Gasshuku Part 3
Hi. Monday was the only day that Sensei watched us from the stage. That night, Sensei asked me if the first day met my expectations. I said that I thought it was going to be a little harder than it was. Actually, I thought it would be a lot harder than it was because of the stories that I heard. Through out Gasshuku, I commented about how easy everything was. Sempai Linda said that I can’t say that in front of people. What’s easy to me is hard for others. Then, she said that I should look at what Sempai John does. When he worked with me, I have looked him as an example ever since. I know that Sempai John puts 100% in everything he does in karate. So, I have decided to try put my 100% in everything and try to push myself harder each time.
However, that’s easier said than done. I noticed that it was easier doing a thousand front snap kicks in Gasshuku than doing around 300 in practice last week. I have no clue why it was easier. I know that me being tired isn’t a factor because I trained all day in Gasshuku. Maybe it’s because I was mentally stronger during Gasshuku than last week. One of the factors maybe when I was on my meds during Gasshuku and last week I wasn’t. I think it’s a mental factor.
Sempai Diana said that you should be sore after practice. Normally, I don’t get sore and don’t know why is that. (A little later after researching about it) I thought that I wasn’t working hard enough because I normally don’t get sore. I talked to my dad about it. He said it could be because I’m really limber and flexible. Now that I have researched about it, I’m not worried. Professors think that muscles get sore after 24 hours is because of microscopic tears. When the muscle tears, it gets inflamed and causes pain. This type of muscle soreness is called delayed onset muscle soreness. When one uses the muscle more and more, the soreness will abate. I acquired this information from http://onhealth.webmd.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52151.
The thing that made me sore during Gasshuku was kakie. On Friday, I worked with Sempai Art with kakie. Sempai Art is an Asian black belt who has a skinny build and weighs a little less than I weigh. I was familiar with the first kakie that I did with Sempai Art because I did it before with Sempai Amy. It’s where I have to put my hand on the floor while both of my legs are on both sides of my opponent. I didn’t like the second one because I couldn’t land very gracefully. I catch myself with both hands and land on my stomach. I wasn’t very good at that because I didn’t give myself enough time to let go of his leg and catch myself while falling. Twice, I hit my chin on the ground when I fell. The others involved a lot of picking up and setting my Sempai on the ground. I was thankful that Sempai Art was strong enough to lift me up and set me on the ground gently without dropping me. I was surprised that I was strong enough to do that to him. When I land, I have to keep my arm straight and slap the ground when I land. I was keeping bending my elbow when I was slapping. My arms and lower back weren’t used to picking a person up. Therefore, they were sore a day later.
The hold in the last one of the kakie didn’t work for me. It’s where we both are sitting on the ground and my opponent pushes my neck forward while my shoulders are pulled the opposite way. Usually, that makes a person tap out. Sempai Art has never met a person where that hasn’t worked on him or her. He even asked other Sempai to see if he was doing it right. I thought it was cool that a technique didn’t work for me because I’m too flexible. I think that my shoulders are the most flexible parts in my body.
Sempai Marty, a brown belt, had a hard time with me being flexible when we were working on Bunkai Oyo. He didn’t know how to make me tap out. Therefore, he said to pretend it hurts and tap out. During a water break, Sempai Marty told Sensei that I was flexible and slapped my back. Sempai Eric, a brown belt, didn’t have as much as trouble with me as Sempai Marty. When I worked with Sempai Linda, Sempai Kurk, Sempai Valerie, Sempai Mark, and Sempai Tony, they didn’t have any trouble with me at all. My main partners for Bunkai Oyo were Sempai Mark and Sempai Tony. I’m very thankful that I had them for my partners because they were high black belts who were in the first row.
3 comments:
Oh no! You are one of those flexible people that make it hard to put them in joint locks, and arm bars?????? OH NO! Ha ha ha I have had partners like that, and it's amazing how far their shoulder, or elbow can go!
You know what? Soreness can be a good sign, or a bad sign. I've noticed that I used to be alot more sore after class even after doing hardly anything. But then I was really out of shape. So the soreness was a sign that I had no muscle tone whatsoever. So.. if you are lazy about your training for a couple of months, and then decide to suddenly take it seriously, you should expect some major sore muscles. Then, weight lifters could show us that there is the flip side of that idea. When your muscles get used to a certain amount of demand, you have to either add more repetitions, or increase the weight to continue building up strength/stamina. When you do that, your muscles will become sore again.
Sometimes a lack of soreness is because you don't know how to use your whole body with each technique. For example, I remember how, when I was a brown belt at a shotokan seminar, we had to do our basic kata as a class. I was standing next to a white belt at the time. She did the kata beside me at the same count. At the end of the kata, I was breathing hard. My heart was racing, and I was sweating with the effort of the kata. She looked at me in shock because she was as fresh as a daisy. My condition was not because I was out of shape, it was more because I knew what each move of the kata required, and my whole body was in every effort, even in between the efforts there was a need for concentration, and energy. I couldn't explain it all to her. I saw her face beam in triumph and self pride because she thought that she is in better shape than a brown belt. I just smiled at her because I knew that in time she will look back, and realize what really happened.
Yes Lizzie, be careful about the "that was easy" comments. You can think them, sure.. feel good about your skills, but remember that there are many people out there who struggle to do what you can do easilly.
I'm not worried about being sore because I work as hard as the rest of my Sempai.
I'm that flexible type too. It gives everyone a hard time. However, if the technique is done right, the body will follow even if the pain is not there.
I make sure to follow through when I know they're doing it right. But sometimes, I let it go and then they're wondering what's being done wrong.
It's good to work with many human bodies, because you never know on whom you might have to use such a technique. Therefore, being more flexible, you give them a chance to work on fine tuning their techniques instead of replacing finer movements with brute force. It'll pay off in the end.
The easy comment:
Indeed, somethings, I catch only by watching. When it's time to do them, it comes easily, as if I had already done it. At first, I said so when it happened, but with time, I realized that others do not take it nicely. Sometimes, quite the opposite, in fact.
Being sore:
Well, good for you if you're not. With time, you don't get sore, unless you're doing a very long training, like 4 or 5 hours straight.
Cheers!
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