Fitness and Training Schedule

This is a post I meant to get around to fleshing out earlier, and now it feels a little out of date.  But I think the other blogs I link to are great resources and additional food for thought, so here is an abbreviated and modified form of the post I had intended to make.

I have been reading a sort of trend recently in blog posts and ideas.  I notice this once in a while - everyone seems to be thinking the same thing, or at least along the same lines.  I am myself no different, having a lot of food for thought after the grading.

At any rate, here are some posts are the importance of regular daily fitness and practice:

Course Plotted

It makes me think about doing Sanchin thrice a day, plus another kata to boot.  The problem is, since the grading, we have been focusing on new Chinese forms, othewise I would have my hands full with Suparinpei (probably the longest and most complicated form I have ever seen).

But I also want a softer result, so I have been thinking about Tensho, Bafa (a Chinese form I have been doing the last few years, with a strong similarity to Tensho - if I had a video of anyone but me doing it, I would post it), or Qigong three times a day, plusa kata like Kururunfa.  But then I realized I should just alternate between all forms.  This has also got me thinking about the order in which we practice our kata, and those used in other schools.  Perhaps another post on this in the future...

Yoga

Again the importance of flexibility and relative bodyweight based strength.  I prefer to focus on calisthenics and yoga-like movements when I do my own workouts.  I used to do more of it, but for the last year I haven't quite found the time to do this regularly.  Its something I want to start up again with my missus - perhaps the local YMCA would be a good route.

Current Workout

Solo Training Regimens

Here are some good examples of regular training schedules.  I need to look at what basics I want to work, how often, and then ensure this is a part of regular training.  I think people tend to forget the basics when practicing, or at least I do.  I tend to work forms when I have time, but a good session of basic techniques wouldn't hurt.  This also raises some ideas for me in regards to why some techniques are not in our kata - answer is obvious - they came after!  So begins my quest to create a form where I can practice these techniques not in the core set.

Junbi Undo

I need to include some karate-focused health/fitness and conditioning into my own regular (outside of class) workouts.  Not just simply calisthenics.  This comes back to modifying my workout to include conditioning drills, but this usually means I need some equipment.  As I mentioned, I prefer minimal equipment.  Plus living in a condo limits the equipment I can have.  Perhaps a portable makiwara-type pad that I can tie to a tree and use at the park?  This bears further consideration and research.  If others have an idea, please pass me along a hint. ;)

Kitchen Kung Fu

Last but not least, I need to set a better regime for nutrition in place.  After the grading, I have relaxed my training a bit, and I felt somewhat lacking.  It doesn't help I had a recent birthday and my mom decided it was a great time to give me homemade, real cream, cake to take home.  As a rule, I don't normally allow myself much in the way of sweets at home, so I will be less tempted.  I have since tried to reduce all other forms of sweets that I partake in, but the Christmas season provides no end of opportunities to cheat.

*sigh* At the very least, I will start eating oatmeal for breakfast, ensure I have my daily apple/fruit, and focus on veggies for lunches and suppers (I find it easier to base my meals around vegetables to decrease the amount of poor choices I make).

Learning from other styles

Been reading a couple of books I got for my birthday.  All about Masami Tsuruoka and his karate and budo practices.  These weren't books I had asked for, so I was surprised to find out about him and his style of karate.  Not only was he the first karateka in Canada, but despite our difference in styles there is a lineage link between myself and him.  Which has got me thinking about the different styles of karate and how just by changing forms an experienced karateka can change "styles".  As Funakoshi is known to have said, there should be no styles of karate.  They are all the same at heart, despite forms. (Heavily paraphrased).  This gives me some hope in my own study of forms from other styles, as well as in other arts altogether.

Anyways, unexpected information, ideas - they come from everywhere.  One should never reject something entirely as a new source of information.  Look with open eyes, try to understand, then take what you like and discard what you find not useful for now.  You can always come back, or find something else.  This is the path to making your own martial style.

This was brought to the forefront by an article from Karate By Jesse:

20 (More) Things About Karate You Ought To Know

The points the really resonated with me:

1. Follow the old masters, but never let your lineage, style or history be a excuse to stop learning new stuff. The past is a place of reference, not residence.

7. When you’re a brown belt, you believe only half of what your sensei tells you. When you’re a black belt, you know which half.

18. What other people think of your Karate is none of your business. A tiger doesn’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.

 Those are just a few.  Really, the whole list was great and I can't recommend his site enough.  Some nice articles that really got me interested in exploring my art, and others, in different ways.

I appreciate the condensed wisdom of one or two lines that sum up a feeling, style, art, method or philosophy.  It gives me something to work backward from, and to dig into.  Sometimes the simplest things are those where you can find the most depth.

Building your Martial Practice

I have been thinking recently of expanding my own martial practice to include serious, dedicated practice in another disparate field of study.  And recent expansion in the curriculum of my school and in the karate program has made me wonder about the wisdom in picking up something new, and indeed of how new items could and should be incorporated into your practice.  And finally, what is the resulting practice?

For a few years now, the organization my school belongs to have been following the tradition of past karate masters and going to China to receive some additional training.  For those who are not familiar with the history of karate, it is strongly influenced by southern quan fa traditions, and many of the masters in the core lineage are known for having visited, trained at, and (according to oral tradition) mastered a given style.  Goju is not unique in this fact - all of the traditions related to Naha have similar stories of training in China and gaining some additional skill and insight in combat prowess.  The exact location for training by these past masters has been up for debate, as accurate records were not always taken or preserved (and in some cases destroyed by fires, wars and similar disasters of history).  So the reason for going there to train is multi-fold: historical research (go where they went) and increasing knowledge (seek what they sought) being the prime foci.

Anyways, so my Sensei, and several others, have been going around China and training at different temples.  Of note is training at the Songshan and Wudang mountain monasteries with the respective masters at each.  Oral tradition has indicated some training by Sensei Miyagi indicated familiarity and knowledge of Taoist systems, but nothing concrete.  The more we study and are shown, the more similarities we see with certain forms central to our style.

All of this sounds great, but what does it mean for those who don't go?  And what do we do with the new information?

In the past, masters of all styles have gone on journeys to test themselves against others, and sometimes to train under different masters.  They have incorporated that knowledge with their own to add new methods or forms into their existing system, or created a new style altogether.  Sometimes they have taken the principles and compiled them into something totally different, sometimes they took the majority and tried to keep it intact.

So far, we have been learning new forms directly transmitted to us.  These trips are short, only two weeks in length, so the time spent at each place is measured in days.  We work on the forms given so when we show them in a years time (or two) we can see what changes are needed and possibly learn something new.  So the majority of class time is spent learning new forms brought back.  For those who are more senior, this often means new forms that will become part of the curriculum at a much lower level.  This means that our art is expanding in breadth, but the depth is questionable.  Unless even more time is spent at the lower levels, how can they be expected to understand the content?  And what is the point of importing whole forms directly into our system?  Should the Senseis involved work to understand it themselves, and create something new or modified to suit our style while keeping some key lessons intact?

I don't have a clear answer to any of the questions I have posed, but it makes me wonder about the benefit of cross training.  I would love to hear the experiences of others, or links to similar stories and questions that people can refer me to.

At the moment, learning a whole art's forms and methods, so that I can teach them to those who know them only slightly less than myself, seems hypocritical and does not feel right.  I would only want to provide my experience and knowledge, not that which I have recently acquired and am still seeking to understand into my own repertoire.

Further questions that I have: when I start another art, what will this do to my core art?  Will it change?  Will I still be doing karate?  Will I create something altogether distinct?  Or will I just have a different personal style to my movements and tactics?

Grading results

Not a long post, and I am not one to boast, but I have officially received my grading results.  I have passed, and I am now a yondan, and sempai for the dojo.

I hope to have another, more interesting post out soon.  I have a few ideas rolling around in my head recently, and I just need to sit long enough to put them into digital written form.

Thanks to everyone so far.  I don't think anyone I know reads this blog, which is as I would have it, but I appreciate all of the feedback and posts from others.  It keeps my mind focused on my goals.

Effectiveness of your Martial Art

I just wanted to bring another great blog and author to light, as well as share a thought.

The Prevail Training blog is great for martial artists and those in the law enforcement profession that want to focus on a practical approach for officers.

The latest post about combat-proven martial arts provides some good food for thought.  Find the post here: Street Ready and Combat Approved

I don't want to say too much about this, except that it made me realize that it doesn't matter so much about who taught whom in your lineage.  It is important to have a good instructor with credible credentials who pushes you to beat your own perceived limits, but it comes down to your training, your ability and your experience.  Just because your teacher defeated ten attackers using a cocktail umbrella doesn't mean your training twice a week makes you just as efficient or practical.

Quote that sticks with me from the post:

So, examine your ideas about why you think you do what you do. ‘cuz when you face that moment, its going to be all about you.

It all comes down to us, our training and our mindset.