Getting Past The First Move

First of all, allow me to introduce you to the newest member of Dojo AISH. I used some pre-workout energy today building this eminently punchable being on the basic plan that I featured in the last posting with a few twists.


First of all, I already had a small punching bag hanging from our speed bag platform. I just dressed it up with an old jacket. As I was filling the arms with old newspapers, I decided that something in lieu of a bone structure might be helpful for arm bars and such. I took a thick cardboard roll, similar but heavier and longer than the kind you find in paper towels. I cut it in haf and then divided each half into an upper- and lower-arm by cutting most of the way through but not separating the parts.Then, I filled the arms and gloves with bunched-up newspapers and taped the gloves to the arms.
Presto! Instant Bad Guy.


I started out the more official part of my practice day on a wobble board. A wobble board, in my case, is two boards joined together unevenly along their lengths. You can also make one by wrapping tape thickly around each end of a 2 X 4. The idea is to make a standing surface with limited stability. If you stand on it and strike without centering and lowering your center of gravity, you fall off.


The wobble board/ Training Buddy combo was equally satisfying and humbling.

Then, as I was practicing kata, I occasionally wandered over to my New Friend to try combining striking and grabbing techniques from the kata. Hey, its not as much fun as twisting a student's arm and a takedown but, hey, you can't beat the patience and availability, not to mention the quiet :-).


Kata practice today was a mixture of Fukyugatas, Pinans and Wanshu. Still working on picking up the new material on Wanshu and then transposing the lessons learned to lower kata. For example, in Fukyukata Ni (Geikisai Dai), that sweeping, dramatic shuto-uchi sword strike on each end of the kick-elbow-downblock-punch combo? Well, with a little imagination, it can start out as an elbow strike and do all kinds of nasty things on the way to its ultimate destination. Try it and see.


Meanwhile, as I was watching more of George's videos, I started calculating how much time was spent on the First Moves of the katas. Sometimes when I work out with the Kishaba Juku crew, I get the feeling that we will never get past the first move. And, if the first move is so bad that it needs 3 hours of work, how good can the rest of the kata be?


Then it came to me. If you can't beat'um, join 'um. So i finished up today's session just practicing opening moves for each kata, full speed, full power, first on the left and then on the right. 


Try it yourself. I'll be doing more of that for my next session so I should have plenty to say about it next time.

You Too Can Be Replaced... By An Old Coat

Always searching for new training ideas, I was online Googling do-it-yourself training equipment when I came across the following creative idea posted by D'Arcy Rahming, Senior Instructor at Modern Bujustu Inc. Miyama Ryu. Now, I don't know Mr. Rahming and I am not familiar with his art.

However, I love the simplicity and creativity of his "homemade training partner". And I truly appreciate his generosity in offering his guide to training alone, including the following "training buddy" directions, for free on his site.


Deep bow (((((((, Rahming-sensei.

How To Build Your Own Training Buddy

What you need:
• An old coat
• A sturdy hangar with a swivel neck
• A pair of shoes
• A soft rubber ball
• A pair of gloves
• A tree, pole or ceiling hook
• Some newspaper or old clothes for stuffing the various parts of the coat


How to build your buddy:
Tie or sew the gloves to the coat. Lightly stuff the sleeves with newspapers or old clothes and stuff the gloves to add some bulk to them. Put the rear legs of the chair in the shoes. Hang your buddy from a pole, tree or ceiling.  You can also use electrical tape to identify vital areas of the body. 


So go ahead. Practice your striking techniques. Work on accuracy and speed. The swiveling hanger will alway your buddy to turn so be ready for counterstrikes.


Now that you are striking, try following up with a wrist break:

Then, how about adding some joint locks?

Your training buddy won't resist like real-life training partners often do, so injuries should be rare to nonexistant. It will be ready and willing if you feel like training early in the morning or late, late at night. And you can work out with it as often as you like. It will never complain.


Now, THAT will be a new experience...