Journal entry content here

Today’s class cleared my shuto uchi - uke doubt. Shuto uchi is basically a strike where the hand is inclined 45° inwards and shuto uke is a perpendicular strike.
The class was initiated by Sensei Pranita with warm up excercises. The class was then taken over by Shihan Sachin who taught shuto uchi and brushed up our kihon skills.


Techniques

  1. Shuto uchi Fingers close to each other, thumb locked and hand strong. The striking hand rests on the shoulder and hit in such a manner that the outer edge of the hand strikes the opponent. There was no specific stance for this. We had to just move forward the striking hand - side leg.

  2. Shuto uke Fingers close to each other, thumb locked and hand strong. Sit low. The striking hand close to the ears and and other hand straight, palm faces the ground. In this process, we squeeze ourselves (store potential energy) and strike the ear - hand and the other hand gets pulled back at the upper stomach level ( kinetic energy conversion). This technique is performed in Kokutsu dachi (body weight distribution 60% on back leg and 40% on front leg, Centre of Gravity on the back leg; neck, shoulder and knee in one line as if taking support from the wall). We did this technique in a fun manner by shouting squeeze in the initial phase and out in the final phase of the technique.

  3. We did a small excercise by keeping our straight up on the granite area protection barrier (I am calling it railing for fun). This technique enhances flexibility. We had to keep on stretching as much as possible while counting till 30.

  4. Ushiro geri Hands on the railing, kicking with the heel, toe facing the opponent.This was done in 2 ways: 1) Standing closer to the railing. Look at the kick. 2) Moving a little away (to avoid head crashing) and kicking while the head simultaneously bends down. The kicks go higher this way.

  5. Multiple kicks We were in Zenkutsudachi stance (also called the rooted stance, body weight distribution 60% on front leg and 40% on back leg, Centre of Gravity on the front leg heel). The main focus was maintaining the balance over executing the technique perfectly. A new approach was introduced here. Our hands were in ‘holding a handle’ position instead of kamai. This helps in maintaining the balance.

1) Maai geri (straight kick) Lift the leg, toes up straight, kick, pull back and land on the initial spot. Strike with the ball of feet as it will hurt us less and the opponent will feel a huge amount of force.

2) Yoko geri ke aage (side kick) Lift the leg, toes up straight, strike with the edge of the feet, pull back and land on the initial spot.

3) Mawashi geri (round house kick) Use 1 hand (for handle - opposite side hand of the kicking leg) here. Lift the leg sideways, go for the round house kick using the hip, pull back and land forward.

4) Ushiro geri Lift, kick, pull back and land on the initial spot.

After this, sir explained practical applications of kicks : 1) Maai geri Chudan - kumite, real life/street, practice

2) Mawashi geri

Kumite - For minimum contact, the upper region of the feet should touch the opponent : Chudan - Back, below neck region. Jodan - Diagonally above ear

Real life - Use ball of the feet. Chudan - waist area (side) Jodan - On the face

Practice - There was no stress on where/how it should be done as imagination counts here. Focus should be more on the basics (speed, strength, hanmi-shomen, etc).

Non-technical learnings

  1. Learning karate intention order: 1) Dojo 2) Exam 3) Competition 4) Street fight 5) Fitness - the outcome

  2. Karate’s purpose is pain (as it originates from Okinawa) and the outcome is overcoming pain.

  3. Be alert and be aware of the surroundings. Karate is for self defence and not showing off. So avoid, negotiate and then get into using karate for defence.

4) Food We are Indians. Our latitude, tropical region and climatic conditions are unique compared to the western world. Our food suits us here. The nourishment gets into the body within 1.5 hours after the food is cooked. Fast food stores freeze - heat - serve, which is not nutritious. The mood of the cook also matters. This is also written in our ancient scripts. That’s why food at home is better as family cooks food with a pure intention unlike restaurants.

5) Fitness It simply means doing stuff the way it should be done. The fitness industry is pretty huge and confusing. Getting lost is easy. Following the teachings is a way to bullet proof ourselves from this whirlpool.

6) Stronger the affirmation, easier to complete the task.

We learned tons today.