Gkr Senior class. Hard basics – strikes, blocks, kicks, very kosher. Then a short partner drill blocking multiple strikes with your back to the wall. Then kata in grading groups – Sepai.
I was sore and stiff, shoulders, hips and knees. My kata was like a puppet, a bit disappointing. Rest and Intuflow for the rest of the week, till Saturday.
Couldn’t take the first class because of work commitments with new job – first one I have missed teaching in at least two years. I got Ben and Wayne to deputise, they did a great job keeping the young troops busy – strong basics, tag sparring and a noisy game of mitts. Very acceptable gkr.
Managed to make it for the second class. Hard warmup then kata then playing with the flinch/spear stuff from Saturday. Mixed results partly because there were four very new students. What was really interesting was to see how to vary the action with the height of the attacker – elbow over the top or ducking under the attackers arm. Little bit of work on absorbtion of strikes too but it needs a lot more practise. Short discussion about violent intent, keeping safe, not looking like a victim etc.
Monday Asihara – another hard workout but not as bad as last week, still recovering from that one. Pushups, legraises, situps 5×30 each, squats 5×50. Interspersed with basic combinations each set. Then 3×1 minute each leg continuous hopping and a hopping drill over partners legs (dangerous). Then stretching.
Continued with escapes from strangling leading into wristlocks, takedowns. Then a series of conditioning drills which I really enjoyed, did ok with those.
Sensei is keen for me to do more training.
Saturday - Janet and I trained at her place with Marcus. Started from the flinch and the spear, worked entries a bit, moving, forward pressure, shoulders, kotikitae applications, position, harmonies, kicks, slapping and strikes, footwork…so, so much. Particular challenges for me are sinking and forward pressure…
Just reinforced for me how much how good this stuff feels. Just love it. So much to learn, thankyou sifu 
lol.
And Janet really enjoyed it…welcome to the Dark Side J!
Wednesday – no training, Sensei dinner. (Well sumo training.) Talked to a few about some training with Marcus.
Thursday – more talking about training…Intuflow and kung fu movie.
Friday – Intuflow to music. Feeling slack but work is taking more of my time.
Great class, very challenging.
Hard warmup 10 x 30 each of assorted pushups, leg raises, situps with hands to the sky, squats with sweeping arm movements. Then hopping - 1 minute each side x 3. Then outstretched arms opening and shutting fists about 18×10. Then stretches and yoga for about 15 minutes.
Next we went onto practise some forward rolls, leading to a kind of rolling kata – forward roll, right side breakfall, leftside breakfall. back breakfall, back roll, front breakfall, forward roll, cartwheel back and up into fighting stance. I’m not good at this stuff, 
– makes me dizzy. Amazing how as adults we lose the marvellous affinity for rolling we had as kids just by not continuing to do it. Ah well, it can only get better I guess, and the Scott Sonnon stuff will help.
Then revision of self defense stuff from a couple of weeks ago, escaping various strangly type attacks, all functional. A nice ground strangle thing which, again, I need to practise.
Sensei calls me “part-timer”.
Had students grading so went to support them. Kids group first and adults after. Ended up being four hours long altogether and boring because sensei insisted on instructing and giving inspirational messages throughout. At least all my students passed easily and of course I forget they haven’t heard all the bs before.
I got to spar a new white belt at the end who was doing some funny stuff… turned out he had recently moved to Auckland and had been doing what he called Shaolin Kempo before - circular blocks, good CQ work, very nice, had fun with that.
Thursday – does talking about training count?
Tonight was silly kung fu movie night and in a truly transcendental stroke of translation genius it was called “Dirty Ho” … hard to know how it could get any better
Friday – wet and windy lagoon walk, good chance to think, blow out cobwebs. Tonight some Intuflow to music.
Ben has a drama performance this evening which I want to watch so I do Wednesday midday training with the consultants, just eight in the class, I’m the highest grade. No 1 Sensei has fallen off his bike and wrecked his knee so No 2 takes the class.
Hard warmup – jogging, pushups, partner situps, sloooow nasty situps. Very good, I do ok at this stuff for an old bag lol.
Then basic strikes and blocks in long stance up and down …block strike kick combos in long stance up and down…kokutsedachi/long stance combos up and down… etc etc Kata to finish – Taigyoku Shodan up to Bassai-dai. A hard workout.
Some very very good commentary on technique from a very skilled young man.
But. Its. Just. Dancing. Dammit.
1st class – 40 odd students, grading format. Very boring so I’ve promised them something completely different next week.
2nd class - Open handed strikes,blocks, kokutse-dachi and basic kata practise for the benefit of a couple of students I’m sending to grading. Haito strikes to a partner’s stomach to get them to shape their hands properly and to try to understand what creates power in the strike – the “yelp measure”. A bit of strength stuff - using a bench for the Plank and for situps, medicine ball situps, squats using a 15kg handweight I brought in. Light stretching, spinal twists.
Then continuing with the CQ speed stuff from Rick’s progression. Just going slowly with this. Started with the pivot drill again, moved on to the cross-arm one and then spent a little time just doing the shoulder blocks because they’re so damm stiff and want to block/push with the arm. Ran out of time for the destruction of structure stuff – next week.