Back in ACTION!!

Very happy!!! Weather today actually looked like a half decent summerday!!!! (The sun is following me now....)

And my new dogi from Japan is really nice. Shureido makes dogis that are not cotton, and in my opinion, they are well worth the extra expense. They stay white, they are comfortable to wear, dont stick to your body when you sweat in them and they last forever (almost) Also the people making them gets the measurements correct so they come with the right length arms and legs. All good. If in doubt, consider this: My previous dogi i have been using for about 20 hours pr week, and i have washed it almost every day for 2 years, and it hardly shows any wear at all.... For high quality equipment, they cant be beat, in my opinion.

And my new belt is getting white very quickly, 2..... (Hihi...)

BUT!!! I had a 2 week break from karate, and now i have trained 3 days and my legs are *tired*!!!! (I think breaks should be "bannad" from now on) Ohwell, i guess i will be getting into the rhythm again shortly.

And regarding other news, i guess the biggest thing happening soon is the gashuko at Laugarvatn in two weeks. Senseis Kawasoe, Lim, Isak and i will be teaching, so here is a great opportunity for everyone to get some different ideas and some enthusiasm to jumpstart the fall-season.

Greeting from Norway :-)

Juhu!!!

Been in the land of (almost) eternal sunshine for a week and a half now.... Long time injuries seems to appreciate the one week break, and i cant wait to start teaching and training again.

The trainingcamp i attended last weekend is in my opinion the best value for money big camp out there. Excellent teachers, easy travelling from iceland and not too expensive. Senseis Amos, Trimble, Kompier and Langley impresses me with well-planned, dynamic classes that is thought-provoking and inspiring. If you are chasing karate excellence then this is one camp you should consider joining me for next year. (And the people really rock it out on Singstar.....!!)

Five more days of relaxation with family and then back home. All good. :-)

Vacation, weather and some random thoughts..

Tomorrow morning i am off for some good weather.....

;-)

I love being in Iceland, love the fact that i teach karate for a living, and the fact that icelanders are supernice. (Even though their language is wrong...)

Thanks for making me feel welcome. Looking forward to return shortly.

Then some karate-thoughts:

Tension is not helping your technique. Make an effort to be on time. Dont ask me bout opening the windows cause i am freezing and my hip is bad already. (Lets put a bag in the door if the airquality is poor) Welcome visitors, that way you get more partners and i put more effort into teaching a class of 20 than if we are only 5. They will also return the favour, i am sure. Remember the stuff i taught so we can move on. Listen to what i tell the others and then concentrate on the same issues. I can only guide you in the right direction; What you must bring to it is your full concentration and max effort, both mentally and physically.

Reading the above chapter it looks like i am all down on this experience, but i am not. I am just passionate about your progress. Sometime i actually think that my desire for you to get a black belt is even bigger than yours. I think this is because of all the great stuff that has happened for me as a result of training karate-do.

Thanks for a great spring season, folks, and lets keep pushing hard.

:-)

New York (and somemorestuff)

WOW!! (Yeah, i know i should update more often....)

After spending 8 days in the big apple, i now have a new fav city in the world. Very, very exciting place. Training with Richard Amos sensei in an almost private setting also makes for very detailed feedback (and very sweaty norwegians.....) We were 6 this year, and there is no way i am not making this a yearly event. Next year, though, some of you icelandic high grades needs to join in.

We were very unlucky with the weather, though. :-( (It rained more on the weekend i was there than the monthly average of june.....) But nothing could stop me smiling since i got to see Stomp and a tiny off Broadway-show called Bush is Bad. Furthermore, the prettiest store in the world is on 59 and 3rd..... Its an Apple-store, and it was sooo "beeeeeep" amazing. (Even i almost wanted an iMac or an iPod....!!!!)

Then i flew home to make it to Kato senseis gashuko at Laugarvatn. Good training, questionable food, and i cant wait until the 2 "mediumsized" sugarburners are past the "Lets make noise cause we are HYPED!!!!!"......... ;-) (Thanks a lot for remebering my birthday, btw)

All in all, it has been an exciting last couple of weeks. Now i am looking forward to first time in Iceland on their national holiday. I have no idea what to expect but will post some comparison with the big norwegian day. (And i also pledge to make updates here atleast a bimonthly thing)

:-)

Training ethics

I hope this post dont come off as selfgrandeur. Its just hard to explain my thoughts on the matter, without refering to myself as a good example. This because my training ethics is the one thing in my karate that i am the proudest of.

Karate in 2006 is different than in the 1980-ies (damn, now i sound old....). People have changed. They are more sensitive, and they are better at giving up than was the norm 20 years ago. I think that to really excel at any endeavour, you need to make a real decision to push through, no matter what. In this, i am actually as confident that i can keep a straight face and say: This part of my karate you can safely copy.

So what if you get a bruise on your arm? So what if you are a little thirsty? So what if your leg is hurting from a hard block? So what? You have two options: You can stop and whine about it (give up) or you can ignore it and keep pushing to improve.

Please note that i am not saying that you should disregard injuries that need to be iced, or stuff that needs to be kept still to not get worse. Listen to your body and also take serious care of your partner. (And dont misunderstand again: I definatly dont say that you should be so careful that your karate turns into the preschool-kind that dont work)

Waht i would like to see, though, is karateka that starts on the command of hajime, trains the whole time between start and finish, shows up for a bit more classes than the minimum to qualify for the next grading, joins in for gashukos (and i mean the whole camp, not just a class or two) and keeps a positive attitude in the process. I also highly recommend reading books or webs on whatever subject that you wanna improve.

If you tell yourself that you will never give up and that you dont allow yourself to be mediocre, then your karate (or any other endeavour you might pursue) will be highly successful.

Train hard, push your partners, take care of yourself and them in the process, and most of all, have lots of fun in the process.

Gashukos at Laugarvatn

Weeee!!!!

Two trainingcamps at Laugarvatn this summer. Gunni and his band of merry men and women is bringing Kato sensei june 9-11. Then Kawasoe sensei and Mr. Poh Lim is coming in july 27-30.

I suggest that you probably wanna do both if you have the chance. Meeting the other icelandic karateka and also getting a different point of view, instructional-vise is always beneficial.

Regarding the Kato sensei weekend, Gunni has kept a limited nr of spaces for me, so get back to me as soon as possible if you wanna join in. More info on the Haukar webpage.

Einar in London

Arrived Keflavik, checked in
Went through security
Thought i had lost my credicards
Freaked out, freaked out alot, found cards
Met Isak in dutyfree shop
Landed on time at Stanstead
Went by train and tube to Piccadilly Backpackers (12£ for a bed...)
Slept, had very bad breakfast
Tube, train and taxi to Windsor
No idea when training starts, but both me and Isak made it
3 hour of zukiwasa for the sandan and above group....
Indianfood... :p
Early night at my great singleroom with net and cabletv :p
Legs tired, worried that i will be very tired after class on sunday
Saturday classes were pretty slow, good thing the grading saved the day...
Sunday; More slow classes, BurgerKing and uneventful flight home.

Then i come home.... THE STALKERS HAVE BEEN AT MY PLACE!!! :O

Balloons everywhere..... All good.

:-D