While my aforementioned training regime continues I have altered my kata training. While I am still working on Bassai-sho, I have switched Gankaku with Sochin; furthermore, I’ve added a random kata every practice to spice things up a little. However, unlike Sochin and Bassai-sho, I’m only doing this additional kata twice—once walking through it and once at regular speed. Today, the kata was Heian-shodan to complement Sochin insofar as waza no kankyu and chikara no kyojaku are concerned.
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My (technical) rationale behind this has been to focus more vigorously on my hand/body shifting timing. Whilst this could obviously be done with Gankaku, for me, Sochin is a kata which I find particularly challenging: so I decided to further push myself by utilising it.
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| Gojushiho-Sho... Todays additional kata. `Natural hip position'... |
Karate-Do is always a humbling experience as while we develop, more glitches appear… For me this is a greatest motivation and presents a massive opportunity. This opportunity, if harnessed well, can not only lead to increased technical development but also to foster humility and inner strength.
While I never expect to achieve `good karate’ the dream of achieving this target remains; moreover, as I improve my character through training—and this comes out in my daily life—I further understand what Karate-Do is.
Sometimes facing one’s own weaknesses can be done by simply choosing a kata, which doesn’t suit oneself; what is more, this can transcend the physical benefits of making such decisions.
Kindest regards and best wishes from Japan, André.
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| Relaxing with Ryan in Oita: Sept. 8th, 2013. |
© André Bertel. Aso-shi, Kumamoto. Japan (2013).