I haven't free sparred in over a year; but that will change this week.

Once I get out there I'm going to order the new book that's coming out on Hojo Undo, buy Masaji Taira's e-books, and renew my membership to the Tairabunkai.com site.

I also look forward to meeting some karateka in Washington that I've been e-mailing, and blogs I've been following. Living there will be a huge education for me in many ways, living in a city, living without a car, 3,000 miles away, martial arts, and many other things.

9/01

2009-09-01T21:25:00.003-04:00

Today I did a very light workout, some ring dips, ring rows, hammer curls, and some fore arm stuff. Yesterday I did a bunch of sheet rocking, so I wanted to take it easy, and tomorrow I'm doing some stone work. I enjoy using my rings, there's so much one can do with them, I'm really only beginning to use them more.

I visited my twin brother last weekend, we worked on some kata and some kihon drills. We were watching some of the videos from the Bar-Barian website. The requirements are much more difficult than I thought they would be. It's 50 push ups, 20 pull ups, 40 dips and 5 muscle ups under six minutes. When we went for a walk I did 37 dips on some rails at a play ground, I also tried doing a muscle up and managed to do one, but very poor form; I can do the required amount of push ups and pull ups. So we decided that we're going to train to be able to pass the requirements; so I'll need to be working more on my dip strength and endurance, and muscle ups, to improve my muscle ups I'll probably work on doing negatives, and explosive pull ups, and probably some other exercises that would help.

Pretty Good by Charles Osgood

2009-08-30T19:13:00.001-04:00

Pretty Good

by Charles Osgood

There once was a pretty good student,

Who sat in a pretty good class

And was taught by a pretty good teacher,

Who always let pretty good pass.

He wasn’t terrific at reading;

He wasn’t terrific at math;

But for him education was leading

Straight down a pretty good path.

He didn’t find school too exciting,

But he wanted to do pretty well,

And he did have some trouble with writing,

And nobody had taught him to spell.

When doing arithmetic problems,

Pretty good was regarded as fine;

Five and five needn’t always add to be 10,

A pretty good answer was nine.

The pretty good student was happy

With the standards that were in effect,

And nobody thought it was sappy

If his answers were not quite correct.

The pretty good class that he sat in

Was part of a pretty good school,

And the student was not an exception;

On the contrary, he was the rule.

The pretty good school that he went to

Was right there in a pretty good town,

And nobody there ever noticed

He could not tell a verb from a noun.

The pretty good student, in fact, was

A part of a pretty good mob.

And the first time he knew what he lacked was

When he looked for a pretty good job.

It was then, when he sought a position,

He discovered that life can be tough,

And he soon had a sneaky suspicion

Pretty good might not be good enough.

The pretty good town in our story

Was part of a pretty good state

Which had pretty good aspirations

And prayed for a pretty good fate.

There once was a pretty good nation,

Pretty proud of the greatness it had,

But which learned much too late,

If you want to be great,

Pretty good is, in fact, pretty bad.

Medicine Ball/8/27 training

2009-08-27T16:49:00.003-04:00

I had a good aerobic workout at the gym today, I did intervals on the stationary bike, I was going to the dojo but my mom wanted to have dinner with me since I'm leaving soon so I stayed. I also did some core work, decline sit ups with 70lbs and hanging leg raises.

Earlier today I made a medicine ball, I cut a V shaped slot in an old basketball and filled it with sand and then wrapped it up with duct tape. It weighs about 29lbs. I've never used a medicine ball in training but I'm looking forward to it. I'll make another one when I get to WA. I'll probably end up putting some hockey grip tape or something on it, since it may get slippery when sweaty.

Also while spinning I was doing some kihon, I would do ten slow and then ten fast-while spinning, I liked that, I stopped though once some folks came in the room.

Vitamin D

2009-08-26T23:16:00.005-04:00

I was talking with my twin brother the other day, and he mentioned that some new studies on vitamin D came out. So I did some searching and found these articles. I remember reading in the Okinawa Program that vitamin D was a key factor in their long healthy life, both from the sun and their diet.

"The findings ... are a breakthrough of great medical and public-health importance," said Cedric Garland, a prominent vitamin D researcher at the University of California, San Diego. "No other method to prevent cancer has been identified that has such a powerful impact."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003739205_vitamind08.html

I was a little surprised when I read this:

"Nearly 70 percent of children in the United States have a heightened risk for heart and bone disease due to low vitamin D levels, according to the findings of a nationwide study led by Dr. Michal L. Melamed of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. LiveScience reports that rickets, an infant bone disease resulting from a lack of vitamin D, has also been on the rise. "
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/health/2009/august/New-Vitamin-D-Study-Calls-for-Lifestyle-Changes-.html

It's more common than I ever thought it was, a few weeks ago a friend of mine told me that one of his sons went to the doctor because of an illness and had his blood taken and one of the things they discovered was vitamin d deficiency, they also found it in his father-in-law.

It's something I'll have to keep in mind in the winter, especially in the northwest.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=vitamin-d-deficiency-united-states

8/26/09 Training

2009-08-26T20:20:00.004-04:00

I didn't make it to the dojo today as planned, but I will tomorrow. I actually went to the gym, instead of training at home, I played around with kettlebells a little, and tried out the new wall mounted pull up bars, I did various weighted L pull ups, and some explosive pull ups, and explosive push ups, and some jumping squats with a weight vest, and a couple sets of lunges with a weight vest-every time I came up I woulddo mae geri-mae geri-mawashi geri-mawashi geri-and then repeat. I also jumped rope, and did much better this time, I did sets of 30 seconds and one minute, next time I'd like to try doing three-three minute rounds, with a one minute break in between where I'll do other drills. I really enjoyed jumping rope, I think it's a great workout which will help me to be light on my feet, and build more explosive strength in my calves. I also did some elevated triceps dips with about 100lbs on me, declined sit ups with about 70lbs, hammer curls, and some elevated thumb/fore finger push ups.

I'm definitely going to start working more on explosive strength, and plyometrics. I've been thinking about what I'll do for exercise in WA, since I can't bring much with me; I'll definitely bring my rings, and I'll probably buy a door pull up bar. I'll also pre-drill some holes in a dowel to make a chi ishi with when I get there, and I bring my stick that I drilled a hole through for a wrist roller.

Tomorrow I should make it to the dojo.

I'm typing this on my new laptop that I'll be bringing with me to Washington state. It only cost $274, it was on sale for $299, I used a $25 coupon.

Biking/Makiwara

2009-08-23T17:58:00.003-04:00

I went for a nice bike ride today, not quite sure how far, probably around 20 miles or so. I did stop a couple times, stretched and talked with a buddy that was working.

I've also been getting into the habit of training on my tire makiwara every day, my right middle knuckle is hurting so maybe I'll try every other day for now.

I'm also going to start jumping rope a couple times a week, I need to get better at it and the use it for conditioning. There's an amazing video of Ross Enamait training with a jump rope on youtube.

Goju Ryu Study Guide and things.

2009-08-20T20:47:00.004-04:00

I'll write more about it later, I need to get some sleep. Last week I purchased Dave Oddy's Goju Ryu Study Guide, I like it a lot. It comes with his e-book (the Goju Ryu Study Guide) and three supplementary e-books, on strength training, cardiovascular training, and creating a home training plan, and three interviews of the following karateka: Sensei Mike Mancuso, Kris Wilder, and Brian Loterbauer. I've read most of his e- books, and I've listened to the interviews of Senseis Mancuso and Wilder already; they're great! Totally worth the money. It's been fascinating and inspiring listening to their history, stories, and their take on Goju ryu. I'd like to in the future listen to some of the other interviews, especially Sensei Merriman, Bryson Keenan and Glenn McIlvride. I'll elaborate more on this later, especially the main e-book, I'd like to print it out soon so I can have a hard copy and refer to it that way, and to write in it; at the end of each section there are "chapter action steps" where you have space to reflect on what you've learned and how you'll implement it into your training.

So I've been thinking of moving to Washinton State for a while now, on and off. I was going to move this August but didn't for several reasons, but today I was offered a job I applied for with the Washington Conservation Corps so I'll be moving to WA in September. More on this later also. If anyone knows of a good Goju ryu dojo in the Renton area please let me know. I was planning on training at Kris Wilder's dojo but it looks like I will end up being too far from it. There's probably lots of other styles around there too, I'll have to look into that.

After a long hard day of roofing today I had a light training session of makiwara, bagwork and worked a little on shisochin and some movements from saifa and gekisai.

Bed time.

The Art of Hojo Undo

2009-08-17T09:21:00.004-04:00

This new book looks sweet, it's great, lots of resources for goju have been coming out in the past several years, Kris Wilder's books, Tairbunkai.com, Dave Oddy's Gojuryustudyguide.com and other websites, Ian Abernathy, and a bunch of insightful blogs.

The Art of Hojo Undo: Power Training for Traditional Karate by Michael Clarke

I couldn't make it to the dojo today because I was busy tanning a hide, stretching and dressing it today, took a little longer because it required some scraping that I didn't plan on; but it seems to be turning out ok, maybe my best one yet.

I did just have good workout, I tried to keep it under and hour or so, I didn't do a lot but I think enough, hand stand push ups, various elevated ring push ups, ring dips, hammer curls, barbbell curls, tricep extensions and kick backs, more chi ishi stuff, forearm training. The joint at the base of my left thumb has been bothering me more lately, I broke and or tore a tendon in it a few winters ago; since then it's been swollen and has less mobility. I've been trying to strengthen it through different exercises, like thumb push ups, maybe I should do more of them when I feel up to it.

It's been hotter lately so I've been needing to drink much more water to stay hydrated. I've been doing much more cycling lately, I recently bought a new used road bike, complete with fenders and a rack! I plan on doing some touring in the future. I think cycling can be a good aerobic and anerobic workout, and I'm trying to listen to my body and not over do it like last year with running.

I'm working on getting into a routine of hitting my makiwara every morning also, and I'll probably do some kicks on my heavy bag too. I've noticed that sometimes it hurts my left thumb joint while doing shuto and sometimes punching on the bag and makiwara, that could be what's made it worse. I also should be doing sanchin and tensho in the morning, but I just feel like I'm doing it all wrong, I need to make sure I have Sensei check me on it soon.

In the next week or so I'm going to work on making a tou, I think it's called, sort of like the one on Gary Lever's blog, and like one I saw in a video with Morio Higaonna.

Taygay

2009-08-16T22:59:00.003-04:00

I just read a good post over on the Broken Bokken blog, Got Taygay? I've read a little about it in the Okinawa Program, taygay means relaxed-easy going, apparently that's part of the traditional culture there, sounds good to me.

I also just signed up for Wim Demere's e-mail list and got a free e-book on how to do a leg kick, with your rear foot. It's for fighting in the ring, but I'm still interested, there's a lot more to it than I thought.

Paleo

2009-08-12T11:44:00.003-04:00

I keep seeing references to the so called Paleo Diet, around the Internet, various blogs, forums, and fitness websites. I've been reading The Okinawa Program, which is quite different from the "paleo diet". Here are some quotes from the reference section I thought were particularly insightful:

“extrapolation from research evidence on modern hunter-gatherer societies shows that meat usually constitutes only a small proportion of the total intake of food, except in high altitudes where plants are scarce and there has been physiological adaptations to diets high in animal fats and proteins. An example of this latter pattern could be seen in the dietary habits of the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic. When edible plants were scarce in winter, Inuit populations obtained nutrients usually associated with vegetables from eating all the tissues, the bone marrow, and the stomach contents of plant-eating animals. Historical records of fifty-eight hunting, gathering, and fishing societies show that hunting was the dominant mode of subsistence only at a latitudes greater than 60 degrees.” page 444

And

“The most commonly accepted figure from anthropologists and other scientists regarding diet during the Middle Paleolithic (200,000-40,000 years ago), when hunting and gathering gradually became the main subsistence strategy of early humans, was about 65 percent of calories from plant sources, (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grasses etc) and 35 percent of calories from animal sources (wild game, reptiles, insects, etc.)

All told, the evidence from looking at human diets in small-scale hunting and gathering societies, diets of other primates, and the modern application of chemical techniques of analysis to ancient bones suggests that plant foods probably always constituted half or more of the human diet among all human populations except those in the arctic regions, throughout human evolutionary history.” page 444

The author goes on to point out that “lean wild meat is vastly different from the meat of domesticated animals, with its high content of saturated fat.”

“Many fad diet books advocating high protein intakes from meat sources have appeared in recent years based on misinterpretations of the amount of protein consumed fro animal sources throughout our evolutionary history. With such titles as Protein Power, Neanderthin, or Evolutionary Diet, they recommend that one should eat “as evolution designed us to eat.” The rationale of these high-protein fad diets rests on two false assumptions. The first is that early humans obtained most of their calories from the consumption of meat. The scientific evidence simply does not support this assumption as revealed in the previous reference. The second false assumption is the importance placed on the Stone Age (2.5 million years ago to 10,000 years ago) as an evolutionary period. It is argued that human biology is genetically adapted to the hunter-gather lifestlye of the Paleolithic period (Stone Age), and modern humans are viewed as Upper Paleolithic (40,000-10,000 years ago), pre-agricultural, meat-eating hunters. Yet, logically, it would be just as persuasive to argue that the behavior of Upper Paleolithic hunter-gathers was out of sync with evolution because most of the ancestors of these hunter-gatherers were vegetarians. As any introductory textbook in physical anthropology tells us, gathering and hunting only came to gradually predominate over gathering and scavenging as a subsistence strategy near the end of the Middle Paleolithic (approximately 60,000 years ago).” pp.444-445

The authors go on to write about human evolution didn't end when the age of agriculture began, and that evolution continues to act on human populations, and that the, “best-documented examples of natural selection in the modern human populations are the evolution of malaria resistance and lactose intolerance, which are thought to have originated in the past few thousand years.” But also that the “2.5 million years of Stone Age evolution is a blink of an eye compared with the nearly four billion years of evolution behind Homo sapiens.”

“Perhaps no one more is more of an expert on hunter-gather societies than University of Toronto anthropologist Dr. Ricard Lee. In fact, his book The !Kung San (1979) was recently listed by the journal American Scientist as among the top 100 most important works of science in the twentieth century. In his widely read works, Dr. Lee shows that women were responsible for supplying the majority of calories in !Kung San society- and that the calories came mainly from the foraging (gathering) of wild plants-especially nuts, roots and tubers, not hunting meat. Meat was found to be a small but important supplement to the diet, much as it is now in Okinawa.” pg.445

More later.

Karate

2009-08-11T18:09:00.005-04:00

It's been awhile since I've updated my blog. I now have more access to the Internet, since I've left the farm I was living and working at; which also means I'm a little closer to the dojo, for now at least; although I probably wont be in the area too long, more on that later.

I was just reading an excellent post on David Chapman's blog, the title of the post is Rethinking Karate Methodology.

I think he's right on in his critique.

Here's one of my favorite passages:

Karate, these days, has an atmosphere of 'I am such and such a rank,' and 'I know X number of Kata,' and 'I can throw a perfect Round Kick against Air!'
When you go to a Judo or Jujitsu Dojo there is very little talk, you step onto their floor you better be ready to throw down and show what you got, there is no punching or kicking air, there is no bragging about how pretty something looks, it either works or it doesn't and you are left without a doubt as to why it doesn't work or why it does.

And:

This is the trouble with many Karate Dojo, the strategy is not clearly defined and the tactics that are supposed to support that strategy are all taught out of their proper context.
You defend against Karate techniques with Karate techniques and you rarely, if ever, touch upon the behavioral aspects, the psychological aspects, the physiological aspects of a fight.
You end up with twenty different ways to counter a reverse punch or a straight punch, twenty different ways to defend against a front kick, ect.
When the time comes to actually defend yourself you are like a deer in headlights, freezing in front of a rabid dog set to bite your head off.

He goes on to talk about how there's very little study of kata, or none, and endless repetitions of kihon, and kata up and down the floor, politics and ego.

The dojo I started training at during high school reminds me of what he writes about. The instructor there was a godan in Goju ryu and Shorin ryu (and wore a special striped belt too!) and made his students address him as Shihan, oh and he was a shodan in kobudo too (he was thirty-two at the time)... In that organization they have "teaching titles," so a student with X amount of time in the dojo would become a shidoin, and then a shidoin-dai, then sempai, sensei, renshi, shihan, kyoshi, and then to hanshi (the head guy of the organization was 10th dan in Goju and Shorin ryu) for each title they have different patches and belts at a certain point also. They also have a special honor society called doshi-kai, as a member you get to train in kobudo and shorin ryu and have a special black stripe sewn across your obi. There was essentially no bunkai there, no depth at all to goju, they have black belts that couldn't make a fist. I remember when he was teaching me saifa, I asked him what the scooping block was for, and he replied, "The move is so old that people have forgot its meaning, but I think you'll find it's very pretty."

I'm starting to re-read The Way of Sanchin Kata by Kris Wilder, I initially read it way too fast without really studying it, I'm learning a lot and realizing how I really don't have much of an understanding of sanchin/goju.

Busy!

2009-06-04T13:05:00.003-04:00

I've been quite busy at the farm, working a lot, no weekends lately, and not much time to make it to the library to access the internet, I'm on lunch right now. I'll post soon when I have time. I've been training after work in the evening. Gary Lever's recent blog post Less is More also has got me thing about my goju; it's a good reminder. I'll probably also be getting some new running shoes this weekend or so, and start again slowly.

International Goju Ryu Development Society

2009-05-21T22:20:00.002-04:00

I'm visiting my brother today, I had the day off at the farm because soon we wont have weekends while we're quite busy. Maybe this weekend I can video my kata or something. I recently joined this network online called the International Goju Ryu Development Society, it seems like a wonderful I idea and I look forward to learning from it. I haven't watched any of the videos on the site yet because the library computers don't let me or something.

http://igdsgoju.ning.com/

Lyoto Machida fights tommorrow night, hopefully he'll kicks ass.

Still Training

2009-05-12T12:48:00.002-04:00

I'm still training, because of my current living situation I have limited access to the internet, I use the local libary, which isn't open too late, on my lunch break right now. I'm enjoying working at the farm more and more, I have the top floor of a barn to myself which I use as my training area and the fields around it.

More later.

Obi for a Dip Belt

2009-05-04T00:07:00.005-04:00

Last month I tried using my karate belt as a weight belt, and it has worked well so far. I haven't tried doing dips with it yet because regular ring dips with my body weight is challenging he enough for now. I've also started putting weight in my ALICE pack for various exercises, like push ups, and rows.

In this video I'm doing chin ups on my home made pull up bar, a piece of wood suspended by two ropes. The two things on each end are ab slings I made out of seat belt strapping and pant leggings, which I use for hanging leg raises.

New Training Schedule

2009-05-03T18:15:00.002-04:00

A buddy of mind wrote this out for me, he's older and more experienced than me. I sent him what I've been doing, he rearranged it, added, and changed some things into what follows. I also asked him why some muscle groups are only worked once a week and he explained that recovery is very important, no doubt, I've probably been over training. Plus now that I'll be doing physical labor at a farm all day it'd be best if I broke up my training more into shorter, but intense sessions, plus in addition to this I'll be doing a lot of solo karate training. I'll probably change this a bit though, add in more arm and chest stuff.

As for the karate training, I'm going to be video taping myself doing kata, and other things, and reviewing it to see what I'm doing wrong, especially with my kata, Sensei said that I'm still doing certain parts way too fast. Other things I'll spend more time on include, lunging forward with kicks and punches, and my kicks, especially with my left leg. I figure when I move to the farm I'll bring a small bag I made and filled with stand to at least work on targeting with strikes and maybe eventually I could bring my heavy bag down, and makiwara, I'm going to use trees a lot too. My friend also recommended using a full length mirror.

I didn't train last week while traveling, but before I left I did a workout and tried doing weighted hanging leg raises, I used five pounds that I tied to my feet and was able to do repetitions with them. Tomorrow I may also go to home depot and get materials to make an ab roller like the one in Never Gymless.

DAY 1: BACK, BICEPS, FOREARMS

2-3 sets of L pull ups with 25lb weight vest
2-3 sets of ring pull ups (with vest on last two sets)
4 sets of tuck lever with weight vest
1x12, 1x10, 1x8 of back hyperextensions (use weight for last 1-2 sets)
1x12, 1x10, 1x8 sets of standing barbell curls
1x6, 1x6 of hammer curls
Wrist roller: 3 sets (add weight on last set to increase intensity)

DAY 2: AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC TRAINING: recommend hill sprints or bike sprints and some form of shadow boxing (throw techniques lightly to prevent jarring the joints) – 5 minutes of skipping at end.

DAY 3: THIGHS, CALVES & NECK

1x12, 1x10, 1x8 bodyweight squats (specific warm-up) supersetted with 3 x 6 sets of side lunge
1x20 secs, 1x30secs, 1x60 secs isometric wall squats
3 x 8 split squats (done explosively)
1x12, 1x10, 1x8 standing one-legged calf raise (get full stretch) – as you get stronger add a dumbbell in one hand) supersetted with 1x6, 1x6, 1x6 Swiss ball leg curl (killer)
3 sets of back bridge (recommend you get good at bridging) supersetted with Front bridge 3 sets of 15 secs
Head stand 30secs

DAY 4: AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC TRAINING: 25 MINUTE BIKE RIDE WITH AN INTERVAL TRAINING APPROACH – E.G. CYCLE EASY FOR 3 MINUTES THEN SPRINT FOR 20 SECONDS, REPEAT.
ALTERNATIVELY CYLE ON FLAT GROUND FOR 15 MINUTES THEN CYCLE UPHILL FOR 10 MINUTES AT A HARD PACE. Total training time including dynamic warm-up and static stretches should not exceed 40 minutes.

DAY 5: CHEST, DELTS, TRICEPS, CORE

2x10 kneeling press-ups (specific warm-up)
1x5, 1x6, 1x6 feet elevated press ups or ring press-ups
1X4, 1X4, 1X4 Handstand shoulder press-ups
3 sets of 4 dips with weight vest
1X8, 1X5 SNATCHES
1X5, 1X8,1X10 HIP SWINGS (GREAT EXERCISE FOR MARTIAL ARTS)
4 sets of hanging leg raises-I keep my legs straing and my backstraight and raise my feet over my head
3-5 sets of decline sit ups, with vest and 45lbs, side to side

DAY6: AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC TRAINING: recommend 6 hill sprints, 10 minutes light sparring or shadow boxing and 5-10 minutes sof skipping. Total training time including dynamic warm-up and static stretches should not exceed 40 minutes.

DAY 7: REST – MAYBE EASY WALK.

Back from WA

2009-05-02T00:02:00.002-04:00

I arrived back in New Hampshire on Friday from my trip to Evergreen State College; which was a success, I really enjoyed checking out Olympia and the school. On Sunday I'm going to a seminar at the CT Jundokan with my Sensei and fellow students, Merriman Sensei will be there, no doubt it'll be a great time.

Busy

2009-04-24T01:33:00.000-04:00

Last day of at current job is tomorrow, and then next week I fly to WA to visit a college, come back and then start a new job, an apprenticeship at a biodynamic farm. I probably won't have much internet access while there but I'll still keep a training journal.

The other day I successfully used my Karate obi as a dip belt, I read in a forum someone mentioning it so I gave it a try with 45lbs and it seems to work fairly well.

Need sleep. More later.

Last Week

2009-04-13T00:22:00.003-04:00

Quick entry, need to get to bed.

I haven't written much lately. I'll probably just be doing a few posts a week to record my training, as a summary. I don't know.

This past week I've had pretty good workouts, and getting back into intervals on the stationary bike. I've added more weight to my tricep dips, I'm now doing my body weight plus a hundred pounds with my feet elevated, I'm also doing a lot more dips, and weighted dips, all of them are weighted, with more than just the weight vest. I'm being more organized with my training also, and trying to shorten my workouts, my handstand push ups are also coming along.

I tried to run earlier last week but ended up just hurting my ankles and left foot more, I've been wearing an ankle brace a lot lately which seems to be helping, so no more running for a while, I just be doing a lot of spinning, and work on strengthening my calfs/and shin muscles. My shoulders were also bothering me a little, less now, I think it was from doing my tricep dips too deep, and they were very sore; also my right elbow started hurting a little today, maybe it's from the dumb bell bench presses.

My Ironmind COC hand gripper came in a couple weeks ago, it's excellent, I bought the trainer model, which has 100 lbs of resistance, I'd like to get the next one, which has 140 lbs of resistance soon, although I don't know now that my car needs a lot of repairs.

The Little Black Book of Violence by Kris Wilder and Lawrence Kane (authors of Way of Kata and others) came in today, a couple weeks earlier that it was expected to be released; and it's awesome. I'll be writing more on that later. The book is all about fighting, street fighting-how to avoid it, what to do if you get in a fight, why you should avoid, what could happen and much more, I've only started reading it. It'll definitly be a book I'll have to spend a lot of time studying.

Tomorrow I'm going to put my sand bags back up outside, I'll probably end up mounting them to a log and sticking it in a hole.

Calories

2009-03-29T20:15:00.005-04:00

I found this article when I was reading through some old posts on the Beast Skills blog. It's on how to calculate the amount calories you should be consuming in a day. I calculated mine, and it came out to be 5,643 calories a day. I'm definitely not eating that much in a day; so this week I'll be spending some time improving my diet and increasing my intake of calories, and work on getting in a better eating routine.

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=460331

Later I found some updated articles on the same site about calorie intake, one of them linked to this site: http://www.johnberardi.com/updates/july262002/na_masscalculator.htm it has a calculator to quickly figure out your calorie needs, according to the site I require about 5,904 calories a day. I don't know what my body fat percentage is, so I'm put in 5 percent, which is a guess. My twin brother had his body fat tested a few years ago and it was around three percent, I look very similar to him so I figured I'd be close to that.

Explosive and Reactive Strength

2009-03-29T13:01:00.002-04:00

I found this video demonstrating some exercises to train explosive strength. Most, if not all of them are in the book Never Gymless by Ross Enamait.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd5eyufKZEo&NR=1

Awesome stuff, often neglected. I've recently starting adding them into my training, although right now I can't really do any of the jumping stuff.

More later.

Rings

2009-03-25T23:30:00.003-04:00

My rings and book on gymnastic exercises came in today. I've been reading the book and messed around with the ring a little before work, was pretty sore from my training yesterday though. Doing dips on the rings is much more challenging than just on a dip station.

Today I focused on aerobic, doing intervals spinning, kata, and some core work. I also tried out the ab wheel. I can easily use it from a kneeling position but when I attempt to use it from a standing position it puts a lot of strain on my lower back and I'm unable to do it. So I'll focusing a lot more on training my lower back, at least 4 sets of back extensions, bridges, wall walking, and probably some other things. I did some wall walking today, that was neat, I'll train with it more next time, I also did some calf raises, I'll add that back to my routine and do a lot more static wall squats, on one leg, and build back, and then maybe in a week or two slowly go back to one leg squats and presses on my left leg, since last time about two weeks ago I misaligned my hip, I might be ok doing them on my right side for now, I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Quick post, it's late, need to go to bed soon.

Internet

2009-03-23T18:33:00.001-04:00

I have limited access to the internet, no longer available on my computer, so my posts will be less frequent. I'll figure something out.

Some Good Videos

2009-03-19T23:57:00.001-04:00

After reading ZenHG's blog entry ( http://onthetrainingfloor.blogspot.com/) on Wing Chun and the show Fight Quest, I went on Youtube and watched the episode along with the BJJ one, and Kali episode. I especially enjoyed the BJJ one, it makes me really want to train in the style more in the future.

A few weeks ago I also watched the episodes (Human Weapon) on the Marine fighting system, Krav Maga and some others. I especially liked the episode on the Marine fighting system.

Some cool Goju stuff here too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXlggljUOUs&NR=1

I also just saw this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAcwcqOPcHM&feature=rec-HM-fresh+div

Yesterday I had a brief but intense workout, mostly with my weight and a weight vest, on the pull up bar, dip station, parallelettes, and decline bench, and later after work I did some forearm training.

Training Equipment

2009-03-17T00:30:00.003-04:00

Here's a list of training equipment that I'll eventually get, I think it would be very versatile and simple, which I'd be able to do a lot with: kettle bells (I'd have a few different weights to start with probably, and use two light ones in place of ishi sashi) weight vest-25 lbs and a heavier one, rings, iron geta, 2'' thick 10' rope, sledge hammer and a tire, weight belt. I already have a few dumb bells, an ok bench, a bar bell, a couple chi ishi I made, some make shift nigri gamae I made out of used protein jars which I filled with sand, wrist rollers, with all that I could do a lot. Probably the first thing on the list I'll buy are the rings, because they can be easyily transported and used in a variety of locations, ex: when I'm traveling and living in the bush, and I could do a lot of different exercises with them. I'll also be making an ab wheel like the one in Never Gymless, and I already have some PVC piping paralellettees I made. Oh yes and another piece of equipement I'll get sooner than later would be a hand gripper, like the ones at ironmind.com, I'm thinking of starting with the 100lb one, I hope it wouldn't be too much.

I just found this blog, it looks great and I look forward to reading it:
http://memoirsofagrasshopper.blogspot.com/

I especially like the intro paragraph:

"A few years ago, a friend asked me what I’d do if I had a million dollars. I didn’t have to think before answering – "I’d move to Okinawa, Japan to train under Grand Master, Morio Higaonna-Sensei". It was only later, that it dawned on me I didn't actually need a million dollars to pursue this dream...

So now here I am, living in a little apartment above a busy Japanese restaurant barely 2 minutes walk from Sensei's Honbu dojo. I've been training with him daily now for 6 months and decided it was finally time to start recording some of my experiences and "ah-haa!" moments."

Also at the gym today I saw a dude that I met last spring when I was training there, he was in the Air Force for a bit and has been all over the world (including Okinawa), so I ended up talking to him for a while.

Headstands and Other Things

2009-03-17T00:05:00.001-04:00

Today I went to the gym in the evening, I was going to focus on weight training but decided not to, I stared the workout with a half mile run for a warm up and then sets of different types of weighted L pullups, and tuck levers, hanging leg raises, and weighted decline sit ups. After the pull ups and core work I ran about a half mile, and then I did intervals on the bike, not long, for ten minutes or so, after which I headed into the aerobic/yoga room, it was nice because I had the whole room to myself. I started with a set of burpees, after which I did some explosive push ups, and then started working on some Goju. I started with Seipai, I went through it several times, really focusing on technique, and I also went through Shisochin slowing, but with power, and Sanseru, and then did Tensho. After the kata I focused on kihon, working on chudan uke, jodan uke, and gedan uke out of sanchin dachi, and a couple sets of gedan uke in shiko dachi, while working on putting my hip into it. After the blocks I did some sets of jodan and chudan tsuki and then shotei, and mawashi uke, which I realized I have a question for my Sensei about. I worked on my kicks after, more on mae geri, mawashi geri, hook kicks, and some axe kicks. The other day when I was doing some bag work I was messing around a little with doing high axe kicks, I know it's probably not practical for self defense, but in free sparring I sometimes could pull it off, so I'm going to work on that more, I'm think a high one coming down on the head. I also worked on kicking slowly and high, and low kicks. Maybe tomorrow, but definitely Wed. I'll do more bag work, I did a couple sessions of bag work last week, focusing a lot on low shin kicks, mae geri, and some hand techniques, and trying to put power into some techniques from kata, more on that later. I ended that part of the workout with some hip drills.

After working on my Goju I decided to work more on my headstands, hand stands, and other things. So I practiced doing headstands for like twenty minutes, I'm able to hold it much longer than I could a couple months ago, I'll have to bring my stop watch next time and see how long, I know I held it for a good portion of the song Spoonman by Soundgarden (awesome song) that happened to be playing on the radio. For working on my hand stands I put a pad under my head and then pressed into positon mostly keeping my feet on the wall, for now I'll keep doing that as my strength builds up and I get more used to the position. I also fiddled around a little with frog sits and things, I think that's what they're called, I'll have to check on that. I also tried doing some kind of lever, I'll have to look that up, and I also head a bridge a couple times and tried the wall bridge walking exercise demonstrated in the book Never Gymless. I'll have to go back and reread that part. Those exercises worked my neck some, which is good, and also my spinal erectus, both of which are weak, I'll be spending more time on.

Also yesterday (or was it Saturday?) I did some neck exercises, using my hands at resistance and also doing raises off my bed, and I also did some isometrics like the ones demonstrated in Never Gymless, such as overhead presses, I also did some where I stand in sanchin dachi and press on a door fram with technique, like with chudan uke; and I did a bunch of door grabs, where I grab the side of a door with my hands and just lean back, it's a good workout for my grip/forearms, and I also hanged a little from the trim above my door to work my fingers some more.

I'm probably going to add dumb bell snatches to my routine also, it seems like it's a great compound exercise.

Training and Stuff

2009-03-11T16:21:00.003-04:00

I haven't been writing here much lately. My training for the past couple weeks has been a little unorganized but I'm getting back into my routine now.

Saturday I went to the dojo, it's open dojo on Saturdays and is the day I can generally always make it because of work and distance. It was a good training session, we worked on throws the whole time, more on that later, and after I had pizza with Sensei, his wife and his son that was on leave from the Navy.

Today I did weight training at the gym, I haven't focused on my forearms/hands yet today, I will later tonight after work. I've been able to do dips, it seems my chest is healed. A brief summary of what I did: 3 sets of one leg presses, three sets of dips-2 weighted, 2 sets L pull ups, 2 sets weighted commando pull ups, 1 set with the wide grip thing/weighted, three sets of weighted tuck levers, 2 sets of hanging leg raises, 3 sets of decline weighted sit ups, 3 sets weighted tricep dips, 2 sets barbell curls, 1 set tricep extension, 2 sets reverse preacher curls, tensho weight exercises/chudan uke one too, 3 sets of one leg squats-it seemed to bother my left lower back, same with the presses, 2 sets of dumb bell presses, 2 sets of weighted pike presses, 1 set of pseudo handstand push ups. More next time. Also did a set of one leg wall squats to finish up with, and I've noticed I can hold them much longer than I used to be able to. Except my left leg is still weaker than my right. I also di a few sets of incline three finger push ups, 2 sets of thumb/index knucle pushups and a set of weighted 3 finger incline push ups. Next time I'll work on 1 arm push ups also.

Gotta go. More later. I may try some swimming tomorrow also.

Gymnastics Training

2009-02-27T00:27:00.004-05:00

Last year I read an article on http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/229/ by Coach Sommers entitled Building An Olympic Body Through Bodyweight Conditioning. It really helped to open my eyes to a whole other approach to physical fitness and what that really means. Later on I found his website : www.gymnasticsbodies.com which is packed with information, especially on the forums. He has a new book that came out last winter, Building the Gymnastic Body, which sounds excellent (pricey though at $45). I was just reminded of this website and his writings while searching around on the internet about Crossfit. I need to remember to add the static tuck holds to my workout, I'm close to holding it for 60 seconds, once I can do that I'll move on to the advanced tuck plance and so forth, with the goal of eventually being able to perform planche push ups. I've never trained with rings but eventually when I buy by own I will. There are a lot of exercises one can do on them, to mention a few: variations of push ups, hand stand push ups, dips, pull ups, muscle ups, and others. Mr. Sommer sells some on his website for $59, from what I understand his rings are superior to others sold online mostly because of his strapping system that allows you to adjust the height quickly and easily, a huge thing I find appealing abour rings is their versatility, they are small, light and pack easy and can be set up on different locations, like a tree branch, which would be very useful for me when I'm living and traveling in the bush.

I also realized I don't really have an exercise that covers my hamstrings, I do one leg squats, single leg presses, and lunges, but I don't think that works my hamstrings enough. In Never Gymless the author demonstrates a bodyweight hamstring raise with one leg on a bench, I may add that, although it seems pretty basic. A more advanced version that I don't think I'm capable of yet (I just sort of tried it on my floor using my bed) is the hamstring bodyweight curl, it's when you tuck your heels under a bench and raise your body up and down. Another possibility might be doing hamstring curls off of a ball with my feet hooked under a bench, I'm not sure, I'll ask a trainer at the gym for some ideas.

Also check out this blog: http://idoportal.blogspot.com/. I just started following it, I found it linked off of Mr. Sommer's site.

Getting Better

2009-02-24T11:13:00.002-05:00

I'm starting to feel better. Even though I haven't been feeling well I should trained at least a little yesterday, I could have done some core work, forearm training and some kihon at least. Today I'll do some cycling, and some light kihon and kata probably. I'm also going to be more focused about when I do karate training, since lately I've mostly just been doing conditioning. On the days I don't weight train I focus more on aerobic endurance, and karate practice. On those days I'll spend at least a half hour on kata, all of kihon-at least twenty sets fast, heiko dachi hip drill, moving in stance with the hip, at least 15 minutes on the makiwara, and 15 on heavy bag, and I'll end with arm and shin conditioning on the heavy bag, tree trunk column on the front porch, and with my wiffle bat. I'll also include the wall hip drills that Taira Sensei demonstrated on his website.

Sick

2009-02-22T21:15:00.002-05:00

Last week I barely trained at all, and the past couple days I haven't been feeling too well. I've been doing some sanchin and tensho. Tomorrow I'll be back to training. I think I'll also be doing my weight training on Mon, Wed. and Fri. instead of my usual Sunday, Tues, Thurs, since I'm essentially no longer working at my second job I now have time on those days.

Also my jubo/BJJ membership has ended and really can't afford to renew now, but in the future, I'll be getting more into both systems, along with boxing and kick boxing, just to strengthen my goju.

Older Karateka

2009-02-16T13:55:00.012-05:00

The picture to the far left is of Shinyu Gushi, a senior Uechi Ryu Karateka, I don't know his age in the photo. The next picture is Mr. Gushi in his early 70s on the cover of one of his training videos (amazon.com). His physical development is amazing, he looks to be in far better shape than most twenty-year olds.

Here's a quote from an interview of him with Dragon times (http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Dtimes/Pages/article18.htm).

"Dragon Times: Many readers have asked us about your muscle-development. They want to know if you do weight training or if not, what sort of training you do to keep yourself in such good condition.

Shinyu Gushi: I don't do any weight training. I used to do a little when I was young but Uehara sensei told me that it I should concentrate on the quality of my muscles and not just their size so I cut it down to a minimum. It's good to be strong but in karate it's speed and "snap" that you need. What muscles I have comes from Sanchin training and using nigiri game. Muscles developed this way serve to protect the body, weight training just produces a pleasing appearance.

When you are fighting (drops into Sanchin stance) you pull your shoulders down like this and tense your muscles, including those around your throat to make a shield. With your body round and compact and your muscles tense you are relatively safe and protected. We pull everything into the center, lower our bodies like this and make them round and smooth. Techniques are performed in front of the body, we don't block above the level of the head for example because that would weaken our defenses."

I don't totally agree with what he said about weight training, which really has proven to be totally false, if done correctly, but it's still impressive the level of fitness he's achieved by just using the gripping jars and karate training. I enjoy reading about senior karateka that take care of their bodies and maintain physical fitness, it sets a good example and is inspirational to me at least.

Here's a quote from the book Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop:

"Of course, there is always the exception to the rule: Yoshio Itokazu was that exception. I paid him a visit one hot and humid summer afternoon at the quiet village of Funakoshi, where he now grows vegetables to help supplement his income. At the age of 81, Itokazu, having practiced Goju-ryu for 65 years, was in the prime of health and, unlike other Goju-ryu teachers I interviewed, was open-minded, jolly and alert." pp. 39-40

He goes on to explain a little about his history, he was a student of Miyagi from the ages of 17 to 21, and mentions that he trained a lot with the sashi and kame, which helped him to develop strength, but when he reached his sixties he stopped because he thought Goju-ryu practitioners changed physically when they're older and get weaker, but continued to train with sanchin kata, and said that sanchin should be practiced daily.

Here's another quote I thought was interesting:

"Yoshio Itokazu's routine for good health is this: he gets up at 5 o'clock in the morning and, bare-footed on the gravel road outside his house, does deep-breathing exercises three times. Then he performs a series of stretching exercises whilst standing and finishes off with none other than Sanchin." pg. 40."

Another karateka that I've found inspirational and amazing, eventually I meet him, is Masaji Taira, he's a 9th dan at the Jundokan in Naha Okinawa. Check out TairaBunkai.com. I was a member of the website for a couple months but couldn't afford to keep it up. More later.

Tendinitis

2009-02-15T23:19:00.004-05:00

My ankle has been bothering me a lot the past several days, I must have over did it with running and the burpees/jumping. Last fall when an x ray was performed on my ankle it was pointed out to me that I also had tendinitis in addition to my stress fracture. I had pretty much forgot about my ankle issues until recently, I think activity will only make it worse so I'm not going to run at all this week and no jumping exercises either. I'm going to a lot of cycling though, I may take a spin class too.

Today I got to the gym later that I would have liked to, I had gone for a walk outside first. I ended up only training for about an hour and a half, I'm also able to do dips again so I'll be doing at least four sets of those each weight training session, body weight and with added weight.

I have a list of physical fitness goals I'd to achieve. My thinking has been to working on all, or most of them at once but I'm beginning to see that it doesn't make much sense that way or work the best that way. So I think I'll narrow it down for now, achieve those goals and then move on to the next, while continuously improving what I've already done. Being able to a one arm chin up is one of my goals, but I think I'll work on that one after I can do repetitions with one arm push ups on my pointer finger and thumb, I'll continue to do weighted pull ups and chin ups, which should aid in acheiving a one arm chin up. The other skills I'll be working on is headstand and handstand, I'll work up to holding a headstand for longer (a minute probably at least) and be able to do handstand push ups on a wall and eventually free standing and handstands and push ups.

Quote

2009-02-13T10:52:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I was feeling especially tired and sore so I decided to not train. Today I did a light workout with my chi ishi, jars, paralellettes, and body weight stuff.

I recently read the book Open Horizons by Sigurd Olson. He was a naturalist, conservationist, teacher, writer, and wilderness traveler. The book is mostly an autobiography, I especially like how he explains about the evolution of his feelings and views on the natural world. Here's a quote that I especially liked:

"History means emotion and a consciousness of what people felt as they lived in primitive ways, endured hardships, and knew triumphs. Whether it was the period before white men came, the time of the voyageurs, Spanish exploration of the Southwest, the long wagon trains along the Santa Fe or Oregon, the wilderness of Daniel Boone or the mountain men, it is how they lived suffered, and laughed, and what their dreams were, that determined the course of history. We can read and study, look at pictures and portrayals of those days, but the real heritage is knowing the land and those who lived upon it." pg. 128

Found this interesting video series on Youtube about the traditional Okinawan diet and culture, some scientists are attempting to figure out what exactly is enabling Okinawans to live such long and healthy lives. I have a book on it, The Okinawa Program, the authors are in the video series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoKLW51Byrg&feature=related

I also found this video while looking at some of Gary Lever's videos on his blog at shinsokai.blogspot.com Check out his six part series on his stay with Tetshurio Hokama!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmOM5OAZ88I&eurl=http://shinsokai.wordpress.com/training-videos/

Burpees!

2009-02-11T21:43:00.003-05:00

I trained at the gym in the late morning, ran a little maybe a mile or so, and biked only for a half hour, I didn't have much energy, I only had a huge smoothie I made for breakfast. After my workout I went home then back to work; after which I went back to the gym.

In the late evening the gym is pretty empty, I ended up using the yoga/aerobic room by myself and focused a little on jumping rope, burpees, explosive push ups with two platforms, and some kihon. Today was the first time I've done burpees, I've heard of them but never did them, but after reading Never Gymless decided to try them out, especially after reading a passage in the book where the author mentions a women in her 50s (if I remember correctly) doing a bunch of them in a timed period and winning a Cross Fit competition in VA or around there. I did four or five sets of 15-25 or so at what for me was a fast pace. The last few sets I did push ups with them too. In between sets I did some explosive push ups, not enough, and slow kicking. After doing the burpees my left shin was hurting, more than just the usual soreness, so depending on how it feels I may or may not be doing them until my leg strengthens up.

I've been spending more time on conditioning than on technique, which probably isn't good. I figure I should at least be spending equal time on them, if not slightly more on technique, that is without my conditioning slacking at all. I remember Sensei saying that Miyagi spent 50% of his training on conditioning, so I know it's very important, I think that many karateka nowadays don't spend enough time on it. I enjoying hearing about what training was like from senior karateka. I remember Merriman Sensei mentioning that when he trained at Peter Urban's dojo in NYC it was five days a week-four hours a day. I think he said and hour was spent on conditioning, an hour on kata, and hour on kihon, and an hour on kumite, and if you missed a class your spot was gone because there was such a long waiting list of people to train there.

I also worked a little on keeping a headstand for a longer duration, and a tried holding the frog tuck position for a minute, that didn't happen, but I feel like it's within my grasp, after I manage that then I work on holding the tuck lever position (think it's called that) for a minute, with the goal of working up to doing tuck lever push ups on parallelettes.

Soon I'll write more about the book Never Gymless and my routines for bone conditioning, makiwara, and heavy bag training. It's getting late, bed time.

Food

2009-02-10T21:35:00.001-05:00

Today my workout sucked, I had very little energy because I didn't eat enough. I mostly did body weight stuff, and some leg stuff, my one leg squats have improved though. Tomorrow I'll do yoga, aerobic, and some plyometrics, and kata, kihon, makiwara.

Never Gymless by Ross Enamait

2009-02-09T23:10:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday morning, around two AM, after reading a lot of reviews I ordered the book Never Gymless by Ross Enamait. I hesitated at first because of the cost, I haven't paid that much for a book in a while, most of the books I get are used for a dollar or less, but in the end decided that it'd be worth it. I also spent an hour or so reading some of his articles and posts on his excellent website, especially his article on forearm training and jump rope training. I'll definitely be spending more time reading his articles. Anyways the book came in today (I was suprised) I've read the chapter on nurtrition and now I'm reading it straight through, and it's definitely been worth the money. I've learned a lot already and I've just begun reading it. I'll write much more on it later once I finish the book, but so far I've learned about different types of strength, most of which I didn't know, and lots of new exercises. I've already decided on some exercises I'll be incorporating into my training, which I'll elaborate more on later. I've realized also that I need to spend time on explosive strength too, which I realize some of the Goju Ryu hojo undo has, and jump roping also.

Today I ran and biked for about 45 mins. And also did some shin exercises. The running is definitely feeling better, I look forward to when I can start adding more miles again. I've also been thinking about certain goals I'm going to set for myself, which I'll write up.

I'm tired and need to take a shower. I'll write more tomorrow.

Running/Biking

2009-02-06T15:34:00.002-05:00

Before my first job today I ran, I lost count of how many laps, I'm thinking around two miles at a decent pace, felt like little more than 6 min pace at most of it, faster at the end. After which I went to work, then came back and biked for an hour, back to work in a couple hours. The run felt pretty good actually. Although I can definitely feel it in my legs, I should not have taken that time off from aerobic/training last fall when I was recovering from my stress fracture.

Gotta get to work. Will write more later on aerobic training, and some quotes I like out of a book I'm reading.

More Pull ups

2009-02-05T22:38:00.003-05:00

I did a lot of body weight exercises today, and abdominal exercises too, haning leg raises, hang leg raises side to side-windshield wipers, and decline weighted 65lbs side to side sit ups. One of the staff there showed me another variation of pull ups where you push yourself off the bar onto the one on top, and then back down etc. I also did a couple sets of weighted pull ups with 40lbs, I did more one leg squats this time also and will eventually start doing them with dumb bells.

Getting late, need sleep. More later.

To spend more time on: one arm push ups, one arm chinup negatives, weighted chinups, weighted pull ups, lunges, dumb bell presses, also an idea I thought of while on the indoor track was in between laps or something to do pull ups from the I beams, I tried and I can reach them, it'd probably be good for finger strength/when I get into rock climbing.

Yoga/Makiwara

2009-02-05T09:15:00.002-05:00

This is my tire makiwara. I'm going to retie it because the way it is now it has less give than if I tied it from the inner tire.

I've been meaning to try out yoga at the gym, they offer classes there as part of the membership, I'll be sure to tomorrow morning.

Yesterday I biked and ran. I'll write more later, gotta go.

"Balance"?

2009-01-27T21:54:00.007-05:00

I seem to always have difficulty making time for my interests, my pattern seems to normally be spending more time on one of my passions to the exclusion of others. Lately I've been thinking that if I want to get good, and really develop myself in a certain area then I really need to focus on it, but I can't to the exclusion of others because I know that I wouldn't be happy.

For years I've been a fan of Bruce Lee, mainly because of his skill, and innovation with martial arts, but also because he was skilled in other areas (although I don't really like to separate things too much because to me they're inter-related). He also studied philosophy in college (and seemed to really apply to life), taught himself to be fluent in English in addition to his native language, developed his body (and mind) to an amazing level of fitness, was married and began to raise a family when he died at the young age of thirty two, and an actor, director, writer, etc He did more in his short life than most people do that live to be 75+.

My other passions that I haven't been making time for include: drumming, spending time in the woods, working on bush skills, nature studies, history and philosophy studies and other areas that I want/need to start studying in addition to figuring out my future college plans.

More later.

Training today/Visited a dojo/dropped a 40lb weight on my foot

2009-01-27T20:56:00.004-05:00

need to proof read this later.

I left work early today because it wasn't busy enough and headed to the gym, where I should have been earlier in the day. I trained there for about 3.5 hours or so. Overall it was a good workout, especially consider my poor diet for the day. I also ran probably 1.5 miles or two, lost count because I was focused on lapping a runner there, it pushed me to go faster, I'm looking forward to when my leg is ready so I can run much further.

I did probably 3 sets of L pull ups, the first set I did like 24 reps, 4-6 sets of commando L pull ups, with weighted vest everytime I think. Lots of tuck levers, 4-5 weighted and one or two not weighted, 4-5 sets of thumb/joint elevated weighted push ups, also a few not weighted, a couple sets weighted/elevated on parallelettes, three finger weighted/elevated. usual with tricep dips, did a few sets of extensions this time, 40lbs, definitely will use more weight next time. I'll probably start doing the extentions one handed to help isolate each arm, two sets of kick backs. Three sets of incline curls, 2 sets of barbell curls, 2 sets reverse preacher curls, 4 sets forearm con. curls-50 lbs each, 2 sets reverse dumb bell curls-20 lbs. I lowered the weight I usually do with the wrist roller, down to ten lbs, which seems to have been a good decision, more reps and better form. I also did probably like 3-4 sets of chudan uke dumb bell exercise, head strik exercise one set, tensho exercise like 3 sets. I probably did around 4-6 sets of hanging leg raises, I've noticed that I can do a lot more of those, and also a couple sets of situps with 35lb+vest, and then 45lbs +vest-side to side. I ended my workout doing some kata, and some sandan uke in the yoga room, not a lot though. I also did one leg standing calf raises, holding a 35lb weight and then a 45 lbs weight, like 3 sets, I also did about 3 sets of single leg presses with 140 lbs, and did a few sets of one leg squats which I seem to be able to easier, and I also did the shin exercises with 25 lbs-4-5 sets, and one set of seated calf raises with like 90lbs plus however much the thing weighs; I'm not sure I had it adjusted correctly-heightwise-probably add more weight next time and fiddle with the height. Next time I'd also like to do lunges up and down the hallway with the piece of equipment that you put over your shoulders.

On my way home from the gym I noticed in the courthouse some people wearing dogis, so I decided to check it out, I knew it was shotokan from an add I had seen. I watched the end of the class and then talked to the sensei. There were three students in dogis, all women-about "middle age", and two men without dogis, plus the sensei. I don't mean to bad talk a style or school, but from what little I did see it didn't seem self-defense oriented, and there didn't seem to be much power, it was also kind of militaristic , it sort of reminded me of the dojo I had trained at previously. I'm guessing that it's probably more sport oriented. The instructor was friendly and invited me to stop in sometime, and also gave me a flier. It was interesting to see another style.

On Monday I focused on aerobic and biked for little more than an hour. I also did some L pull ups, and tuck levers, it didn't seem to affect the amount I did today.

Today/Quote

2009-01-25T23:04:00.001-05:00

I've been slowly reading the book Confessions of a Philosopher by Bryan Magee over the past few weeks, it's about the author's journey in western philosophy; while on the stationary bike a week or two ago I read a quote I really liked but didn't write down because I forgot my notebook and pen. I was just reminded of it, here it is:

"Incidentally, I think that going through this experience helped me towards a deeper understanding of intelligent people who, for whatever reason, have not had a university education, and so have not themselves gone through it. I believe I know what it is like to see things as they do; and I empathize with them, because I might quite easily have been one of them myself. The greatest gift a formal education can bestow is to developing in us a conception of the world that is not merely an enlargement of our own views and attitudes and interests and assumptions; and in the nature of the case we are not able to do this without help from others who are free from our limitations. But from this, alas it follows that the self-educated can never be more than half-educated, a regrettable but inescapable fact."

I especially like the part about how a college education isn't "merely an enlargement of our own views and attitudes and interests and assumptions." Which I think for the most part is true. It's something I've made a little effort on, but of course not nearly enough, and nothing like what a formal university education would be able to do.

I really didn't workout today. I ended up getting home too late, by the time I would have made it to the gym I'd have only thirty minutes or so to train. I could have trained at home, but not as much as I can at the gym, plus I was feeling very tired throughout the day and didn't get nearly enough calories. I went for a night walk in the woods though, and I did tensho a few times and some striking/hip drills/conditioning on trees.

Tomorrow I'll be doing my full weight/bodyweight routine, and I'll probably run a little too, and maybe bike too; definitely on Tuesday I'll bike for at least an hour.

Fri. Workout

2009-01-23T22:08:00.000-05:00

Between the my two jobs I went to the gym and did more than I thought I would have time to do. Also on Wednesday before I went to bed I did more fore arm exercises, reverse curls-4 sets, and chudan dumb bell exercise/wrist thing/gedan exercise. Today I did probably around 5-6 sets of L commando pull ups, I think all of them with the vest, 4-5 sets of tuck levers all but one w/ the vest, 2-3 sets L pull ups, at least 2 w/ vest, 1 set L wrist in pull ups. I did like 3 sets of weighted elevated push ups with parallelettes, 3-4 sets with thumb/joint of finger, 1 set handstand push ups w/ parallelettes, 1 set of 1 arm push ups, next time I'll do more of each, and the practice one arms with parallelettes. I did 3-4 sets of tricep dips, vest and 35lbs, I'll probably do it with 45lbs next time, 2 sets of kick backs, 1 or 2 sets of reverse weighted push ups, 2 sets of incline curls, 2 sets of barbell curls, 2 sets of reverse preacher curls, 3-4 sets of dumb bell forearm curls. I didn't really have the time for much else, I was also feeling tired, thirsty, and hungry the whole time. Next time I'll eat more consistently, more sleep, and bring water.

Later tonight I'll do some more forearms reverse curls, and some karate exercises with weights. Tomorrow I'll focuse a lot of aerobic, and legs, and then Sunday I'll do my full weight/body weight routine, I'll do legs tomorrow to save time on Sunday. I'll also do kata, kihon, drills, and kihonido tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday, especially on Saturday and Monday.

Other drills to add: practicing kicks very slowly, kata very slowly.

Training Today

2009-01-21T17:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I didn't really train at all, which was supposed to be my weight/body weight training day. Today I made up for it my going to the gym in the morning for an hour and forty-five minutes before my first job and then about an hour between my other job. I did probably 4-5 sets or more of tuck levers, at least three weighted, 3-4 sets of L Pull ups, 4 sets of L Commando pull ups-2 or 3 weighted, when I say weighted I mean with the 20lbs weight vest. 4-5 sets of hanging leg raises, 1 set of weighted sit ups with-total 45 lbs-side to side. Weighted elevated push ups on parallelettes-like 3 sets, at least two sets on thumb/finger joint elevated, 4-5 sets of tricep dips with vest and 35lbs, one set single leg presses-doesn't really count, ran totalt around 1.5 miles-fast pace, 2 sets barbell curls 70 lbs or so, reverse preacher curls normal (45lbs?) weight 2 sets, forearm con. curls 45 lbs 4 sets, tricep kick backs 15 lbs 2 sets, a bunch of Taira's tensho/chudan uke etc workouts with dumb bells. Also 2-3 sets of reverse pushups, elevated w/vest. I didn't have enough time to do, reverse dumbell curls, con. curls, incline curls, tricep extensions, wrist roller, more push ups, dumb bell presses, or leg stuff. Tomorrow I'll probably bike for an hour or so, probably a half hour of intervals, and also do leg presses, sitted calf raises, some standing calf raises-not with machine because of my back, back extensions, maybe some side to side sit ups too; and also kihon, kihonido, and kata. Later today I'll do some makiwara training.

I'm going to search around online for some good makiwara dit da jow. My sensei recommended getting some, he mentioned that his Sensei, Merriman Sensei, used to make his own.

I was generally feeling rather tired today, probably a combinnation of a lack of sleep and not enough calories. I was in a hurry in the morning and I only had a smoothie-strawberries, yogurt, and OJ, and a bananna on the way to the gym and a Clif Bar while I was there. For lunch I had some protein, like 40 grams, piece of pizza and a veggie sub. Later I had a bowl of veggies soup with 2 pieces of bread, an orange, and more yogurt. I'm still hungry, I'm probably going to cook up something soon and also have another orange. I also noticed my mood felt much better after my workout.

I also want to start adding tuck lever push ups with parallelettes, and if I can't do them then I'll progress up to them.

Good Class tonight

2009-01-19T21:53:00.000-05:00

I was able to make it to regular class today. Normally I just go to open dojo on Saturdays because of my work schedule, I normally have Monday nights off but that's when I go to judo, I'm not going this month because of an injury.

I like going to regular class because of the structure and working with other students, helping to push myself more etc. Tonight we did warm ups, kihon, lots of Sandan Uke with different partners, lots and lots of ude tanren (I think that's how it's spelled), bone conditioning, and ended with some gekisai ichi and ni, two of each. My aerobic endurance felt pretty good in class, I really didn't get winded at all, although I worked up a good sweat. My bone conditioning was all right, my right arm on the inner forearm was hurting a little I think from earlier in the week when I was doing some conditioning on a tree trunk, and my muscles in my forearms are feeling pretty tight right now. I think overall my stances in Sandan uke were ok, although I think some of my sanchin dachis were off.

When I got home I did some shin kicks on my heavy bag to help condition my shins, and then trained on my makiwara briefly, close punches, punches from chudan uke, and seiken tsukis.

Later I'll write up what I'll be doing for a regular routine of kihon, kihonido, drills, ude tanren, and makiwara/heavy bag.

Sensei has added an adult adv. class on Thursday nights. So hopefully I'll be able fit work around that so I can make it.

Dips

2009-01-17T19:26:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday I tried doing dips again but my chest still hurt, it didn't bother me going down, only coming up. A friend also pointed out that I was going down too low, he said that I should keep my shoulders even with my elbow when I come down, so I'll have to be careful of that, and I should also do some research on that and ask the trainer at the gym about it. I hope I heal soon so I can get back to doing them.

Kihon!

2009-01-17T18:32:00.000-05:00

I just got back from training at the dojo a little while ago. Sensei wasn't able to stay late today, but that's fine. He was testing two yellow belts during class, so the whole time I just worked on kihon, kihonido, kata, and sandan uke. I had a great time, and it was good workout. Watching the students test and Sensei explaining things to them was a helpful review to me and has got me thinking about more drills and things to work on, such as: kicks, all of them, especially mawashi geri and kensetsu geri, drills out of kamae, such as seiken tsuki o tsuki and mae geri/other kicks also, and lunging in stance etc.

During class a large portion of my time just walking in sanchin and punching, with the same side, with power, trying to develop power from my hip; and also from shiko dachi and zenutsu dachi. I also was practicing walking backwards in sanchin dachi while doing kakie uke, trying to use my hip as demonstrated by Masaji Taira on his website.

I need to start spending more time on basics, punches, blocks, kicks, hip drills, and moving in stances, Sensei has talked about how at the dojo in Okinawa they're all about basics, they're stressed heavily, and I've read that elsewhere too, like on tairabunkai.com I'll be starting to wake up earlier in the day, so I think after I get up, before I go to my sit spot in the woods, I'll spend some time on kihon, and probably sanchin and tensho too. I'll spend more time on it though on my aerobic days, and before and or after my workouts on my weight training days.

I've noticed today that my lats and my shoulders are sore, but not really anywhere else, my inner forearms are a little. But it feels good. Also today I wasn't as hungry as I normally am. Maybe because I didn't work out as much today?

In my journal entries I'll also start including more details on what I eat each day, my mood/attitude, how I feel, amount of sleep I got etc

I also need to take the time to proofread my blog more.

In my last post I forgot to write that I also did dumb bell presses, with 45lbs and I noticed that my left arm was significantly weaker. So I'll continue to work on that.

Hungry.

2009-01-15T22:07:00.000-05:00

I had a good workout today, I ended up being at the gym around five hours, although the last hour I didn't do a lot because I was talking to a friend. He showed me a neat workout to strengthen my shins, I'll be adding that to my routine. Also instead of standing calf raises on the machine I'll do sitting calf raises, because my pelvis is misaligned or something; the standing raises put a lot of pressure on my back and I feel a sharp pain in my left side.

For my workout I did:

At least 4-5 sets of tuck levers, maybe more, I did a few of them with a 20lb weight vest also, probably around 4 sets of L pullups, at least two I did weighted, I did one set of pullups where I had on the vest and 40lbs hanging from me, I only did like two reps though. I also did at least three sets of commando pull ups but witht eh hanging thing, at least one set weighted.

reverse push ups weighted, feet elevated 3-4 sets

4-5 sets of hanging leg raises

2 sets of decline situps with vest and 25 lbs, and one set with 25 lbs, both side to side

various elevated push ups with parallelettes, 1-2 sets with two fingers, and 2 sets or so with thumb and pointer finger joint

like two sets of hand stand type pushups, next time I'll do more, I still had a hard time with them, so I may just focus on others for a while and build back up to them.

3-4 sets of leg presses, 120lbs-140lbs on one leg.

calf raises 2-3 sets

2 sets of back extensions with 20lb weight vest

tricep dips with 35lbs and 20lb vest, at least 4 sets

tricep kick back 15 lbs 3 sets?

dumb bell incline curls 4 sets 35 lbs

barbell curls 2 sets

reverse preacher curls 2 sets

concentration curl forearm 45-50 lbs, 4 sets

revers con. curl 20 lbs 4 sets

wrist roller, 17lbs? both ways, more sets next time

tensho weight exercises 1 set

chudan uke dumb bell exercise 3 sets

shin exercise, 25 lbs 4 sets like 12 reps?

ran a slow mile. and ran some to warm up.

tensho 3 times

sanchin 3 times

gekisai ichi 2 times

I forgot to do one arm push ups but next time I will. I did do some one arm practice ones with parallelettes.

Yesterday I biked for about 35 mins or so, and mostly did intervals, 1 minute fast, and 1 minute regular speed.

Workout Today

2009-01-13T19:48:00.000-05:00

I had a good workout today. It took me around 3.5 hours but felt good. I met one of the trainers there and he showed me some stuff and let me use a twenty pound weight vest, so I'll be adding that to my routine. He also showed me single leg presses on the leg press machine, so I'm adding that, and also reverse push ups where you put your feet on a ball and keep you back flat. I also included back extensions this time, I did a couple weighted and a couple with just my body weight. I did more pointer finger/thumb push ups this time also, I find that it especially works my thumb, particularly my left thumb, the one I broke last winter. I didn't do bicep concentration curls this time, I'm not sure why, but I did do barbell curls, incline curls, and reverse preacher curls. For forearms I did, con curls, reverse curls, wrist roller both ways at least two sets, chudan uke exercise that Taira demonstrates in his video, and the Tensho ones, I also gripped two 15lbs dumbbells from the weights and walked in sanchin dachi and stood stationary. Maybe next time I'll go into the hallway and walk more in sanchin and also in shiko dachi with the weights. I think I did about 3-4 sets of L pull ups, I did three sets of weight pull ups, 25 lbs, 35 lbs, and 20 lb weight vest, I also did L commando pull ups with the weight vest. I tried doing my hand stand type push ups, but I tried after a bunch of elevated pushups and weighted tricep dips, I ended up being to tired to do more than one rep. Next time I'll do my harder workouts first.

Next time I'll add: dumbbell presses, weighted crunches, and maybe some other things.

Ran Today

2009-01-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

I saw sports doctor today about my left leg. Over the summer I was running (probably put too many miles on too quickly, was up to about ten miles a day or so) and I got a stress fracture in my left leg, tendinitis in my ankle and some other things. After seeing a couple doctors they said I had a 3/4 inch leg length discrepancy and said I needed a lift put in my shoe. Today I got another opinion and this doctor seemed to be more thorough than the other one, she measured my legs a couple of times and looked at them in several different ways and decided that I didn't really have a leg length discrepancy, that the problem is in my pelvis, that it's tight or not aligned or something and recommended seeing a chiropractor for it. She did say that I need to get orthotics for the pronation in my ankles. She also told me that I can start running again, but not much at all. She recommends that I find a running program online for people that are new to running, and said that I should probably just run three days a week maximum, every other day, and only like 1.5-2 miles a day for at least a month. Tonight and tomorrow I'll be looking online and figure out a running program. She also said that if I'm feeling pain in my leg that I should see a physical therapist and they should watch me run on a treadmill.

This evening at the gym I ran for maybe ten minutes on the track, to kind of test the waters I guess and then I cycled on a stationary bike for little more than an hour. Following that I did some leg exercises, calf raises, three sets of those and I increased the weight each time up to around 240 lbs I think, some lunges with 35lb dumb bells, next time I'll use more weight, and one set of one leg squats and one set of one leg static squats on the wall. I've noticed that my left leg is much weaker than my right too, so I need to focus on that a lot. Originally I wasn't planning on doing a leg workout besides my aerobic but I felt like it. I'm trying to decide if I'll do my lower body workout on a different day than my upper body workout. I'm still not sure because I mean to focus more on karate training on my aerobic days anyways.

Things I'll be adding/changing in my workout tomorrow are: include dumbbell presses, more one leg squats, leg presses, calf raises-and focus on the left leg(my left calf is smaller), back extensions, and weighted pull ups, and also weighted reverse crunches (I think that's what they are) and sit ups-probably some/all weighted too . I'm going to start training for one arm pull ups, probably later this week. I also tried doing dips today but my chest still hurt so I'm going to hold off on that for a bit probably. But once I start doing dips again I'm going to do weighted ones also.

I haven't done tensho and sanchin three times each yet today, so before I take a shower I'll do that.

Tire Makiwara

2009-01-11T22:53:00.000-05:00

I constructed a tire makiwara last week and hung it in the basement with my dad this week. I'll put some pictures up this week. So far I'm pleased with it. I have a makiwara in the yard that I made out of a pressure treated 2x4, rope and straw, but it has too much give normally and also with the snow it makes training much harder. This week I'm going to come up with a routine for training on my makiwara and other drills.

Kata of the Month

2009-01-10T23:57:00.000-05:00

So I think every month I'm going to pick a kata to focus on. This month I'm going to focus on gekisai ichi and ni. They're the first two kata in goju ryu and considered the most basic, but there's definitly a lot to them; I've started to work on a more advanced version of the renzouku bunkai with my Sensei.

My goal is to do each kata (ichi and ni) at least five times a day, which really isn't much. My main focus will be to break the kata into sections and repeat them, and to also dissect them for bunkai and visualize doing the bunkai. Since I generally can only make it to the dojo once a week, because of my distance and my work schedule, I'll have to do a lot of visualization. I'll also practice doing the renzouku bunkai alone, both the basic and more advanced version. If you're a member of tairabunkai.com you can see Masaji Taira Sensei doing his version of renzouku bunkai, it's amazing.

On tairabunkai.com Masaji Taira Sensei demonstrates a drill for gekisai that I'll practice also. He just does the opening part of the kata repeatedly, both sides where you do an age uke, jodan tsuki and then gedan uke on both sides and just keep doing that; so instead of stepping into sanchin dachi with a chudan uke you just go back to hidari sanchin with an age uke and start it over again.

I've also decided that I'll practice tensho and sanchin kata each three times a day at least.

Awesome Pull Up Videos

2009-01-09T10:10:00.000-05:00

My brother sent me these two videos on youtube. Awesomse stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uDJc-3ODog&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlXhQWe4fqQ&NR=1