Tonight was the worst night ever! I left my bag at karate. When Daddy's class finished I could not keep my eye off someone else's baby. I just got my shoes on when we needed to go. I was so excited to finally go home, I forgot all about my bag.
I did not even notice I had forgotten it until I got home. This post is my punishment for not taking care of my bag. I needed to do my blog anyway, so it is not that bad. At least he did not take all of my toys away! Then I would have nothing to play with. My sister Brought my bag back for me, though. She is a very good sister! Ashleigh Editor's note: I never take all of her toys away as punishment. I do take her iPad on occasion, though.
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Yesterday Daddy taught me the start of a new form. It is called Ripping Panther. Daddy said it is going to take a while to learn the form. Once I learn ''Ripping Panther'' ,he will teach me Bushido 1. There are many more forms that I need to learn before I become a black belt.
Ashleigh Last Friday I tested in karate for my next belt. I did technique and blocking form one, and blocking form two. Then Hanshi and Shihan asked us to do Pinion one and Pinion two. I was the only one in my class who knew how to do leopard. I was sweating during the test. But I made it! I passed and received my purple belt with a black stripe.
Ashleigh Tomorrow, I have a karate tournament. It is in Franconia, New Hampshire. The tournament is called ''the Flight of the Crane Championship. I hope to win a trophy. I will be competing in sparring and forms.
Ashleigh "You are never too old to set another goal, or to dream a new dream." That's a quote by C.S. Lewis. If you haven't heard of old Clive, then it's likely that you at least know one of his greatest works, The Chronicles of Narnia. He was also an Oxford professor, whose best friend was J.R.R. Tolkien.
Anyway, I saw his quote and I knew I had to write about it. You see, his quote is the way I try to live my life! I want to be active my entire life, and the best way to do that is to set goals. I try not to let my age stand in my way from doing anything I want to do. I may have to modify my technique a little bit, but I firmly believe that any goal is achievable if you put enough effort into it. Here are some examples: Iva Barr is 88 years old. This year, for the 35th-consecutive year, she will be running in the London Marathon. In fact, she ran in the first London Marathon ever held, way back in 1981! Want another example? How about Harriette Thompson? She is the oldest person to ever complete a marathon. She ran in the Rock N Roll San Diego Marathon last year. She finished the race in 7 hours and 24 minutes. She is 92. Age didn't stop them from doing what they wanted to do. Nope! They made plans and carried them out, and achieved their goals. There are two types of people in the world. Those that make do, and those that make excuses. When I go to meet my maker, I don't want there to be any excuses! I also don't want there to be any more regrets. If I want to do something, I find a way to do it. And that's it. I don't care if it takes years of practice, or great physical or mental effort. I set the goal, and then look for ways to accomplish it. Here are two examples. I have always wanted to do a head-high spinning back kick (since I joined karate anyway). I think they look cool and are the type of attack that will catch an opponent off guard. The problem was that I did not have the balance, speed or flexibility to do the kick. A few months ago, I started to practice the kick before the Little Ninjas class I help to teach on Mondays and Thursdays. Before each class, I would practice both spinning kicks and sidekicks on the large free-standing bag at the dojo. At first, I was happy if I could hit the bag a solid shot. The more I practiced, the higher I would try to bring my kicks. At this point I can land a spinning back kick at head level whenever I like. Not only that, but I can also land straight kicks, sidekicks and crescent kicks at that same head level. You see, by practicing for accuracy and flexibility, I improved all of my kicks. After achieving the proper height, I started practicing landing the kicks at that height but with full power. I can now knock the bag over with a spinning back kick on demand. The first time I achieved it, I kicked so hard I pulled my hamstring. I kept practicing anyway, and I am proud to say I can knock it over without hurting myself at all. It was around that time that Shihan told me that Hanshi could knock that same bag over with a punch. For those of you who don't know Hanshi Larry Sullivan, he is 62 years old and is in terrific shape. Hanshi means highest rank, and this man deserves the title and all of the respect it entails. In my opinion. Hanshi is in better shape than anyone who takes his classes. He has professional fighters that he trains that cannot beat him in a match. But I digress, when I heard that he could do that, I wanted to be able to do it too. This is a large heavy bag folks, and most people cannot knock it over with a kick, let alone a punch. Well, I started to punch the bag as hard as I could. At first, I could only make the bag tilt, but not fall over. I kept trying though, and eventually I got it! I have knocked it over with a single punch on three occasions now. I still can't knock it over every time I punch it yet, but I eventually want to be able to do it at will. Although none of these goals will ever have a monetary reward for me, they do give me a deep sense of satisfaction. Looking ahead, I am now training to do better deep long-hold push ups. Usually, when I do push ups I do them quickly and do what amounts to either a half or two-third push up. They are quicker and easier when you are facing hundreds of push ups. Lately, Hanshi has been working us on deep. all the way push ups that we then hold for about 30 seconds. In other words, think of dropping downwards to do your push up, and then stop with your chest about 1 inch above the floor and then hold it there like that for 30 seconds. Let me tell you, those types of push ups are brutal! The other day, I made the mistake of mentioning that I hated those push ups. That is the quickest way, in my opinion, of saying that you need help with something. Hanshi was only happy to oblige, and now we are doing some of those types of push ups in many of the classes I go to. I am now up to doing six of those (after doing a full set of normal push ups). My goal is to get to where I can do a full set of 25 of that type of push up. Who cares that I am fifty! A couple of those deep push ups each night before bed will help me to achieve my goal. At this point, I am thinking I will be able to do it by Christmas. Yikes! At any rate, do not let your age be the deciding factor in what you do or do not want to do. If it is not impossible, you can achieve it, if you want it bad enough and you are willing to work towards doing it every day. You are only here once, folks. Make the most of it! I'm going to go to a karate tournament tomorrow I am so excited! I hope i win a trophy.
I will be sparring and competing in forms. The tournament will be at Franklin Pierce University, in the bubble. Stop by and if you can! Ashleigh Today I am going to write about my Karate class. Later I'm going to my class. I have
seven friends there. We practice together. We have a lot of fun! Ashleigh I have 4 blog posts to write tonight so... bare with me if a few seem a little odd. Today, I got to thinking about how everyone likes songs for different reasons. Some people like songs for their beats, and some people like songs for their lyrics or simply because they find the voice of the singer to be soothing. But with each of these differences; comes so many other differences... favorite instrument, and the varying meanings to songs. I'd like to give an example of a song with lyrics that have multiple meanings- not just to me but to others and just in general. That song was one given to me by my dad; and it is Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. Here are the lyrics - "Wish You Were Here" So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? How I wish, how I wish you were here. We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, Running over the same old ground. What have we found? The same old fears. Wish you were here. Now, I have NO idea what kind of message my dad gets from this song... to me; it is a song about confusion and living in a constant shade of grey. It isn't something I relate too much to. My life is either black or white, happy or sad, good or bad. There is never just grey. And I think the song is about getting stuck in the cycle of life to the extreme that you no longer distinguish between good and bad and just... exist; not live. I can only imagine that living in constant grey must be awful. For others; maybe the song is just a metaphor for missing someone so greatly that you lose yourself. Maybe people enjoy the haunting beat of the song; or the guitar-work. Maybe others still take the song as the title is. I have no idea... I can't read minds. All I can do is give my own opinion. And in my opinion; music that stays popular for many generations is popular because it can be related to so many different situations. People love relatable music; and I find it remarkable when a song can be so deep as to have 3 or more meanings. What is your opinion of Wish You Were Here? Do you have any other deep songs to talk about? By all means; leave me a comment. I'd love to read your thoughts. - maddie The quote above comes from Marcus Aurelius; but I just used it due to a situation I was dragged into over the past few days. The actual topic I'd like to discuss in this blog post is the meaning of my karate school's bow; which is an open hand over a fist. The meaning of this bow (a traditional kenpo bow) is peace over power. Peace over power is also the motto of our school. Now, while this motto is definitely to be kept while in the dojo... it is also a great way to live life outside of the dojo. Below is a list of a few key points that are important to following the 'peace over power' code:
But yeah... essentially; I wanted to share that with readers today because I learned an invaluable lesson from my dad about this today; and that is the realization that it can be used in all aspects of life; not just in the dojo. Naturally; I knew this before my dad's help but I just wasn't applying it properly to the situation I was in. It's sometimes better to use neither peace nor power; but simply walk away from an issue to gain peace that you deserve. That's all I'll say. - Maddie (Thank you dad) Congratulations are in order for my daughter Madison. She fought in the USA Karate Grand Masters Tournament this weekend in Rindge, New Hampshire, and walked away as the 2015 Black Belt sparring champion for the co-ed youth Division (13 - 17 years old). She won her final match 5 points to 4 in a hard-fought battle to the finish. To win, she had to beat a seventeen year old boy who was undefeated for the entire tournament season. In fact, he had already beaten Maddie at least twice in other tournaments.
Needless to say, I am very proud of my daughter. Early in the match, her opponent jumped out to a two nothing lead. In black belt tournament sparring, a competitor can win a match by scoring three unanswered points, so the third clash was critical for Maddie. She quickly scored a point to her opponents stomach to force the match to a regulation five-point finish. Although I am happy that Maddie won, I am really proud of the guts and determination she showed. It takes a lot of guts to get up in front of people and perform. In this regard, all of the competitors on Sunday showed tremendous courage. Win, lose or draw, you are putting yourself up in front of a gym full of people and trying to do your best...knowing that you WILL be judged. Sometimes, the harshest critic isn't the three judges sitting in front of you... it is the little voice inside your head that tells you your best might not be good enough. No matter how tough your competition, the hardest fight can be with yourself. All of the competitors fought past their toughest critic on Sunday. I watched a number of matches on Sunday as a spectator. And I can tell you, I saw no losers there. Everyone who competed, no matter where they placed, were victors. They fought past the little voices in their heads that say I can't...and they proved that they could. At our USA Karate dojos we have five rules. They are:
This was particularly true after the sparring matches, particularly in the adult divisions where the exchanges were heated. Fierce competitors in the ring, once the final point was called in the match you would see them hug and congratulate each other...as it should be. I am very proud to be associated with USA Karate and the martial artists who train there. I am also happy and proud that my daughters are training at the dojo with me. My daughters both started training at the age of three. Originally, I took Maddie to classes so she could learn to protect herself. I soon came to realize that training in the martial arts is a way of life. So many of life's lessons can be learned at the dojo and carried over into our everyday lives. Effort, etiquette, sincerity, character and self control only touch on the surface of what my daughters learn at the dojo. Courage, self confidence, a healthy lifestyle, friendship, trust, the wisdom of peace over power... So many lessons, and yet I have barely touched the surface. My daughter's victory on Sunday was hard won and well earned. I am extremely happy for her and very proud of her. Yet every day that she goes to the dojo to train, she receives things that are more valuable than the trophy. The trophy symbolizes the hard work that she has done for eleven years to reach where she is today. The weekly visits to the dojo and the lessons she has been taught there are what put her in the position to win the trophy in the first place. In the end, karate is more about living than fighting. We initially go to the dojo to learn how to defend ourselves. We come out learning more about ourselves, and how to live a better, more meaningful life. So today's rant will be an actual rant on a serious topic for me. The other day, a friend of mine told me that an old friend (who burned bridges and let our friendship fall) was talking smack about me. She defended me, which I was very grateful for. HOWEVER, later that night the same person got in contact with me and tried to trash me. I kept relatively calm about what they were saying and just blocked them, as I have no need for negativity in my life- but now I'm going to let what I would have LIKED to say out here.
I was told by this person that karate is not a real sport. This same person has played field hockey- for 4 months, no less. I was FURTHER told that I would never survive a day on the field because it requires hard work and dedication. Clearly something I don't have, right? I mean- I've only persevered through 11 years of rigorous training and conditioning in my SPORT AND LIFESTYLE and gone through 2 5-hour tests; each in which I had to do over 1,000 pushups... I don't have enough dedication though. Well, I'm very glad you dedicated four months of your life to a sport that will get you nowhere in life. Yes, I'm sure it's fun and does require some hard work and to you; it probably DOES take a lot of dedication (considering you have trouble keeping friendships for more than 7-8 months). But to tell a second degree black belt who has worked hard and dedicated their whole life to building stamina, power, and MORALS that they wouldn't survive a day on your field... is a bit much. I could come out on that field and last forever. But what I'd like to see is you for one come say that karate isn't a real sport to my face. And for two- come out on the mat and fight me. Because I doubt you would last 30 seconds. For those still wondering- yes, karate is a sport. Obviously. It takes a lot of dedication, hard work, stamina, power, and a love for what you do. But in return- you learn so much. Too many people see karate as a tool to kick people's asses with. I see it as a way to live life. In taking karate; I have learned: Honor Loyalty Bravery Honesty Self Control Etiquette Sincerity Character Effort Support Teamwork Leadership Compassion Acceptance And so much more. It isn't just a sport. It's a code for life. And I feel very sorry for you if you don't understand that. ~Maddie Last week I tested for my orange belt with a black stripe. On the test, I had to do all of
my forms and technique. The test was long, and near the end of the test we did some sparring. At the end of the test, I was awarded a purple belt! A purple belt is one level higher than the belt I was testing for. I was very happy! Ashleigh Inspiration and adrenaline... two things I seem to be full of tonight! Combined, they gave me enough motivation for a ten-minute bag workout. For new readers who don't understand this- I am a second degree black belt in kenpo karate. Part of training is bagwork, which consists of 3-5-10 minute drills. These drills are usually made up of knees, kicks and various punching styles. They are high adrenaline, nonstop, and amazing.
However, outside of karate, I am usually too lazy to do them on my own. Tonight was a different story. I had two full-caffeine cups of coffee today, which gave me energy to begin with. On top of that, I have been listening to cheerful and upbeat music all day... and finally, one of my friends annoyed me online. Rather than bitch fighting, which solves nothing; I excused myself for 10 minutes, went downstairs to my punching bag, blared heavy-metal music and dug into the bag. Not only did I use good technique, but I was quick and strong with it, too. I've been wanting to improve my fighting skills for a while now... maybe my friend annoying me is just what I needed! As for inspiration, I've been watching a lot of Youtube lately and discovered a few people who can rapid-fire kick bags. I want to be able to have this technique for bragging rights AND for fighting, so for one whole minute I just flicked my foot up and down on the bag. Once I get the speed and agility to do this, I will add power and truly perfect this new-found skill. Anyway- my tips for a good workout? Good music And... good motivation- be it from friends, family, or online videos. ~Maddie I like to do karate. I have classes on Monday and Thursday. I like to run in the beginning
of class and I like to do forms. I know pinion one and two and blocking forms one and two. Ashleigh Ever been around a person who is dissatisfied. They can usually tell you exactly what they want, and yet they never seem to take a step towards getting what they want. I know people like this. They say they hate their job, but they don't look for another. Instead, they say, I have been doing this for a long time and I won't find a job with similar benefits.
I never say anything to them, but I think "of course you won't find anything better if you won't actually look!" I work in finance. People change jobs in this field all of the time. Sometimes it is because they leave for a better opportunity of their own choosing. A lot of times, it's because they get let go in a restructuring and have to find something new. No matter what they end up making monetarily, 99% of the time I find that they like their new positions better than what they were doing previously. So why not look for that new position if you are so unhappy? Money and benefits aren't everything. Quality of life is much more important to me. What good is making a lot of money if you are perpetually going to be unhappy? Jobs are just one example by the way. By not actively pursuing what you want, you are not going to get it no matter what you are trying to do. My training at the dojo shows me this in real time. I have noticed two things while at the dojo. First, I noticed that the things I practice more often are the things that I improve at the most. With that in mind, I try to work a difficult move into my training repertoire so that I improve at it more quickly than I otherwise would. For the past three months or so, I have been practicing spinning hook kicks to the head. I think they look cool and have a tendency to take people by surprise. At first, I only practiced the kick with my left foot, but I noticed it is hard to land because I usually fight with my left foot forward. Thus I have been practicing the kick with my right foot as well, I can now get a hook kick to head level with either foot. I have now started to use different feints with the kicks so that I can thow them from many different setups. Bruce Lee once said that he doesn't fear the man who knows 10,000 kicks, but the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. I am nowhere near 10,000 kicks yet, but I am not done practicing this kick yet either! The second thing I have noticed is that I can tell who practices and who doesn't just by watching them. Now, there is no one way to learn karate. Everyone learns in their own way and at their own pace. I think all that come to the classes and continue should be commended. Karate is a hard discipline and the workouts can be strenuous. With that said, I think some people come to the dojo and take classes, and then never practice what they have learned at home. Others go home and practice forms, exercise, or hit a bag. You can literally tell the difference between those that do and those that don't! Sometimes, time is all it takes. Some who started slowly, got motivated once they moved up a couple of belts and then began to practice at home. I think the key is that all at the dojo took that first step to actually sign up and take a class. That first step is so crucial! They have taken that first step to go after what they want! I will ALWAYS be willing to work with someone who has willingly taken that first step. So what do you want? Figure it out and take that first step...Because if you don't go after what you want, then you likely ain't gonna get it! Did you ever force yourself to do something very difficult because you knew that ultimately, it was the right thing to do? I have. I won't say what it was I did, but I will tell you that right after you do it you get the feeling that you have bit off more than you can chew, and you scramble to make more changes to make your original act work.
From experience, I'll tell you that the complexity of doing the right thing, grows in proportion to the time you have spent doing the wrong thing. I can think of a few simple examples that don't pertain to what is bothering me this morning, but that will allow you to see what I am angling at. Think of the last time you got lost. There comes a point in the trip where you realize that you made a mistake. At that point, did you turn around until you reached the place where you actually made the mistake? Or did you just plow ahead, figuring you would make a new short cut? Well, I just did this one! I was heading to Nashua following directions from Map Quest. I was looking for a specific road and as I was driving, a sign at the side of the road said junction 113 next left. Well, I made the next left and the road looked like an old farm road. My daughter and I both recognized that it didn't seem right, yet I kept plowing along anyway, figuring that I would hit a cross street that would link up with the road I wanted to be on. I mean, come on, the road was supposedly running parallel with where I wanted to go anyway! To make a long story short, the road took me nearly all the way back to where I started from. I ended up adding thirty minutes to my trip going back to the way I usually went to Nashua. The short cut Map Quest promised, actually made my trip longer! There are two ways to look at my mistake. 1. My mistake was looking for a shorter way to go, when I already knew a route that would accomplish my goal. This is the wrong way of looking at it. Man is always looking for short cuts to make his life simpler and save time. Think about the time we save by using cars versus walking? The second way is the correct way to look at my mistake. 2. My mistake was that after realizing that I made a mistake (withing the first 45 seconds of being on the road), I didn't turn around right away and correct it. If I had turned around and looked for the proper turn, I likely would have found it and saved myself 30 minutes. Did I get to my destination? Yes. Did it take me longer than it would have if I had turned around? Yes. The moral here is that pride goeth before a fall. Okay, that was a simple example of what I was talking about. The more I refused to deal with the error I made, the longer it took me to actually get where I wanted to go. This example is not as life altering as what is actually bothering me, though. Here is a better example, yet also not the "thing" I am speaking of. For years I lived an unhealthy life style. I drank heavily, overate and smoked cigars. Deep down, I knew these "choices" were unhealthy, and yet I kept doing them anyway. At one point, I weighed nearly 300 pounds. I gave up drinking in 1999 and smoking cigars in 2003. I started working out in 2006 and watching what I eat in 2010. My weight is now back to the mid 240's, but my goal is 200 pounds, about what I weighed in high school. The sad part is that I realized I was making bad decisions when I was back in college, and yet my response was a half-hearted vow to improve when I was older. The truth of the matter is that the struggle to get back into shape seems to be in direct proportion to the amount of time that I was making bad choices. I drank for a little over twenty years before giving it up. Sixteen years later, I still have a "beer" gut. Sadly (in one sense anyway), I realize now as I near fifty that I am in better shape now, than I was when I was in my early twenties. While that is a good thing, it also points to how far astray I was from a healthy lifestyle back then. Was it hard getting back into shape in my mid 40's? Yes, but it is also rewarding.When you do a hard thing, and it is also the right thing, good things cascade from your decision. My decision to start taking karate with my daughter (which I did for a reason other than to get back into shape) has been a life changer for me. I am in better shape, I have started to make healthier choices in regards to what I eat, it is great stress relief, and I have made a number of very good friends. Sometimes, the hardest thing IS the right thing! My advice: If you have something in front of you that you know is right, but you are afraid to start it because it is hard...start it anyway. I am not moralizing here. I just know from experience that problems just don't go away on their own. In fact, they grow in direct proportion to the amount of time that you ignore them. What is hard for you today, will be harder for you tomorrow after the problem gets larger. Make a habit of doing the right thing now, and you will find that doing the right thing always will be easier for you tomorrow. I like to learn new things. I practice reading and writing every day. I also practice Karate
and math.I am five years old. My favorite subject is Karate. Ashleigh This morning I drove into Concord to visit my orthopedic doctor for my knee. In general, not much has changed. My PCL is still torn, and there is not much they can do about it. The PCL is a fan-shaped ligament and it is not as easy to repair as the ACL is. Thus, doctors usually won't operate on a PCL...There are just too many small segments that would be nearly impossible to repair without making things worse.
The doctor offered me a cortisone shot, which I turned down. I have had them before, and they really don't do much for my knee. Uflexa shots were also a disappointment, Neither treatment really targets the PCL, thus they are a bit of a waste. The pain in my knee isn't what really bothers me. I have grown used to it. What bothers me is the lack of stability I have when I am doing karate. Good balance and side to side movement is very important in karate. Certain movements now lead me to lose my balance and in extreme cases, throws my knee out for a moment (essentially, this is when the bones hit a nerve and I lose strength in the knee for a time). I usually hit the ground when this happens unless I have something I can grab a hold of quickly. Continuing on with my physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around my knee was his only recommendation. For a long time, I have felt that my knee brace was essentially useless. It doesn't give me a lot of support when I turn my knee and it basically sits like a dead weight on my leg. It turns out I was right! At the end of my visit, I told the doctor I wanted to put on the brace and show it to him because I thought it really did little to help me. After putting it on he agreed with me, and called in their brace specialist to look at my brace. The specialist took one look and said that the brace was bent out of shape and that the hinges were essentially locked into a position where I couldn't get full movement with my leg. Instead of helping me, it was actually cutting my range of motion. She also felt that a different model, better designed for the type of sport I do would help me to have better balance. They would also add padding to the exterior to lessen the chance that someone else will get hurt if they accidentally kick my brace, which happens from time to time. All said, while my knee isn't getting "fixed" my use of the knee should improve with the new brace. The new brace, coupled with my physical therapy exercises should allow me to eventually get back some of my side to side movement as well as some of my balance. The old brace was so bent that it did not support the knee when I bent it during a pivot movement. The new brace will! All said, I will be very happy with this outcome if it works as advertised. Every once in a while it's good idea to change up your work out routine. Last night, I did three five-minute rounds on the heavy bag. Ever wonder what kind of shape you are really in? Do three rounds on a heavy bag and you'll find out!.
In the first round, I am fresh and I start out hitting the bag fast and hard. The combinations I use are my most trusted...the ones I know I can throw out quickly and with power. Left jab, right straight punch, body shot, body shot. After two minutes, I'm huffing and my combinations are slowing down. At three minutes, the bag is swaying on its chain, and its a great time to practice the timing of the combinations I'm throwing...moving with the bag so that it doesn't swing into me. Left jab, left jab, move out of the way. The bag starts to swing away, jump in and connect with two hard body shots... as the bag reaches the height of its arc, a strong overhand right aimed at where I imagine its face would be if it was a person. Ding! DIng! End of round one. The one minute rest is welcomed. I watch as a lower belt receives instruction in sparring...follow the kick with punches! How easy it is to forget that one. Throw a kick and forget to punch and receive a punch to your head for your troubles. Always attack with combinations. My daughter is his opponent. She pops him in the head lightly each time he forgets to throw a combo. Good girl. Ding, Ding. Time for round two! Only a minute of quick hard combinations this time. My stamina, while better than it was 10 years ago, isn't where it was when I was 20...yet. I'm working towards it. My goal is to get my weight back to where it was while I was in high school, an even 200 pounds. Snap, bang! I hit the bag with a jab followed by a roundhouse elbow. At the three minute mark, I'm in a groove now. The sweat rolls down my back as I practice my power hits. These are the punches and strikes I like to think I'll use to end a real fight quickly. Will I be able to land one of them with power in a real fight? I don't know. I do know that I won't be able to do so if I don't practice them. A lesson my Dad taught me a long time ago comes back to me..."practice like you are going to do it in a game!" He was talking about basketball, but the lesson holds true in everything in life...including karate. I hit the bag hard twice. In a real fight, I'm not gonna give them a love tap! Two black belts bang into me as they spar behind me. I didn't see them coming, breaking the unwritten rule to always pay attention to your surroundings. Ding, ding! End of round two. Deep breaths! Round two has taken a lot out of me. I'm pleased my punches are still hitting with power. My shoulders ache from keeping my arms up and my left knee is throbbing. The bruise on my foot is tender and letting me know that I missed catching the bag with my shin at least once...probably more than once. Practice makes perfect when it comes to timing! Ding! Round three, and time to see it through. Power hits! No pretending to be fast this time! I'm hitting the bag with the intention of seeing it bend where my hand impacts it. Left hook, left hook, right body shot. I'm moving good and breathing heavy. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my daughter sparring another opponent. I turn to watch as she lands a kick and a punch to the other girl's chin. Not bad. She comes in again and the other girl catches her with a glancing blow from a spinning back fist. "You got three minutes to go over there" Hanshi shouts to me. He's right! I lost focus. Back to the bag. I'm sucking wind now. Fifteen minutes doesn't sound like much, but it is, and my muscles are screaming. Ding, the bell rings to announce the last minute of the round. I move in and hit the bag hard and fast. I want to hit it hard and fast for the last minute, but with 20 seconds to go I've slowed. I hit the bag for the last few seconds but my power has waned. As the final bell rings, I grasp the bag and allow it to hold me up. Sucking wind, I look up and the dojo is as it always is. The students are finishing up forms or are quietly talking while resting after a round of sparring. I've caught my breath and it's time to bow out. Tired, but not beaten, I turn and look at the bag as I walk off the floor. It hangs from its chain as if nothing has happened...I wish I had that stamina! |
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