Practical Karate, Again

Specially the "fighting" part. I must start saying that I am glad that more and more girls and women decide every day to engage in this wonderful thing called Martial Arts, or even combat sports. It must be a normal thing seeing both sexes training hard in the same room.  But the thing is that fighting with girls has been a problem of mine for as long as I remember. You know, I am bigger and stronger that all the women I have met in my life. And I am not a beginner in the fighting business anymore. So if you combine size, weight, strength and experience that makes, I am sure, a very depressing experience for most girls to face me in sparring. I know because they tell me. So, how to be nice and gentle but intense at the same time? Because I can not deny a woman a good fight just because I am a big guy (compared to her). It won't be fair. This is a fight I have with myself all the time... On the other hand, training with someone who is much w...

Let's start by the most obvious: pissing off the people who can give you one. Let's forget that you are a mediocre asshole karateka, with sub-par ability, questionable work ethic and horrible technique. Let's forget that nobody believes that any instructor gave you a brown belt when you can not even do a zenkutsu dachi  + gedan barai in a convincing way. How to qualify for a black belt? That is something between your Sensei and you, and that is not the point of this post. Well, this guy in my old dojo kept asking for a black belt promotion (without testing) because he thought he was good enough. And still keeps asking everyday to the instructors to this day, two years later. Not only his Karate is in a level that would embarrass any 6 years old in a McDojo but he uses our internal group for ranting about himself. DAILY. And always giving advice to everyone. Advice that sucks, that's it. Just an example: (I guess he was drunk a...

I am slowly coming to the conclusion that I am condemned to a life of injuries and pain because of the choices I make. Mainly the choice of training with high intensity with highly motivated, very athletic and skilled men. This happened exactly 20 months ago. We were doing a drill and my friend Huanghai (I need to do a post about him) punched me on the hand, moving my left index finger out of place. It hurt badly for a week or two but didn't give it a second thought about much later when I realized that my hand wasn't healing. I had lost some range of motion and still hurts. This makes punching "difficult". The X-ray was taken a few months ago, after more than a year of "discomfort". As you can see, there is a black spot on the base of that bone. Now the funny part: The doctor examining the X-ray said "yes, there is a black spot, but I see no problem". -But it hurts. -But it's ok. -I can't make a prop...

Even if I am still injured I never stop training. There are always ways to train around your injuries. Yesterday I spent 30 minutes shadow-boxing, then 25 punching the bags. Then 15 minutes lifting and smashing the ball on the ground. To round things up some dead-lifts, curls and stretching. Actually I need to train a bit more... I have been offered a fight in a couple weeks and I am too many kilos over the weight... I don't know. Let's see if the fight finally happens, if I can make weight, if my feet can cope with that... Oh, all of this while I work everyday. Tough life haha. But I am getting stronger. I managed to break this: @practicalkarateagain in Facebook

This is where I do most of my training now, the JX Fight Club in Shanghai. As you can see, in the afternoons it is filled with lots of youngsters learning Taekwondo, which is a popular past-time in China, even sponsored by the government. If you look closely you can see the Karate class in the background. Not my class, though...  Those Shorin Ryu guys working on their abs. Well, back to the point. Teaching Karate is a difficult thing. It is difficult because first, you need to know Karate really well. Then you need to learn some more. Then, much much more. Then, you realize that you didn't know that much before. Oh, maybe it's time to realize that I still don't know that much? Probably. Anyway, as an instructor you need to know how to pass on the knowledge. How to demonstrate and transmit the skills you (think) you have? That needs some skills that are completely different from Karate skills. So, if Karate is difficu...

There I was, in the "interesting" town of Shanghai, home to the "Obi Wan" bar, drilling some double-legs against the cage (finally got the feeling right) when this big Russian guy ko-ouchi-gared me and then landed on top of my foot, bending the big toe all the way the other way. Can't blame him. It was an accident. I am having too many accidents this year. Am I getting old? Well, yes, but, am I getting too old? Should I try something easier on the body? Maybe Aikido...? Ninjutsu? Capoeira? Damn, the pain is incredible now... Sorry for posting pics of my feet again, but life is tough. I just woke up and can't walk. It's swollen as hell (can't get the light right in a pic now) but I need to recover in two days. My Karate class needs me!!! @practicalkarateagain in Facebook

This happened a few weeks ago. Someone eye-poked me as his first move and I ended on the floor crying in pain. His thumb really went inside my eye socket and we were concerned about my situation. Well, time has passed and thanks to "ice" and rest I have saved my eye and the face you all are tired of seeing. Here is the time-line of the events. It was all swollen and red when it happened but I was to afraid of injury to take a pic at that time. (If it appears that sometimes is the right eye and sometimes is the left one is because my phone acts weird sometimes) @practicalkarateagain in Facebook PS: my female workmates thought I looked really handsome but my boss got really pissed off...