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.

05.13.06 - Saturday Practice

New Items Today:

• Warm Ups with Elliott
• Variation to Hidden Wing

Reviewed Other Items:

• Orange Belt Techniques
• Purple Belt Techniques

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Warm Ups
We started out with Elliot doing the warm up exercises today. For the most part we did the same things that Bill usually leads us off with but we did a few other items as well, such as arm circles and the like. After a pretty good warm up, Bill took the class through a few more stretches and the Orange belt techniques and then we got started with class.

Purple Belt Techniques
Bill worked with me on the Purple belt techniques while the other guys worked their techniques on the mat. We started out with Stopping the Storm. Immediately, I noticed I was having problems with range and the initial block/parry/grab. We worked on this quite a bit until I felt I was getting the hang of it. Done properly, I need to raise my hand with the palm facing up, which I wasn’t doing. I think my tendency was to simply reach up and try to grab the attacker’s arm, never making the initial contact with my own arm. Of course, there are numerous ramifications to doing it this way but the bottom line is that it’s the wrong way to do it! After I started to better get the hang of the block/parry/grab, the next challenge was in anchoring the elbow.

When I grab the arm and pull it toward me, my elbow has a tendency to come out and away from my body. Done properly, the elbow should come straight back and be anchored right next to my ribs. Sifu described that in doing this, I am marrying the forward momentum of my attacker with my own body torque to pull him forward. Doing it with the elbow out forces me to largely ‘muscle’ my attacker’s arm and sacrifices much of my leverage. Practicing it correctly, I certainly see what he is talking about – needs more work.

Next up was Hidden Wing. This technique is a defense (escape) from a right rear shoulder grab. As for difficulty, this one isn’t too bad and I think I have most of the gross movements down now. I did have some questions about unstable footing though as I am coming off from the hammer fist and stepping forward. At issue was the placement of my right foot as I am stepping forward with my left. The initial moves involves a stomp to the top of the attacker’s left foot – and my foot pretty much stays there, so when I move forward to kick, I’m basically standing on his foot. Sifu acknowledged that my general foot placement is correct but demonstrated how my concerns were largely unwarranted. The move happens very quickly and is more of an adjustment forward than a situation where I am literally standing there on the guy’s foot.

As we were working with this technique, Sifu grabbed my left shoulder with his right hand, which is different from how the technique is practiced as ‘ideal’. We worked through how the same basic technique could be applied by utilizing a spinning left elbow, followed by a left hammer fist to the groin and topped off with a left heel kick to the solar plexus. It was interesting to see how easily the same technique could flow with just subtle changes.

Circling Serpent was next. The first thing Sifu said after I went through this in the air a couple of times was that I needed to work on the hand checks. “All Kenpo hands should be intentionally placed.” This is a one of the maxims that is repeated throughout training. He also commented on the actual position of my hand. I need to keep the thumbs in (or suffer getting them ripped off) and I need to slightly bend the fingers instead of doing a fully rigid flat hand. Both of these items will better protect my hands and make them stronger at the same time.

There are some things I need to work on for the next technique as well - Hooking Thunder. I asked about the crane hand. This is the first time I have ever used it and wanted to make sure I was positioning my hand properly. Basically, just bring all of your fingers in to a 'point' and then bend your wrist inward, keeping everything rigid. Using this in the technique is a little tricky at first but not bad.

As we worked this one slowly, Sifu stated I was angling off instead of moving straight back. Part of the effectiveness of this maneuver is to move out of the way of the kick so that the energy of the kick is dissipated just before you hook it with your crane hand. Angling off to the side changes the dynamics such that you lose much of your leverage and the position you want for the follow up moves. Additionally, if you pull the attacker’s foot to the side instead of bringing it straight in, you run the risk of creating an orbit for the attacker. Another item that he noted was my under punch. It is not an uppercut. The arm and hand need to stay rigid and work as one unit through the entire thrust punch.

Just before wrapping up class, the White belts demonstrated the Orange belt form, followed by the Purple belts demonstrating their portion of the Master form. It was a pretty solid work out and my gi was soaked pretty good by the time we finished – always a good sign.

05.06.06 - Saturday Practice

New Items Today:

• Purple Belt Techniques: Clapping Tiger & Raking Hammer

Reviewed Other Items:

• Orange Belt Techniques
• Orange Belt Form
• ¼ Speed Sparring

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Warm Ups
Pretty much the normal warm ups today – nothing new as far as exercises go. I did have some problems with my lower back again and took some extra time to get it stretched out. When I’m working out, I have noticed an improvement in my back when I keep my knees bent and ‘sit’ into my stance with my head up. My lower back usually bothers me first thing in the morning though… perhaps it’s a problem with my mattress?!?

Part of the warm up exercises consisted of the Orange belt techniques and the blocking set. Everyone participated as we went through the techniques slow, then fast. I still get a kick out of seeing everyone scattering across the room when they cover out, and then quickly returning to formation. After the techniques, we all did the blocking set together before getting started for the day. About half way through the blocking set, I realized I was falling back into the habit of holding my trailing fist palm in (toward my stomach) instead of palm up as it should be. After all these times and I’m still working on the blocking set!!

¼ Speed Sparring
We all participated in the sparring and rotated around so that everyone sparred against everyone else. When I was sparring Sifu, he had reached in at one point and poked me in the neck with a rigid hand. I asked what that was and he just smiled and continued. When we had completed the sparring, Sifu announced that he was intentionally targeting pressure points and the appropriate methods of using them during this sparring session. My exposure to the pressure points to this point has been minimal as I have been instructed simply to know what certain points are and know what points I am targeting when we practice techniques. The Purple belts have several more pressure points to memorize and need to know which method of deployment is best used for each point.

Purple Belt Techniques
After a brief explanation from Sifu, Elliott and I stepped to our corner of the room and practiced both Clapping Tiger and Raking Hammer. Elliott was taught Clapping Tiger the same way it is taught on the tapes – with a side throw. Sifu, with Vic’s blessing, teaches the technique with an overhead throw. Aside from the throw, the rest was pretty much the same. As for Raking Hammer, for some reason I think I’m going to be working on this one for a while. I have a tendency to keeping “cocking” my elbow before throwing it, and I am having a heck of a time getting my range. This is one of the techniques I’m having a hard time practicing in the air for some reason. I’ll continue to practice it though and I’m sure it will get better eventually.