August 3, 2006

High Rank, Low Rank

I have doubled my karate intake each week and am loving it. I think I’m learning a lot about myself in the process. During my earlier class, I am usually the high rank in the class. We go over some of my material, but for me it is mostly a review. I’m not complaining. This is a good thing. The last thing I want to do is forget and there is a lot of material to learn, especially considering that we don’t just learn open hand karate at my dojo. We have a whole slew of weapons that we need to know how to use as well.

During the advanced class, I am always the low rank. Last week it was me and another black belt. Tonight we had two black belt instructors, two new black belts and yours truly. We reviewed weapons kata’s and then practiced bunkai (application). Last week, I learned my waza in a 30 minute period by constantly going through the motions and practicing the bunkai (and getting very sore arms in the process). This week we took parts of my sai kata and learned the application. As my instructor stood there swinging the bo at me, I was tentative at first. Because he highly encourages getting our strikes as close as possible, I kept at it. It was by no means perfect, but it felt really good the more I did it. There is nothing like bunkai to help you commit moves to memory (both mental and muscle).

I thought that I would enjoy being the high rank in class over the low rank. Instead, I’m finding the opposite. I enjoy the challenge of being in class with black belts. I like learning the application. It doesn’t matter how crisp your kata is; if you can’t use it when it’s necessary to do so, you’re going to be in trouble.

The other great thing about being in the company of higher ranks is that you get to practice some really cool self defense. Tonight, we learned self defense with a pencil, pen, or other such implement. No pencil or pen? We learned how to use our thumbs to make an attacker drop to the ground.

My issue with self defense is that when I come home to practice it on my husband (who is much bigger than I am) I sometimes run into trouble. He is strong and when he really grabs hold of my arm or wrist, I sometimes have trouble maneuvering. Of course, this is what distractions are for (tail butt kick to the groin, foot stomp, etc.), but what if the attacker continues to hang on or you can’t get one of these distractions off in a timely matter?

I asked my instructors for some help with this. I asked my instructors how to get out of being pinned on the ground with someone much bigger and stronger. We spent an extra 45 minutes after class continuing the techniques. They are exciting to me, because just knowing where certain points are on a body or how to move them turns the threat of someone much bigger than you into a much smaller problem. So much of self defense seems to be understanding angles (I really wish I would have paid more attention in geometry for that reason!) and body mechanics.

Of course, it wouldn’t be karate class without me apologizing for something. Tonight was no exception. My instructor was teaching me what to do if a much larger and stronger person would be attempting to hit me with a hook punch. We talked about where I would need to stop the momentum in order to be successful and then he taught me a move where you step closer to the attacker, using your one arm to grab and block the punching arm while the other hand strikes the throat. By moving in when your attacker expects you to move back or stand still, you avoid the impact of the punch and make a stunning strike. I watched him demonstrate the technique on me and then I gave it a shot. I was excited about the move and because of my excitement, I popped my instructor in his Adam’s Apple when I moved in to do the strike. I promptly began my litany of apologies. He told me I did it exactly right and took it in stride. (This is the same instructor who when teaching me techniques for fending off a knife attack, had something snap in his already injured shoulder because I was a bit overzealous.)

I appreciate the fact that my instructors are so eager for me to learn the proper way to do things that they sort of self-sacrifice. It was the same way with using the pencil as a weapon. I was pretending to strike him, and instead he had me use the eraser side and actually strike him. It helps you to learn because you know what kind of pressure you need to use and where you need to hit exactly. Without that kind of training, you’d be out of luck with a real attacker. An attacker is not going to give you a second chance to hit the right spot. You’re not going to be able to request a do over.

Although it can be a bit intimidating to be in the company of so my black belts, I’ve realized that any good black belt only wants to help others learn what they already know. I have learned so much from the black belts at my dojo. Sparring with them, partnering with them, and watching the way they do things can only make me better.

Injury update: My knee is feeling so much better. During a workout with my heavy bag the other night, I was working on the placement of kicks. Something popped in my knee and since then I have felt a huge improvement. Karate this week felt great. I am so happy it was not anything serious!

If I haven’t lost you by now, there’s a new birth story up. Go and check it out.