1800-1845 class: Keep working on the kicks, especially the side kick and roundhouse. There are a lot of people leaning back when they throw the kick and that takes away part of the power of the kick. Keep your weight moving forward. A little bit of falling forward is good when throwing these kicks as your weight is also forward, but keep it under control and be sure not to just randomly fall.

1845-2000 class: This was an excellent chance for everybody to evaluate how they fought and how others fight (patterns, footwork, etc.) I know I learned a lot and I hope that everybody else did too.

Good job this evening. If you did not come tonight, in the first class we worked drills for reaction and speed and in the second class, developing power with knees and elbows. Remember that a technique thrown only with the area of the body that is doing the striking is not very powerful. Be sure to utilize the entire body (especially hips) and, if you can, throw forward movement into the technique to further increase the striking power. Green Belt/adult and up, don’t forget the extra class Thursday.

Good job in class Thursday. It was good to see some faces that I haven’t seen in a while. A couple points that I noticed while class was going on. In class IS the time to take a technique and slow it down. On the street it will be faster, but you can only master it at full-speed after you have mastered it at half-speed. I also saw a lot of flailing and just trying to hit the other person without regard to technique, form, power, or precision. It is much better to get that one punch that turns the tide of a fight than to get one-thousand hits that don’t do anything. Everybody GREEN BELT/ ADULT and up, don’t forget the after-class grappling sessions on the next few Thursdays from 20:00-20:30.

 Before coming to class Tuesday, please take some time to think about how you perform your basic punches and blocks (muscles used, amt. of hip rotation, any visualizations you use, etc.) and then think of how you think they should be. Are you close? Being self-critical about your own techniques is very helpful in improving them.

Practice your Bunkai!

A belated welcome back for Sensei Sasha! Hope you feel better soon…

Worked on some leg exercises and reviewed Ippons, Teazus and Kihons. We also practiced our Kihons in four directions with opponents. It’s always good to be able to perform these on the opposite side, as well as on the regular side that you normally practice them on. Remember to practice the bunkai for your kata! See you Thursday!