Home Dojo Training
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Study: Learn, practice and train
The other day, myself and a friend trained at my personal dojo or I should say what was my garage, now converted into my place of training. Whitewashed walls, painted concrete floor, tatami jigsaw matts (synthetic), a hanging bag, a Centurion Bob and a weights rack/bench provide an adequate, yet not very spacious place to study, learn, practice and train. With the addition of focus pads, protection gear, resistance elastic bands and even a networked display for reference DVDs or reference YouTube, the dojo covers all my needs.
My personal training involves techniques in which I have confidence and can demonstrate effectiveness under pressure. This training is mainly derived from Kata and Kihon Waza. To clarify training is not learning nor is it practice, these are different phases of an overall study. However, the approach to training should be based on Deliberate Practice, specifically
1. Growth is outside one’s comfort zone and only occurs with full effort
2. Target performance with well-defined goals & expected results
3. Concentration & focus
4. Mental training is required in collaboration with physical training
I partition my personal training into two categories (a) HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) specifically Tabata and (b) twelve 3-minute boxing type rounds.
The HIIT takes the form of 8 rounds of 8 sets, in which each set has a 20 second work and 10 second rest format. Each pair of sets involve a technique or short combination with the first set of the pair being left lead and the second set being right lead. In this way both physical and mental attributes are exercised.
The 20 second work period is intense, with rapid repetitions with heavy impact yet mindful of technique. I’ll use the first few rounds to work singular techniques or short combinations e.g. Kizami Tsuki (jab) and Gyaku Tsuki (cross) or a longer combination of lead hand Tettsui (hammer blow), grab, Mawashi Hiza Geri (circular knee) landing Mawashi Empi (circular elbow). Between each round I have a 30s rest. In this way my HIIT training allows me to exercise most techniques from my syllabus.
One of my favourite HIIT methods is to deconstruct a Kata into short sequences and apply these to the bag. The Naihanchi (Tekki) Kata work very well on the bag or Bob, due to their theme of close proximity. I see it as an intermediate phase between solo Kata and Bunkai Oyo (the two-person application of Kata). Adapting the kata to the bag makes you move around the bag and results with insights into how Kata orientations reflect your angle to the opponent or in this case the bag. The bag work allows you to shift up a gear and feel the impact.
Using Kata sequences with impact gives you insight into the effect that heavy impact, on a heavy moving object, has on speed and stamina. It drains you. Practicing Kata solo, in the air, with Kime (focus) to prevent joint injury, you have a feeling of continuance of power and flow. Yet you need to feel the impact. Attempting the same sequence on the bag, with heavy impact, is at first astonishing, particularly with close proximity. You feel weak and this causes uncertainty. During this period, you should revert to the learning and practice phases to understand movement body dynamics, hip rotation, foot movement and flow of techniques. Here you discover that impact is not just the point of impact, nor just the hips, it is the whole body using the ground as the base. Human anatomy mechanics uses the following terminology describing the muscle mechanisms during movement.
(1) Isometric Contraction – the muscles are tensed without any change of muscle length e.g. tensing the legs when in stance
(2) Isotonic Concentric Contraction – the muscle is tensed and the muscle length shortens e.g. lifting the leg
(3) Isotonic Eccentric Contraction - the muscle is tensed and the muscle length lengths e.g. lowering the leg
A future blog will go into these in more detail. Once you have studied, learned and practiced then the training can continue.
For stamina I work the traditional boxing twelve 3-minute rounds. My goto drill is normally my transitional fighting drill. This combines several techniques, movement, stance transition, re-positioning and target acquisition. It involves a range of techniques involving circular and diagonal movement combining lower and upper body co-ordination. I alternate rounds left lead and right lead. If training on my own I will do two rounds on the bag, two rounds on Bob and then back to the bag. This is repeated until all twelve rounds have been completed. For the rounds involving Century Bob, I have suited Bob up with a Gi jacket so that I can grab collars and sleeves. This allows me to experience working limb control with impact. On occasions I will set up resistance elastic cord to provide resistance to my techniques or exercise my Hikite or pulling, pushing, grasping hand.
Following the 12 three-minute rounds I will utilise the weights’ bench and TRX kit to work specific upper body and lower body muscle groups.
I supplement the dojo training with cardio training. I enjoy an early morning 20KM on the exercise bike before breakfast. Invariably this exercise will contain aerobic, anaerobic and VO2 (maximal oxygen consumption). In the summer months this is supplemented with a daily walk of 4 to 8 KM.
As mentioned, the other day, myself and a friend worked a good 45 minutes of training, using the above methods. We trained Heian Godan and Heian Nidan techniques. For last 15 minutes of our one-hour training period, we studied one sequence of Heian Nidan. The sequence was:
1. Left Shuto-Uke [Left lead Kokutsu Dachi]
2. Right Gedan Haito [Left lead foot shift into Zenkutsu Dachi]
3. Right Uchi Uke [Gyaku Hanmi]
4. Right Mae Geri [Landing right foot lead Zenkutsu Dachi]
5. Left Gyaku Tsuki
The entry into this sequence is a left jab by the attacker. We left hand check the jab, right hand bridge to seize and pull the attacker’s arm. We step and slide into left Shuto Uke [1] into the left of their neck. They stop our Shuto with their right hand and grasp our left hand. We execute right Haito and shift our weight into the Zenkutsu Dachi [2]. We work the right Uchi Uke [3] to release their grab and grab their right wrist. We pull it to our hip (Hikite). We push kick their rear leg whilst still pulling on their right arm [4] and punch them with our left Gyaku Tsuki [5]. We can follow up with an assortment of arm bars to their right arm. Note that the left Gyaku Tsuki could be a left Mawashi Empi [circular elbow] depending upon distance.
My friend and I trained this repeatedly and I enjoyed it immensely. Primarily it was serious fun yet there was more. Training in my home dojo with my friend, with what was a Two Person Practice, was enlightening as it reminded me of the histories of how training occurred in the Ryukyu Islands prior to the changes during the early 20th Century.
My friend wondered how they would remember the sequence. I said “it is this part of Heian Nidan. Work the solo Kata and we’ll get back to it again”. I imagine this is how things went all those years ago. Perhaps it is where Kata came from, from the Two Person Practices, and remembering the mnemonic templates of tactics.