Punchin', Kickin' and Throwin’

I cant remember if I have posted since my sankyu test, but all I remember was that I really felt that my fight was really despicable...
actually embarrassing. So I have incorporated a bit of karate into my regimine which I willn throw in the blog from time to time. Hai-yah!

Now that I have started something new, it's refreshing to be really bad at something. With every extra stretch or controlled kick, is a success. I used to feel just making it to jujitsu was itself was a success, then making it to class + warmup, then class+warmup+ukemi, etc...etc... it's nice having that feeling back.



Kicks
Mae geri (front kick)
Kicking is interesting to me because it's something I delieberatley stayed away from , due to my poor stretch. I was advised by sensei that it's not so much stretch as it's bringing the knee up to a certain height and maintaining it.
- With hands in gaurd, raise knee to chest height
- With knee pointing towards opponent, snap foot out
- Hit with ball of foot
- Rechamber
- Place kicking foot in front of you
*Note : Placing the kicking foot in front allows you to move into your opponent, and is the begining setup for a throw or a sweep.

Kakato geri (heel kick)
- With hands in gaurd, raise knee to chest height
- With knee pointing up, stomp down, pushing yourself out into a line
- Hit with heel
- Rechamber + body returns vertical
- Place kicking foot in front of you
*Note : A really big guy told me that if i hit him w/o the pad with this kick it would knock him down.
As I kick I can feel the muscles from my glute and my hips firing the same way in a squat and a deadlift.
I think this may be a technique that's very suited to my body type.

Mawashi geri (roundhouse kick)
I am so bad at this kick I can't even comment...it's embarrassing. ;)

Sparring
Sparring is so amazing because it hits right in my fear center. When we go throw for throw, I feel the same nervousness, though I'm not sure why.
I can take a fall. I know that whoever i am sparring against isn't going to kill me, yet the triggers remain. I don't know if they will ever be dulled.
But I do know that right after you throw a few punches it's gone. Something special happened this last time...I MOVED! I kept getting hit, and I thought maybe I should tai-sabaki, and not only did I think about it, my feet actually did what my mind wanted them to do.

Though..when I'm done, I still wanna throw up.

Throwdown at the OK Dojo...

So in our 3rd installment of Sensei clinics we're on to throws...which is awesome.
A few things I feel about tachi-waza ( body throws ):
- ukemi will improve ( from taking falls )
- you'll become strong ( from performing )
- you'll feel more confident ( from feeling your power )
- you'll become humbled ( from feeling others power )

When I am thrown now, I can fell how the other person is throwing me, where the strength is. Dixon has an amazing whipping motion, Youval has a tremendous drop...etc. It's nice to be able to acknowledge these difference as I am falling.

Harai-Goshi ( Sweeping Hip Throw )



From fighting we enter a clinch similar to a hug and trap uke's body to us.
- Cross step into uke, almost perpendicualr to uke's foot, pull extended foot past your cross stepped foot push back through uke's legs as much as possible
- Pull out on sleeve and wrapping it across your chest
- Pivot and sweep

*Notes on Harai ( tori )
- Enter and Pivot, not Enter and turn, or Slightly Enter and Turn, or Turn
In judo i was consistently scolded for turning my back on uke. Never turn your back. Pivoting looks like you are turning, but you're really not, you're turning your whle body with uke attached.
- Cross step deep
I know it sucks, it's akward and tiring, but it's less tiring than heaving your uke.

Notes on Harai ( uke )
- Energy Energy Energy
As tori my 1st, and 2nd attempt at uchi-komi usually turns into a full throw, I feel because I have the energy from uke. On the third I can feel the hips drop back. I remember Sensei Coleman yelling at me ( I think even like a month ago ) to not shoot my hips back. As uke's we're smart so we want to push our hips forward extending ourselves into our breakfall, pushing our hips back causes us to fall in a awkward postiion, which usually is a pretty hard fall.