Team CANADA! Pan Am Games!!

Walking into the world of video blogging....

There is not too much to recap now, unfortunately my verbal capabilities are substandard to my writing, but I hope that with time I will be more comfortable in using the web cam to update my blog.
I am happy to be entering my third year of Karate training.  Very excited, actually. As mentioned in the video I will be doing a lot of work on keeping my hands up, and working to keep fighting fearlessly but not stupidly. I told my mother while I was visiting that I am fearless to the point of stupidity. Well this year, it would be nice to cut down on the amount of times I come close to some bad  injuries because I am not paying attention or getting lost in the moment. Sparring is going to be an important task for me. Techniques and kata are definitely my strong point. It is a little strange. Technique has never been something  I have done  well in my entire life. I had a horrific time in my music degree because my technique was terrible. I was always way behind my year mates in terms of my playing and  it really impacted my confidence, I was always more of an instinctive/ emotional/ creative musician than technical. This time around however, my technique is strong, but I struggle in  on the creative instinctive side of karate. Sparring really requires you to be able to SEE and FEEL what your opponent will do next.

Here is my list of goals.
1. Improve endurance, by doing bag work and 3-5 two min rounds a session
2. Really work on upper body strength.... Push ups, pull ups, standing rows, Australian pull ups.... using weighted bag gloves.
3. GREEN BELT
4. weapons training!
5. Musical Kata/ weapons kata!

Funakoshi's 20 Principles of Karate and its application: Principle Two

Chapter 2 : There Is No First Strike in Karate

Patience. Control. Honour.  Samurai Warriors lived within a strict code of conduct and firmly believed that their swords should never be recklessly drawn.  “ It was essential for the honourable man of the day to bear things to very limit of his ability before taking action. Only after reaching the point where the situation could no longer be tolerated was the blade drawn from its scabbard.” (Pg 23) Like a stone that has been dropped into water, the ripples of this principle can still be seen in today’s modern world of martial arts and karate. While there are not many samurai warriors waiting around at the bus stop these days, their idea that one should always avoid deadly force unless necessary is a lesson that should be taught to all, martial artist or not.  While many do not train with swords, karate-do (empty hand way) teaches us how to make our feet and hands into weapons as deadly as a blade of a samurai sword.. Therefore the concept there is no first strike in karate “ is an extension of the basic samurai principle that one must avoid the reckless use of weapons.” (Pg 24.)   However, when all resources are exhausted and there is no other recourse to take, “they must respond wholeheartedly and without concern for life or limb and [allow] their martial prowess to shine.” (Pg 25) In other words, use your head. Think before you kick.  If someone bumps into you while passing you, your first reaction should not be to jump into a fight.  Even if a situation is getting out of control, try to find different options first before resorting to physical violence. Then, if use of your skill is all that you have left, use it wisely and use it well.  Karate is defensive, not offensive. One of my all time favourite movies, the original karate kid(1984), demonstrates this concept in a conversation between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi :
Daniel: Hey you ever get into fights when you were a kid?
Miyagi: Huh- plenty.
Daniel: Yeah, but it wasn’t like the problem I have, right?
Miyagi: Why? Fighting fighting. Same same.
Daniel: Yeah, but you knew karate
Miyagi: Someone always know more.
Daniel: You mean there where times when you were scared to fight?
Miyagi: Always scare. Miyagi hate figting.
Daniel: Yeah, but you like karate
Miyagi: So?
Daniel: So, Karate’s fighting. You train to fight.
Miyagi: That what you think?
Daniel [pondering]: No.
Miyagi: Then Why train?
Daniel [thinks]: So I won’t have to fight
Miyagi [laughs]: Miyagi have hope for you.

We also see the lack of this principal in Karate Kid. It is shown through the teaching of the sensei ( if you can call him that ) in the opposing dojo:

Kreese: What do we study here?
Karate class: THE WAY OF THE FIST SIR.
Kreese: And what is that way?
Karate class: STRIKE FIRST. STRIKE HARD. NO MERCY SIR.
Kreese: I can’t hear you.
Karate class: STRIKE FIRST. STRIKE HARD. NO MERCY SIR.

I find it absolutely amazing that these principals, especially principals established by samurai warriors still have an impact upon our training today.  Do not forget, THERE IS NO FIRST STRIKE IN KARATE. Think. Have patience. Use control. Remember your honour.

As a side note you can catch Ralph Macchio (Daniel-san) in Dancing with the stars this season. Apparently rumor has it that if he wins he will do the famous crane kick..... you bet your bottom dollar that I will be tuning in to the finale to see that if he makes it.

Funakoshi's 20 Principles of Karate and its application: Principle One

I’ve decided that it is time for a little philosophical discussion of the sport I love. One of our belt test questions ask us who the founder of modern-day karate is. The answer that we have been supplied to say is Gishin Funakoshi . Sensei Funakoshi was responsible for bringing Shotokan karate over the main island of Japan in 1921, thus asserting the title of “Founder.” One of the most famous pieces of Karate literature was written by Funakoshi himself. In the book, The 20 Guiding Principles of Karate, Funakoshi establishes “ ... a way of guiding his disciples to explore the spiritual aspects of the Way of Karate, or karate-do.” (pg.15) Although this is only my second year of training, I have begun to realise that Karate simply does not stay behind the doors of the dojo. It has started to creep into facets of my everyday life, changing small things like the ability to stand taller with more confidence to changing the very core of my thoughts and the way I view the world around me. Karate is not just a sport. It should never be viewed that way, by anyone, for it actively trains both the body and the mind. For those  who are new to karate-do, The 20 Guiding Principles of Karate provides access and insight to the spiritual side of Shotokan Karate. It also acts as a rich resource for the actual development of spiritual enlightenment for students who have been training for some time.  Sensei Gishin Funakoshi once said, “the ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.” So, without further adieu, I begin my exploration and analysis of each principal of Funakoshi’s  The 20 Guiding Principals of Karate.

Chapter 1: Do not Forget that Karate-Do begins and ends with REI

Rei is often defined as respect. However, in the martial arts world, rei encompasses much more than just the singular meaning of the word.  “It is both an attitude of respect for others and a sense of self esteem” (pg.19) This concept is vitally important for any martial artist, young or old. It starts by bowing at the entrance to the inside of the Dojo. Bowing shows reverence for the dojo, and the training that goes on within it. It is considered a sacred place, where the utmost importance is placed on what is taught, learned and practised. Just before we start our actual training, we take a moment to bow in again while seated. Using the words “ Sho mi ni rei” and “Sensei ni rei,” We are formally showing respect and reverence for our classmates, style of training, place of training and our sensei who teaches us.  I believe that Rei is most important while specifically training for combat or the unfortunate situation where martial arts must be used to avoid combat. “ Combat methods that lack rei are not martial arts but merely contemptible violence. Physical power without rei is no more than brute strength and for human beings it is without value.”(pg.20) It is easy to simply use excessive aggression and overwhelming strength to over come ones opponent, but without respect ones actions become misplaced from the intention of good to negative and without any value whatsoever. Think of some of the martial arts movies you’ve seen over the years. The student who is pure of heart and mind and respectful towards his dojo mates and sensei is usually protrayed as the hero, while the antagonist is usually the student with flawless technique and brutal skills. He takes pleasure in hurting his opponents and does not think twice about killing them. He is filled with ego and no sense of reverence or respect for his discipline. He is normally thrown out of his home by the Sensei. “... without a sincere and reverent heart they do not possess true rei. True rei is the outward expression of a respectful heart.” (Pg.20) Ultimately, all martial arts begin and end with rei. “ Unless they are practised with a feeling of reverence and respect, they are simply forms of violence.” (Pg.20)

One should not leave this principle behind the doors of the dojo. It can be widely used in all manners and facets of your life. Whether it be work, love or play, applying rei to everyday life and situations will surely increase your self esteem and honour. Revering and respecting everything in your life paves a path for a peaceful, meaningful future, in which others will take notice and return the same to you. 

On the Road to Team Canada For the Pan Am Tournament

Aside from my wedding day, and the day I got my letter of acceptance to the music program at the U of C, yesterday has become one of the main highlights of my entire life.  Despite exceptionally keyed up nerves, and a disastrous kata, I managed to walk... no... I sparred away with an invitation to represent Team Canada at the Pan Am tournament this upcoming June!  

On Friday morning, the fun began with a day long drive to Regina.  Oh, Saskatchewan, the home of the Rough Riders, temperatures that cause your appendages to freeze off, and provincial sales tax.  I shared this tedious adventure into the frozen prairies with two of my Dojo mates, taking my ever-so-trusty steed known as the Anne-Mobile (aka Honda Element). Within the cozy interior of the Anne-Mobile (except  for when Rich was driving... BRRRRR) we shared laughter, music, driving shifts, and the occasional inappropriate - but funny as all hell- comment . This made the super long trip seemingly short, and it ended with a visit to my soul sister-best friend-kindred spirit's house. Kim, (the host with the most), gave us nourishing sustenance, and sent us on our way only when our eyes were droopy with exhaustion, and drool was starting to trickle out of the corners of our mouths. 

We stayed at the Raddison Hotel. Built in the 20's, it has a very opulent and Victorian atmosphere with rich dark furnishings and gold trimming. Our room had sleep number mattresses, which was very entertaining for me as I tried to find my  ideal sleep number (it's 65).

Saturday morning woke up the ancy, anxious, anal retentive Anne (how's that for alliteration?). I tried very hard to quash the polar personality, but she seemed to poke out enough that my two partners-in-crime took note. EEEP! I knew I had to get to the tournament so I could settle the nerves that threatened to ruin my entire day if I let them. Plus, I am kind of a nut case when it comes to being on time for things, so when we were still eating at the hotel as registration started (never mind that we had over an hour for registration) the twitching really started. 

Once arrived and registered, I was finally able to relax a little and enjoy the day. Kim came to join us for her first introduction into the world of Martial arts tournaments.  Rumor had it that we would be competing at noon. I was warmed up and ready at noon. As one pm rolled around, I was rip roaring to go and ready to spar anything that moved. By two pm my muscles were starting to tighten again. Three pm brought boredom induced hilarity as I tried to tackle the pillar in front of me, and invisible attackers as I fought to keep my muscles limber. Four pm arrived with acceptance that this tournament was being poorly run, and when we were finally called, all three of our divisions were called up together. Poor Kim had to run around with the camera and did a great job covering our tournament endeavors. 

1 minute for Kata and several 2 minute (or five point spreads) sparring sessions and your performance time is over. It passes by in the mere blink of an eye. My hopes to place first or second in kata died when my braced up feet slipped on the floor on my spear hand. I struggled to keep upright, and the rest as they say, is history. That one slip put me in fourth place. I still medaled, but it simply wasn't good enough especially for my standards. With sparring I knew that I would have to do some serious non-contact damage to keep myself in the running for a team Canada invite. With the luck of the draw, I managed to land myself with a kick boxer. I managed to overwhelm her and kicked her butt (not literally of course) in a five point spread.  The gold medal match was against a Taekwondo goddess. Remember how I have mentioned that taekwondo makes use of fancy footwork?? She destroyed me. I have no idea how to fight against tall leggy people, and it showed. It was terrible!  I'll definitely be asking to spar against the two incredibly tall people in our dojo just so that I learn some tricks and will be prepared for the situation in the future.  In the end nothing mattered as my second place won me my much desired spot on Team Canada for the Pan Am Tournament.

As a small side note: THINGS TO REMEMBER- Just because you kick someones butt simply by punching them does not give you the excuse not to use your legs!! 

Yesterday evening was spent celebrating Kim and my birthday's and our success at the tournament. Both my Dojo-mates medaled, and one of them also won a spot on the team! I wish I had more time with my beloved Kim-lady . The time spent with her was like a breath of warm sweet air on a mighty cold winters day... the type that warms you up inside and tickles you all the way down to your toes. I love you to pieces Kim! Thank you for cheering me on! 

The art of understanding the tournament process and belt tests.

January 22, Sylvan lake Alberta, Arashi Do Tournament.

I really enjoy tournaments. One of the most wonderful things to do is to watch other styles of martial arts being preformed. Kung Fu is like a dance, very fluid and connected. In sparring it's mostly defensive. As I watched the Kung Fu student fight, I noticed that he used his hands in continuous circular motions. As a fighter studying an opponent, I found myself distracted by it. I suppose the best way to deal with it would be to draw him out of the defensive position, and then score as he tries to be offensive. Taekwon-do has very fancy foot work. One of my teammates managed to take a flying side kick to the head. The kick, in itself, was simply amazing. Only in my wildest dreams would I be able to get that much air into a kick. My teammates luck in receiving it though,  was not so good. I am sure he suffered a small concussion from it.  Arashi- do has similar techniques and style as we do. Their kata's are close in comparison but you can definitely tell that we come from different Dojo's.

Sparring in tournaments are a point of frustration for me. I am sure, that as I attend more, I will get used to the points and the judges. I think it  really does come down to experience. I find that I still favor certain techniques, especially kicks with my legs. I also seem to forget my combos in a tournament setting. I have started to write combos down and am trying to practice them in hopes that my body will eventually remember them without me having to take the ten seconds to think of them first. As one of my sensei's said, the best way to describe sparring is a physical chess game. You have to measure your opponents skill and find areas where you can score points. One does not simply spread out the chess pieces and rush into battle. Test your opponent, find out what will work and what won't. I have tonnes of time to figure this out, and I am sure I will.

January 30th 2011.

Sick as a dog once again, I went into my belt test. I did pass. My marks were not as high as I hoped they would be, however taking into account that my lungs were spastic and my sinuses full and draining at the same time, I think that I did  fine. Things  I need to work on: ... nerves. The beginning of my Kata was way too fast. I allowed my nerves to get the better of me and the next thing you know I was speeding through my knife and spear hands, not paying attention to where my thumbs were and voila, marks were being deducted. The other mistakes that cost me were those typical silly mistakes that you make when you aren't coping with your nerves. My roundhouse kicks were moving more like  front kick. I didn't punch hard enough on the reverse punches during the traditional techniques . My fighting stance was a little narrower than usual. I can't remember what went wrong on my self defense except that I did have trouble on the cross hand wrist grab. Something funky was going on with my uki's wrist and I couldn't get it in the right position to do it. I had to try it twice before I got it. Despite all of the silly mistakes I am very happy I am now an orange belt. This next year will be full of fun things like flying kicks and jumping kicks and spinning kicks!

Today:

 I am preparing for the tournament that could possibly define my whole year. Next weekend is the Can Am Classic in Regina should I take first or second in sparring or Kata I have a chance to represent team Canada in Junes Pan Am Games. I will be there and try my very best.  I am at this point trying to keep Heian Nidan the finely honed powerhouse kata that it is, as well as make sure I don't damage myself prior to the tournament. It would also help if my Asthma would stop acting up. This tournament has very important meaning to me as I am doing it in memory of Angela Michael. One of my very best friends lost his mom a few years ago and the tournament falls on the anniversary of her death. She was a wonderful person, and is sorely missed.
Also, two more words: ROAD TRIP! Two other teammates and myself are all traveling together in the AnneMobile!  I am sure it will be a blast! Not to mention that I get to see another kindred spirit in Regina. I miss my Kim so much and I can't wait to share a day with her!!

Managing Mishaps, and Other Miscalculations.

December 13th 2010.

It was a heart throbbing, sweat filled dance that night in the Dojo. Dance meaning I was working on politely pummeling another Karate student during continuous sparring. The events of the evening are still a little hazy for me still but I will try my hardest to piece them together for you. There are some times in your life when you are supposed to dodge incoming traffic instead of running right into it. When you are idiotic enough to run straight into cet speeding vehicle, chances are nothing good is going to come out of it. This time the speeding vehicle was a beautiful spinning hook kick that connected to the right side of my jaw with what felt like the force of a Mack truck. It was enough to render me unconscious for a few seconds and after the pretty stars cleared my vision I was once again on my rear end. Not such a good track record for me so far! OW. Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! Never have I experienced such pain before in my life. It felt like my entire lower jaw had been shoved into the left side of my brain and then shattered into a million pieces. I couldn't bite down and it felt like my poor teeth would never be able to match up with each other again. Do you think that would be enough for me to call it quits for the evening. Oh no. Not me. I decided to get up and spar again. It must have been adrenaline, sheer stupidity or simply a high pain tolerance, but I managed through two more fights till the end of class. After class, I called Mark to let him know I would be needing an ice pack and LOTS of Advil. All was fine and dandy until I was about 6 blocks from home and I realized I was bleeding out of my left ear. Definitely not a good sign. I made another quick phone call to Mark informing him he would be driving me to the hospital. Upon driving me to the hospital, Mark broke at least five traffic laws! By then, fighting against nausea and dizziness, I was in no state to point out the blatant disregard for the rules of the road. At the hospital I was sent for x-rays where I almost fainted twice! The Doctor decided to keep me overnight and send me for a head ct the next morning.  I did not enjoy my two day hospital stay. The prognosis, some inner ear damage and ruptured ear drum. None of which is supposed to be permanent. It is taking its sweet time to heal though.

Upcoming Dates:
Tournament# 3 Sylvan lake January 22
Belt test January 30th
Pan-Am qualifying tournament in Regina on February 19th.
(looks like its going to be a fun and busy winter!)