A Dark Side Adventure

Lagoonwalk this afternoon, went round twice, 1 1/2 hours, don’t know how many ks. Felt good.

Short workout tonight:

Bagwork – slapping x 40 each side, inside/outside shutos 20 each side, combination shutos that i really like 30 each side, boshiken 20 each side, then elbow flow (don’t know how many, just playing) but must have been good because there was blood on the bag from knuckles hitting the return strike. Note – need to condition the elbows. Also did that forward vertical elbow thing 20 times each side. Light conditioning arms and shins.

I am not doing that chest-strike thing from the Russian clip Marcus.

Then clubbells, no small animals harmed.

Then inside, medecine ball situps x 30, alternating sides x 30, ordinary situps x 10

Medecine ball leg lifts x 10.

Warm down stretches, light yoga.

Did my fast walk/run thing around the lagoon. I went for an hour today, guess its probably 7-8kms. Good music on the MP3, lots to look at – birdlife etc, interesting surroundings, chance to think and get away from other rubbish. Always look forward to it, always feel fantastic.

Warm down with the elbow flow thing on the bag and I’ll do some intuflow later in the evening.

Just freestyle Intuflow to music, then out to dinner.

And now I’m back more music and a whole lot of elbow stuff now I’ve seen Lairds clip of Carl, very very nice.

This is the training I do just for me, just the stuff I like and it lasts as long as it feels good.

First the bag, outside on the deck,  concentrating on hitting hard and easy, 20-30 reps each side.

Slapping, inside and outside shuto, combination shutos, boshiken. Then put on gloves for backfists, hooks high and low (have to practise these because GKR don’t do them).

Then conditioning arms and shins as per Rick’s clip

Kicks – front, round and side. Also trying some spinning back and hook kicks because i am really really bad at these.

Finally this little flicky hand drill of Marcus’s and one-inch strike just for fun.

Next Sanchin kata – flow, mechanics, so so hard but i love it. Usually do some GKR kata as well but tonight the mosquitos were getting me so moved on to

Clubbells – great fun.

Then medicine ball – explosive throw –  I think came from Rory Miller, not sure.

Inside on the rug for Intu-flow spinal rocks, quad-hops. Medecine ball stuff. Bloody hard work.

Finish with Intu-flow in my study with the music turned up. Glass of wine. Magic.

Two hours with Sensei Michael James. This is where I just follow instructions. Hard work, very very hot night. Started with long stance and sumo block/strike/kick combinations. Went on for an hour, killer. Boring as hell so I challenge myself to be stronger and faster than anyone else at the end when everyone is dying.

Moved on to workshopping the first sequences of Kururunfa (this is a Nidan kata in GKR). I don’t know it well, found it technical and tricky but interesting up to a point.

Then went through seven of the katas up to Kankudai to the count. Enjoyable.

Finished with moderate to hard stomach conditioning - partnered my good mate Janet  – we give no quarter! Awesome.

Teaching night tonight, the last night of the old format class of one size fits all – adults and kids, all grades. Next week I’ll take the kids and whites as a separate group for the first hour. Then I’ll spend the next hour and a half or more with higher grade adults exploring a range of stuff we just couldn’t do before, things which go right outside the normal format into – dark space…

I have clear objectives for the new group, been thinking and writing up, will post this another time). They will be physically and mentally challenged. And I hope, so will I, because that is part of the point.

15 students tonight, numbers still down over the holiday period. I’m already stepping radically outside the specified class format:

Standard warmup (sempai)

Light conditioning  – mid-section, arms

Focus mitts – slapping (thanks Marcus)

Split into two groups, one group doing kata, the other practising moving and striking in stances and basic kicking combinations, then the groups swap round.

Finished with light sparring

Really looking forward to next week.

Training Blog for 2009 - leaving the known universe for some uncharted spaces.

Today was a holiday – a  glorious sunny day, no plans , no commitments.

Nothing structured. Spent a little time on some Intu flow this morning and revised the Sanchin mechanics from Saturday. Belted the bag for a while.

Long walk this afternoon around the lagoon, one of my favorite places.