April 9, 2009

Pain That Makes You Work Harder

Tonight at the dojo reminded me why I love karate so much.

I've spent the last few weeks at the dojo trying to get kata back into my head. Of course, there was the occasional night where I had a bo coming at me full force, but most nights have revolved around kata, either open hand or weapons, and my brain trying to reabsorb and perfect it all.

Tonight, however, it was all partner work; and it was awesome. Hanshi had us take each scenario from a casual stance to mimic what might happen if someone approached you and started swinging when you weren't quite expecting it. We worked on parrying, back-fists, some crazy cool joint locks and jamming the bicep when you have an incoming round-house punch.

I was working with a black belt partner who I haven't worked with in a while, and we had a good time practicing on each other and exploring some potential other possibilities. It felt good to evade a punch and throw back some techniques. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing how a small portion of kata can turn into the perfect defense against someone looking to take your head off.

There were certainly some mess-ups on my part tonight. Learning something new is never perfect, but my partner and I worked through it and it was definitely a fun night at the dojo.

At one point, Hanshi came over and demonstrated one of the techniques on me. It reminded me, once again, how very good he is at what he does. For minutes after, my bicep was unhappy, as was the rest of my arm. He uses such amazing control, but when he hits you, man, do you know it! I never mind being his uke though; because when you feel that tweak of pain, it inspires you to work harder yourself.

Winners for Admired Martial Artists Month will be announced early next week!