“Severe” Sanchin kitae

July 26th, 2007 at 14:44 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Kata and Bunkai, Okinawa, Training Journal · Comment

This morning I received a “severe” Sanchin kitae from Sensei. This is not the severity Sensei means. It is just the severity I expected. He applied Sanchin kitae first time to my chest at Hokute no kamae. Sensei says there may be only 3 persons in the world are trained to perform Sanchin kitae to the chest (heart). They are Toyama Sensei (of course), Akamine Sempai and him.

Like usual, I felt great after the Sanchin kitae.

Tags:

Great morning workout

July 26th, 2007 at 14:38 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Okinawa, Training Journal · Comment

Had a great workout this morning. The training was more “severe” every each day. I worked with Hikaru on Seichin and Seiunchin. Jessica came with her friend, Grace. This was Grace’s first day at the dojo. Jessica helped Grace with Sanchin while Hikaru and I took turn doing Sanchin and Sensei gave me a more “severe” Sanchin kiate. Like the other Sanchin kitae, I felt very good after that.

Jessica helping Grace with Sanchin

Hikaru receiving Sanchin kitae

Me receiving Sanchin kitae

Tags:

Sunrise on Okinawa

July 26th, 2007 at 14:28 · Filed Under Blogging, Okinawa · Comment

I had always wanted to wake up early in the morning to make a nice sunrise photo on Okinawa. The sun rises on Okinawa about 0430. By 0500 it will be as bright as mid morning. Being a sleepy head, of course I did not manage to do it. Today Sensei took a photo. Doumo arigatou gozaimashita.

Tags:

Okinawan Brown Spider

July 25th, 2007 at 23:48 · Filed Under Okinawa, Photography, Spiders · 20 Comments

Sensei showed me his big Okinawan Brown Spider. This one is about 6-7 cm in size. It is not poisonous. It is nocturnal hunter. It eats insects.

Tags:

Evening training

July 25th, 2007 at 23:30 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Okinawa, Training Journal · Comment

This evening, Fumiya came. Sensei has talked a lot about Fumiya. Fumiya has just passed his nidan this May. I really had gotten a chance to see his Sanchin. I could see his muscles was well developed.

Sensei giving Fumiya san Sanchin kitae with Jessica working in the background

Jeff (USAF pilot) helping his friends on their first day of their training

Sensei giving Jeff Sanchin kitae

Fumiya-san doing Sanchin game

Jeff performing Sanchin game

Tags:

龍の構え

July 25th, 2007 at 23:12 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Okinawa, Training Journal · Comment

龍の構え (ryū no kamae), dragon ready stance/position is a posture which both hands are equal shape and can be on top/bottom of each other (e.g. double shoken in Kanshiwa), tiger hand (虎の歯　tora no ha) on upper right and lower left of the body, and etc.

龍の構え requires softness as if flexibility and fluid movement of the dragon but powerful. The kata 十戦 (Seichin) has many 龍の構え and I’ve learned Seichin on Monday. Today I’ve got a better understanding of 龍の構え from Sensei. After more practice in the afternoon, my movements are getting smoother and fluid.

Tags:

清運戦 – Seiunchin

July 25th, 2007 at 22:48 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Kata and Bunkai, Okinawa, Training Journal · Comment

Today learned another new kata. Seiunchin is created by Toyama Sensei based on Hojo Undo. It is not actually a kata because it does not have the characteristic of a kata. Rather, Seiunchin is a sequence of movements based on the drills (Hojo Undo). Toyama Sensei was bored doing the Hojo Undo so he took up his challenge to create Seiunchin. Sei as in his name Seiko. Un as in Hojo Undo. And Chin is challenge.

Sensei taught Jessica and I half of the kata this morning and Fumiya Sempai (17 year-old, nidan) taught us the complete kata.

I really did not remember much of the kata as I am still digesting and trying very hard to memorize Kanshuu and Seichin.

I will work harder tomorrow to knock these kata into my head and improve them. As I begin to memorize Kanshuu and Seichin, my movements in Kanshuu and Seichin have become fluid and smoother.

As expected, I can feel my body having some changes as my muscles are aching more each day. I really love the training and the “severity” I am going through.

Tags:

Okinawa Karate Myth

July 24th, 2007 at 21:02 · Filed Under Blogging, Karate, Okinawa · Comment

I had been listening to many people, including my former Sensei, speaking about Okinawa and they actually exaggerated the karate on Okinawa. You can’t find karate dojo everywhere on Okinawa. As I have observed, most of the dojo are well hidden into villages or residential areas.

The fictitious myth about foreigners seeking for karate master on Okinawa without a written permission from a dojo or a grand master will be forbidden to enter Okinawa is also not true. The immigration is very friendly and of course you must have a valid visa to enter Japan/Okinawa.

All the wonderful mystical and fictitious stories about Okinawa karate are not true. It is like fictitious wuxia (“martial arts and chivalry”) novels. The Okinawans are living a normal life here!

Tags:

Sanchin game

July 24th, 2007 at 20:46 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Kata and Bunkai, Okinawa, Training Journal · Comment

During the evening class, I met Hidetoshi Chinen, a 17 year-old nikyu. He was friendly and easy to mix with although he spoke very little English. His Sanchin was excellent. Together in the class, I also met a few “Little Dragons” and a Sempai (forgot his name though).

I also practiced kata with Jessica and practiced kote kitae (conditioning) with Hidetoshi. I was practicing it with Dave last evening.

I performed Kanshuu and Seichin badly this evening. I think I was quite confused with the steps and movements. Perhaps I did not practice enough. More hard works tomorrow to improve these two kata.

At the end of the class, after al the kids and parents had left, Hidetoshi suggested to do Sanchin game. I felt good. Whew! Great! Looking forward to doing it again tomorrow.

Tags:

Ego challenge

July 24th, 2007 at 15:11 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Okinawa, Training Journal · 1 Comment

Last night, I had another good chat with Sensei after the evening training. He told me about some people trying to learn and to get dan promotion and teaching license from Toyama Sensei with ill intention and without sincerity to learn and train.

Sensei told me one of the severity I would experience while I am here on Okinawa is the ego challenge. The training is not so much of learning new kata and techniques. It is about letting one’s ego down and be open minded to accept new changes. He is happy with my performance so far. This morning training has really challenged my ego. To tell you the real facts, I had no egoistic feeling when I practiced and learned from kyu students far younger than me. They are teenagers in their 15-16 years of age.

I believe it is hard for many karate-ka to let down their ego to pursuit new knowledge. I hope my students back home will never have ego and will practice and learn from anyone who has knowledge to share regardless of age, rank and seniority. And I really hope they will read this post and understand the message I am trying to pass on.

Sensei also told me the story about Elangovan Sempai from India. He told me how he strived in his training and also the story of his close friend who was killed in an accident. I was touched and I hope I can strive like him during my one month training on Okinawa.

Tags:

Learned Seichin

July 24th, 2007 at 14:58 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Kata and Bunkai, Okinawa, Training Journal · Comment

I woke up earlier this morning, took a quick shower and had a big breakfast. As usual, I checked my email boxes and worked while waiting for the training session. The morning training is from 1000 to 1130.

Sensei had to bring two of his cats to the vet. He could not train us so he told me to practice and learn from Hikaru and Jessica.

Jessica came followed by Hikaru not longer after that. Sensei gave Hikaru some instructions and left. We began our practice with Sanchin, Kanshiwa and Kanshuu. Later, I asked them to teach me Seichin. I was confused by the movements at first. I asked them to repeat the kata again and again until I remembered the movements. I hoped they were not bored by me. Anyway, if they are reading this post, thank you, Arigato Gozaimashita to both Hikaru and Jessica. I enjoyed practicing and learning with them.

Tags:

Real training begins

July 23rd, 2007 at 23:44 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Okinawa, Training Journal · Comment

In the morning, I was introduced to Jessica Hoffman. She is a sankyu student returning from US for summer holidays. She will be here for a month. We started our training with Hikaru Tamashiro (15 year-old) and Senato. Both are Ikkyu.

Learned Kanshabu (or Kanshuu) in the morning. The workout was great and made my stomach very hungry. After the training, Sensei and I went to a local shopping mall to get some stuff. Then Sensei gave me a treat at Mister Donuts. The store sells Okinawan style donuts. The donuts were delicious. We had a coffee and some donuts as lunch and we chatted for a while about karate.

We went home and prepared for the evening class.

In the evening, I was introduced to Jeff and Dave. They were kyu students and pilots at Kadena AB. They brought a long two friends. A man and a woman. Both Americans.

Not after the introductory, Jessica and Senato came. We began training with Sanchin and Sanchin Kitae. I received more Sanchin Kitae tonight with additional pounding to my shoulder blades. Again, the feeling was good! I could feel my body had built up every each time Sensei gave me Sanchin kitae.

I learned Seichin tonight too. I learned two kata, Kanshuu and Seichin in one day. Honestly speaking, I only did Seichin once tonight and I had completely forgotten all the sequences soon after finishing the kata. I will learn Seichin (hopefully) tomorrow morning and Hikaru and Jessica come.

Tags:

Protected: 完周 – Kanshuu

July 23rd, 2007 at 13:31 · Filed Under Days in My Life, Karate, Kata and Bunkai, Okinawa, Training Journal · Enter your password to view comments.

Tags:

Shopping at Kadena AB

July 22nd, 2007 at 15:21 · Filed Under Blogging, General, Japan, Okinawa · Comment

We went to the Kadena AB (where Sumako works) to buy some groceries at the commissary. The air base was really scenic. Will return sometime later to make some pictures.

Tags:

Delicious lunch

July 21st, 2007 at 22:12 · Filed Under Eating Out, Japan, Okinawa · Comment

After today’s exhaustive workouts (Yoga and karate), Sensei and his wife Sumako brought me to a nearby Okinawan restaurant for lunch. There was a dish, an appetizer, really taste good. There was a kind of fresh sea weed in it. It is called by the locals, 海葡萄 (umi budō) or Sea Grapes. It has a crunchy texture and really feel fresh.

I ordered some kind of udon with tako rice. Taste delicious and the portion was huge. It was so filling. After the lunch, we went to a confectionery next to the restaurant for some dessert. The red potatoes (another Okinawa agriculture product) mousse was great.

Again, I did not bring my camera along so no pictures. Will go again to the restaurant and will surely bring my camera.

We returned home and I had a great siesta then. The huge lunch made me really sleepy. As I am really a sleepy head, you know…