March 26, 2007

When all the black belts gather

The black/brown belt class I’ve been attending for the past few months usually ends up being private/semi-private lessons for me. Tonight was a big switch. There were six black belts in attendance and one very clueless brown belt (that would be yours truly).

I’ve been feeling good lately because I am relatively close to knowing all the kata’s I need to know up to black belt testing. Tonight I got to see the great beyond.

In kobudo, there are four weapons needed up to black belt: one nunchaku kata, three bo kata’s, two tunfa kata’s and two sai kata’s. After that, things get crazy. There are two-man weapons kata’s, and a whole slew of new weapons to learn as well. Tonight I got a taste of some of the other weapons that I had only seen hanging on the wall before.

We worked on eiku and nunte bo kata’s tonight and although extremely confusing, it’s always fun to try something new. Eiku is like swinging around a large oar. It is heavy and awkward for someone who has no clue how to use the thing. For someone who bought a youth bo so that I would have something nice and light, this was a big switch for me. The neat thing about using these weapons is that you can see the history to the weapon, and easily know what its everyday use was and how it could be converted into a weapon if necessary.

Even more heavy than the eiku, was the nunte bo. I believe the intended use for this weapon was as a means to catch fish, Survivor style. The first time we ran through this kata, I just used my bo. One of my instructors gave me a nunte bo to give it a try the next time we ran through it and there is a big difference. The center of the nunte bo is completely different than on a traditional bo, and it is HEAVY. Forget Pilates; if I want to tone my arms, I’ll just need to start swinging around a nunte bo more often.

I also worked on bunkai a bit before class. For black belt testing, I’ll need to know basic bunkai for all of my kata’s. But I’ll need to have a showcase open hand and weapons kata that goes a bit beyond. I think that I’d really like to do a sai kata for my showcase bunkai. I’ve always really like the sai, and I feel comfortable with them which is important.

Of course, every time I thought I had a good handle on a weapon, I realized that I was in fact wrong. . . very, very wrong. So, we’ll see what happens.

Posted by Black Belt Mama on March 26, 2007 in Tales from the dojo | 4 Comments

March 22, 2007

I’m being too nice

Since Monday I’ve been working on my first kata, Nai Hanchi Shodan, every chance I get. I figured that if I’m going to go kata by kata and start fixing things, I might as well incorporate bunkai (application) into my practice as well.

Mr. BBM has been a great help to me with this and has been a fabulous uke. He has continued to stay a good sport, even when I demand that he come over and punch towards my face within minutes of him walking in the door from work, so that I can block and throw him around a bit. He didn’t even mind that much when I was experimenting with joint locks and completely wrenched his arm unintentionally while I was deep in thought.

The problem in working with him though is that when you’re first trying to work out the application, it goes very slowly. Slow kata means that you forget where you are in the kata as you go. So, I keep having to start from scratch, figure out where I’m at and then continue on. If he knew the kata he would be of greater assistance to me-yet another reason he needs to get his butt back to the dojo.

I’d been thinking about the bunkai for this kata all day today and when he walked in the door tonight from work I had to try it out. Instead of using a double block and back fist as simply a block against a punch, block against another punch, followed by a back fist to the head, I wanted to change it up a bit. I blocked his first punch, and then pulled the other arm up underneath and around his arm I just blocked, and then back across centerline so as to twist his arm up behind his back. Basic bunkai is cool enough, but finding a move in there that you didn’t know was there is even more exciting.

When I got to class tonight, I asked my instructor how one would do the back fist after that arm lock without it being awkward. So, we started off class with a basic bunkai demonstration for the first kata, followed by a not-so-basic demonstration that was really cool.

The other cool thing is that right as class was beginning, a black belt walked in, which meant he got to play the role of uke (i.e. person who gets thrown around), not me. Bonus.

When all was said and done and both demonstrations/explanations were finished I came to the conclusion that I am being entirely too nice to Mr. BBM. Kosa steps are not simply steps; they can be kicking the leg out from underneath someone. Bringing one’s hands back to an on guard position on the belt isn’t preparing for the next attacker; it can be breaking an attacker’s neck. I was shocked at how many kills there were in that kata and am now seeing it in a whole new light.

I think Mr. BBM will be seeing me in a whole new light after I try some of those moves on him too, like possibly the light that he’ll be staring up into when he’s found himself flat on his back with no warning(rubs hands together and evil laugh ensues).

Posted by Black Belt Mama on March 22, 2007 in Tales from the dojo | 9 Comments

March 21, 2007

Everything you wanted to know. . .

You may all be asking what that new thing in the sidebar is over there on the left side. My friend has a son who has Type 1 Diabetes. You can visit his website at Kroll Books. He is participating in a School Walk for Diabetes and is hoping to raise $500 that will go towards research in the fight against Diabetes. My Mom is a Type 1 Diabetic so his daily struggles hit close to home for us. We are planning on sponsoring him. He is a fabulous kid, and if you’d like to donate, click on Chase’s name in the sidebar and you’ll go directly to his donation web page. I’d love to see his $500 goal blown out of the water. If you have an extra $5 laying around, please consider donating to Chase. If you do, shoot me an email so I can properly shower you with love.

And now, back to business. . .

The questions have been rolling in (or not). Scott, my new friend, from Forging Ironman asked these questions.

What is your favorite "karate movie"? Least favorite? And why?

Although it’s been a while, my favorite karate movie is probably The Karate Kid. My least favorite? I’d have to say that any of the more recent martial arts movies that incorporate all the wires and artistic stuff that looks beautiful, but is in no way realistic. I remember watching The Karate Kid for days at a time when it was on the channel Prism. My parents had to turn the TV off and make me go outside. I loved that movie. I guess I liked it so much because it showed that hard work pays off and that the good guys can and do win.

I assume you plan to teach or assist the instructor when you reach black belt. What are you most excited about with teaching? And least?

I would LOVE to teach someday. Although many probably think that my M.S.Ed. degree is wasted since I’m not in the classroom anymore and wasn’t for very long, I have been looking at that degree as a stepping stone to knowing good teaching techniques to one day teach karate. I am probably most excited about teaching kobudo (weapons). I am probably least excited about teaching sparring. I think I’d like to try to teach the Little Dragons some day, just to see what it would be like. I don’t know if I could take that for long though.

Have you ever competed in a tournament? An out of state tournament? An international tournament? What events did you do?

No, no, and no. I have absolutely no interest in tournament competing. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with entering tournaments; it’s just that it’s not for me. I’m not interested in the trophies or the competition. For me, it’s always been much more of a personal thing. If I were to enter a tournament, I would compete in kata and weapons, but I highly doubt I would compete in sparring. I’ve heard horror stories, especially about sparring against woman, and I am not interested at all in that aspect.

What is your favorite book?

I absolutely loved The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I think it’s one of the best books of all time and that it will become a classic. I also loved Suspect by Michael Robotham; and for a nail-biting, stomach-churning thriller, Intensity by Dean Koonce was a fabulous read.

What was your favorite subject in school?

It was not math or science, that’s for sure! I’d have to say English. During my senior year of High School, I took three English classes: 12th grade English, Journalism, and World Literature. World Literature was an amazing class. On the first day of class, my teacher slammed a copy of War and Peace on each of our desks and that was what we read until November.

What do you like most about being a mother?

There are so many things I love about being a mother that it’s difficult to choose just one thing so I won’t. I love staying at home with my girls and watching them grow and change. I love all the new little discoveries, like when Lil C says a new word or tries to jump for the first time. I love seeing the lightbulb turn on when Big I sounds out a new word or ties her shoes for the first time (which happened last week). I absolutely LOVE when one of my girls curls up on my lap with a book or snuggles up to me when they’re sleepy. I could go on, but you get the idea.

PSU Mommy wants to know: I know you love the city I live in now…what’s keeping you from moving back?

The city she’s referring to is Pittsburgh. I lived there for seven years. Towards the end of our stay in Pittsburgh I had a lot of complaints: the weather, the distance to my family, and I wanted a change. But since I’ve moved away, I find myself missing so many things about Pittsburgh: the fact that I could walk around downtown and feel completely safe, Johnny’s Place on Craig St.(amazing wings and burgers), the Mexican restaurant Cozumel, the Union Grills’ garlic mashed potatoes. . . O.k. I admit it; I mostly miss the food.

What my husband does for a living now isn’t a big industry in Pittsburgh. The job market was not what we wanted it to be when we lived there, and so we moved. Something tells me he’d have a hard time finding as good of a job out there in his industry. And, my entire family currently lives in the same county I do, including my soon-to-be 90 year old Grandmother. As much as I’d like to pack up and go somewhere else sometimes, it’s very hard to do that when you know that you have fabulous babysitters surrounding you.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a question to help get me out of my writer’s block! I have some of the best readers on the planet!

Posted by Black Belt Mama on March 21, 2007 in Just for Fun | 1 Comment

March 19, 2007

Back to Basics with Whitney

As I was driving home from class tonight, I couldn’t help but think of that Whitney Houston song from many years ago. You know the one, because you’ve probably had a singing session with it in the shower or car at some point when you were sure no one was listening. Don’t deny it; I know I can’t be the only one.

"I have nothing, nothing, nothing. . . if I don’t have you-oooo-oooo."

You know. Don’t act like you don’t.

No, I’m not getting all weepy over my husband or even my karate teachers or school. Instead of "have," I thought it rather appropriate to replace that word with "know."

"I know nothing, nothing, nothing. . . . DON’T. MAKE. ME. DO-ooh one more KATA! I don’t want to find another PROBLEM! Stay in my COMFORT ZONE-if you dare, or must I just imagine myself there. . . "

In case you’re wondering if all my life moments have a mental soundtrack that goes with them. . . yes, most do.

I asked my instructor a couple weeks ago if she would watch me do all my material, every kata I’m supposed to know up to this point, so that she could pick it apart. I wanted her help to nit-pick starting now, so that a month before black belt testing, I’m not panicking because there are all of these little things that have been piling up.

One of the classes I go to is packed with white and yellow belts, so the black belt class (where it is often just me and one or two other people) is the right time and place to start working on all the little nuances. Tonight, it was just me and my instructor on the floor. I started with my first kata, Nai Hanchi Shodan. The suggestions came from my instructor and from a black belt who has been taking a break and was just observing from the back: widen nai hanchi stance, push the knees out more, make that strike parallel, make sure not to double block from the inside, the leg lift needs to be out in front, not on the inside, etc. etc. etc.

All this from a kata I thought I knew like the back of my hand.

I have so much to work on. I’m so glad I’m starting now.

"I know nothing, nothing, NOTHING. . ."

Posted by Black Belt Mama on March 19, 2007 in Tales from the dojo | 10 Comments

March 16, 2007

In the beginning

Thanks to Dani and Becky for submitting questions. Man, either my blog is an open book and you know everything you ever wanted to about me, or you just don’t care to know any more. Either way, it’s all good. I answered Becky’s question via email. Dani’s could be an entire book. . .

Dani posed this question: What inspired/motivated you to start karate, and what inspires you to continue?

When I was growing up, I always thought it would be cool to know karate. I thought that you went to a karate school and you learned all kinds of secret things, like if you push your finger on a person’s knee at just the right spot, they would fall over in pain and die.

The problem was that I was so busy with field hockey, softball, athletic training, student council, french club, ping-pong club (yes you heard me correctly), lousy boyfriends, playing the saxophone, etc. etc. etc. that I really didn’t have time to even look into the possibility of taking karate classes. I didn’t know a single person who took karate and I knew next to nothing about it.

When I went to college, I was required to take physical education credits. Karate was an option and I was very interested in taking the course. But then I heard that the final exam for the class was walking through the streets of Pittsburgh and being randomly attacked by people they had throughout the streets and that scared the living daylights out of me. Instead, I took a life guarding refresher class so I would be able to have a cool job the next summer, and then followed that with a dance class that I failed (That’s an entirely different post).

As a volunteer PEER Educator on my college campus, I spoke to many people about rape and sexual assault through those years. Every once in a while we would have seminars on campus where we would bring in these awesome martial artists who would do demonstrations on fighting off knife attacks, gun attacks and other unpleasantries. I thought it was so cool, but I was really busy with college classes, work, and Mr. BBM. So, I continued my years in college hearing about these karate classes and wanting to take them so badly, but I was just too busy and honestly too afraid. I bought a big can of mace instead.

There were a great many years that followed college: grad school, moving to DE, moving to PA, moving to NJ, moving back to PA and I never even gave karate a thought.

Then I had Big I.

I always had these things I like to call "action plans." I think about a potentially bad scenario like a fire in my house or an attacker in a parking lot and I create a plan in my head as to what I would do. Some people might call that a mental illness; I call it being prepared. For as long as I can remember, I have always thought about these types of things.

I began thinking about them more and more after I had my first daughter. What if someone attacked me while I was putting her in her car seat? What if someone tried to take my daughter?

Then my husband took a job where he was traveling constantly and my ~~mental illness~~ action plans took on a whole new life. I walked through parking lots with my keys sticking out between my fingers; I formulated plans for a break-in when I was by myself with the baby. I felt scared and powerless and I didn’t like it one bit.

When Big I turned three she wanted to go to Princess Camp. It was a summer full of princess activities and her friend/neighbor wanted to go as well. Each week, we would go early and watch Big I’s friend take karate classes before we would eat dinner and the girls would take Princess Camp. Big I loved watching her friend wear sparring gear and learn to kick and punch.

It was at the end of one of these classes that the instructors came out and started talking to all the observers and parents. Apparently, the dance school was growing and they didn’t have room for the karate classes anymore. I was disappointed because Big I had just started expressing an interest in starting karate and I was more than happy to switch out Princess Camp for Karate.

To make a long conversation short, I found out about my dojo through the instructors and a group of us decided that we would enroll our kids in the karate school and that we, the parents, would also start classes. We began as a great group with three families, each with one kid taking karate. Now, Big I and I are the only ones left from our group.

Karate sort of fell into my lap. I’d always had this interest, but it wasn’t something I sought out. It sort of found me at just the right time. Karate helps me create workable action plans, feel more confident, and it keeps me centered in a way I never imagined it would or could. I wanted to take karate for so many reasons, but the reason that I continue to go and be motivated today is because karate has become such a huge part of who I am and who I want to be.

I get lots of hits on this site from people searching for the fastest way to a black belt and the styles with the least amount of requirements to get to black belt. It really surprises me because when I started I never imagined I’d be anywhere close to getting a black belt. That was never why I started. When I first started going I thought that it would be really cool if I could become a green belt some day. I didn’t know what being a green belt meant. Heck, I didn’t know what being a white belt meant. All I knew is that I felt pretty cool when I ran in to the pizza shop to pick up a pie wearing my gi.

It’s funny because as a white belt I knew how to get out of a basic wrist grab and I thought I was invincible. I wanted to flaunt that I took karate. I remember that when our group got our yellow belts, we wanted to wear them out in public. We felt all big and bad. Now, I don’t wear my gi anywhere unless it’s just to run into the store quickly. And I never wear the gi jacket, only the pants. I figure most people probably just think I’m wearing scrubs anyway. I don’t flaunt it because I don’t want to invite trouble, and because I don’t have to wear my gi to show my karate anymore. It comes from within, and the knowledge and confidence that I’ve developed from karate is just a part of me now, not defined by some exterior uniform or color on a belt.

When I miss a class or two (like this week since I’ve decided to keep my germs to myself), things don’t feel right. Even when we’re working on something intimidating like blindfolded self defense, I leave the dojo afterwards feeling refreshed and calm. I can’t imagine not doing karate. I think I will probably be one of those 80-year old women still doing kata and showing kids how its done. At least, that’s what I hope I’ll be some day, a long time from now.

I started karate to calm the action plans; but I continue because it’s who I am and I can’t imagine my life without it.