05.27.06 - Saturday Practice

New Items Today:

• Mat Work: Pushes/Rolls

Reviewed Other Items:

• Kicking Drills
• Side Kicks
• Orange Belt Techniques
• Orange Belt Blocking drill
• Purple Belt Techniques
• ¼ Speed Sparring

Warm Ups
Along with the normal warm-ups this week, we also did a couple of kicking drills. First we did the stationary kicking drill to the cardinal directions. Then we did the Purple belt kicking drill. I have done these drills from time to time as I practice at home but it’s funny how small habits can creep up on you when you don’t stay on top of things. I found that I wasn’t bending my knees well and was loosing balance as a result. I also recognized that I was kicking slightly across my center on the Purple belt drills, which also affected my balance. It was a good refresher and by the time we were done, we had a good sweat going.

As part of the warm ups, we started with the techniques for Orange belt. As we reached the Purple belt techniques, the White belts dropped out, and likewise when we reached the Blue belt techniques, I dropped out. I did ok on the first several techniques but had problems with the last two. I have not been practicing as much out of class lately and it is showing.

Before we moved forward, we did forms. I lined up with the White belts and we did the Orange belt form. Afterwards, the Purple belts did their portion of the Master form. In a departure from the norm, Sifu had the Purple belts go through the form again with their hands tucked in their belts – using footwork only. I have a feeling I would be tripped up doing this because I have a tendency to think of the techniques as a whole and not from their individual parts. They went through it a couple of times and all were doing well. Interesting.

Mat Work
After warm ups, we unfolded the mat. The first thing we did was some basic backward break falls from a squat position. We quickly moved into some forward rolls, stopping flat on the mat. Then things started to get fun as Sifu had us rolling forward and popping up to our feet and assuming a proper neutral bow. First we were facing the direction we were rolling in, and then we were to pop up facing the direction we rolled from. The real twist came when he had the person behind us push us forward like what might happen in a confrontation on the street. At first, we just sort of lightly pushing the guy in front of us forward, like a cue that it was time to do the roll. Sifu stepped in and started shoving us with some realistic force, something closer to real world but not at 100% thrust. Just as we are getting used to being shoved forward and recovering with a roll, he instructs us to shove the guy in line ahead of us at a random time while he is having idle small talk with Sifu, who was standing aside in an unassuming pose. This was fun. Sometimes the shove came quickly, other times not so much. Obviously we all knew that the shove was coming so the element of surprise was limited but the effect was still much different than just doing forward rolls. By the time we were done with the mat, we were all having some fun with the exercise.

¼ Speed Sparring
After putting the mat away, we engaged in some ¼ speed sparring. Or, I should say, mostly ¼ speed. I started out with Jeff, who loves to kick and has the legs for it. Since we are moving at ¼ speed, and it’s real tough to throw some of those high kicks that slowly, I found myself responding to more than I was forcing him to respond to. I decided to change things up a bit and moved in closer on him. In so doing, I also decided to purposely step on his feet as I moved in to keep those things on the ground. For the most part, this worked, but by the time the end of our round was up Jeff was already adapting. He’s going to be fun to spar with in the future.

Next was Walt. Walt and I seem to always clash in unexpected ways. He most always has the upper hand with me but I can usually surprise him a couple of times too, often with a take down. Unfortunately for me, I think he had the best shot as I pretty much moved directly into a straight forward fist. In the nose. Crunch. It wasn’t bad but it sure got my attention. It was a great punch at actual ¼ speed and I walked right into it. Right about that time I decided I had better focus a bit more on what I was doing.

Sifu was next. We did much of the usual where he manages to draw me out of position and takes advantage. I need to stop attacking him. He stands still and waits for me to attack, waits for me to give him something, and then moves. Perhaps I’ll just wait for him next time? Hmm. I’ll think on that one.

Sparring with Phyl was fun as usual. I was trying to move off his direct line attacks by moving in a more circular direction, which seemed to be somewhat effective. There was one solid blow that landed but it wasn’t so much me as it was him. Much like what happened to Walt and me, he walked into one of my strikes. I don’t know that there was much else remarkable about our little round – just solid jousting.

I squared off with Alex with a goal in mind this time. I have a heck of a time with Alex because he fights so tight, but he also tends to fight in a linear “straight in” fashion. I started moving up the circle on him and in some cases, just pivoting away from him. Major difference. While he still had some excellent combinations on me, I was able to take advantage of his position once, which is what I was trying to achieve. As he stepped directly in toward me, leading with his right foot, I stepped around him out side of that leg with my left leg. I immediately brought my right knee in high, which set his weight back and then put my right foot into a rear bow position while arcing my right elbow around front. The result was a clean take down and a very surprised look on Alex’s face. It happened at ¼ speed and it was clean – Alex did not grab hold of me and pull me down with him as I had his arms properly checked. It was a small mental victory but it was an interesting lesson in body placement. I hope to expand on it more in the future.

Final Notes at the End of Class:

• This was likely the last class that will be held in the clubhouse. Amy with Red Sun Academy has come to an agreement with Sifu and we will be working out at the Red Sun Academy on Saturday mornings from this point forward.
• Sifu also mentioned that some Saturday afternoons will be available to us for purposes such as testing.