Monday 24 December 2012

My festive season karate training schedule

I hope this post finds you well as 2012 rapidly comes to a conclusion. It has been a very busy year on all fronts for me: with my Asai-ha Shotokan-ryu Karate seminars in Palmerston North (in the North Island of New Zealand), here in Christchurch (the South Island of New Zealand), Freemantle and Margaret River in Western Australia, Italy, Germany and in England. Not to mention hosting Keigo Abe Shihan (9th Dan) here in the Garden City. Furthermore, an intense year of daily self-training, instructors classes and practice at the Christchurch Shotokan Karate Club (click here: www.christchurchshotokan.blogspot.com) - the Mecca of Shotokan Karate-Do in Canterbury. I have also been very busy with my study at the University of Canterbury, which has again resulted in high grades that undeniably reflect the self-discipline and hardship of daily Karate-Do training. What a year 2012 has been! On that note, here is my latest training schedule which I will follow for at least the next two weeks. Kindest regards to you all over the holiday season. Keep up the training! Osu, Andre. 

(A) KIHON

SONOBA-KIHON
(1) Hidari jodan kizami-zuki kara migi chudan gyaku-zuki; (2) Migi jodan kizami-zuki kara hidari chudan gyaku-zuki; (3) Mae-geri (heisoku-dachi); (4) Yoko-keage (Heisoku-dachi); & (5) Choku-zuki (Heiko-dachi) – first practice in the basic manner then snapping fully out and back from hiki-te.

* Repetitions at full-pace after warm-up (10 times in slow motion): Tewaza - 60x each side; Keriwaza 30 times each leg.

IDO-KIHON
(1) Oi-zuki; (2) Gyaku-zuki; (3) Sanbon-zuki; (4) Kizami-zuki kara sanbon-zuki; (5) Mae-geri; (6) Mawashi-geri; (7) Ushiro-geri; (8) Yoko-keage (kiba-dachi); (9) Yoko-kekomi (kiba-dachi); (10) Yoko-kekomi (zenkutsu-dachi); (11) Jodan age-uke kara chudan gyaku-zuki; (12) Chudan soto-uke kara chudan gyaku-zuki; (13) Chudan uchi-uke kara chudan gyaku-zuki; (14) Chudan uchi-uke kara gyaku-zuki; & (15) Chudan shuto-uke (kokutsu-dachi) kara nukite.

* Repetitions: Ten times for each technique (slowly) then 10-30 times with maximum speed.

 (B) KATA
Monday: Heian-Shodan & Jion + one jiyu-gata.
Tuesday: Heian-Nidan & Kanku-Dai+ one jiyu-gata.
Wednesday: Heian-Sandan & Empi + one jiyu-gata.
Thursday: Heian-Yondan & Tekki-Shodan + one jiyu-gata.
Friday: Heian-Godan & Bassai-Dai + one jiyu-gata.
Saturday & Sunday: Jiyu-gata

* Repetitions: Monday to Friday three different kata are practiced every day (four times each - facing North, South, East & West). The first practice is in slow motion and the other three are with full-speed. Light stretching is performed between each kata allowing for `fresh performances’.
Saturday & Sunday are jiyu-gata: One or more kata are practiced depending on my focus or feeling that day; nevertheless, I follow a similar pattern of repetitions to my weekday self-practices.

 
(D) KUMITE
(1) Uchikomi practice: Kogeki-waza building up to renzokuwaza (particular focus on tsukiwaza); (2) Uchikomi practice: Hangeki-waza; (3) Jiyu-kumite; & (4) Impact training utilising focus mitts.
 
* Repetitions: (1 &2) For all uchikomi-waza practice at least 10 repetitions with full speed from both the left and right jiyu-dachi. (3) Rounds of jiyu-kumite are variable but the emphasis is on relaxation and extreme explosiveness once maai is gained. And (4), this impact training is focused on maximum explosiveness with the aim to develop penetration power; therefore, only ten repetitions at maximum speed and power are performed on both the left and right sides for five linear punches: namely, jodan gyaku-zuki, chudan gyaku-zuki, jodan oi-zuki, chudan oi-zuki, and jodan kizami-zuki. This is quality training of 100 punches in total; overall, your strongest punch 100 times.
 © André Bertel. Christchurch, New Zealand (2012).