Randori and other things

When I first started karate, it was new and exciting. I was learning things for the first time in my first quarter of karate. When I first started going to the dojo, it was an experience that I haven't had in my lifetime before. In my second quarter of karate, I repeated the things that I learned in the first half of my first quarter. I honed in my basics like punching, kicking, blocking, moving attack, and the Fukukata.

I've realized that the dojo was the main place where I learned karate. However, I noticed that I haven’t had that excitement which I got after training at the dojo. I used have the urge to write all the things that I have learned in my journal. Now, I haven’t written in it for a while because I haven’t had that excitement. It’s probably because the things which we do in the dojo aren’t brand new anymore. It seems like I’m reviewing more and more. However, one night the excitement did come back and it took me forever to fall asleep. That night, I learned and worked on a new version San Dan Ni (the three level striking exercise) for two hours with Sempai Jason. I was all excited afterwards and wanted to write in my journal. Of course, I didn’t because I didn’t have time too. The next day, the excitement was gone which is to be expected.

My favorite classes are when we get to work one on one with each other. I just don’t like the classes when I have to stand and watch the higher belts do a higher kata. It gets boring and makes me want to do something. One class I stood for about an hour or more watching the higher belts do things. Oh! I got so antsy and really wanted to spar or even just to move around instead of just standing there.

Last Thursday, Sensei had all the white belts Randori except me. Oh, I really wanted Randori and improve my skills. Sensei had Cory spar with Sempai Brandon, Tauk with Sempai John, and Chris with Captain David. The rest of us just self-practiced. Tauk and Chris were testing from SCC. I don’t know why I wasn’t. Maybe it’s because I didn’t pay the money with them. At SCC, Sensei said that we had to pay ten dollars to test. However, I didn’t pay anything when I tested for my second stripe. I don’t know. Sensei said I was ready for my third stripe and that I can test anytime. Ugg, I really want to get my third stripe; however, I know that I’m in no big hurry to get it. When I got my second stripe little over a month ago, it didn’t really mean that much to me physically. Getting stripes just happens when I train. I finally got my certificate for 8th kyu on June 1st because Sensei has been so busy. Maybe, I should wait until Sensei announced that I should test again like my last test and be an 8th kyu longer. I don’t know how long I’ll be a 7th kyu because Mesha has been one two to three months now and hasn’t learned Seiunchin all the way yet. However, probably Sensei won’t have me learn the kata until I’m a third stripe. However, I know that one of the Sempai could correct many things in my Saifa like they did with Fuku kata Dai San and with both Gekisai kata.

Anyway, like I said, I really wanted to Randori even though it’s very tiring and I could get hurt again. I was hoping that Sensei would allow me to Randori but it never happened. Therefore, I felt disappointed and a little down. I kept on sending him little hints that I wanted to do it too by practicing sparring techniques; however, he didn’t catch on.

I’m sad that I can’t go to the dojo on Thursday because my relatives are coming over and have dinner with my family. Aunt Wendy is coming up from California and Uncle J.R. is coming from West Virginia. They are coming here because my grandfather died two weeks ago. We’re having a memorial service for him and for my Uncle Brian who died of cancer when 42 years old. This will be the first time in a long time that I will miss class. Last time I missed class was when Sempai John didn’t let me in the dojo because I was an hour late. That was horrible!

I need to stop writing. I have to either work on my Islam and the West or my pre-calc. I found out that I have a 3.5 in pre-calc. Gerrr, I was expecting a 4.0. Hopefully, I can get a 3.6 or 3.7 with a high grade from my final. My final will replace my first test which I got a 76, so that will help. I just don’t want to bomb my final like I did last quarter in pre-calc. I had a 4.0 all quarter and then, a 3.9 from the last test. I was expecting to bump it up however; I took way too long on my final. So, I didn’t finish it and got a 66 which killed my grade. Therefore, I got a 3.4 instead of a 4.0. So, I’m sort of nervous with this final because I will be longer than two hours for everybody. It will be more like 2 hours and 45 min. I’m just wondering how long it’s going to take me because I take twice as long. In my last final, I worked for 4 half hours which completely fried me.